whalertly

2009-08-10T16:40:00.001-04:00

pkbfidq52s

Subscribers

2009-08-06T20:58:00.002-04:00

I noticed today that I still have far more subscirbers to this site then to my new one. Guys, I have moved, you should go subscribe to the new site and check it out. The URL is http://whalertly.com/wordpress/

Go enjoy it

technorati more

2009-08-06T20:25:00.001-04:00

pkbfidq52s

technorati stuff

2009-08-06T20:15:00.001-04:00

Check out my new site
Check out my Clippers site

Moved

2009-05-31T22:50:00.003-04:00

We have officially moved, this will be the last post on this website. Please check out the new site, update your feeds, and all of that. More on that HERE

Also, you should have already auto redirected, so it is all good

Moving on Monday - update feeds

2009-05-28T22:48:00.003-04:00

On Monday you will not see a new post here, instead you will see your browser redirect you. My new site is very easy to remember and will be starting new posts on Monday.

www.whalertly.com/wordpress

at some point the home page (whalertly.com) will actually contain information, but it does not at this point.
Also, not all of the pages have been set up, but they will be added. This is a chance to help create my new website, so chime in with what you like, don't like, etc.

So you know, please update your feeds:
new site - www.whalertly.com/wordpress
New Feed - http://feeds2.feedburner.com/Whalertly
New Comments Feed - http://whalertly.com/wordpress/comments/feed/

if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me personally
barga.24@gmail.com

MARCON Day 3: In Space, Can Anybody Hear You Pray?

2009-05-28T08:25:00.002-04:00

Every year, for the last 44 years, Memorial Day Weekend is a big deal as sci-fi, fantasy, and otherwise "interesting" folks converge in the Central Ohio Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. MARCON, or Multiple Alternative Reality Convention, is a gathering for fans, readers, writers, and anybody who is interested in comics, sci-fi, and fantasy. The three-day event is one of the most enjoyable events I go to in a year, but it is also one of the strangest. Let the tale end:

It's the last day of MARCON and my head is spinning. Too many drinks in the wee hours of the morning at room parties will do that to you. For those of you who don't know, room parties are parties that are forced into private hotel rooms because they get out of hand with either too much drinking or too much sexual play, though never both at the same time. Mine was the drinking kind.

Looking over at my clock, I notice that it's already 9:30 in the morning; I have a panel at 10 so this is a big issue. Jump out of bed, jump into the shower, and run to my car. A quick drive, along with the proper tipping and payment for valet parking, and I am in the convention center. Woot, I make it on time.

I head to Madison and look around; there is almost nobody there. This seems to be what happens on Sundays: everybody who is attending the con is either hung over, still asleep, or taking down the displays. What is officially a three-day con is more or less a two-day convention for most people. This disappoints me; not only am I on two Sunday panels, but I usually think that Sunday panels are the best panels of the convention. Oh well.

So I migrate to Madison and meet up with Madame Heaphy as we are about to start our panel. Low and behold, there is only one person there, a teacher-in-training who is focusing on science and math. Well, our panel is about teaching science fiction (even though I am only 21 I have taught scifi to high schoolers and studied it at many levels). So we'll do a one-on-one, but that's perfectly fine. Instead of the lecture and slide show we have planned, we sit down and simply ask him to tell us the subjects he must cover.

Earth’s layers? Journey to the Center of the Earth. Evolution? The Sound of Thunder. Gravity? Cold Equations. Any and every subject he needs to cover has been talked about in a scifi book, so he will be able to use them in class with his kids. God, I wish I had a teacher like that back in the day.

I have a break between panels so I head over to listen to a talk on 50 ways to leave the planet. We discuss a laser propulsion system which is a potential launch device, along with solid state and liquid fueled engines. We also discuss the various lift-off and landing techniques that NASA and JPL are working on for future spacecraft. Though the talk was advertised as being about 50 ways to leave space, we discussed only about five; but they were pretty interesting.

That's one of the problems with panels at conventions. While you might set out to talk about the new Harry Potter movie, or The Hobbit movies, or even 50 ways to get off Earth, the panel rarely goes where it should have. Take the time travel panel I was on during the first day. While we did discuss the physics behind it, we mostly talked about why time travel is so common in literature. Though I don't necessarily mind when people move off of the subject, it can be annoying when I really want to learn something.

After the panel on leaving the planet I go to my second panel of the day: Life on Mars. As we sit there and start to talk, I notice that most of the attendees have no idea why we are talking about a TV show. I pause and ask: “Who here has seen the British version, who has seen the American, and who thinks that we are talking about the red planet?” About half the room leaves when they realize that we are talking about the TV show Life on Mars, not the planet itself.

After everybody settles down I get to start actually talking about the show. We discuss the differences between the two versions, the sequel (Ashes to Ashes), and how the endings were vastly different. Near the end one of the viewers pipes up about how she didn’t like the World Trade Center scene as it reminded her too much of 9/11. The rest of the time we spend discussing certain gotcha and gut-wrenching moments and why they were used to tell time and set the mood.

Afterwards I decide to wander around the convention one more time. Checking out the dealer’s room, I buy some more dice, a goblet, and a present for my girlfriend. I also head down to the art room to check out the amazing pictures, sculptures, and origami. They also have some computer cases, which are well done, and look very Tron-like (granted, they were a mod based on Tron).

As I am making my way to the exit I notice one more panel which looks interesting: In Space, Can Anybody Hear you Pray? While this a popular line to alter and convert (including as the subtitle of a porn movie), it's an interesting idea. This panel is an interfaith meeting of convention goers who don’t want to leave their God(s) behind. They sit there, listen to a sermon on peace, and basically act normal. I am struck by how different this is from the rest of the convention: here you have a stereotypical Sunday morning, vs. the craziness that went on earlier in the weekend. It was a real surprise.

Overall, I had an amazing time at MARCON this year. Though I was scared by some of the things I saw (the walking vagina and two men dressed in Sailor Moon outfits will forever haunt me), I enjoyed most of it. The masquerade was amazing, the ball was good, and the costuming was stunning. I learned a fair bit at the panels, was able to share my knowledge with the rest of the community, and even had a lot of fun at the parties. It was a great experience for me, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it.

Here's to next year and seeing you there!

My post about Day 1 talked about my first panels and a general intro to the convention. Day 2 was about the characters and costumes you will find at MARCON and similar conventions.

Sexting: The New Craze Sweeping the Nation that I am not Part of – Part 2

2009-05-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

Part one of this series is located here and details the events leading to a suicide of an 18 year old who got screwed over by sexting. Today, I will be dealing with how the courts handle the issue, how parents should pay attention (sounds familiar), and how stupid teens can be. Enjoy

Okay, to start this, I want to share a quick story: in Lebanon Ohio two young teens were charged for sexting nude images of themselves. The girl sent a nude image of herself to her boyfriend and both were charged. This is the main story I will be using to prove my great and amazing points.

Anyway, these two youngins decided it was great to send pictures to each other. The court, on the other hand, thought it was not good. Good job to the court. Both got 100 hours of service, along with 30 hours of house arrest for the boy and an essay by the girl. Frankly, I think they both should have gotten the essay and house arrest punishments.

To start with, I agree that they should have been punished. The kids committed a serious offense (child porn) and so they should be nailed. I also like the essay (even though it should have been both) as it gets the girl to think about it and explain why it was wrong. Frankly, I like how the case was decided, as courts (juvenile) should work to change the kid, not punish them. They made sure the kids knew it was wrong and made them explain why.

Moving on, let's talk about how stupid teens can be. We know that teens do stupid things, and we know that they are normally not appropriate. However, we also know that they are just teens. In this case, the girl showed extremely bad judgment in taking the picture and sending it to her boyfriend. Sure, you two are in ”love”, but when you break up it is sure to circulate the Internet. As for the guy, I am understanding that it is hard to get rid of pictures of your girl, but he should have known better two. Frankly, both kids made mistakes, and I hope that both learn from them.

Now, moving on to my favorite topic in the world: how parents screw up.
in this case, it seems as though the parents were left in the dark. Normally I would argue that they were not at fault, but then you need to realize that this was done via text-message-pictures. This means that the parents have access to all records and can easily check in on their kids. Frankly, if the girl and boy were sending this sort of image, I am assuming that their verbal exchanges were even worse. Frankly, I would be checking up on my kids texts if I was paying for them, and the parents should have been doing here as well.

MARCON Day 2: Costumes and "Characters"

2009-05-26T07:39:00.000-04:00

Was that a man in a sailor moon costume?

Every year, for the last 44 years, Memorial Day Weekend is a big deal as sci-fi, fantasy, and otherwise "interesting" folks converge in the Central Ohio Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. MARCON, or Multiple Alternative Reality Convention, is a gathering for fans, readers, writers, and anybody who is interested in comics, sci-fi, and fantasy. The three-day event is one of the most enjoyable I go to in a year, but it is also one of the strangest. Let the tale continue:

Today I decided that I really didn't want to deal with the whole bus issue. Even though it is free for me, COTA (Central Ohio Transit Authority) is an annoying experience and one which I rarely like to deal with; it sucks that I need to ride COTA every day for work. Instead, I choose to drive to the convention center myself. I pull in, pay to have my car parked for me, and head towards the green room. One coffee, two bagels, and some cream cheese later I'm ready to hit the floor of the convention.

I start to wander around, heading towards the Franklin room so I can check out some movies. I step into the darkness, let my eyes adjust, and notice that there is a Harry Potter marathon going on. God, it's Chamber of Secrets, what crap. Sitting in the audience, however, is an entire mob of Potteresque characters. I see a Hagrid, 15 Harrys, 12 Rons, and a random Loona Lovegood – seriously, who wants to dress up as Loony Loona?

I wander away from the movies, and decide that it is time to go sit in on a panel about the Middle Earth movies being produced by Peter Jackson. I sit next to an Obi-Wan Kenobi (I must say, his beard and hair were perfect), and just listen in. Pretty quickly I notice that there are several elves in the audience, along with a few wizards, and some goblins. Cool. Now, the problem with this many people dressed as characters is the fact that they all "know" Tolkien perfectly. That is, they think they know the stories, and then argue amongst each other for hours. Needless to say, we don't talk about the new movies, merely about how the three other movies butchered the books – trust me, I contributed quite a bit to this.

As I flee from this "debate" I start to wander the halls yet again. During this meandering, hundreds of costumes jump out at me. From the stereotypical Steam-Punk costumes, to the Klingons who exist everywhere, I see many of the typical nerdy outfits. However, along with these uniforms, I see several that were not so usual. I see a Dr. Horrible costume, a few Firefly costumes, and one or two Princess Leia bikinis. These, thankfully, are upon attractive females.

Even though I have prepared myself for the types who attend these conventions, I am unprepared for a few of the more interesting costumes that I encountered. For example, I run into two men – yes two, not one – who have decided that it's great for a 50-year-old to wear a Sailor Moon outfit; frankly, I have never seen a hairier anime character in my life. I also see a young black man who has decided to wear a vagina, yes, a vagina, as his costume. I quickly run away from these people.

Though there are some acceptable and cool costumes (mainly the Renaissance ones and the hot chicks in bikinis), most of the costumes are either insane or inappropriate. I am sure that this comes with the convention territory, but this is probably why many people do not attend these events. It is one thing to drive by a bunch of people wearing Klingon or Captain Jack Sparrow outfits, but it is another to drive by people wearing almost nothing, or that giant vagina. Although conventions need this to build the atmosphere, it also scares away the less crazy fans.

The same is true of the personalities of those who attend MARCON and other such conventions. Though the average IQ is exceptionally high (which is why Mensa recruits there), the social aspect tends to be lacking. There is a reason that the convention pamphlets include instructions about showering, eating, and basic personal care. The attendees are not just devoted fans but also, in many cases, people who have no idea of what the proper social norms are. Thus you have interrupters, rude people, and people you would normally flee from if they sat next to you on a bus.

I fled from them.

Overall, though, MARCON is exceptionally fun because of all of the characters and costumes. Sure, there are the crazies and the Sailor Moon men, but the full experience is worth it. You meet some of the most intelligent people in your life, hear some interesting ideas, and look at some stunning, and amazing, costumes. Always remember, at a convention, the odds are 50-50 that you are either talking to a rocket scientist or a crazy fan.

My post about day 1 was about my first panels and a general intro to the convention. Day 3 will be about what Sunday is like at the con, and a few more panels.

Today is Memorial Day, call up a vet and thank them

2009-05-24T23:50:00.003-04:00

Though I had been planning on continuing my talk on Sexting today, i totally forgot that it was Memorial Day. Instead I want to take a quick break from writing/politics and talk about our soldiers. On Wednesday I will resume my normal schedule.

In the last year hundred of our men and women died serving their country. Agree with the war or not, these people sacrificed their life so that we could live in freedom. Not only do these people sacrifice, but their children, wifes, and families lose their loved ones. They do this for you.

As millions of towns and cities across our country have parades today I recommend that you go see one. Stand up, honor our flag, and honor those who have served. Be they wounded, dead, or merely a vet, they deserve your support. If you see a vet, thank them. If you know a vet, call them up. No matter what, you should honor our soldiers today.

MARCON Day 1: Welcome to the Con

2009-05-24T08:41:00.001-04:00

Every year, for the last 44 years, Memorial Day Weekend is a big deal as sci-fi, fantasy, and otherwise 'interesting' folks converge in the Central Ohio Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. MARCON, or Multiple Alternative Reality Convention, is a gathering for fans, readers, writers, and anybody who is interested in comics, sci-fi, and fantasy. The three-day event is one of the most enjoyable I go to in a year, but it is also one of the strangest. Let the tale begin:

I step off of the bus, the stench and the chatter no longer surrounding me. I look up, see the concrete atrocity that is the convention center, and start to wander towards a door. Locked. Next door, still locked. I wander the entire half-mile length of this randomly assembled building until I reach the hotel. Finally, an open door.

I am early, as I need to register as a panelist, yet I am nowhere near being the first to arrive. Even though panels will not start for about two hours, people are all over the center and the hotel, ready to go. It is a Friday, at three in the afternoon, for god's sake, but apparently these people do not work. No, instead they prep their costumes, meet their old friends, and get ready to party -- in a purely Klingon fashion, that is. I make my way though the crowd, hoping to find the green room, only to be taken aside by dozens of groups trying to recruit me. I must resist.

I finally make it to the green room, show my ID, sign in, and get a nice little badge. Looking at the table I see the first of the four con food groups, caffeine. I head over, fill up on Mountain Dew, and head out for my first panel. Tonight I am talking about time travel in fiction and reality. I am really out of place.

I sit down to the panel, surrounded by three high-level physicists and one acclaimed literary critic. Me, I am simply a student who has a passing interest in time travel and have published one story involving it. I swallow, introduce myself, and just hope nobody questions why the hell I am there. During the introduction I am asked that very question. Why does that always happen?

As the panel starts, we talk about the actual physics that make time travel possible; HOLY COW, I am really in over my head. Finally, after about 30 minutes of me sitting there staring at my hands, I am able to talk about something I know: the literary aspect of time travel. Finally I have a place in this panel, and finally I am actually contributing.

For the rest of the 90-minute program we discussed time travel in fiction, the reality behind it (usually nothing), and how it is useful as a literary device. I was finally in my element, and it was a lot of fun. The viewers participated, talked to us, and we answered most of the questions. The panel went well.

As that was my only panel of the day, I meandered through the convention center to check out other panels. At the Mars Society panel I learned about the future of human exploration and expeditions to the red planet. I learned of the proposed ideas, the various prototypes of space-faring vehicles, and the social studies that are being conducted to figure out what sort of crews would be best. More generally, I learned about why we needed to go to Mars and what was in it for us.

I then moved on to a more militaristic condieration of other planets. "Is Planetary Invasion Feasible?" was an interesting panel, as we examined the possibility of invading another planet, as well as the logistics and other highly important features of potential interplanetary warfare. Sadly missing, however, was an explanation of how the Jedi and the Sith fit into the picture.

Overall, the first day was an interesting experience. I learned, lectured, and saw quite a few interesting things. Sure, most of the convention-goers had yet to arrive, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Saturday will be even more varied, and scarier. Why is it so scary, you ask? Well, they decided to make me a panelist on teaching SF; the concept of being accepted credibly and listened to as a 21-year-old was a little intimidating. The new day will bring new people, new panels, and an even better chance of seeing a hot female-unit in a Sailor Moon costume.

Day 2 will examine more panels and the the various "characters" one meets at a convention. Day 3 examines the Sunday events, my last panels, and the fact that in space, nobody can hear you pray.

Sexting: The New Craze Sweeping the Nation that I am not Part of – Part 1

2009-05-22T00:09:00.001-04:00

As normal, this is a two part series. Today I will be talking about a suicide and the lawsuit that a sexting incident caused. One Monday I will be talking about the punishment for those UNDER 18 and what I think should be done. I will also be looking at the cause and root on Monday.
Enjoy

Spring break of last year and three young women headed to Florida to party, drink, and do the normal teen things. While there, these women took nude pictures of themselves. As with the apparent social norm, the girls then sent these images to their boyfriends. Once they broke up, and the friends had a fight, these images were quickly sent around school. Jessica Logan, one of the girls, was so embarrassed by this spreading of her spread eagle that she decided to kill herself. Now her family is suing the girls, the school, and the city/police force. Let's examine this in detail:

Here are the facts:
All girls were over 18 and consented to the images

Yep, those are the facts, and really everything that matters in this regard. The three girls were all over 18 and they all consented to this. Therefore, there is nothing that the cops could have done, so the city/police force should be dropped out of the lawsuit.

Furthermore, what is the school supposed to do? A school has responsibility only on their property (when they are public) and so whatever happens off campus, and on a persons cell phone, is not their jurisdiction. While they could have talked to those sending the image around, they had no right to confront anybody on this issue. Frankly, without a right, I believe that the school did what they should have. Therefore, the school should not be in this lawsuit and dropped.

So, there is one other group being sued here, and they are the only ones the parents might have a case against. Jessica's two friends are presumably the people who started messaging these images (we have no idea on this though) which is distribution of pornography. However, all people distributing and in the images consented and were of age, which makes it okay. These girls are total ass' and bitches, but they are perfectly in the right to send it. Frankly, these girls should also be dropped from the suit.

So, with this whole lawsuit being dismissed (if I got my way that is) then what is left with all of this? Well, I believe that Jessica herself is the one that should be blamed? She went out and took pictures of herself in a naked state and chose to have them accessible by others. Clearly she never intended this, but she took the risk and fucked up (literally). Don't worry, I am not stopping here, there will be more of this on Monday.

Blu-ray Review: Without A Paddle

2009-05-20T22:30:00.000-04:00

The rip-off of deliverance is available in crystal clear Blu-ray

In 1972, a movie was made about a group of friends who traveled down the fictional Cahulawassee River in rural Georgia. These friends canoe down the river, get mixed up with some hillbillies, and end up losing one of their buddies along the way. Deliverance was a ground breaking film at the time, and has been awarded 3 Academy Awards along with several Golden Globes.

Though it is set up as a parody and rip-off of Deliverance, Without a Paddle is nowhere near as good, nor as ground breaking, as it could be. Instead, Without a Paddle is a teen-flick full of college humor and pranks. From feces filled bags to stereotypical hillbillies, the movie has nothing near the wit and sophistication of Deliverance. Toss in a bunch of pot jokes and bad actors and you have the makings of this movie.

WAP tells the story of Jerry (Matthew Lillard), a corporate tool who loves to serf, Tom (Dax Shepard), a deadbeat who simply seems to continue his college life, and Dan (Seth Green), a hypochondriac doctor who has never been laid in his life, as they attempt to have one last adventure. When they were younger, the guys, along with a fourth friend named Billy (Carl Snell) pledged to find the infamous D.B. Coopers treasure.

Though the three had moved on, Billy had plotted and discovered where the treasure was. Trying for years to get the guys to go on a vacation, Billy was stuck with the knowledge but without his friends to share it with. However, upon the death of Billy (for reasons we never know, but it serves as a good plot point), the guys take this vacation to honor their dead friend. Along the way they encounter a resistant sheriff, two pot farmers, and D.B.’s partner (played by Burt Reynolds as homage to his character from Deliverance). The movie ends with the guys all growing up and fulfilling their duties.

Though the movie is an adventure-comedy, the laughs are few and far between. Too often WAP relies on sophomoric humor and crude jokes. While there are some good scenes (most notably the bear cub scene), the vast majority of the film just roles on with nothing. This lack of humor, with laughs few and far between, made the movie a chore, and not that great of a watch.

Along the same lines, as it is an adventure, you would expect it to be, well, exciting. Needless to say, WAP is not that exciting of a movie. Though the actors all did their own stunts, it is clear that most were within the confines of a stage, and the few that were real were not that good looking. The only real stunt performed was clearly done by stunt doubles, as you could tell from the camera shots on the class-5 rapid near the end of the film. Without any real action, this movie felt boring and really pushed the audience away from it.

Though the acting, script, and action of the movie are severely lacking, I really enjoyed the way it looked on my TV. The water flowed and bubbles realistically, with the sky-blue coloring sticking in my mind. With Tom and Jerry, I could see most of their facial hair and where it was coming from, which made me feel up-close and personal. Overall, the quality of the film, as well as the transfer onto Blu-ray, went a long way in making up for the lackings of the movie itself.

Likewise, the sound quality of WAP was well done and deserved a better movie to go with. I never lost dialog, nor did I have any issue hearing the background noises from the river. I enjoyed having the sounds of nature surrounding me, and this movie happily obliged. Just like with the film quality, the sound of WAP was far better than the actual movie.

As for extras, WAP has none that are really worth while. They have the normal director’s commentary, 13 deleted scenes that were even less funny than the actual movie, and promotional trailers. Frankly, these all were a waste of space, as they fulfilled no need and just served to bore me as I went through them. There was one extra, however, that was somewhat worth it: MTVs look at making the movie. I really enjoy filmmaking and so when I have a chance to see how a movie was made, along with the various techniques and stunts done, I really like it. Sadly this look into the making of WAP was far too short and didn’t make up for the lack any other useful extras.

Overall, I believe that Without a Paddle is not worth the purchase price. The movie is crude, badly written, and really seems like a waste of an hour and a half. Though some people might find it hilarious, I did not, and I do not think that the vast majority of people will. If you are planning on getting the movie, however, the image and sound quality of the Blu-ray version make it worth the upgrade price.

Movie: Though it possessed some good actors, nothing could save it.
Blu-ray Quality: The color of the river will stick in your mind
Sound Quality: surround yourself with the peaceful sounds of nature
Extras: only one extra was worth it, and it wasn’t even that long
Overall: a waste of an hour and a half

Without a Paddle is Rated PG-13 for drug content, sexual material, language, crude humor and some violence.

Taking a Bigger Bite of a PETA then you can chew

2009-05-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

Every group has a purpose. Every person has a goal. And everything action has a reaction. All of these are limited, and all are specific. NRA wants guns for all (no gun control), MADD wants better drinking laws, and the ACLU wants the Constitution to be followed. All of these groups will do things, usually lawsuits and lobbying, to get this accomplished. PETA, on the other hand, has many many goals, all tied together under one umbrella. Go on, read more...

Now, this is not an attack on PETA, even though I always like to insult them, but this is more a quandary about their goals. Unlike most of these other groups, PETA targets 1983983294349234834 (note, number is made up, please don't sue me) issues instead of just one. For example:
-Stop all animal testing
-Stop all medical research on animals
-End certain types of zoos
-A Whole Pet issue
-No more meat
-No more leather etc.
-etc
-etc
-etc
-Oh yeah, and ethical treatment of all animals (animal abuse)

Okay, so, as you can see, PETA has several end goals that they are working on. These goals are vast and diverse, which greatly harms their ability to implement them all. Instead of focusing on one area and using all resources to enact it, PETA is spread out. We all know what happens when things spread out.

Well, on the off chance that you don't know what happen, here is a quick over view:
-You pick your targets
-Get donations
-Spend 100,000$ on each
-Get nothing done

Now, what other people do is spend the money on one target, so like 8,000,000$ on gun rights, and they get stuff done. Why? Because money=power, and the more you spend the more you are able to invest. The more you invest, the more likely you are able to accomplish your goal. Simply for the monetary reason, PETA should focus more.

Even more, however, is the fact that to join PETA you more or less need to agree with all of the goals. Special interest groups wrok because they are focused, not because they want to accomplish a ton. People join ACLU to protect civil rights, they join AARP for benefits, and they join MADD to get tougher drinking laws. People join PETA because they support all of PETA, but that means that others can't join.

If PETA wants to increase membership, maybe they should start to focus on select and specific areas. Almost everybody is against animal abuse and unneeded cruelty (NOTE, I am not interested in arguing this point at this time), but they are against the other things that PETA supports. Thus, instead of getting these voters (and their money), PETA is screwed because they are too wide. PETA should focus in this regard.

Finally, there is one other primary and good reason to specialize. This reason is the best – it limits the freaks you get. As Whalertly pointed out a week or so ago, PETA has connections to terrorists (who are not endorsed) and this harms them. If PETA was focused, they wouldn't be connected to people on the FBI Most Wanted and ELF. Clearly PETA needs to move away from these people, and the best way is to focus. Unless PETA limits their scope, these people will squeeze in, and they will fault the entire system.

My main point is that PETA has great ideas and potential, but because they are so wide focusing and encompass every animal group in the world, they actually are only harming themselves. I believe that PETA needs to close their focus and pick things they can get more supporters for. Always remember, people and their money=power.

Hand Holding Can Cause Babies

2009-05-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Before we start, the bossman wanted me to say a few quick things:
1) The swine flu thing will come when it goes live on blogcritics the next normal update later
2) His PETA and being careful about how much you try to take on will be the next one after that, or on wednesday, whichever happens first
3) he hates you
4) okay, I added the fourth one

Anyway, moving on

IN case you didn't already know, there is a nice court case in the news about a kid and his dad suing his school. See, the school suspended him (though allowed him to take the finals and graduate) for attending prom with his girlfriend. The school also bans rock music, dancing, and holding hands (After all, that can cause babies). So, this kid and his dad are suing the school. Before you get all riled up and pissy, note that the school is a private baptist institution. (http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7735/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=KrwI7xzm)

So, we have this kid, and he is suing his school, and this just gets really fun. Why is it fun? Well, it is fun because you have three different areas to look at. You have the fact that the school is acting on an act outside of their jurisdiction, the fact that it is private, and the fact that the dad paid a shit ton to go there. Let's play with this

So, well, for starters, the step-dad points out that the school has no right when it is outside of a school function and off of school grounds. This is a good argument, FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL, and one that SCOTUS has upheld many times. In this case, however, the school is private and thus free to do as they please within reason. The school informed Tyler of the risk, had a signed contract stating that he would follow the rules, and yet he still disobeyed. The school was well within their rights to punish him in this manner.

Well, I just covered the second point as well. Shit

Another interesting facet of this issue is the fact that the dad is paying tens of thousands of dollars to send his kid here, and yet he didn't read the contract. When you buy anything, a car, a house, a prostitute, and an education, always read the contract. Here, the dad didn't, and now he is pissed off. Frankly, I want the court to throw this out and have the dad pay ALL court costs, serves him right.

Because my second point got covered in the first, just a random fourth (3rd) point. IN all honesty, I believe that Heritage Christian is acting exactly as they should. The kid violated the rules and he is punished. While the school could have kicked him out, they did the proper and Christian thing (hehe) and let him graduate. Frankly, good job to the school.

More Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions – Round Three

2009-05-17T22:40:00.000-04:00

Time for a third period comeback

On Sunday, May 17th, teams resume their quest for the drinking cup of Lord Stanley, thus entering the third round of the 2009 NHL Playoffs. This round, which features the four remaining teams, decides the winners of the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl (winning team from the West) and the Prince of Wales Trophy (winning team from the East). All of the series are best-of-seven. The first two games are played at higher ranked team's home, then two at the lower ranked team's ice. After that, they alternate venues. Using my hard-gained and great NHL knowledge, the following are my predictions for the third round of the NHL playoffs.

For the first round of the 2009 NHL playoffs I was 7/8 which gives me an amazing 87.5% accuracy. For the second round, however, I was 1/4, which gives me only 25% right. Overall, I am 8/12, which is still a respectable 75%.

Eastern Conference
4 Pittsburgh Penguins v. 6 Carolina Hurricanes
You know, I probably should just ignore the East entirely this time. Frankly, I am a West guy, with the Blue Jackets being my favorite team, and I clearly had no idea what I was talking about. I thought Boston would sweep Carolina and that the Penguins would fall in a hard fought battle to the Capitals. I was wrong, very, very wrong.
So, now I am stuck deciding between two teams that I have quickly learned about. The Hurricanes are a force to be reckoned with, as they have won two series as underdogs and seem to thrive when they should be down. However, they started falling against Boston after going up 3-1 in the series, and so I am a bit skeptical of their staying power. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, went up against a very good Washington team, and dominated them in the 7th game in DC. Crosby and Malkin were a force to be reckoned with on their own, and they can dominate anybody on the ice. Frankly, I have learned not to doubt these two, so I believe that...
Pittsburgh in 5

Western Conference
2 Detroit Red Wings v. 4. Chicago Blackhawks
Ahh the Red Wings, a team from up North and the defending Stanley Cup champs. After sweeping the Blue Jackets, the Wings found themselves up against the 8th seat in the West, but it took at a lot to beat them. Chris Osgood finally showed signs of cracking, and it might be time for the Red Wings to leave the playoffs. Chicago, on the other hand, Easily beat the Canucks and was the only team not to make it to a game 7. Having missed the playoffs for several years, and against their long-time original six rival, the Blackhawks are going to be searching for blood, and they will be looking for an early and easy win. This desire, along with the cracking Osgood, should result in...
Chicago in 5

Flu Swine Attacks

2009-05-15T08:21:00.002-04:00

I like that title
anyways, there is a planned series about flu swine on Blogcritics and i have an article in it. As it was supposed to go live today, i was going to give you guys that article... it isn't live
thus, my swine flu article will be on monday, sorry about the lack of an article this weekend

Why I am Even Walking Around Campus – Part 3 of 3

2009-05-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

As a side note, and amusing antidote, I was eating with Dan (my polysci 520 and astro 102 friend) and he mentioned that on the bus he heard a girl talking to her friend say:
'Man, I hate him, he gave me...'
Obviously the girl noticed where she was, and she caught herself before she admitted that she got an STD from a ex boyfriend, or, even worse, a random stranger.

Anyways, on to my actual post... well, on to it if you click READ MORE...

Well, to answer the question that the title poses, a simple explanation would be that I go to OSU and this is what we do. A less simple look would require me to admit that it is wrong to eavesdrop, even if unintentionally, and I will never do that. So, we can just assume that it is based on the fact that I live on (technically off) campus.

Anyways, there actually is a good and thorough reasoning for me writing about all of this. It is more about the appropriateness, the way we teach our kids, and exactly how comfortable drunk people can be with complete strangers. In all honesty, that is the exact reason I chose to write about this. Let's start:

Appropriateness
This is something that seems to be a problem for today's youth. We answer cell phones while at a job interview, discuss professors online, and will even strip at frat parties (Note, I have only done one of those three... guess which). Hell, today, while walking to a forum on the semester switch, I passed hundreds of ladies in the oval wearing nothing but a bikini top and bottom (oh, and that preacher was there). Instead of coming and fighting against a change they don't want, the rather sit there sharing their bounty with the world. Granted, I didn't complain while walking through all of this, but my issue still is there.

How is appropriate to sit in a dinner and talk about sex? What about on a bus and talk about STDs and what your latest sex-buddy decided to give you? These are not as uncommon as they appear to be, and they are never appropriate. As I hear these things from every party, from all people when I am out getting fatty foods, and just randomly when riding the bus, it is clear that there is a systematic failing of this common conception. Clearly, these people have not been properly educated, and they either do not know what is wrong with this OR they don't respect themselves enough. This, obviously, is something that needs to be fixed.

Hey, look, that leads us to our next sub-topic...

The Way We Teach Our Kids
Clearly there is a failure at some point in the education of these young men and adults. Sure, you should be proud of your body, but you should also be modest in exposing it. I mean, while I might like looking at your flat stomach and voluptuous (my word of the day) curves, there are also those who will take advantage of that. Whole porn websites are dedicated to random images like that, and they are something that should be avoided. Same with the whole sex talk at a restaurant, or discussing how cashed your bowl is when you are at a party. All of these are not proper, and all of these could be avoided simply by raising the kids properly.

Now, yes, I fully enjoy blaming parents for all of lifes problems. Texting, Sexting, Pregnancies, etc. are all partially the fault of parents. Too often parents refuse to act like, well, PARENTS and instead try to act like friends. NEWS FLASH: you are parents, act like it. This is something that parents should teach their children: when you should say something, and who you should say it to. Saying you have STDs to a best friend is one thing, saying it while on the bus is different.

Watch Who You Are Talking Near
this is something that seriously needs to be worked on as well. Certain people are good to talk to, certain are not, but, I can guarantee you, it is never good to talk sex with strangers around - unless you are Dr. Laura, that is... This is true for not only teens and college kids, but all other sorts of people. I have been eating dinner and overheard the person behind me explain to her friends that they left their daughter at home alone (normally she is old enough). If I were a molester, or something of that nature, I would take full advantage of this.

This is something that we need to work on in all levels. There are certain things that you can discuss anywhere (that dress, those shoes, how hot that chick is) and things that should only be discussed, in a non-academic sense, when with those you are close to. Come on folks, there is no justification for talking about this stuff, flaunting your assets (pun intended), or anything else in public. Look around you, see who can hear, and then judge if it is proper or not.

Random Listenings of a College Campus – Part 2 of 3

2009-05-11T14:59:00.002-04:00

Simply by wandering around a campus on a Friday or Saturday night you can learn hundreds of interesting and unique things. You can learn about the fact that the government caused 9/11 (disclaimer, I do not agree with this), how a girl lost her virginity, or simply that a person is super smashed (direct quote). All of these things are simply learned by walking around listening, not even volunteering or anything. Seriously folks, these are just shouted out.

Though this is not in a category, this is the best of anything I have ever heard on campus. We have these crazy preacher guys on OSUs campus all the time, and the lecture, preach, and condemn like the world was about to end. Anyways, one of them yelled at a shirtless Frisbee player ‘put a shirt on you heathen’, which the player responded with ’I have yet to eat the apple, so I do not yet know my sin of nakedness’. Wow, simply Wow. I mean, this dude thought on his feet, was able to respond, and actually cracked the preacher up.

I have been walking down the street, ambling by parties, and overheard the following fun tidbits:

-Man, this pipe is finished, get me some more weed
Seriously man, if you are yelling out that you need more weed then any good cop will come arrest you

-Come on baby, I love you and I want to fuck
Now, I must give the girl credit, she responded with ‘but you’re drunk’ but I still have to wonder exactly what was going through his head, and hers when she chose him

-You know, OSU used to be a military base
Wow, just wow. I really want to see where he came up with that

-9/11 was caused by Osama Bin Laden and he is the president
Either this dude was dyslexic or he seriously had some issues

-Yeah, my first time was on my parents bed, he was so small
I just feel bad for the guy… oh, and her parents

Those, arguably, could be considered private, as they occur at a party. Much more interesting, however, are the comments that happen when you are at a restaurant (read PJs or Buckeye Donuts) at like 2 in the morning

-Man, my thong is riding up to high, I got me a wedgie
(this was followed by me turning around in interest, discovering it was a guy, and then loosing my greasy food)

-Mark screwed me like 15 times yesterday, it was so good
Seriously lady, what the hell? I mean, I understand the concept and all of that, but why would you explain that

-You know, my prof. is pretty hot… I wonder if I can get good grades for fooling around with him
Um, lawsuit anybody?

Even better, that statement was followed up with her friend saying:
-don’t do that… I went to this party once, hooked up with a dude, and it turned out it was my TA. He made so much fun of me
Really, I would have loved to be in that class

I know, you are wondering why I chose to share all of this with you. Well, if you come back on Wednesday you will find out…

Post up later

2009-05-11T00:10:00.000-04:00

My planned post for today, the one dealing with what you hear on campus, will be up later today. I played a bit too much warhammer and didn't have time to write it...

Random Observations From A College Campus - Part 1 of 3

2009-05-08T00:05:00.000-04:00

So, over my time at tOSU I have noticed several things. I have also heard several things. They are interesting, insightful, or downright scary. Anyways, I decided that I would share some choice observations with you today (and this weekend), and I hope that you enjoy them just as much as I did.
On Monday I will share with you some choice things I overheard
On Wednesday I will share with you why exactly I am posting these.

What Barga Notices

If you wear a shirt with writing on it, expect me to stare at your breasts. Seriously, while I usually will not need the excuse, the writing is just asking for it. I wear shirts with sayings and images to have them looked at, if you don't want me looking, don't wear that shirt.

Same is true of the ass part of pants. Seriously ladies, if you have a nice butt, and it says 'pink' or 'cheer' on it, I am going to scope it out. This is true of any dude, so be warned.

You know, there is something to be said when guys walk around showing off their muscles. They walk around, their arms bulging out, and yet wearing the loosest pants ever. Why? Well, obviously steroids harms the growth of certain male parts (penis').

Whenever you have a nerdy looking dude (read ME) in a 'tough' class I will always be buddied up with the hot girls. They sit by me, try to be my friend, and then right before the midterm ask for help and notes. Too bad ladies, I am not only taken, but I don't take notes.

What about the guys who will wear shorts, a t-shirt, and sandles all winter? I mean, come on, don't you freeze your ass off? And, most of the dudes are walking around shivering, that really isn't attractive (Note, I am one of these dudes)

And the girls who wear miniskirts during December but also wearing about 20 sweaters on top. I mean, you have no leg hair, and no real lower body fat, but somehow you think that you will stay warm with that sexy skirt on. There is an issue here.

You know, you can learn a lot from bathroom stalls. I mean, I have learned the numbers of girls who give good head, learned what a land shark was, and even learned that Obama really has a N in the front of it. Seriously, if you ever want to study humanity, simply walk into a college restroom.

Let's chat about clothing choices for another second. Men, if you wear a banda, you are tool. Ladies, if you wear a miniskirt you are a whore. Dude, if you wear tweed you are an idiot. Ladies, same for you. Guys, if you wear a sidewise hat you are a poser. Girls, don't wear hats

You know, there is far too much PDA on campus. Seriously folks, I will walk through the oval and see dudes and chicks all over each other. See, I hate PDA in any form,both gay and straight, and I think that something needs to be fixed. My proposal, spray all PDAers with water.

Student government is a joke, about as much of a joke as the real government. only the greeks get in, and they all suck. They promise to change things, but they really do the exact same that had been done for the past bit, and they just put their own people in power. No wonder only 5% of the students vote in elections.

Last, but not least, what is up with all the kiss ups to the professors. Seriously, while that might work in the 100 level classes, all professors of higher level classes hate it and actually think badly of it. Students need to be students, not friends.

The Top 10 iPhone Application From April 2009

2009-05-06T19:35:00.002-04:00

Hello, and welcome to the fourth installment of iWant, iNeed, iRecommend. This is a monthly series that will, simply put, talk briefly and present the top ten iPhone and iPod Touch applications from that month. At the end of the year, the 120 mentioned applications will then go head to head to see which apps become the top ten for the year. If you would like to read my previous top ten lists, as well as all my other iPhone and iPod Touch application reviews, you can see them here. While this list is subjective (as are all top ten lists), I did my best to base this on actual use, not my own opinion. Enjoy.

10: Mathhammer 40K
There is a certain tabletop war game. One that millions of people around the world play, and one that I play almost every weekend. This game is called Warhammer 40K, and it is a game of odds, dice, and strategy. There is a style of the game where you calculate odds before you attack, to make sure that you have a good chance of winning. To do this, people created Mathhammer, a system where you enter all variables and the odds are calculated for you. While you can look at this on a computer, or do it by hand, most players were never able to do it at tournaments or on the road. Enter Mathhammer 40K, an application that will do it all for you. As I have been able to use it in many games, I know for a fact that my $4.99 investment has been well spent.

9: iRentMovie

Ahh Netflix, the comapny that changed how video renting would be done. Furthermore, this company even caused me to break up with my longtime renter, Blockbuster. Until April, however, the service had never fully embraced the changing way people access their information and movies – their phones. You had to log onto a computer, log into the site, and then access all of your movies, add to queues, and even alter the ques themselves. No longer do you have to do that, as iRentMovie allows you to access, alter, and add to any of your Netflix choices with your iPhone or iPod Touch. The application even will show you the top ten lists and many of the best-classics lists. IRentMovie is a $2.99 app that goes perfect with your Xbox360, TiVo, or anything else you use to watch movies.

8: Carminder
Do you have multiple cars, each with a different oil change and tire rotation mileage? Or, are you just sick of remembering all of the maintenance that you need to do? Well, Carminder is the perfect application for you. Carminder remembers everything, from every car that you own. Tire rotations, radiator flushing, brake pads, and even windshield wipers – all of these, and even more, are kept on your iPhone or iPod Touch to help you remember. This is the perfect application for anybody who has too many cars to keep track of, or simply too much information to remember. And, at only $1.99, Carminder will not break your bank.

7: Rest Area
There is something about road trips that just makes you have to go to the bathroom way too often. This, of course, is most noticeable when you have children in the car with you. This is where Rest Area comes in, an application that uses the iPhone's GPS chip and will tell you where, and more importantly, how to get to, the closest rest area. Even further, Rest Area will provide you with all the information that you want, from what food they have to the picnic area size. At just $.99, Rest Area is a perfect add on for your road trip.

6: Congress, Congress Pro, and various State Pro
The applications from the Cohen Research Group are interesting and very informative. Congress and Congress Pro will give you all sort of information about various congressional leaders, members, and the laws they pass. Georgia Pro, California Pro, Name-Your-State Pro will give you information about the members of the state government and their laws. All of these applications are informational, useful, and great for, well, anybody. Though they are intended originally for Blackberry devices, the port to the iPhone and iPod Touch is flawless and well done. The price, however, might hold you back, as the applications range from $.99 to $19.99, depending on which you want.

5: Tap Tap Coldplay
Continuing their placement on my top 10 lists, Tap Tap came out with yet another iteration: Tap Tap Coldplay. Just like with all of their previous games, Tapulous has created an amazing rythmic music game where all you do is tap your iPhone screen in time with the music. While this might sound stupid and boring, it actually is quite entertaining and enjoyable. This time, however, instead of featuring various bands, Tap Tap Coldplay only plays Coldplay music, which is something I love. Take it from me, a Coldplay fan, all other fans of the band will love this application. At $4.99, Tap Tap Coldplay will give you plenty of playtime and amusement.

4:CIA World Factbook
Do you want to know what the flag of Scotland really looks like? What about the size of the military of Israel (remember, they 'don't have nukes')? No matter what you want to find out, if it is public record, then the CIA World Factbook will have it. The Factbook has been published since 1962, but it didn't go online until th early 2000s. Now, finally, the Factbook has made yet another leap, it has made it to the portable phone market. Using your iPhone or iPod Touch, you can explore the entire world, learn thousands of new things, and answer all of your quiz questions. At only $.99, there is no reason not to grab a copy of CIA World Factbook today.

3: Doc Scanner
For most months, Doc Scanner would probably be the best application of that month; for April, however, it was beaten by two better applications. Don't get me wrong, this application is still amazing and highly usable. Grab your iPhone, take a picture, and you can scan it into a PDF document. It is really that simple, and really that useful. You can use Doc Scanner to scan anything, send it into work, or use it to 'fax' a contract to your partner. Even more, the application will crop and isolate the image for you, so you have no work to do. At $9.99, Doc Scanner might be a bit expensive, but it is worth it.

2: Camera Zoom
The biggest thing missing on the iPhone is the ability to zoom in with your camera. Even the cheapest camera phones on the market can zoom, yet the iPhone can not. Finally, there is an application that fixes this issue. Camera Zoom will apply standard antilogarithms to digitally zoom up to 4 times. The application will adjust automatically, display the zoom in real time, and lets you tap anywhere on the screen to get a picture off. In all, this is the most complete and, probably the best camera application currently out there. And, for only $.99, there is absolutely no reason not to get Camera Zoom.

And the #1 iPhone applicationS from April 2009 is…

1: The Travelto and Travel Guide Applications
For the first time ever, I have picked two apps to share the first place prize. Both of these apps do similar things, and both are extremely well made. Travelto focuses more on countries, and gives you details on where you want to go, what you want to do, and what to say. The Travel Guides are more along the lines of a city guide book, and they inform you on all of the small-time, but locally loved, scenic spots in each city. Both applications are well designed, impliment the iPhone controls well, and look perfect. You can get a Travelto guide for $.99 per country and a Travel Guide for $.99 per city.

Well folks, there you have it, the top 10 iPhone and iPod Touch applications from April 2009. If you have any suggestions for next month's list, or want to tell me what I missed, please let me know in the comment field.

Gambling and the Internet, BOOOO Minnesota

2009-05-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

So, apparently Minnesota no longer is just in the news because they have no senator. Now, they decided that they want to known for breaking the first amendment. Apparently, they decided that not only was Poker to be banned in the state, but they are banning all online gambling. To enforce this, they have decided to pass a law and give a list of IP addresses to ISPs to be banned. Yep, the state is violating the first amendment.

Okay, so there is this beautiful ban in place, but we know that it is wrong and illegal. Let's actually look at why.

I believe that this is a violation because it limits a valid mean of communication. Sure, gambling where the house takes a percentage is in violation of state law, but enforcing this ban on the internet is a violation of consumer, corporation, and 1st amendment protections. The government has no right to force an ISP to not provide acccsess to one site or another. The ISP has the right to do so if they wish, but they should not have to do it under the law.

Additionally, they are not a common carrier. The only law that applies to this is if they were a common connection, like a telephone company that serviced both. In this case, most of the sites are overseas, so there is no common connection. In fact, the connection runs through a government center where they house the input output connections of the country. Think about that for a second, they have no right to even request this.

Wait, isn't this more then INTRAstate commerce? Well, Minn. Only has rights to police what is done inside of their state, and this is not only intERstate, but intERCOUNTRY as well. Seriously, this violates the commerce clause in so many ways.

Lastly, let's look at one other issue here. What about the schools, churches, daycares, and hospitals that share the same IP address as these sites. I mean, using the Minn logic, if I host a gambling website from my apartment where I get free wifi then everybody else there who hosts a site is shut down. On average, 50 sites share the same IP and most of these are not related. See the problem? The state is shutting down sites that have nothing to do with this.

Site Review: Abstract Inclinations

2009-05-05T12:20:00.000-04:00

Ecommerce for Ecommerce’s sake is an empty phrase…

“Art for art's sake, is an empty phrase. Art for the sake of truth, art for the sake of the good and the beautiful, that is the faith that I am searching for.”
-George Sand

Most people consider anything to be art. They think that anything can be considered an art form, or an art piece. They do not consider the time, or the meaning, behind the works themselves. These meanings differentiate between what is art and what is simply scribbles on a page. It is far more than just splashes of color upon a canvas covered frame; art is something that is beautiful, moving, or a learning experience. Art simply is.

When you look at Abstract Inclinations (AI) you must keep that in mind. The site is full of art, but not always what you or I could tell as art. No, it is art of the abstract nature, art that has meaning if you can find it, and is only splashes of color and lines if you can’t. Currently, the art is only by Stephen N, but there are plans to enlarge the selection on AI. There are also tshirt designs available, with both art images and funny sayings on them.

Now, I normally do not like abstract art (read, I hate it) but I actually liked some of the art on AI. Most of the art was abstract and colorful, but i couldn't understand it. Sure, I could see the passion and work that went into it, but I couldn’t see what it meant. Some of the art, on the other hand, actually spoke to me, and I was quite moved. Homage Pollock, which is a green, yellow, and black piece on a white canvas really spoke to me. Frankly, if I had the cash, I would buy it right now.

Just like the actual art work, I actually really enjoyed the shirt designs that were on the site. Now, when I am not at work, I wear shirts with sayings on them. Most of them are witty, but some are just outright odd. The shirts on AI fit my personality perfectly. They have wit, funny sayings, and even one has the sophomoric humor that I am so used to. Though I can not attest to the make or quality of the shirts themselves, the sayings would look at home in a Hot Topic store.

Okay, so this is a review of a website, I think that I have discussed the content enough; let’s talk about the site itself. AI is a site that is dedicated to presenting artworks from independent artists to the world. Currently they are only hosting works by Stephen N, they will be enlarging the selections and allowing a wider range of art to be shown. I like the collaborative effort on the part of the website to help others out and to showcase their own work.

Normally, I only see art in galleries, so I really like the idea of having it on a website. When I do go art shopping (first Saturday of the Month is a Gallery Hop in Columbus), I wander from one establishment to another, always trying to find that one piece that sticks out at me. With AI, however, I am able to shop for art while in my boxers and can see everything in one place. This is not only easier for myself, but it also helps the artists as they are able to combine their efforts into one location. I like this method of selling art, and I really hope that it catches on.

The only downside of AI is really a few coding areas. The site has a good layout, good design, and a good message, but that is overshadowed by these issues. There is no mouse-over for anything but the top bar, and that really confuses me. Due to this, half of the links were never noticed until I searched around the page to find them. This should be a quick fix, and it is something that is needed to make navigation better. Additionally, the site doesn’t reset every time you visit. Currently, if you were on page 3 of the art, you start on page 3 again next time you are there. If this was a larger site that would make sense, but as a small site it is annoying. Again, this is an easy fix and one that I hope is done soon.

Overall, I believe that Abstract Inclinations is a pretty cool and nifty idea. The site has plenty of potential, and I am hoping that, in the future, more artists show up and contribute. I can see AI making a splash on the art scene and helping casual buyers like myself find art at our fingertips (literally). The only thing holding it back is the lack of multiple artists and some coding, both of which are easily fixed. I strongly urge you to go check out Abstract Inclinations today.

What an Amazing Year – 1 Year of My Site

2009-05-03T23:58:00.001-04:00

Well all, it has been a year. Yes, one year ago (okay, technically 364 days ago, but who is counting) I started this blog as a spin off of my girlfriends. Yep, more or less, I created it to make fun of her. Man, how time changes things. From a fun blog, Whalertly has evolved into a political power house, which made an impact in elections and had requests for endorsements, and into a review base. I can not tell you how happy I am that we have grown so much, and that we plan on growing more and more.

I could not have done it without you guys, the reader. You are always there, and always forcing me to update often. My older blogs failed because I didn't have readers, but I have you guys, and I thank you for it.

And to my fellow writters, you guys rock. Ander keeps me busy with alternative ideas, which do broaden the mind. Kadim, well, he is probably the most litigation specific of us. Peter, he only has a few posts, so I can not judge him yet (short of what I know from him personally). And Whalertly, what the fuck is wrong with you man?

And, I also have to give myself some knocks. Somehow, I came up with an idea that is liked by a fair bit of people, and I actually committed to it. I never commit to stuff, so you should all feel happy...

With this in mind, I would like to announce that on June 1st (assuming all authors sign up, Peter and Ander, I am looking at you) we will be moving over onto our own URL. I am currently setting up the page, and making it look good. I will let all of you know when it happen...

So, let's see how we did:
A Year in Numbers
These are all averages and all based on the average of my 5 trackers. They all have different numbers, so take this with a small margin.

Posts – 252 (now 253)
Comments – 1,432
Daily Views - 215
Daily Unique Views - 190
Daily Page Views - 380
Monthly Views - 6400
Monthly Unique Views - 5500
Monthly Page Views - 9000
Total views – 75000 (for the record, this is how many Lisa from Glass City Jungle gets in a month)
Total Unique views - 50000
Total Page Views - 100000
Money Made - $375 (thanks, this is all going to my next site, and my dinner)

test

2009-05-01T23:00:00.001-04:00

This is for something else
test

A Look at Two Levies:

2009-05-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hey all, on Tuesday the 5th we will be having our spring elections. There are no important ballot or political races in the area, so I don't need to touch those. With that in mind, I am going to go ahead and explain why we need to vote and pass two of the levies. Click 'read more' if you want to know more.

School Levies
In Ohio, our schools are failing our students. Kids can not learn, many are crammed into tiny classrooms, and some are even taught in trailers. Gym roofs leak, there are no AP classes offered, and some school don't even have sports teams. This is sad, and this is also a giant scar on the face of our state. We need to help these schools out, so that they can help kids out.

Students are the future of our country. Unless we foster these people and help them grow, they will not get anywhere. We need to protect our future and ensure that it is a good future. Thus, we should help to fund these schools in any way possible.
Vote YES on all school levies

See these kids? If you don't vote for these levies you will be condemning them to jail and a lifetime of misery. You don't want that, now do you?

Metro Park Levy
In this day and age, our land is being revenged by several forces. We have expanding housing, which is taking out fields for crops. The farms, being forced to move, are then taking over new land in forests and the like. We also have oil drillers, lumber people, and all of them, all raping the land. Sure, we need these things, but we do not need to act like we do now. These companies are destroying America's beautiful landscape, and we need to protect it.

As our country keeps expanding, we will only keep infringing on our precious natural resources. While we need to do this, we also need to do it in moderation and HOPE that we can preserve the pristine natural environment for all future generations. The Metro Parks ensure that we have these tracts of land for eternity. We need to do this for ourselves, our kids, and our great-great-great-grandkids.
Vote YES on the Metro Park Levy

see this deer? If you don't vote for this levy, then you want it dead. If you already want it dead, I won't give you the antlers...

Blu-ray Movie Review: Sin City

2009-04-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

Sexy Dames, Lots of Blood, and a Castration: what’s not to love?

Ahh, Sin City, a city with a name more perfect has never existed. The city is streaming with sin, with pestilence, and with irony. Sin City calls forth to the tough, the thugs, the corrupt, and the lonely. They surge into the city like fleas on a dog, their bites stinging and their bellies fat with blood. Even without the steady stream of new faces, Sin City plays host to thousands of other deadbeats and lowlifes. The police force is corrupt, strippers and hookers stand on every corner, and there is no end in site. Sin City, the last place on God’s green earth that you would ever want to live.

Sin City tells three stories that are intertwined and run closely together. Though they interact throughout the movie, we are lead to believe that they really are just separate events throughout the course of a day in Sin City. We start off by meeting Hartigan (Bruce Willis), one of the few uncorrupt cops in the hell hole of a city, and, more importantly just a few days away from retirement. With his wife home making a juicy steak, Hartigan has just one more case to wrap up, that of Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba). Needless to say, this one last case doesn’t end the way he wants it.

Flash forward and we meet Marv (Mickey Rourke), a two-time felon who is always in trouble. He has a beat up face, thousands of scars, and a penchant for coats. Oh, and he is obsessed with some dead hooker named Goldie (Jaime King). He travels through the underground of the city, searching for her killer, and finding all sorts of ‘fun’ in the process. On his hands there is blood, and I don’t mean that figuratively.

Jumping to the third and final story, we meet Dwight (Clive Own), “a felon with a new face and just one fingerprint away from the gas chamber”; what a chirpy and energetic character. While he might sound bad, he is a vigilante with a passion for dames and a desire to see justice done. We follow Dwight as he and his hooker friends try to keep the mob from returning and ruining Old Town, a part of Sin City where the hookers rule and the cops know their place. Explosions, trickery, traitors, and a sexy little Asian named Miho (Devon Aoki) are all just elements of this story. Finally landing with the girl of his dreams, Dwight is the only one to have a happy ending (pun intended).

Joining these great actors are even better known names. Benicio Del Toro shows up as Jackie Boy, the rival of Dwight. Josh Hartnett shows up as The Man, an unknown (personally I think that this is Dwight before surgery) hitman who is hired to kill those hiring him. The stunning Brittany Murphy plays Shellie, another lover of Dwight’s. Frank Miller himself even shows up, playing a bit role as a murdered priest. These actors all contribute to the look and feel of the movie, and they make it so much better.

Topping all of the other actors, however, is a character who doesn’t say a single thing. All we know is that Kevin smiles a lot, has really reflective glasses, is faster then Marv, and eats humans. Elijah Wood, in his first acting job since Lord of the Rings plays Kevin remarkably well, and gives him an interesting personality. All we know of Kevin we learn from others, yet somehow we feel connected to him throughout the movie. Wood plays this role well, and gives us the emotion we need simply from a face. It is amazing how far you get drawn into this character, and that is a credit to Wood.

Sin City, for those of you who do not know, if a movie directed by Richard Rodriguez and based off of the graphic novel by Frank Miller. Similar to Miller’s other works, the graphic novel seems extremely well thought out and planned. All of the characters are real, there is proper growth, and they are all three dimensional. To add to the feel, Miller would hire great artists and colorists to get everything to jump off of the page at you.

To recreate this feel in a film was hard work, but Rodriguez was up to the task. Sin City was a series of five stories, though only three are usually talked about. The stories are told in an interesting manner, with characters linking them, and events in common, but they are really supposed to be separate; well, that at least is what the production team claims (I have my doubts). By keeping the stories unique, and by having different stories in one movie, Sin City is able to capture the actual feel of the graphic novels, and this is something that I enjoyed immensely.

Taking it even further, Rodriguez utilizes imagery and coloring to bring the graphic novels to life. When we look at the world, we normally see it in hues and pastels; only the important things (break lights, eye color, stunning blonde hair, and perk pink nipples) capture our attention. Miller colored based on this, and Rodriguez translated it into the film. Things that would seem normal and mundane are in black or white, to symbolize how useless they are. Only the interesting, and intriguing, stuff are in color, and it symbolizes the importance to the story. This is a good method of engrossing people into a story, and it helps to show what needs to be seen.

There is no better way to see this contrast, and to have the colors leap out at you, then by watching it on Blu-ray on your HDTV. Seriously folks, I have never seen a better transfer to HD in my entire movie viewing life. Sin City raised the bar with their image quality, and they clearly are ready to set the new standard. Marv’s blood jumps at me, with the red glistening and reflecting just like it would in real life. The perk pink nipple of Goldie, well, let’s just say that they were very lifelike. Movements of fabrics, hair, and even bullets didn’t seem to cause any ghosting or blurring, which is very rare in a transfer. Everything in Sin City looked perfect, and it all looked absolutely jaw dropping.

Adding to the intensity of the coloring and quality of the movie, the sound that came out of my 5.1 system just shattered my perceptions of what was possible. The narration was front and foremost, the dialog was perfectly balanced, and the score streamed by my ears. I was fully immersed into the story, and I actually jumped in surprise when I heard sounds behind me. To give you an example of what it felt like, imagine being in a city and having somebody shoot at you: first the bullet whips by you (rush of wind), then you hear the gun (bang bang), followed by random ricocheting in the distance (for about 10 seconds). This is exactly how it sounded coming from my system, and this just amazed me.

When I see a movie with great image quality, I normally expect to see far less extras, as they needed the room on the discs. Sin City was not the norm. The two-disc Blu-ray edition is jammed pack with extras and special additions. I really liked the extended and recut versions of the movie. We see far more interactions between the characters, more intertwining of the stories, and a better take on Miller’s novel. In reality, I really do not understand why these scenes were cut and believe that they should have been in the original version. The only downside here is that they are told story by story, and that really throws off the way you saw it in theaters.

My favorite extra, however, was “The Long Take”. This was a 14 minute look into a scene directed by the great Quentin Tarantino. In the scene, Dwight imagines that he is talking to the dead Jackie Boy, hilarity ensues. I really liked the conversation, the actions, and the emotion that both actors put out here. As the actual film used less then 10 seconds of this clip, I am really glad that they added it into the film, and it is something that I recommend to everybody.

I simply can not praise Sin City enough. The movie is flawless, the imagery stunning, and the sound perfectly balanced. This is the perfect movie for any comic book guy, graphic novel reader, teen, or college kid. Heck, I am willing to bet that most adults would love Sin City. Even if you already have it on DVD (as I do, twice), I recommend that you get it on Blu-ray. Yeah, it is that much better.

Movie: Compelling story, good script, and great acting
Blu-ray Quality: Wow, just wow, the new standard of HD images
Sound Quality: Sounded like I was really being shot at
Extras: Loved the extras, and there were tons of good ones
Overall: Can not praise Sin City enough

Sin City is rated R for sustained strong stylized violence, nudity and sexual content including dialogue. I do not recommend that you let any kids younger then 15 view this movie as it is extremely violent.

Carnival of Ohio #163

2009-04-30T09:16:00.001-04:00

Hey all, as per normal, whalertly is mentioned in this weeks Carnival of Ohio Politics. The feature this week is Music (talk to Lisa on that). The site is, as always, filled with many interesting blogs from around Ohio. You should go CHECK IT OUT.

A suggestion.

2009-04-30T01:40:00.002-04:00

People need to break the two party system, stop voting, and advance a socialist agenda on their own. Freely and democratically. Without violence. Without debt-money.

Stanley Cup Second Round Playoff Predictions

2009-04-29T16:45:00.001-04:00

Expect another Californian upset

On Thursday, the 30th of April, teams resume their quest for Lord Stanley’s Mug and begin their second round of the 2009 NHL Playoffs. All of the series are best-of-seven. The first two games are played at higher ranked team's home, then two at the lower ranked team's ice. After that, they alternate venues. Using my hard-gained and great NHL knowledge, the following are my predictions for the second round of the NHL playoffs.

For the first round of the 2009 NHL playoffs I was 7/8 which gives me an amazing 87.5% accuracy. However, if you factor in my predictions of game numbers, I didn’t do nearly as well.

Eastern Conference
1 Boston Bruins v. 6 Carolina Hurricanes
This is probably going to be one of the quickest finished in the second round this playoff season. The Hurricanes struggled against the Rangers during all of their games, and barely came back in game 7 to win it Tuesday night. They are tired, weak, and probably feeling a bit dejected. After sweeping through Montreal in the first round, Boston has had time to rest and relax. This has allowed them not only to get the much needed boost of energy, but it also let them study Carolina fully. I believe that this knowledge and energy will be there for Boston, and that Carolina will not show up for even one game.
Boston in four

2 Washington Capitals v. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins
This is sure to be an exciting series as we will see three of the best and brightest NHL scorers facing each other. The Penguins have two, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, which should give them an edge over Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals. That said, however, the goal tending of both teams has been superb throughout the first round, so I expect this to be a long and drawn out series. Expect the games to be home ice winners, and so the Caps get the edge in the fabled seventh game.
Washington in seven

Western Conference
2 Detroit Red Wings v. 8 Anaheim Ducks
While it looks like Detroit should have this series in the palm of their hand, I expect the Ducks to come out shooting and playing amazingly well. Detroit swept threw the Blue Jackets and dominated in all but one of the games. On that final game, however, they showed that they were stoppable and almost lost to a team far below their caliber. Detroit had solppy puck handling, bad passes, and just a general tired feeling about them. The Ducks played extremely well in all of their games, and they handedly beat the best team in the entire NHL. We can expect Detroit to look weak and confused while the Ducks will look strong and fired up. Whoever gets the first win of this series will be the overall winner.
Anaheim in six

3 Vancouver Canucks v. 4 Chicago Blackhawks
This is bound to be the toughest of the four series in the second round. Though it will not be as entertaining as the Washington Pittsburgh battle, the Vancouver Chicago fight will be full of close finishes and amazing saves. Both teams have good special teams, both have good fore checking, and both have stunning goal tenders. With this in mind, I expect a low scoring series, but one full of fights, hard hits, and plenty of good opportunities. Though Vancouver will have home ice advantage, I think that Chicago’s desire to prolong their first playoffs in seven seasons will give them the edge that they need.
Chicago in seven

How PETA and Terrorism are linked

2009-04-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

It is exam week for me (shit, did I just admit that I was still in school??) and so this will be a pretty quick post. Don't worry, I am sure that Alex will show up and I can fight with her.

While Barga is the one who normally attacks PETA, I have decided that it is my time to tear this idiotic organization a new hole. Apparently, a PETA member has been placed on the FBI top 10 most wanted list for a bombing he did 5 years ago. It is about time that these college kids learn exactly what freaks they are funding when they donate. Oh, and remove the bloody tax free status these people get.

Really, PETA needs to be shut down. Seriously, this organization gets money then funds shitheads like this. This guy bombed a few buildings, INTENDED TO HARM PEOPLE, and then they just act like he is all cool and innocent. This is just like the people who bomb researchers claiming that they are harming animals. Tell you what, if the research saves a human life, then it is worth it.

Oh, and isn't he a vegan? How does a vegan get off on trying to harm humans (ANIMALS)?

Time to study for my midterms, yay...

DVD Review: The Tale of Despereaux

2009-04-28T19:15:00.000-04:00

1 Mouse, 2 Giant Ears, and 90 minutes of a poorly told story

The Tale of Despereaux, a recipe
Take one part mouse
Add two enormous ears
Toss in a poorly written story in the Elenorian Chivalric style
Add a pinch of computer rendering
Mix well, bake for an hour and a half, and then watch
This recipe will yield a 90 minute movie that is great for younger viewers, though most adults will consider it bland and boring.

Despereaux is a movie about a mouse, a rat, and a princess. The movie starts off with a rat named Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman) sailing on a ship in order to get some soup. Roscuro scurries through the town, finds the royal soup maker, and then attempts to get a sip. However, do to circumstances outside of his control, he tumbles into the soup and is almost eaten by the queen herself; the queen, seeing the offending rodent, passes out and dies. Adding a highly unrealistic twist to the story (think King Henry), the king is so saddened that he bans soup forever and locks himself up. Oh, and he also bans rats.

Fast forward a few days/months/years (we never know how long) and we see the birth of a new, and interesting creature, Despereaux (Matthew Broderick). Despereaux is a mouse, and one with ears roughly half the size of his body. Due to this unusual aspect, he develops no fear of humans, is able to do amazing feats of acrobatics, and doesn't act like a mouse should. Heck, the youngling doesn't even cower when shown a knife or a cat. These unnatural feelings and actions cause the young mouse to be alienated from the society.

Due to the fact that he is an outcast Despereaux is eventually removed from the community, and thus he is sent to live outside of their boundaries. Through a series of events and interactions, the young mouse meets up with Roscuro (no, the rat didn't just disappear, he is still around) and they go through a series of adventures. Within these adventures, their friendship grows, disappears, and then grows again, as the two lonely rodents work to bring soup back.

Though I normally like this sort of spoof of the chivalric story, I actually did not like Despereaux that much. The movie seemed to forced, to contrived, and just didn't flow too well. The book gave us a nice area to work in, and had several amusing stories and situations, but the movie didn't follow it well. No, Despereaux took several unrelated adventures and tried to piece them together, so that they could make a movie out of it. While this might work for the target audience (read, preschoolers), it didn't work for me and I am betting that it will not work for most other adults.

Though I do not like the story, I do like how it is presented. I believe that CG is overused these days, and it causes movies to lose my interest, but for stories like Despereaux CG is a needed reality. With this in mind, I actually liked the use, quality, and rendering of the graphics. I could see hairs moving realistically, the mouths were roughly film quality, and the reflections in the water were worthy of awards. Short of a few bad sequences (notably when Despereaux returns to his village covered in flower), the overall quality of the movie was really impressive. If it looked this good on DVD, I wonder how it will look on Blu-ray.

As for the actual DVD materials themselves, Despereaux comes with only one feature worth your time. “The Making of Despereaux” is a feature which is worth the 11 minutes of your time that you need to watch it. You get to learn about the making of the movie, what procedures were used, and all sorts of little tidbits about how to render properly and compose full CG animations. As I am extremely technical, I really enjoyed this little tidbit and thought that it was entertaining and a good learning experience.

As for the other extras, I found that they were poorly planned and just not good at all. Why would you include a feature called “Top 10 Uses for Oversized Ears” if you are simply going to show a minute long clip of boring and useless information? I don't want to watch it, and I am sure that it is not even targeted well for the younger kids. I also don't want to watch a preview for your new movies, even if they look kinda cool. The only extra, besides The Making of that was halfway decent were the games. Though these were simple and did not appeal to me, I am sure that the target demographic would actually enjoy them.

In short, the extras of Despereaux were lacking and poorly done.

Overall, I think that Despereaux is a good movie for anybody with kids, planning on having kids, or babysits a lot. For anybody else, it is not a good pick. The movie is non-linear, confusing, and backtracks far too often to introduce new characters. The only thing saving the movie at all is the amazing CG that was rendered by the artists; kudos to them. Even the extras, which will normally save a bad movie, could do nothing to help the movie out. I would recommend that you pass this movie on for more entertaining fare; though, if you must buy it, I do recommend the Blu-ray version.

What do Naked Kids and School Have in Common?

2009-04-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”.
That is the 4th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. Read it, reread it, then memorize it.

So, what happens if you are strip searched in school (you are 13, the admins are doing it) because THEY THINK you have drugs? Read more to find out...

Well, logically, the 4th amendment steps up, says fuck you to the admins, and protects you. Oh, and you get a lot of money from the lawsuit. That is the way it would be in the perfect world, but we all know that Americans don't give a rats ass about their rights, and so the cops won't help. No, in the real world, you are searched and then you go to court for over 6 years.

Yes, now a 19 year old is still struggling to get closure after she was searched by her school's admins when they thought she had drugs.

So, there are three issues here, all of which are highly important:
1) 4th Amendment Rights
2) Um, she was 13
3) What precedent does this set?

1) 4th Amendment Rights
Now, let's look at the amendment properly. People have the right to be secure in themselves, and know that the state is not going to search and seize them without probable cause and a warrant. So, a cop searches a car without consent (or seeing something obvious) he violated your rights. If a cop busts down your door and there is nobody screaming with in, they violated your rights. If you feel that the fruit is from the poisonous tree, then the cops can not use it.

2) Um, she was 13
This kinda handles itself. I mean, seriously, how is it justifiable to strip a 13 year old down, check her body, and do all sorts of crazy shit with that. I mean, when we have teachers and students having sex, how the fuck is this ever justified? Even worse, I am assuming that no parent was notified (after all, what parent would allow this?) so the girl didn't even consent to this. Obviously this is wrong, and they should toss this out.

3) What precedent does this set?
Allowing a strip search of teens really sets some bad precedent. What next, a strip search because there is a rumor (in middle school those are as common as syphilis (for the record, more common then you though))? Even worse, what about a full body cavity search? I mean, come on, let's just let the principle stick her finger up the ass of the 13 year old, I mean, she might have a balloon of crack up there. Allowing this will only serve to fuck over the kids more, and we need to stop.

In short, there should not even be an issue here. Clearly the 4th amendment is being violated, there is no reason to even ponder this issue. Come on SCOTUS, rule for the Constitution.

Spit, Dandruff, and Feces on your food: Part 2 of 2

2009-04-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

What is a company to do?

This is part two of a two part series (Can I really call a 2 part series a series?) that will be dealing with contamination of your food stuffs. The first part dealt more with actual food contamination, the things behind it, and all of that sort of stuff. This part will deal with specific reactions by one company, the law, and exactly what this sort of thing entails. So, I recommend that you run to the bathroom now, put down your dinner, and/or stop reading if you have a weak stomach.

Really, what should they do?

Link to some 'fun' movies regarding contamination

On Wednesday, we went over exactly why contamination of food is a problem. We talked about the stereotypes associated with it, the problems that it causes, and, finally, who is at fault for it. While I pointed out that companies and corporations are normally blamed, I also mentioned that they do not deserve the blame that is often placed upon them. With this in mind, let's discuss exactly what a company should do about things like this.

1:Know Who You Hire
Now, before I start, don't get me wrong, I am all for second chances. If a person is in jail because of drugs (like pot, not harder stuff) or things like that then this shouldn't apply to them. For most other people, I would say that you should not hire former prisoners, teens with a bad reputation, or adults in their 30s who have no high school degree. Odds are that these people are not the best employees, either for food reasonings or for other issues. Employers need to check all background and education of their employees, as this is the best way to ensure proper handling and care of food.

2: Get good managers
Similar to this, hire managers who have either proved themselves or have worked elsewhere. I moved up the ranks to be a manager, and I proved that I was good. An employee from inside is fine provided they prove that they are worth it. You can bring in outside managers if and only if you make sure that they are good from their outside employer.

Once you bring in good managers, they will ensure that the environment in the store is exactly what you want. These managers will ensure that you get good employees (hey, look, a reference to number one) and also make sure that they work well. Punishments, lessons, and proper supervision is essential to ensure cleanliness in the stores. That said, however, unless the manager punishes violations, nothing will happen.

That brings on my third point
3: When a Violation Occurs, Kick Some ASS
The biggest problem facing companies these days are that they refuse to act like they should. Usually, if something is wrong, they apologize and say 'we will address it' and then do nothing. God, they are just like the parents that I keep bitching about. So, When a company kicks some ass I am happy. With that in mind, check out these various stories on Consumerist regarding Dominoes and booger pizza (and the companies response). FYI, they include a lawsuit and arrest warrant

Link to some 'fun' movies regarding contamination
Tracking Them Down
Dominoes Apologizes, then kicks ass
Followup

Blu-Ray Review: The Matrix: 10th Anniversary Edition

2009-04-22T23:58:00.000-04:00

I like steak so I chose the Blue pill

Just ten short years ago, two brothers created the 28th best film of all time (As rated by IMDB readers). the Wachowski brothers, Andy and Larry, had limited film experience, yet they teamed up and put out a movie like the world had never seen before. Utilizing stunning special effects, ground breaking freeze-motion, and tieing into the emerging computer world, this movie caused every person who saw it to pause and ponder. Yes, just ten years ago, The Matrix was born.

The Matrix tells the story of Neo (Keanu Reeves), a small-time employee in a tech firm by day and a hacker by night. During the first few scenes with Reeves, there is the feeling that something is wrong with the world. Neo can not tell you what it is, but something is amiss, and something just isn’t right. To explain the real world, Neo meets up with Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and sees the truth. That is, Neo sees that the world really isn’t a world, but it is merely a computer situation.

After being removed from the simulation and thrust into the real world, Neo is forced to come to terms with thousands of new things. He can learn Kung Fu, how to fly a helicopter, and get anything he wants all by being plugged into a machine. He must accept that food does not really taste good, that he will be living a limited life, and that everything he thought he knew was wrong. In short, Neo must restart his life, while at the same time finding out what his true destiny is.

I have always been a big Matrix fan and have loved the movie ever since it first came out. Though I abhor the sequels, the original movie is great, a classic, and a very good watch. The Matrix uses many literary metaphors and stories to tell a compelling tale. From Alice in Wonderland to several Sartre and Niche stories, you can follow the course of illusion and existentialism throughout the movie. The Matrix also nicely ties in various historical and biblical references, as the ship is a type Mark: 3:11 and called Nebuchadnezzar.

Another thing that I like about The Matrix is the symbolism that is inherent in the movie. From the references already mentioned, to the color hues in the film, this movie makes sure to use any and all symbols that it can. The Matrix talks about right v. wrong, the concept of what it is to be human, and even the technology struggle shown in Frankenstein. Even the names of the characters tie into the symboligy, as there are three main parts to the puzzle (Trinity), a new man (Neo), and a change to the world (Morpheus). The Wachowski brothers pulled all of the stops to make sure that The Matrix showed the world as it was and is.

Back in 1999, when The Matrix first came out, the movie was used by geeks, audiophiles, and rich people to show off exactly how impressive their surround sound system was. The movie had rich audio and booming bass, which set the standard for all DVDs to come. Though it is no longer the standard, the audio in The Matrix: 10th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray was still exceptionally good, clear, and perfect on my 5.1 sound system. I could hear all of the dialog, had no issues with volume, and even was able to hear the clattering of each shell casing as it hit the ground. Though the audio is no loner the standard, it still is up to par and a good mix.

Along the same lines, the visual quality of The Matrix: 10th AE is stunning and superb. The colors, which are hued greener or bluer, depending on if you are in the Matrix or not, are vibrant and bright. The black levels are deep and properly adjusted for HD viewing. Overall, the transfer was well done and the movie looks really good on my HDTV. That said, however, if you are looking for the modern HD look, where you can see pores and sweat, then the transfer will be disappointing. The only downside of the transfer was that the film retained a grainy look; this look, however, actually fits with the mood of the movie so it wasn’t that bad.

Did you know that Carrie-Anne Moss was an actress in a TV show called The Matrix, an unrelated show that was on Canadian television a few years before the movie? Well, I didn’t, but I do now thanks to a 30some page booklet that came with the movie. You can read biographies, filmographies, production information, trivia, and even an essay about the movie in this book. This is unusual and lacking in many other anniversary or special editions of movies, and it is something that I really enjoyed.

The Matrix: 10th AE comes jammed with tons of extras that are well worth your time. Besides the booklet, the Blu-ray itself has four commentaries, a documentary about the sequels, and the normal slew of deleted and extended scenes. Additionally, there are an amazing 19 featurettes comprising 3 general categories of the film. All of these extras are worth watching, as they all take you further and further down the rabbit hole. The only downside here is the fact that they are all the same as the DVD, HD-DVD, and Ultimate Collection versions.

Overall, The Matrix: 10th Anniversary Edition is a great movie to add to your shelf. This represents the first time that The Matrix has been put out on its own on the Blu-ray format so you don’t need to waste precious space with the sequels. That said, however, if you already own the Ultimate Collection then you don’t need to get the movie as there is nothing new in this release. The Matrix is perfect for geeks, nerds, and any action junkie, as well as all teens.

Movie:this movie is one of the best ever made
Video: the transfer is well done and the colors are good, but it isn’t what you have come to expect from Blu-ray
Audio:the sound is amazing and well done, but not nearly as grand as it used to be
Extras: You truly can find out how deep the rabbit hole is by watching these extras
Overall: There is no excuse for sci-fi lovers not upgrading to the Blu-ray version

The Matrix is rated R for sci-fi violence and language.

Spit, Dandruff, and Feces on your food: Part 1 of 2

2009-04-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

This is part one of a two part series that will be dealing with contamination of your food stuffs. This part will deal more with actual food contamination, the things behind it, and all of that sort of stuff. The second part, which will be on Friday, will deal with specific reactions by one company, the law, and exactly what this sort of thing entails. So, I recommend that you run to the bathroom now, put down your dinner, and/or stop reading if you have a weak stomach.

...Enjoy...

When we head to an establishment to grab some food from a third party, we know that we could, potentially, get caught getting something bad. This is because there are unsavory characters in the wrold, and they are perverted enough to get sick pleasures from this sort of thing. However, this is not only in the food industry, but in every thing. We could be getting a used computer sold as new, a thumb drive with viruses on them, or even used motor oil from our mechanic. This is because there are bad people in the world, and they will do anything to fuck you over.

Even though this shows up in other areas and zones of purchasing, we normally associate this sort of devience with fast food. Shown well in various movies, as well as told stories from friends (of friends of a sister's boy friend's brother), food is the mainstay of this. I have an issue with this concept, due to the fact that it is else where, but also due to the implied reasoning of this. As usual, I have a list to help you out.

This leads to discrimination against teens
While we mostly see teens working at locations that we associate with this sort of deviency, but they are not the only ones there. Stores will follow around any group of teens (except me when I was that age, as I acknowledged that they excisted) as teens 'typically' steal items. We also tend to not trust fast food teens, as they 'probably' taint it. This is an inherent problem in society, as a few bad apples will ruin the bushel – if you accept that teens are tasty fruits and society is a wodden crate. Far too often we don't trust teens, as they are stereotypically a problem.

See above, but this time with poor people
Pretty much this is the same as the above, but we also normally associate any non-teen fast food worker with poor people. Often they have little or no formal education, are in their 30s, and are batshit ugly. That said, however, the same problems exist and need to be fixed.

This has harmed me
I know, I know, why should I be making this post about me at all. That said, hwoever, I have issues with other teens screwing myself over. I used to be a manager of a Quiznos, so I understand why people have issues with fast food. That said, however, I have had customers who assume, that because I was a teen, that I was being unsanitary. If I chuckled because of a joke we said before the customer came in, they would normally walk out. Sure, this no longer effects me, but I am pissed off at being targeted because of those bad apples.

This is not the companies fault
Companies get harmed by things all of the time. Kmart has chairs that slice fingers off. Best Buy's Geek Squad steals your porn. AEP cut a dude electricity off and he froze too death. McDonalds had a person who pissed in a drink. Of those four examples, three were the fault of the company, one was not their fault. I really think that far too often we blame companies for things that they do not do. There is much more that should go in here, and you will see that part on Friday.

So who's fault is it?
Though some people might blame bad consumers, those who tip badly, or those who are annoying as hell, we all know that there is no reason what-so-ever for this sort of treatment. Really, there are three groups to blame for this action, and all of them share it in reverse order of the following list:

1) The parents of the person responsible for this share some of the blame. Sure, they are not directly responsible (but they might be), but they have probably installed bad and crappy morals and judgement in these people. I have seen parents appologize for the behaviour of their 30 year old kids, let alone their teens. This clearly is a cause of why they think that they can get away with stuff. So, to reitereate a long standing bitchfest of mine, PARENTS, BE PARENTS

2) The management of the establishment is there to provide a safegaurd and are responsible for the store. Note, this is not the company itself, but the actual local bosses and managers. They should be checking in on their workers, ensuring proper food handling, and punishing any infractions. If there is a single infraction, a hard and quick punishment should keep away repitions.

3) The person themselves are responsible for this issue. What type of person, deviant or not, actually thinks that it is okay, acceptable, and RIGHT to put forieng objects on anothers food. Pranks are one thing, specifically if you know the person, they know it is happening, and you all laugh after; that said, however, random things, as well as unknown additions, are not acceptable at all. These people clearly have a problem personally, and they need treatment.

moving on
So, what this boils down to is the very simple fact that we need to be wary of what and where we eat. Whenever we go to a specific store, we should make sure to treat the people with respect, as they are less likely to take it out on us. Please note, I am not saying that any action, even the most annoying customer ever, should cause this sort of thing. Lastly, we need to have faith and trust in humanity, as odds are most people are being good and clean.

iPhone Game Review: Smack Me

2009-04-20T09:40:00.001-04:00

Think of Bop It, but on your iphone

What is the 17th best selling iPhone paid application? What was the best application of February 2009 on Blogcritics? What gives you a retro feel, yet also gives you hours of great and addictive game play? If you cheated and looked, then you already know that the answer is Smack Me, a sweet iPhone and iPod Touch game from FunMobility.

Smack Me is a modernistic version of the classic Bop It game. The iPhone shows you an image and an accompanying command – lift me, freeze me, smack me, pinch me, etc.. Your job simply is to do exactly what it is asking of you, within a time frame, while listening to absurd retro music that keeps speeding up. Though it is easy at first, it keeps getting harder and harder as you unlock more difficult levels.

Smack Me has a very basic premise and concept behind it, but that is what makes it so much fun. You can sit there for hours simply following very basic commands, but never see repeats or patterns. This seems easy, but it is really not. The fact that you need to get it right every time, that the sequences get faster, and that the music has alternating beats really throws you off, which in turn really makes it a difficult game. I love how hard it is to play this game, as it gives it not only the retro feel, but also the ability to play over and over.

With these ever changing patterns, Smack Me is also an extremely addictive game to play. Nothing is ever the same from one minute to the next, and there are never any repetitive patterns. Additionally, with the difficulty of the actual game, it was very hard to finish games 100% on the hardest difficulty. Due to this, I kept replaying Smack Me because I wanted to complete the game 100%, do it better, and do it faster. Addictability is essential in any simple game, as it is the only way to keep you playing the game for hours.

I am a retro guy front to back; I like Jumpman, Pac Man, and techno. If something is playing music at me in an 8-bit format, I will instantly fall in love with it. One of the things that I really like about Smack Me is the fact that it has an amazing retro feel. The game is simple and easy, with commands that remind me of things I would find on my old Sega Genesis. The music is technoy, which not only amuses me, but reminds me of my Daft Punk era. Lastly, the voice that commands you in Smack Me is projected in 8-bit format, which means that I love the game. Toss in the fact that the high-score table looks like the ones that you would find on old arcade games and you have a great mix.

The only thing that I find concerning about this game is the fact that the price is too high for most people in the app store. People seem to either want free games or things that cost $.99. Very few games or applications are successful over that price point, and, at $1.99, Smack Me puts itself above the upper limits. Due to this, I do not believe that Smack Me will be able to reach the entire target audience, as most of them will not pay that much. That said, however, I believe that Smack Me is worth the cost, and that it will give you hours of enjoyment.

In the end, I really can not praise Smack Me too much. This is one of the best games available on the iPhone and it is probably going to be a strong candidate for best iPhone application/game of 2009. By utilizing all of the fun principles of the iPhone, from muti-touch to the accelerator, the game really gets you into it. This game is easily one of the most addictive out there, on any platform, and it is a game that you will fall in love with immediately. When I first downloaded Smack Me, I played it for several hours on end. Due to the amazing game play and addictive qualities, Smack Me receives 5-out-of-5 stars.

Smack Me has not been rated by the ESRB. The game is currently only available for the iPhone and the iPod Touch

Looks Like Warren, Michigan Has a Good Mayor

2009-04-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

Imagine the following situation:
You are going 45 in a 40, on your way to an important meeting. All of a sudden, you see those dreaded blue and red lights in your mirror. Shit, you are going to be late. The cop pulls you over and tells you that you were speeding. You explain the situation, and then he lets you off with a warning. Most of us would be happy about this, and we would probably even brag. That is not how a mayor in Warren, Michigan responded to it however. (http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7735/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=HFAgurKX)

So, this mayor decided that he felt guilty not getting the ticket, and so he decided to call the cops and request one. He figured that it could be seen as favoritism, and thus he made the proper choice I know, most of us would think that this dude was batshit insane, but, frankly, it is good that he took the punishment that he deserved.

Most of us get mad when we are punished. We feel that we don't deserve it, that they were waiting just for us, and/or that the Government is out to get us. Personal responsibility is usually thrown out of the window, and that is what happens with tickets normally. In this case, however, the Mayor knew that he was responsible, and he made sure to suffer what he sowed. I really like the fact that a person was so concerned with right and wrong that he requested the proper punishment. This dude rocks

Even more impressive is that this comes from a politician. Far too often, our 'leader' decide that they are above the law. A simply look at Blago, Clinton, Bush, or Spitzer shows this trend. Finally there is a politician, though he is only a small town mayor, that is standing up and doing the proper, and moral thing. All the power to him. I believe that this mayor should run for Govenor.

The War on....Pirates!

2009-04-19T16:28:00.003-04:00

Are the people hijacking ships off the coast of Somalia really evil, terrorist, rouge, pirates?

I don't think so.

The pirate stories running in the news recently have attracted a huge amount of interest. Everyone has asked me if I had heard that a boat captain was rescued and about another boat being seized.

Why are the "pirates" and their threat to commerce the dominant interest when there are health and food problems and a massive refugee camp still growing from the collapsed socialist dictatorial government in 1991 and its subsequent failed 14 attempts at governance?

European ships have been looting Somalia's seas of their greatest resource: seafood. We have destroyed our own fish-stocks by over-exploitation - and now we have moved on to theirs.. The estimated annual worth of those waters is around $300 million in seafood. The local fishermen have suddenly lost their livelihoods, and they are starving. Mohammed Hussein, a fisherman in the town of Marka 100km south of Mogadishu, told Reuters: "If nothing is done, there soon won't be much fish left in our coastal waters."

Also after the collapse, European governments and companies began dumping toxic nuclear and industrial waste off the coast.

After the 2005 tsunami, hundreds of the dumped and leaking barrels washed up on shore. People began to suffer from radiation sickness, and more than 300 died. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN envoy to Somalia: "Somebody is dumping nuclear material here. There is also lead, and heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury - you name it." Much of it can be traced back to European hospitals and factories, who seem to be passing it on to the Italian mafia to "dispose" of cheaply. When asked what European governments were doing about it: "Nothing. There has been no clean-up, no compensation, and no prevention."

This is the context in which these "pirates" have come into the international media.

So who are they?

They were ordinary Somalian fishermen who at first took speedboats to try to dissuade the dumpers and trawlers. They call themselves the Volunteer Coastguard of Somalia - and it's not hard to see why. In a telephone interview, one of the pirate leaders, Sugule Ali, said their motive was "to stop illegal fishing and dumping in our waters... We don't consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits [to be] those who illegally fish and dump in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas."

No, this doesn't make hostage-taking justifiable, and yes, some are clearly just gangsters. Though the "pirates" have the overwhelming support of the local population. The independent Somalian news-site WardherNews conducted the best research we have into what ordinary Somalis are thinking - and it found 70 percent "strongly supported the piracy as a form of national defense of the country's territorial waters." During the revolutionary war in America, George Washington and America's founding fathers paid pirates to protect America's territorial waters, because they had no navy or coastguard of their own. Most Americans supported them. Is this so different?

Threat to commerce or defense from imperial conquerors?

And who are the gangsters?

There is a group of pirates in the same waters that operate out of Ethiopian and USA created enclaves in Somalia calling themselves Somaliland and Puntland. These Ethiopian and USA backed warlord controlled territories have for many years hosted Ethiopian military bases, which have been greatly expanded recently by the addition of thousands of Ethiopian troops who were driven out of southern and central Somalia by the Somali resistance to the Ethiopian invasion.

After securing their ransom for the hijacked ships the Somali pirates head directly to their local safe havens, in this case, the Ethiopian military bases, where they make a size able contribution to the retirement accounts of the Ethiopian regime headed by Meles Zenawi.

Apparently we are a threat to our own commerce by providing military safe havens for gangsters in Ethiopia.

A pirate was captured and brought to Alexander the Great, who demanded to know "what he meant by keeping possession of the sea." The pirate smiled, and responded: "What you mean by seizing the whole earth; but because I do it with a petty ship, I am called a robber, while you, who do it with a great fleet, are called emperor."

Player X Should Come to MSU. There, I violated NCAA rules!

2009-04-16T19:43:00.001-04:00

-Note- Don't read this until Friday, i didn't mean for it to go live now

There are tons of rules regarding how School Y can recruit Player X. These are designed to protect the player 'during a trying time in their life'. I know, it is total bullshit, but any school that wants to compete in the NCAA needs to follow these policies. To me, these policies are idiotic, as the kid should be contacted; he is an adult, if he can't deal then get the hell off of my football field. Anyways, with all of these rules, the NCAA has decided to take it a step further...

Click on 'read more' to find out what they did...

So, apparently the NCAA has decided that student run facebook groups are a violation of their recruiting rules (http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_11704/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=xgXNr5K9). Yes, that is right, students can violate NCAA rules apparently Yep, it is fishy and funny...

We already know that the NCAA is allowed to make these rules regarding colleges and the like. In fact, the courts have ruled as much in the past, so this is not an issue. What is an issue, is if the NCAA is actually allowed to inforce this against a private citizen. Let me say this clearly, should a private company be allowed to limit speech from an outside third part? Obviously, the answer is NO, so what the hell is the NCAA doing?

Now, while I disagree with the reasoning behind these restrictions, I recognize that the NCAA has the right to regulate its members and make rules accordingly. That said, however, this does not give them the right to regulate students and ban students from doing things. If I want to convince that freak from Oklahoma to come to MSU and play basketball, then I should be allowed to. I am a student, I am not in the NCAA, and I have every right to say what I wish.

Screw you NCAA, you are not in charge of me

Looking at it even further, you notice that it was the school that took action on the students. This is absurd, and, frankly, unconstitutional. There is no way that a school which gets any federal, state, or local money should be allowed to CENSOR the language or actions done by a student or employee, short of normal allowances (threat, violence, etc.).

This is nothing short of the government violating the constitutional rights of their students. I propose that we all step up and call for certain players to go to our favorite schools and wait for OSU/MSU/UM/etc. To fight us. When they attack us, we sue, simple as that.

Tai-ler Jones, Barry Every, and John Fulton should all head to OSU!!

Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions: Round 1

2009-04-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

The quest for Lord Stanley's Mug starts Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the 15th of April, the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin their long and tedious road to deciding the winner of Lord Stanley's Mug. All of the games are best of 7, and are played on the home ice of each team. The higher ranked team gets two games at home, then two at the lower ranked team's ice, after that, they alternate as need be. Using my hard-gained and great NHL knowledge, the following are my prediction for the first round of the NHL playoffs.

The East

1 Boston Bruins v. 8 Montreal Canadiens
This is the fourth time in just seven seasons that these two clubs will be matching up in the playoffs, and the third time that the Canadiens are large underdogs. The two previous meetings with Montreal being statistically lower were in 2002 and 2004; during both of these series the Canadiens managed to get a huge upset. That said, however, I think that the Bruins have a much better team then they did during those years, and they should be playing much better. The Bruins are second best in scoring in the NHL, and I expect them to use that to carry the series, both at home and away. This is going to be the closest to a blowout during these playoffs.
Boston in the fourth game

2 Washington Capitals v. 7 New York Rangers
Though the Rangers started the season out well, they have not been playing well in the final stretch. On the other hand, the Capitals have been playing well, and they have also been playing quite consistently. In the playoffs, more than in the regular season, this consistency is what is needed for a winning team. These two teams are almost exact opposites, as Washington has great offense (3rd in the league) but are 19th in defense and New York is air-tight and highly ranked in defense, but only 28th in offense. Due to these competing factors, you can expect close games, with the winner probably being the home team.
Washington in the seventh game

3 New Jersey Devils v. 6 North Carolina Hurricanes
This is a quick rematch for these two teams, as they closed out the season with a 3-2 NJ win. Even with that bit of momentum on the Devils' side, the pendulum is still swinging for the Canes as they have won 13 of their last 18 games. To win, North Carolina is going to need to learn how to score on the great Martin Brodeur, but it is indeed possible. Brodeur has been alternating in his skill throughout the season, so I believe that the series will be decided based on which version shows up for the game. Expect a close and hard hitting game, but the edge goes to North Carolina.
North Carolina in the sixth game

4 Pittsburgh Penguins v. 5 Philadelphia Flyers
There is no home ice between these two teams (as they are so close) and there is no denying the rivalry here. Expect both teams to start hitting and fighting quickly, as this is a nice rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals from last year. Unlike last year, however, the Flyers have reformed their team, and they are a much larger threat the the Penguins. If Philadelphia could play as they have in the past, they should win the series easily, but they haven't been playing that well as of late. The Penguins, on the other hand, might have worse stats and rankings, but they have been playing game-in and game-out. I would expect this consistency to give Pittsburgh the edge, as they will be able to play well all of the series.
Pittsburgh in the sixth game

The West

1 San Jose Sharks v. 8 Anaheim Ducks
Though the state has three teams, this is the first time that California has teams meeting in the playoffs since 1969. These two teams probably fight the most of any grouping in the playoffs, and so we should expect a hard hitting and quick fighting brawlfest. The Sharks, who clinched the President's Cup, will be facing the Ducks, who had the strongest ending to the season of any team. This should be a good series and probably the hardest to judge. Expect this to go to all seven games and be a close final few.
Anaheim in the seventh game

2 Detroit Red Wings v. 7 Columbus Blue Jackets
This is an interesting match up, as it deals with my favorite team (and the one I cover) and a team from that state up north (we in Ohio don't like Michigan too much). The Red Wings are the defending champions, and they are trying to get back-to-back trophies. The Blue Jackets, on the other hand, are in the playoffs for the first time ever and are relying on their rookie phenom, Steve Mason, in goal. With these two teams only being 3 hours apart, you can expect fans from both at all of the games. Frankly, these two teams are evenly matched (split the season 3-3) and each game will probably go to the team with the first goal.
As much as I hate to say it, Detroit in the sixth game

3 Vancouver Canucks v. 6 St. Louis Blues
This series will have two of the hottest teams competing against each other - The Canucks, who went 23-7-2 in their last 32 games, and the Blues, who went 21-7-6 in their last 34. These two teams are on a roll, and so this collision should produce an interesting outcome. Both teams have amazing goalies, great special teams, and overall have good general stats. Though I believe that the Canucks will have an edge statistically on the Blues, I believe that the defensive line can shut Vancouver down, and that Chris Mason can make any and every save that he needs to make.
St. Louis in the fifth game

4 Chicago Blackhawks v. 5 Calgary Flames
These two teams have had distinctly different seasons leading to this point, and I think that that will impact the overall series. The Flames started strong and ran with it, easily holding the Northwest Division lead. Then, about a month and a half ago, they faltered and fell, falling from a potential first or second spot to the fifth. The Blackhawks, on the other hand, have just played steady and strong all season, slowly growing from eighth place to their current fourth. These differences should play a strong role in the series, as Chicago will be confidant and the Flames will be nervous and scared of their own shadow. I expect this to be an easy Blackhawks victory in their first playoff showing in seven years.
Chicago in the fifth game

Help Fight Alzheimer's

2009-04-14T07:33:00.003-04:00

I got the following from my girlfriend and figured that it was worth telling you about. She is walking to help end Alzheimer's, and apparently she gets donations to walk. Anyways, her goal is to reach 200$ for research and she wants some help with that. Also, Team Kilbourne, which is her team, has a 1250$ goal. If you are at all interested please check the link. Also, if you want to help end this horrific disease, please donate.

For details click 'read more'

Today an estimated 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. In addition, 78 million baby boomers are approaching the age of greatest risk for developing this fatal disease. Now is the time to ACT to end this epidemic!

This year, to support those affected by Alzheimer's, I'm participating in the Alzheimer's Association Memory WalkŽ to raise funds and awareness to fight this disease.

The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research, and funds I raise will go directly toward supporting their efforts.

I know I can make a difference with your support! Will you consider making a donation? It's easy to give online by following the link below.

Thank you in advance for your time and generosity - together, we can help end Alzheimer's!

Where Are The Fans?

2009-04-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

Before I start, I can not help but advertise myself... I have been on the Chicago Sun-Times twice now, most notably here. The Sun-Times is like the 7th most popular newspaper in the country, so I am rocking. As for the rest of my sports coverage, see it here.

This might be short, but it is more or less a rant that has been bugging me for some time.

On Saturday night the Columbus Blue Jackets finished off a record season for the club. With new records on wins, away wins, home wins, goals, points, and a whole slew of other things, they are poised to bring a new era into Columbus. Additionally, this is the first time that they have ever reached the Stanley Cup, and it means that we can finally stop being made fun of. Even with this record season, however, not enough people seem to be paying attention to the team.

To me, this seems like a giant mistake on the citizens part. Sure, we might be a football town, but we have a soccer team (The Crew) who won the bloody MLS cup last year. On top of that, we have the Jackets who are doing amazing. This is a great time to let the rest of the country know that we are not just about football. Seriously folks, why does nobody come out to support these teams?

And, on a side note, we have four potential non-championship trophies... The best Goalie, The Best Rookie, The Best Player (all three Mason), and the best coach

Meet the new license, same as the old license

2009-04-12T01:06:00.022-04:00

I am horrified. Deeply horrified.

Design is important. Design says something about the institution. It gives you the flavor of what it represents.

So while many people may think of the driver's license as an ordinary, matter of fact document, it's design is really very important.

The driver's license connects the identity of the individual and ties it in to the identity of the state. My Ohio license is what makes me an "Ohioan" in no uncertain terms. If an Ohioan should display it outside of Ohio, the design of the document says something about Ohio.

But don't take my word for it, look at how Alberta chooses to design its license:

It's an awesome document, and these images don't give the colors justice. It says a lot about Alberta--its natural beauty, it's sophistication, it's progressiveness. Anyone from Alberta would be proud to have such a document. (The design details are fantastic. Fonts were chosen with care. The colors and design surrounding the photograph help make the photograph feel like an integral part of the document, as opposed to some terrible copy and paste job.)

Here's the Ontario license, a bit less sophisticated, but a classic design. Ontario uses the Trillium flower as a major part of its branding. It's not an amazing design, but it's still very attractive and high quality. No one from Ontario would be embarrassed to have this license. (Note: pictured are the old Alberta and Ontario licenses, I can't seem to find images of the new ones.)

So it was with much excitement that I read that our own Ohio BMV would be introducing a new license. Now, after 13 or so years, we can finally rid of ourselves of this mediocre, ugly document. We could have something new that we could be proud of, that said something positive and energizing about our state.

It's shit.

Absolute shit. Utter trash. I am horrified that someone was paid money to design it. It is despicable in its mediocrity. At least the old license had an excuse for being ugly--it was designed in the mid 1990s when people didn't know any better. Now it's 2009 and there are no excuses for this negligence. I struggle to understand how someone could look at themselves in the mirror after designing such drivel.

It's deplorable aesthetics say quite a lot about the leadership at the BMV and the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

In fact, this document continues a design error from the last one of monumental proportions.

The last design of the Ohio license had a random audit number shown prominently above the main photograph. The audit number is essentially meaningless for anybody but a handful of BMV employees, but for reasons we simply do not understand, the number was the most obvious data field on the license based on where it was found.

This number caused huge issues during Ohio elections, which require, in some instances, that the voter write down their driver's license number. Naturally they chose the number which their eyes found and seemed to be the most obvious as the license number.

It's not like the BMV wasn't aware of this. It was the subject of quite a lot of articles.

And what did they do...? They made the exact same mistake, and made a meaningless auditing number the most promiment. I know the license is "their" document and not made for voting purposes (so making it easier to vote with is not their responsibility) but I feel like after being thoroughly embarrassed by their lame design, they would have made a new document with a much easier to find license number.

So they cluttered up the front of the license with crap like that auditing number which they could have easily put on the back, where there's enough space for a Russian novel. They cleverly place the only design detail of the document--a weak clip art image of the Ohio flag, right under the signature, ruining the clip art image and reducing the legibility of the signature (which appears quite small in the mock ups above. You know, you could do what Alberta did and move the description info (height, eye color, etc) to the back of the license. Would make for a lot more room for a bigger signature.)

It's just unspeakably bad.

The Top 10 iPhone Applications from March 2009

2009-04-10T03:37:00.000-04:00

Yes kids, it’s time for another adventure in Appleland

Hello, and welcome to the third installment of iWant, iNeed, iRecommend. This is a monthly series that will, simply put, talk briefly and present the top ten iPhone and iPod Touch applications from that month. At the end of the year, the 120 mentioned applications will then go head to head to see which apps become the top ten for the year. If you would like to read my previous top ten lists, as well as all my other iPhone and iPod Touch application reviews, you can see them here. While this list is subjective (as are all top ten lists), I did my best to base this on actual use, not my own opinion. Enjoy.

10. Duck and Cover
What application gives you no help in an emergency? What can’t float in the event of a tidal wave? What is guaranteed (or your $.99 back) to not repel Godzilla? If you said your iPhone, then you are wrong; however, if you said the Duck and Cover application for your iPhone, then you are 100% correct. Really, this application does absolutely nothing, but that is what is so sweet about it. Personally, I have a bit of a soft spot for satirical things, and Duck and Cover is most certainly one of those. You can get Duck and Cover for $.99.

9. Historic Sites
Historic Sites is an nice little application for your iPhone that will help you find interesting and unique historical places. Using your phones geopositioning system, this application will search the National Registry of Historic places and pull up information for you. You can find information, both from the Registry and from the internet, while still remaining in the app. Should you decide that you want to go there, Historic Sites will give you directions and/or a map. I believe that Historic Sites is great for any family road trip, and at $.99 it is a steal.

8. Darwin Collection
Even before the Kindle application for the iPhone came out, many companies were making their own Ebooks for the iPhone. IndiaNIC was one of these companies, and they made ton of Ebooks that looked unique. All of their applications have adjustable font settings, day and night modes, white noise generators, and bookmarks. With their Darwin Collection, IndiaINC combined all of the books that were published by the famed English Naturalist. I strongly recommend this application for any botanist, naturalist, scientist, or biologist out there. You can get Darwin Collection for $1.99.

7. Don’t Panic
I know what you are thinking, no, Don’t Panic has nothing to do with The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I was disappointed when I found that out too. However, it is a pretty cool little app. Basically, Don’t Panic is a collection of quotes, sayings, and other random things that are supposed to calm you down and reign you in from your hectic lifestyle. It also can play some soothing music, which should help take you out of the hustle and bustle that surrounds you. At $1.99, Don’t Panic is a good way to relax whenever you have a second at your disposal.

6. 1st in History
By now, most of you know that I love trivia and random facts. In fact, I usually have a trivia application in each of my top 10 lists. 1st in History is that trivia application from Match. 1st in History is a pretty basic application, but it does what it says. It asks you a question, then you need to guess the person or thing that did it first. You touch the screen and it gives you the answer. Though this sounds basic, this is good training for you local bar’s version of trivia, and it might help you win some bets. Plus, at a price of NOTHING, 1st in History can’t really go wrong.

5. Kindle for the iPhone
Kindle for the iPhone was launched at the beginning of March with much fanfare. Finally, people could read the Ebooks that they bought from Amazon on the iPhone. While most public domain books were already covered (see my 2nd place and my 8th place for examples), now they could read new novels. You can adjust text size, sync with your actual Kindle, and also leave bookmarks. Simply put, this application is everything you would expect from the real deal except with a smaller screen. Though you can get Kindle for the iPhone for free, most books will cost you $9.99.

4. Air Browser
Also widely discussed in early March was a change by Apple to allow other browsers in the app store. The best of these new browsers, many of which showed up on the same day, was Air Browser. Built from Safari, Air Browser allows you to do everything that you expect from a normal desktop browser. There is tabbed browsing, bookmarking, Google suggestions, and history. Plus, it tosses in things like private browsing, shake navigation, and favicons (favorite icons), which you can only find on the iPhone. If you want a better and fuller browsing experience, then drop $1.99 for Air Browser.

3. Tap Tap Revenge 2
Back on my top 10 of 2008 list, Tap Tap Revenge made it in as number 9. In March, the second take of this game has made it all the way up into spot number 3. Though it is still not my cup of tea, over 19,000 reviews on iTunes means that the iPhone owning public loves Tap Tap Revenge 2. The game is extremely simple; you tap a glowing orb when it passes through a circle at the bottom of your screen. And, just like in Guitar Hero, the taps coincide with the music that is playing. Containing over 150 songs from various artists, Tap Tap Revenge 2 is a great free application.

2. Books by Ubiklabs
Keeping with the theme of Ebooks, which does seem to be the main focus this month, the number 2 spot goes to a collection of them from Ubiklabs. The company has put out over 30 Ebooks, all of which are in the public domain, including Don Quixote, Tom Sawyer, and, you guessed it, Origin of Species. The books, which are available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish all come with bookmarks, page turning animations, and a gentle font that is easy on the eyes. You can grab individual books from Ubiklabs for $1.99 or $2.99, depending on the title.

And the #1 iPhone application from March 2009 is…

1. Steve Parker’s EZ and Easy apps
The number 1 spot, just like the number 2 spot, is a collection of applications. Ranging from a search function, to news, to weather, these applications from Steve Parker are extremely localized and extremely easy to use. EZ News is an application that links to the 6 most popular news agencies (CBS, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, Yahoo, USA Today) and shows them in a format that works perfectly for the iPhone. Though this wasn't his first application, Steve has released several iterations of EZ Radar, which is a localized radar for various regions of the country. These are easier to use then the built in weather application, and they show animated radar. You can get the EZ applications for either $.99 or $1.99, depending on the app.

Well folks, there you have it, the top 10 iPhone and iPod Touch applications from March 2009. If you have any suggestions for next months list, or want to tell me what I missed, please let me know in the comment field.

What A Nifty Idea To Save Ohio's Economy

2009-04-09T23:49:00.000-04:00

It is time to increase the number of dirty lowdown whores in this state.

Seriously folks, it is the best way to help out the Ohio economy, and, frankly, it is the best way to help these women. Currently, only one state in this country has legalized prostitution (stupid Nevada, actually having something sweet about yourself), and maybe it is time for another. Ohio could legalize brothels, and then enforce a ban on all other people selling sex. This will decrease violence against the women, decrease pimps, and give these unfortunate women some health care. Oh, and on a plus side, we will be able to reap the profits from taxes.

Now, before we start actually talking about the benefits (the four I listed above), let's look at my overall plan. The state of Ohio would license certain locations (brothels) that would allow sex to be sold inside their building. They would also have a liquor license, pass certain qualifications, and be required to be willing to accept random checks to ensure that they are clean and following the law. Any non licensed location prostitution would still be illegal. There you go, nice easy plan.

Before I go further, Fuck you Citizens for Community Values

Decrease violence on women
To me, one of the main causes of violence against prostitutes is the fact that it would be really hard to report the assault. If these women were working in a brothel, not only would they have fellow scarlet women to help them out, but they would have the law on their side. These women would have a support system (i.e. their coworkers) and would be ensured that the cops were on their side. Overall, this is a good way to keep these women safe.

No More Pimps
To me, pimps are the worse thing that current prostitutes need to deal with. These guys kill prostitutes, lead them to drugs, and make them feel like shit. The easiest way to convert a girl into a whore (I say girl because most prostitutes start when young, in Nevada most start at 23) is by making her feel like trash. This is what Pimps do, and this is why they are so dangerous. By making brothels legal, the state would be essentially shutting the pimps down. This would be a good thing to let the women know that they are people too.

Health Care
The biggest problem for the current whores is the fact that they do not have health care. By creating brothels, the state can require that they provide health care, and it can be paid for by either taxes (collected from the fucking) or from added fees that their clients need to pay. By ensuring that the proper health is cared for, and that they have clean girls (and use condoms), these women should be much safer then they currently are.

Tax Money FTW
The state of Ohio is loosing money like we were bleeding and had a problem clotting. Yeah, I know, that is a bad comparison, but so what. Ohio needs to find a stable and good source of money, and prostitution might be the answer. Ohio could tax the money made by these women, the money made by the location, and the overall fees paid. Additionally, as they would have bars, Ohio could add more to the alcohol tax money that they make. To me, taxing prostitution would be a good thing, and really help Ohio out.

iPhone Application Review: Dub – No More Business Cards

2009-04-08T21:00:00.000-04:00

Sick and tired of a fat wallet due to all the business cards that you need to carry? Want to stop wasting trees and harming the environment? Just want to make yourself look cool and use sweet new technology? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, or simply want a much easier way to exchange business information, then I have the perfect iPhone application for you.

Dub is a new application that is, essentially, a business card on your phone. You can swap phone numbers with clients, give your email address to new buyers, and even update your information on the fly, with the new changes automatically being sent to your contacts. Dub is available on most smart phones (Blackberry, iPhone, Android, etc.) and can also be used by most texting phones. You can use it to sync data to your contact list, send group invites, and it is even integrated with Facebook and Linkedin. Dub updates the business cards to the new millennia.

Dub is actually quite simple to learn and use. When you download the application, you are able to immediately start to edit your contact information. Enter you name, phone number, email, addresse, IM program name, etc. and you are done. Everything has an easy box to fill in and is extremely easy to do. You don’t even need to fill everything in; just enter the information that you want others to see. Once you get all of this done, you can send invites (give your card to somebody) by entering an email address. Others can do the same (giving you their card) by entering yours. Everything is quite easy to use.

I really like how easy the application is to use. With everything in nice, neat boxes, I quickly was able to enter my information and jump to the next spot. This is essential in any application that needs this much data, as otherwise it would be tedious and pointless. Along with this, the overall layout and feel of the application helped me use it. By being formatted for the iPhone, Dub felt smooth and well polished. I was able to use the easy navigation buttons, and the scroll lists were a huge plus. By making it feel natural, it only makes it easier to use; this, in turn, then leads to more people using it.

Another thing that I like about Dub is the fact that it is integrated with almost everything. I can have things automatically update to my twitter, sync with my Outlook, and work within Linkedin. Heck, it even is integrated with Facebook. Even nicer, Dub allows me to automatically update all of my contact information from Gmail, Outlook, iMail, etc. Features like this help the transition users to the new technology, as Dub does everything automatic and quickly. Hopefully this will help to expand the use of Dub, as that will help it even more.

On the other hand, there are a few problems with Dub. For starters, there are not many people using the software. While I believe that it will grow in the future, any and all startups start quite slowly, and gradually build their base. Dub is no different, but that actually harms the application. While I can get and send contact info, which is changeable, to fellow Dub users, most people I get in contact with will not have the application. How am I supposed to get rid of business cards if most of my clients still use them, and have yet to update. While this is not their fault, until more people jump on the Dub bandwagon, it will be hard to replace business cards with new technology.

Another thing that I am concerned about is the fact that I can only have one profile. I am a writer for Blogcritics, a blogger, a sportwriter, an intern, a student, and a campaign worker. With 5 jobs, each with corresponding contact information, how am I supposed to fit them all on this application? Dub only has spot for one URL, one e-mail, etc. and so it is not that conducive for people with multiple contact needs, and anything like that. I hope that DubMeNow is able to come up with mulitprofile method that allows you to have information for all of your different needs. This would further the application, and make it much more useful.

Overall, I believe that Dub is a nice step towards modernizing our business communications. By linking with everything that we use, making it easy, and ensuring that updates are quick and automatic, Dub is striving to create a brand new niche for itself. I really like the application, and only have a few concerns about it; hopefully DubMeNow will be able to fix my concerns shortly. I believe that any and all business people should get Dub on their smart phones and use it instead of business cards. This saves the environment and makes life so much easier. Due to the ease of use, the automatic updates, and the immigration into everyday life, I believe that Dub is a highly important application that you should grab today.

Dub is available for free from the iPhone app store and is also available on most smart phones in America

Blu-ray Review: Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comics

2009-04-08T13:09:00.000-04:00

A drop of blood on a smiley face button never looked so good

In the 1980s, two comic books redefined how the genre (and its fans) were interpreted by the world. Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore's Watchmen branched the stereotypical stalwarts of comics and took an emerging new genre and made it much better. The stories were still told via graphics and text bubbles, but they went further than Superman and the like. The stories were darker, the action was harder, and the sex was rampant. Suddenly, comics were more than a past time, they started to emerge as an actual means of telling the story. Thus, graphic novels, which had existed since the 1970s, emerged into the publics vocabulary.

Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comics spins a dark and compelling tale. Starting in the 1940s, the tale follows the adventures of masked superheroes who serve the interests of their country. From creating the atom bomb, to fighting in her wars, these heroes (the Watchmen) strive to help America out while they still manage to fight crime. In the late '60s, however, Nixon decides to outlaw the masked crusaders, and they are forced to live normal lives. Only two remain on the government's payroll, Dr. Manhattan and The Comedian.

After retiring, most of the Watchmen stopped talking to each other and started to work in their separate lives. However, after the murder of Edward Blake (The Comedian) -- don't worry, this is the start of the movie, there is nothing spoiled here -- they are forced to unite once again. Rorschach, a man with an ever changing mask, believed that somebody took out Blake because he was a hero, and not for any other reason. With this in mind, Rorschach starts to unite all the other Watchmen as he digs deeper and deeper into a conspiracy that is far larger than anything he could ever have imagined.

What is so fascinating about the Watchmen graphic novel series is the quality of the artwork. Unlike most comics, Watchmen focused on the art as a means to tell a story, and therefore it was a primary concern to artist Dave Gibbons. Due to this, Gibbons made sure that all of his art was well done, that there were only a few mistakes, and that the images served only to progress the story. This was groundbreaking for the time, but it has since become the status quo for modern graphic novels.

What is cool about Watchmen: TCMC is that it stayed true to the overall feel and look of the graphic novels. Watchmen: TCMC literally takes the pages from the books and puts them on your TV. To make this interesting, they add a narrator and they added a little bit of animation to each frame. Cars will 'move', people will 'walk', and mouths will 'speak', but the overall imagery is the same. It is all very basic, but the animations tend to fit the overall feel and look of the story.

The only real thing detracting from Watchmen: TCMC is the fact that the entire thing is voiced by Tom Stechschulte. Yes, Tom voices everybody, including the women and children. While this makes Watchmen: TCMC seem as though it is being read by a person to themselves (as most graphic novels are), it doesn't go over that well. Most of us do not read in a monotone - we all create voices for each character - and the fact that Stechschulte speaks in one voice doesn't help in this regard. Personally, I really think that this harmed the movie, as it threw me off and caused me to do double takes (the listening version of a double take, of course).

Speaking of the sound, Watchmen: TCMC is presented in a perfect 5.1 blend of music and Sellers' voice. The music, as composed by Lennie Moore, fit the mood and theme of the movie quite well. There are no instances where the music overwhelms the narration, and no instances where it works the other way; all of the sound is blended thoroughly and completely throughout the movie. The only thing missing in sound is variation of Sellers' voice, but that is asking for too much.

As for the video quality of Watchmen: TCMC, one merely needs to pick up a copy of Watchmen. What you see on the page is exactly what you get on Watchmen: TCMC on Blu-ray. The compressed image plays at about 10 mbps, but it doesn't affect the overall look of the movie at all. The colors are vibrant and stunning, as the yellows, greens, and blues all jump out at you. What is especially nice is the fact that the black levels are deep, yet they still contain the proper ink feel from the graphic novels. Personally, I do not believe that the masked heroes looked any better then they did on Blu-ray.

Though Watchmen: TCMC on Blu-ray is a stunning visual piece, it is severely lacking in another area. There is basically nothing in the extras category of the menu that is worthwhile. I don't want to see a preview of the new Wonder Woman movie, nor do I want to see the cast members of Wonder Woman talk about their various roles for about 15 seconds. The Video Journal, which sounded promising, was really just a quick piece where Moore explains how happy he is with the translation of his novels onto the big screen. For such a beloved and important graphic novel, Warner screwed this section up by leaving out any useful or good extras.

Overall, I believe that Watchmen: TCMC is a movie designed to serve one of two purposes. It exists to draw people into the realm of Watchmen, and is mainly to be seen before the actual movie. On the other hand, it also exists to serve a strong demand from people who loved the novels when they came out. Watchmen: TCMC is perfect for these people; it is also good for any person who likes comic books, graphic novels, or Watchmen on the big screen. Due to the imagery of the movie, I strongly urge you to get this on Blu-ray over standard DVD.

Movie: The movie is flawless and stunning and only held back by the single voice narration.
Blu-ray Quality: A drop of blood on a smiley face button has never looked so good.
Sound Quality: Well mixed and well formulated.
Extras: There is nothing important here.
Overall The movie is great for anybody who loves comics.

Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comics is unrated but intended for mature audiences only. References to sex, drugs, and violence abound.

Let Demjanjuk Stay!

2009-04-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, there is a major issue regarding citizenship and deportation in Ohio. The country of Germany believes that Ohio resident John Demajanjuk is a former Nazi camp guard. Due to this, they are attempting to get him extradited from his comfy, warm home in Ohio (though it might not be so warm right now) and sent to a cold, grungy prison in Germany. Demajanjuk, of course, is fighting this plan.

This is not the first time that Demajanjuk got nailed for stuff like this. In the 90s, his US citizenship was revoked as Israel believed that he was the camp guard named 'Ivan the Terrible'. After being convicted by on court, he appealed the ruling. Upon appeal, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that he was not Ivan, and he was sent back home. His US citizenship was restored.

While that should have stopped Demajanjuk's troubles, more kept happening. Recently, Germany decided that he was a different guard, and are now seeking to get him back. In response, US courts again revoked his citizenship, and they have ordered him deported back to Germany to stand trail. This most recent incident is what Demajanjuk is fighting.

To me, this seems like a witch hunt, as he has already been confused with another guard. This dude is from Germany, that is about all he has that the Germans are using against him. The bloody supreme court of Israel found for this dude, so I am quite sure that he is not a prison guard. Guys, drop it and find an actual Nazi.

Anyways, I believe that enough is enough, and tha we should let Demajanjuk serve out the rest of his life in peace and rest. The guy is in his 80s, has thousands of things wrong with his body, and has reformed his life. He has found God, has a family, and worked for years on the line. Seriously, even if this guy was a holocaust guard, the time has past, let's let him get on with his life.

To me, I believe that all of these hunts for former Nazi's should end. Most of the people are dead, and those that are not have found a new life. Most of them have to live with what they did, and I am betting that most are repentant. Seriously, these people have families, are injured, and have helped to build this country after the war. Why should we seek to punish them, when they have to live with themselves every day?

Why are we what we are?

2009-04-07T12:01:00.003-04:00

Does anyone ever stop and think about all of this anymore? Where we live, what we do and why we do it?

Why do we destroy a mountain and the forest to make pipe to send water to homes and then make pipe to take water away from the homes? Why do we work the majority of our lives in hazardous conditions to build elaborate homes and monuments for the wealthy when people can't even house themselves?

Why is our food shipped 2500 miles before we can eat it? Do you know how to feed yourself without a supermarket? What happens when trucking and shipping is no longer profitable? Why do we continue this agricultural system when we know it destroys the soil and will leave us with less and less arable land?

How is making bombs sustainable?

If you believe in equity and equality, how can you vote to concentrate power and create inequality? How can you go to work to make money to support an economic system that creates inequity?

Should we put a price on everything? We bought and sold humans once and I guess we still do. Now its just you're choice if you want to be bought and sold you're whole life.

DVD Review - Quantum of Solace

2009-04-06T23:17:00.000-04:00

Bond, James Bond. That simple line conjures up images of sexy women, elite card games, and a man in a tux. James Bond is a man of class, a man of elegance, a man with a rich taste, and yet a man who can kill you with the blink of his eye. Bond has been able to save the world over 20 times, and yet he still always gets the girl. Bond is known as the man that always gets away from the bad guys, but, you can now truly capture him. Yes, you can take James Bond home with you, if you get Quantum of Solace on DVD that is.

Quantum of Solace is the second Bond movie of the new canon. Instead of relying on separate episodes that were unique, as all of the old films did, the new James Bond movies tell an actual story arch. Starting with Casino Royale, and moving into Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig plays a new version of Bond, one that is dark and mysterious. This is a new take on the series, and one that is quite interesting.

Quantum of Solace starts off exactly where Casino Royale left off, which marks the first time in the Bond series that one movie lead into another (they are usually not even referenced). James is still on his quest for vengeance, and still circling around the world, trying to figure out exactly what Quantum is. Through a series of betrayals, car chases, roof chases, and many hand fights, a picture of the organization emerges. However, at the very end, we are left knowing only slightly more then we did when we started.

Quantum of Solace takes the normal Bond stalwarts and uses them in a new way. There are still Bond girls, but they are no longer necessarily the object of James’ desire. James is still elite and proper, but he has been updated into the new millennia (most notably by playing Texas Hold ‘Em instead of Baccarat in Casino Royale). M is still there, but she is a woman, and definitely a balance to the sexism that Bond seems to portray. The gadgets are still there, though they are laid back and there is no more Q. Yes, Quantum of Solace is still Bond, but it seems to be a different one.

I really do like this modernistic revitalization to the Bond franchise. While they still keep to the same elements that have served them well in the past – technology, car chases, shooting, Bond outsmarting everybody, girls – the new stories provide a more compelling character study to entertain the modern Jason Bourneified audiences. We expect wit, intelligence, and vengeance from today’s heroes, and the new Bond delivers it. By having Craig create a new Bond from scratch, we are able to see an evolution of a character, and that is highly important for the survival of this franchise.

One of my favorite things about Quantum of Solace is the new interplay between M (Judi Dench) and Bond. Both Dench and Craig are great actors, and their emotional roles are played exceptionally well. M clearly cares about Bond, and she also cares about her organization. She gets placed in a paradox where she must defend MI6 as it is loosing prestige at the cost of having Bond taken in and probably killed. This internal struggle is portrayed expertly by Dench, and is truly understandable. To make it even harder, the two have a mother son relationship, and so M truly has sacrifices to be made. Both Craig and Dench are able to pull this acting off seamlessly, and so the emotional drama seems real.

I also really like the new vengeful approach that Bond has. Though many of my friends like the old chauvinistic Bond (though they would hate those characteristics in any real human), most don’t like the new take on him. I, on the other hand, like the new Bond, as he shows us why he is what he is later in life. Instead of a person who should have AIDS by now, the Craig version of James keeps his class and womanizing while being respectful and proper. He also is in love with a woman, and that is the first time we have seen this since the second movie, when Sean Connery’s character was married. To me, this new emotional depth to Bond really adds to the story, and helps the franchise out drastically.

One thing that I find missing from the new Bond franchise is the lack of Q. While there were gadgets in Quantum of Solace, there was no Q character, and that was severely disappointing. I love the wit, sarcasm, and general attitude that was always portrayed by the role. The man that gave Bond his gadgets was a great character, and it was always interesting to see what cool new technologies they came up with this time. I am hoping that in the next rendition, they decide to add Q and some of his goodies back into the series; he is sorely missed.

As for the actual DVD, the video and audio qualities were about as good as you can get short of getting Quantum of Solace on Blu-ray. The colors were vibrant, the black levels deep, and the action sequences occurred with very little ghosting or pixilation. The overall transfer was done perfectly, and it was quite stunning. As for the audio, the DTS 5.1 surround sound was exceptionally impressive. Using all of the channels, the sound literally immersed you into the movie, as you would hear cars speed by you and bullets hit the floor at your feet. I was quite impressed with the sound, and it helped the movie out greatly.

Though there were several extras on the Quantum of Solace DVD, the only good one was Bond on Location. This thirty minute clip was basically a mini-documentary about all of the locations that the crew went to to film this movie. Ranging from the deserts of Peru, to small towns in Italy, the crew went all over the world for Quantum of Solace. I really liked how they explained the history and idiosyncrasies of each locale, and were able to show exactly how they were used in the movie. Though this is not essential to the experience, I really believe that Bond on Location helped to add to the Quantum of Solace feel.

Overall, I believe that Quantum of Solace is a good addition to any Bond collection. The movie is well done, engrossing, and an interesting character study. Additionally, the video and audio qualities of the DVD are stunning. I believe that Quantum of Solace is a perfect gift for any Bond lover, spy-flick aficionado, or any college kid. You can grab Quantum of Solace on DVD for $29.98 at stores across America.

Quantum of Solace is Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some sexual content.

DVD Review: Slumdog Millionaire

2009-04-06T05:47:00.001-04:00

Last year, one movie captured America’s hearts and minds. The movie, which was on the path to nowhere (straight-to-DVD release), reached out and was seen by millions of people across the country. The same movie won eight academy awards, the most for a single movie since the Lord of the Rings series. That very same movie is now available for you to own on Blu-ray and standard DVD. Yes, America, Slumdog Millionaire has just been released for you to own.

Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, and Tanay Chheda), an orphaned kid from the slums of Mumbai. Starting with his early education, and ending with his final question on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, the movie follows Jamal through his entire life. Told in a series of flashbacks, all of which are tied to the current question posed on the game show, Slumdog Millionaire weaves a tale of love, betrayal, longing, and the story of a hero. This story is bound to move anybody who watches it.

Joining Jamal for most of the story are Latika (Freida Pinto, Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar, and Rubiana Ali) and Salim (Madhur Mittal, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, and Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala). Latika is the lover and close friend of Jamal, and Salim is Jamal’s brother and long-time friend. Throughout the movie, the three characters grow up together (which is why there are three actors for each) and learn to love each other. Though they all have distinct personalities, which come into conflict a lot, all three characters are very similar in their actions and mannerisms.

Slumdog Millionaire tells a basic rags-to-riches story, as well as one of redemption and love. What is interesting about this, however, is the fact that the movie itself runs along the same story arc. When Warner Brothers cut their independent film division, it looked like Slumdog Millionaire (which was owned by WB) was destined to go straight to DVD and not be released. Fox Searchlight, seeing the potential in the movie, bought the rights and started to release it slowly. Using their perfected methods, much like they did with Little Miss Sunshine and Juno, Fox released it in certain theaters, slowly expanding. This resulted in a huge buzz being built, and the movie became quite popular. Obviously, this worked, as they were able to get eight Academy Awards out of this; it must have been written.

I find this method of advertising and releasing a movie to be very interesting and unique to the industry. Nowhere else, in video games, music, books, or even most other movie studios, will you see a system in place like the one that Fox has. Three years in a row, they take an independent movie (which the Academy will normally ignore) and get enough support and buzz behind the movie. This buzz not only enlarges the audiences as it slowly spreads across the country, but it also makes voters look at it. I hope that Fox continues to use this operation to get great movies around the country.

Though Slumdog Millionaire is considered an English movie, roughly a third of the actual movie is shot in Hindi. This is due to the fact that director Danny Boyle wanted the movie to be entirely in English, but was unable to find suitable young kids that spoke it well enough. With this in mind, the entire first third of the movie is shown with subtitles, though they are surrounded by a colored background that blends into the movie. I really like the fact that the subtitles do not stick out, yet are easily readable. I am sure that this is a hard thing to achieve, and so I appreciate the efforts that it took. My only concern is that they didn’t explain how the boys learned English (though they could have learned it from tourists that they conned); this detracts from the movie a little.

One of my favorite things about Slumdog Millionaire is the acting. Though the extras seem to want to draw attention to themselves, the main actors were quite good. I really liked how well the little kids acted, and the fact that they were able to maintain the proper character. Had Jamal been anything but happy, hopeful, and idealistic at the start, the movie would not have worked. Had Salim not had desire, lust, but still love in his eyes when young, his older character would not have made any sense. The children played their roles perfectly, and they made sure that the future version of themselves fit, and I really like this.

Though some copies of Slumdog Millionaire do not contain the proper extras , mine came with everything that it should have. This was very important, as I was able to find an extra that I actually enjoyed quite a bit. Deleted scenes are usually something that I can ignore but, in Slumdog Millionaire, the deleted scenes were actually quite interesting and a good learning experience. These scenes are fully produced, and are basically the scenes that Boyle wanted left on the final cutting floor. They add a fair bit to the story, are quite long and intensive, and actually draw you into the movie even more. I would argue that these deleted scenes alone are a good reason to buy the DVD, as FOX rentals no longer have extras. If you grab the Blu-ray, you can get the 'anatomy of the toilet' extra, which sounds too great to miss.

One thing that I do not like, but I am sure that most Americas do like, about Slumdog Millionaire, is the actual ending. See, I am not a person for Disney endings. I like sweet endings, but only rarely and only when they fit. I don’t like forced endings, sweet because they 'need' to be. Frankly, I love it when the hero dies, the boy and girl split up, and/or when the dog gets shot for having rabies. With this in mind, the ending (actual story ending, the dance number was sweet) of Slumdog Millionaire, though it is needed in the culture it was produced in, was quite disappointing compared to the rest of the movie.

Overall, I believe that Slumdog Millionaire is a movie that most Americans can enjoy. It is your stereotypical love lost/love found story, and it can speak to everybody. The story is told in an interesting and compelling manner, and it will certainly draw you into it.

Slumdog Millionaire is rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language.

The North Korean Missile, Should We Care?

2009-04-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, North Korea attempted to launch a satellite into space the other day (http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/news/north.korea/). The United States, South Korea, and various other organizations claimed that it was a missile test; a test that would show that NK has the ability to reach the US with a nuke if need be. North Korea claims that the test worked, and that a satellite is in orbit playing patriotic songs. The United States, considering their argument, claimed that the test failed and it landed in the sea. Either way, everybody agrees that NK launched something, and that they were not supposed to.

When we look at this, we really need to consider three issues:
What was launched
Was this a threat
Why is North Korea not allowed to do this

What was Launched
Technically, North Korea is not supposed to engage in any ballistic activities. Arguably a satellite is not one, but as it launches on a rocket, we can count this as a missile. Thus, we know that this launch violates UN rules.

This seems to be more an issue of he-said she-said, and it doesn't seem like anybody is being logical. Had North Korea said that the satellite failed, then it would have always been an argument between them. However, NK decided to say that the satellite is working and orbiting, so it is easy to test. Is there a new object orbiting and emitting information (it should not be that hard to figure out)? If there is, then shut up USA. If not, then shut up NK. There, that was easy.

Was this a threat
If this was simply a missile test, and not a satellite on top, then this was a threat. If this was a satellite test, then this becomes even more interesting. Consider the following:
1) NK told everybody that it was going to happen
2) NK claims that it was a satellite
3) NK gave plans of the path, and everything along with that
Clearly, North Korea was working to make sure that the USA, EU, SK, and UN were all up to date and ready to go with this. I can not conceive of the Communist Party of that country giving out this information, unless they were trying to ensure that it would not be taken as a threat. Clearly, North Korea did their best to keep this civil, so I do not believe that it was a threat

Why is North Korea not Allowed to do this?
For some reason, South Korea, the United Nations, the European Union, Japan, and America all think that North Korea has no right to test missiles. You know what, I disagree with this logic. The international political arena is an anarchy, and nobody should be able to stop NK from doing what they want unless they are willing to fight about it. Sure, the two Koreas are still at war (the war is technically on a cease fire), but if NK wants to test a rocket, they have every right to.

In other words, I believe that North Korea attempted to do this properly, was not making a threat, launched a satellite, and has every right to do this.

A proposal for a truly non-partisan, modern elections system for Ohio

2009-04-03T19:20:00.004-04:00

Hello all, Kadim here. Barga has been kind enough to allow me to post on the blog.

You have likely heard by now State Senator Husted's (now candidate for Secretary of State) plan for a bi-partisan redistricting commission as well as a bi-partisan elections administration system to replace the Secretary of State's role in elections.

Undoubtedly, it's an improvement. But it's a fairly minor improvement. One can argue it's not an improvement at all.

There is good reason for why the Senator's approach is "bi-partisan." By putting both parties in control he makes it likely he can get his ideas to the voters.

Unfortunately, it makes our elections system even more beholden to the politicians who get to benefit from it. Elections are run for the benefit of the people, not the politicians. At least, that's how it should be.

What I propose instead of the bi-partisan redistricting commission and the bi-partisan elections administration is something much more radical and independent. It draws on the some of the world's finest elections systems, yet goes further.

I call it the Elections Branch. It draws on the idea that the multiple governmental branches were created by our wise founders as a balancing mechanism. The Elections Branch adds a fourth branch to Ohio government. A limited branch, the only thing it does is administer elections and decide Ohio elections law. (The US did of course invent the three branch model, but some countries have expanded on it and have added a fourth and fifth branch. A fourth elections branch is not unheard of.)

At any rate, my idea creates a non-partisan elected board to oversee elections administration and the entirety of Ohio elections law. As long as we let politicians write elections law we'll continue getting unsatisfactory, partisan results. To say that it's a conflict of interest that those who benefit get to write the laws is an understatement. A non-partisan board would not be encumbered by political issues, and would write fairer and more stable elections law.

Here's the proposal:

The Elections Branch will:

• Create an election system based on modern standards for free and fair elections, while bringing more stability and thoughtfulness to election law and administration.
• Be free of the conflicts and ethical considerations common to our current elections system.
• Run elections for the benefit of the people of Ohio, and not for politicians.
• Preserve the privacy and dignity of the voter and their registration.
• Be an independent, non-partisan fourth branch of government.
• Administer Ohio elections and create election law.
• Be completely open and transparent to public scrutiny.

And here are the details:

• The Elections Branch is run by a board of eleven elected individuals, representing districts. The laws under which they’re elected , as well as their pay, are set by the State Supreme Court.
• In order to increase the competence of the members of the Elections Branch, elected branch members shall not take office for one year after they have been elected. During this year, they shall be trained and apprenticed in modern elections law and administration. [This is one of my favorite parts. We keep electing people to offices which they have absolutely no preparation for. The extra year of training is essential. If it were up to me, I'd require the same for newly elected members of the General Assembly.]
• The term of office shall be seven years, and it may be served twice.
• An Elections Branch member may be removed with an election to be initiated with a petition containing the signatures of 10% of Ohio voters.
• An Elections Branch member may be removed from office for serious violations of elections, ethics, or criminal law. The State Supreme Court impeaches a member, and the trial/removal of the member is done by a panel of seven individuals who do not participate in Ohio elections, to be chosen by the State Supreme Court.
• The Elections Branch administers Ohio elections, and creates Ohio election law, which includes, but isn’t limited to, electioneering, campaign finance, ballot eligibility, electoral districting, voting methods, voting systems and voter eligibility/registration.
• The Elections Branch may submit election related Constitutional Amendments to the ballot for voter approval.
• Where an election law mixes with or is dependent on a non-election law, or an election decree mixes with or is dependent on a non-election decree, the Elections Branch can convene a joint conference with the Legislative Branch or the Executive Branch, and co-write law or decree as necessary.
• The Elections Branch may refer a proposed law to the State Supreme Court to receive confirmation of its constitutionality, if the proposal’s constitutionality is under question.
• The first election of Elections Branch members shall take place in November, 2011. The elected members shall receive training during 2012, and take office in January 2013, at which point this amendment is fully enacted.

To be as non-partisan as possible:

• For purposes of transparency, members of the Elections Branch shall cast public ballots.
• For purposes of maximum impartiality, the non-voting chair of the Elections Branch, and chief electoral officer, shall be selected by the State Supreme Court. This individual may not participate in or have any interest in the results of Ohio elections.
• No person may be elected to the Elections Branch who has participated in politics in the last two years preceding an election, and they shall not participate in politics for three years after their term. This includes, but isn’t limited to, volunteering or contributing to a campaign, being a member of a political party, legislative or executive lobbying, or working for an organization which participates in legislative/executive lobbying.

Like anything, I keep on re-writing the idea (though what you see here is largely the text of the proposed amendment.)

So feel free to comment...and who knows...if there's enough interest, it could put it on the ballot as a competing amendment. :-)

Sup All, Whalertly says hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-03T00:02:00.000-04:00

before I start, barga wanted me to update you on the whole semester thing going on. Here is a link to the NBC video that he was in. He interviewed for about 15 minutes and they used the worse 5 seconds, typical media... Barga looks so stupid, LOL
http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/article/osu_students_use_facebook_to_protest_semesters/14448/

Hey peeps, this is Whalertly, the 5th of 6 people that need to say hello to all of you. Because I want to be different, I am going to make a list; suck on it if you don't like it

Why whalertly
Well, I wanted to remain anonymous, and I talked to Barga and he told me that this would be a fine name. So, I took the name and ran with it.

Political Leanings
As you might have guessed, I am a bit right of the line. However, it really depends on the issue, because, like Barga, I decide it per issue, not per party. That said, I am generally distrustful of politicians and love to insult everybody equally

education
What be this? Yeah, I am a 7 year student at OSU who is from Sandusky, Ohio and my name is Tommy. I said I wanted to be anonymous, so I won't even give you this

Sports
I like the Blue Jackets, The Crew, The Clippers, and The Destroyers. I hate the Buckeyes, they suck monkey balls
Yeah, I just said it

Politically Correct
There is no such thing of this, just cowards and real men. See, a coward is somebody who will only say what will not get them in trouble. A real man just speaks the truth
deal with it

Parents
They need to take more care of their kids and handle their responsibilites. Your teen sends sex messages, odds are that it is YOUR BLOODY FAULT

The Constitution
Supreme Law of the Land. Plus, it will give you a paper cut if you violate it

Favorite Sites
That thing from ben keeler, the thing from C Beth, the other thing from C Beth, NRA.org, this site

Have I said too much and/or didn't do what you expected
Yes

I will be on TV later today!!!

2009-04-02T16:18:00.003-04:00

Later today (about 530) I will be on NBC talking about the OSU semester switch and why students don't like it. Though I talked to the reporter for about 15 minutes, I am quite sure that I will be a five second video, but you should look at it. I will be posting it on here later if I can.

For those who have no idea what I am talking about, please read the following links:
Story on in the Lantern regarding the switch

From my site:
http://whalertly.blogspot.com/2009/03/osus-academic-calendar-maybe-its-time.html
and
http://whalertly.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-on-osu-usg-do-your-job.html

on Blogcritics
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2009/03/24/201847.php

Do to the fact that I have been working on this issue all day with many people, I will not be posting at midnight. I talked to Whalertly and he has accepted the fact that he needs to post an intro tonight, enjoy it.

That R (RETARDED) Word

2009-03-31T23:08:00.002-04:00

Recently, several blogs that I read pointed out something that the American Disability group thingy want to change. Special Olympics and Womens Rights both want people to stop using the words Retard and retarded. They view the negative connotation that these words are used with harms those who are retarded and want it stopped. Personally, I think that this plan is retarded

Now, before you all get up in arms about that line I just used, I want you to think for a second: why did you get mad? Well, you got mad because you already associate the word with stupid, even though you are not sure I meant it that way. So, you are the problem that they are trying to stop; feel ashamed. No, I used the word retarded to mean slow, which, you know, is the definition of it. This idea is slow in the head and not well thought out...

So, besides the fact that you are the problem because you associate the word with stupid, let's further look at the situation.

Retard
-To slow or stop, usually by means of preventing or hindering advancement or accomplishment
See, look, nothing about people or other uses. This method of attack slows their end goal as it keeps them from accomplishing what they want, and that is respect. By focusing on a word used by the general public and trying to get rid of it all that they are doing is building up resentment and ridicule (two other fine R words). To me, this harms and slows their advancement, and thus is retarded.

Furthermore, we actually need to look at why the word is used to mean mentally handicapped people. Most people view it as the following:
Mentally Handicapped=perceived stupidity compared to normal
Mentally handicapped=slow
Slow=retarded
retarded=mentally handicapped
Retarded=stupid
See how easy it was to jump from one position to the other, all using basic definitions and basic math proofs? Well, this is why people think that retarded means stupid, and will always continue to use it.

Here is the thing, I do not use retarded to mean stupid, my mother trained me out of that years ago. No, I simply use it to mean slow, which is what its definition requires. To stop people from using it to mean stupid will never happen, so just stop giving it power. The same is true when people react the nigger or spic, if you keep reacting, people will keep using it. Ignore it and the problem will indeed slowly go away.

Or, just accept that it means something totally different then how you interpret it

An Intro From Barga (and rmb.reviews)

2009-03-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

Many of you already know who I am, but it was decided (by myself) that all of us should have intro posts. See, Lisa from Glass City Jungle got confused on one post that was done by Whalertly which she thought was done by me. Due to that, I decided that we should all introduce ourselves. Peter already has given you all an intro, as has Ander. There are four people that have yet to be introduced (RMB.reviews, Myself, Whalertly, Kadim) and two of them will be introduced here.

As many of you know, I am both Barga and RMB.reviews.

Barga is my more used name, and the one that I have been using for a long time. The name 'Barga' is my last name, and something that I have been called for years. I am the founder of this site, and still the primary poster (though Whalertly has been catching up). My major is political science (American focus) and I am minoring in english. I like long walks on the beach, eating chocolate, and rooting for the Blue Jackets. I am 21...

On the more political note, I am almost dead center of the 'hot topic' issues. On other issues, where the leaders can actually touch them, I am slightly to the left. That said, I will never vote on a party line, but instead will vote based on the actual person. While I used to write about politics far more, I am slowly phasing out of that for reasons that some of you already know (no, the rest of you don't get to know).

That is really all there is to know about me

RMB.reviews is my name for product reviews and the like. Though most of these are published first on blogcritics, a few are published just on this site. I specialize in iPhone and iPod Touch games, but am willing to review pretty much anything. Additionally, I am now credentialed as a sports writer for the Clippers, and am working on full credentials for the Crew and the Blue Jackets. That is pretty much it here as well

See, I am just a boring person. Feel free to leave comments or ask anything you want

It Is Time To Revamp The School Enrollment System

2009-03-27T00:00:00.003-04:00

I know, I know, it is not like me to make a giant rant, but I really feel the need to here. See, I do not like how our schools function, nor how they work within a certain system. Far too many schools accept crap students and ignore the good ones. So, basically, I want to bitch about that.

So, here is my beef. I have an IQ that is easily among the highest of people you will meet; in an average room of 100 people, only 3 will be smarter than myself. I had SAT and ACT scores that were in the upper 90th percentile. I took tougher classes then most other applicants, and I did far better on exams then they did. I did more volunteer work, political work, and anything you can think of then others. I even worked with endangered animals. Yet, somehow, I didn't get into OSU for my first year of college but a bunch of kids who took theater and art with As got in.

Yep, Didn't get into the biggest school in the country, even though I deserved it.

OSU, for most graduate programs, requires a GPA of about 3.5 (3.0+ and it is considerations). They don't care what classes you took, any extra work you did, or anything like that. All they care about is the grade. To me, this is absolutely stupid, as it ignores anything outside of a grade in deciding if the person matters. For these programs, you are simply a number, nothing more, nothing less. This is the worst part of upper education, and should be stopped.

Not only does this show that you are a number, but it doesn't credit anything else that you do. Sure, grades matter, but they should not be a big factor. Outside actives and other things show more about a person, and thus should be considered more. The caliber of a person is far more important then their GPA. Additionally, the classes should be considered, as a C in calculus should be worth more than an A in geometry.

But, of course, they can ignore these requirements if you are a sports person. While volunteer work, classes, and even chess club do not matter, sports do. These athletes are not people, no, they are Gods, and they are above the rest of us. Schools let in students who fail all of there other requirements, provided that they can help the school in sports. This is, frankly, bullshit and needs to be fixed.

Schools need to focus more on who the person is, and what they have done, not what grades they have. Sure, their GPA might not be great, but if they clearly are intelligent then they deserve to be in. The person with a 2.0 who serves the community is worth far more than the 4.0 greek whore (no offense, but this is based from my observations) who took easy classes. Schools need to look into the actual merit of each person, not how they look on paper.

Of course, this can never happen until schools are actually schools, and no longer buisnesses.

iPhone ‘Game’ Review: Nano

2009-03-26T11:38:00.000-04:00

For the record, Nano placed 5th in my top-10 iPhone Apps of February 2009 article.

Imagine sitting on the bus, your eyes focused on a small device in front of you, soothing music is playing out of your headphones, and your hand casually is moving around the screen of the device. Now, keep that image in your head, but alter it a little; now you are playing a game, the music, though still soothing, changes based on how you play, and all you are trying to do is get some small bits of light into circles. Interesting image, isn’t it? Well, that is exactly what you get when you play Nano, a game that is currently available in the app store for only $.99.

Nano is a piece of software that is perfect for meditation, calming kids down, or just getting some personal time on the bus. The game is slow paced, enjoyable, and, quite frankly, easy to learn and use. In its entirety, Nano is one of the simplest things you will ever use. Use your touch to manipulate ‘magnetic’ arrows, which direct balls of light around the screen. Aim the cool colored balls (blues, greens, whites) into floating circles. Warm colored balls (reds, oranges, yellows) you want to direct away. That is all that Nano is, and that is why it is so peaceful.

Take a look at the this video and think about what you just saw. This, quite literally, is all that Nano is. Notice how simple it is, how soothing it is, and how unique it is. Now, if the game looked at all interesting to you (even if it just barely peeked your interest), then odds are that you will enjoy it. However, if the video of Nano looked boring or dull, then don’t bother downloading it at all.

Nano is a polarizing game, with people loving it and people hating it, very few are neutral on the game (at least, that is what the reviews and ratings in the app store seem to say). Though I believe that the video test (as indicated above) is a good way of telling how you would perceive the game, I still see some problems with it. This probably stems from the fact that Nano is labeled and categorized as a game, though most people wouldn’t consider it one. To be a game, or to not be a game, that is the question.

For most, a game is something where there is an end objective, fast paced gameplay, and actual challenges you must face. None of these are present in Nano, so it must not be a game. I actually agree with this argument, I feel that Nano is more of a meditation device, and a cool music-based piece of software, than a game. I believe that people looking for a game are going to be disappointed, and that might be why there is such a wide gap in the perceptions of the application. However, this is probably up to each person, so take a look at the video, and decide for yourself.

My favorite feature in Nano would, quite frankly, be the fact that it allows me to meditate. I love the simplicity of the game, and how all I have to do is slowly change the various magnetic currents to either target or avoid certain colors. To me, this is so unique in the app store, and as unique in the software world as a whole, that it is a fun and interesting concepts. I really like the fact that I can just sit there and watch the balls move around, alter their course as I please, and just let the music take me in. Heck, I don’t even need to try to stop the hot balls from entering (it does cause a ‘bad’ musical change, however), as I can just sit there and let a steady stream enter the floating circle. To me, the ability to meditate in Nano is essential, and really nice.

Another nice feature about Nano is how the music changes based on what you do. When using the application at first, I thought that the music was just naturally changing as part of the game, not as part of my actions. However, after playing for an extended period of time, I started to notice that the pitches and tones changed based on what I did. To me, this drew me further into my meditative state, and it made me enjoy Nano even more.

Though these do not detract from the overall experience of using Nano, I would like to point out two problems with this application. For starters, the load time of Nano is exceptionally long, and it will sometimes freeze. This is probably due to the fact that the iPhone keeps many things running even though they are 'closed', thus Nano has to clear memory for itself. Depending on how bad it is, you might freeze the phone by hitting either two physical buttons on your phone. I suggest that you hard reset your phone if this happens. The other issue is that I would like to see the magnetic currents of Nano reset themselves each level. Currently, they stay facing the same way that they did when the last level finished, and that annoys me. As I said before, both of these do not detract from the overall Nano experience.

Overall, I feel that Nano is an application that is easily worth the $.99 investment to buy. I really liked the application, enjoyed the music, and loved to be lost in it. However, I know that not everybody will like, get, or enjoy the game. With this in mind, I urge you to view the video, and then decide from that. The simple ability to meditate, while on a crowded city bus, showed me how much Nano was truly worth. Due to that, as well as how much I actually liked the game, I am giving Nano five-out-of-five stars. Congrats.

Nano has not been rated by the ESRB. The game is currently available on the iPhone and iPod Touch

DVD Review: South Park season 12

2009-03-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

Ahh, the world of South Park. A place where fart jokes, taking a dump on a desk, and making fun of Canadians is so enjoyable. A place where there is no internet and no Peruvian pan-flute bands. And why shouldn’t this little hamlet in the Colorado Mountains be so enjoyable? After all, in this cartoon world, there is nothing else to do but enjoy a load of sophomoric humor.

But South Park is far more then just sophomoric humor and bodily functions. Yes, South Park is a cartoon that hits on so many levels. This makes it a worthwhile show to study, if not just to watch, for most age levels. From examining the complex issues of AIDS, to discussing the overall reliance on the internet by modern day society, South Park challenges its viewers to see beyond the surface (it is on the surface that the body humor lies) and look at what actually is being discussed in the cartoon. This cartoon is not about the humor or disgusting actions that the ‘actors’ do, but it is about what you take out of it.

Season 12 of South Park is no different, in this regard, then any previous season. Like the rest, it attracts its target demographic (high school males) with body jokes, fart jokes, and lots of cussing. Also, like all previous seasons, season 12 serves this up with intellectual and thought provoking episodes, where the lower levels are what really matters. South Park season 12 is more of the same humor, with newer issues; due to this continuing nature, one must ask, how much longer can this show last?

One of my favorite things about South Park are the random scenes. As most episodes of South Park are forgettable, it's the scenes that stick out to me. From clips about heading to California for jobs, to a giant hamster shooting lasers out of its eyes, the show keeps me laughing. Sure, I don’t remember the whole plot point of Major Boobage, but I remember the scenes of Kenny when he is high. To me, these random scenes are what make South Park so great.

Though most of the episodes in season 12 were forgettable, one really stuck out to me. I really liked the two episode story arch that was told in Pandemic 1&2. Though these episodes were filled with ethnic stereotypes, the overall meaning of the episodes is what was enjoyable. In the Pandemic episodes, the boys of South Park realize that the Peruvian pan-flute bands are raking in some serious dough, and that they want in on the action. The government, seeing this epidemic of bands, quickly arrests and removes all offending bands, the boys newly formed one included. Toss in a few giant hamsters, some hieroglyphics, and ten minutes of fart jokes, and you have yourself a two-episode arc.

Now, it is not the story arc of Pandemic that interested me so much, it was the overall message that the episodes were saying. Sure, the giant hamsters were cool, but they didn’t matter. Pandemic was taking a look at the government’s response to the smallest of things. Far too often, a single incident, or a small series of them, will set the government off and running to fix the problems. Often, these incidents are isolated, and/or are not harmful to the country as a whole. Yet, the government will act, and attempt to ‘fix’ the problem. Pandemic is making fun of this sort of governmental action, and is doing it well. South Park is pointing out that the government over reacts, doesn’t fully analyze, and sometimes makes things worse. These sorts of analyzings are why I really like South Park.

Though most of the DVD extras were boring and dull (who wants to see director’s commentary), I thought that the Making of ‘Major Boobage' was a really sweet feature. Basically, this extra took you from the initial story board phase (unsurprisingly, the art looks about the same) and advances you, step-by-step, through the whole process of making an episode. I liked watching how they plan the show out, that the artists usually do not know all of the details, and how most things are tossed together as it goes. To me, this seems a little odd compared to how most shows are made, but it seems to be working great for South Park. I really love learning about how things are made, and this extra stuck out for that reason alone.

Overall, I thought that South Park season 12 was one of the better seasons that they have done yet. Though the jokes were getting old, the other levels of the show are still fresh and challenging as new things emerge to target. I think that there are a few more seasons left in this show, and then it should gracefully exit the stage. South Park season 12 is a great addition for any highschooler, college kid, or sociology professor. Otherwise, you will probably be offended. You can get South Park season 12 now for only $49.99 at stores across America.

OSU's Academic Calendar: Maybe It's Time To Listen To The Students

2009-03-25T00:15:00.002-04:00

In 2006, changes in the political leanings of Ohio brought about the creation of a new office in state government, the office of the Chancellor of Education. Reflecting George W. Bush’s unpopularity, most voters were irked with the GOP and voted them out of office. This caused Ohio to move almost all of its elected officials into the Democrat column. In doing so, Ohio elected Gov. Ted Strickland to office. Strickland had promised his chief opponent in the primaries a nice juicy position if he dropped out, and Strickland always keeps his promises; thus, the new office of Chancellor of Education was created.

Eric D. Fingerhut, the man appointed to this shiny new position by Gov. Strickland, quickly set about trying to update the university system of Ohio. Making several sweeping changes, he wanted to put all of the state universities on one schedule, and one common academic requirement. This, arguably, would ease transitions between schools. However, instead of requiring this, Fingerhut let the schools decide to adopt it or not on their own.

Recently, the University Senate of The Ohio State University (OSU) decided that it was time to change the school's calendar from quarters to semesters; they cited Fingerhut's plan as a main reason for this switch. OSU, which has been running on quarters since 1922, will be moving over to semesters in 2012, ending a 90-year experiment that seemed to be working fine. The Senate, which vote 19-91 (20 abstained or were not there) in favor of the switch, presented a largely false case for making a change, and they did so in a non-parliamentary procedure.

The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) at OSU staged several "meetings" in order to get students talking about the proposed change. While they claimed that many students showed up, there was no advance publicity for these events, and they were basically full of pro-switch people. Though this makes it appear as though the students support the change, they didn’t show up because nobody knew about it. Even I, a member of USG, had heard nothing of these meetings, and did not know that they had happened until after the fact. There was no publication of them in the newspapers, no emails, nothing. Thus, any input from these meetings is highly suspect.

Additionally, USG, which is supposed to represent the students at OSU, paid no attention to the comments made by the students on various websites, and even in the school's own newspaper. Only one USG senator, Tracee Huffman, decided to ask the students how they felt, and she voted the way they felt, against the proposal. Most students mentioned that they were against the change, and that they wanted it to be thought out. Others, myself included, wanted to see a full plan of action before a vote. USG ignored us all.

Furthermore, during the motion in the Senate to pass the change, several irregularities and outright lies occurred. The side presenting the motion claimed that Strickland would cut off funding. Wrong — Fingerhut made it clear that funding would not change, nor would the schools be affected by the Board of Regents. They then claimed that it would be easier on students transferring. Wrong — one of the main reasons people transfer to OSU is the quarter system, and there have been only a few problems in the history of the school with transfers. They then argued that it helps internships. Wrong — President Gee, who supports to change, stupidly said that OSU actually has more internships, and better ones, by percentage then any other school. Oh, and they magically had ballots printed out for when somebody called for a secret vote; that was definitely set up.

Though there was not one good reason to make the change presented, the University Senate made the change anyway.

Students all over OSU are unhappy with the change. They do not want a change. They think that OSU is running well as it is. Some, myself included, believe that the fact that no full plan was proposed is bad, and that it is only writing a blank check to the school. We all agree that the transition from quarters to semesters will harm all students, and that it needs a plan (there isn’t one yet). OSU students are not alone with this unhappiness, as the other quarter schools, which will be changing as well, have unhappy students.

The reason that we believe the change will be harmful is one simply based on reality; how can you change a system without affecting those using it? Switching from one system of credits to another, in the middle of a student’s education, cannot be done properly without harm. The only way to do this would be to phase it in, and double the number of classes for those years. This, of course, is not feasible. Additionally, there is no plan to look at, and thus use to limit the total harm. We want to see how OSU is planning on making a change, and what it will look like. Heck, they didn't even make a prospective calender before the vote. Most of us will be gone by the time this happens, but we are all concerned about how this will impact the future generations.

Furthermore, most of us, as future alumni, are concerned about the prestige of the university. OSU is characterized as one of the most prestigious universities in the country, and it is currently the largest main campus in America. Students transfer to OSU for many reasons, but one of those, according to the questionnaires, is the quarter system. Additionally, the faculty comes to OSU for similar reasons. As stated in a letter to the Columbus Dispatch, current educators are contemplating leaving the university, or they already have, due to this change. Clearly, both students and teachers come to OSU because of the quarter system. We want the best teachers and students to come to OSU, and we believe that a switch will prevent this from happening.

Not only are the students angry, but they are fighting back. At four of the schools currently planning to switch, there are student petitions going around. At several of the schools, including OSU, candidates for USG president and USG senate are running on platforms against the change. A Facebook group opposed to the change has sprung up. Over the weekend before exams, it gathered roughly 7% of the OSU student body, a huge feat. There are even plans for legal petitions, which would cause a statewide vote on the issue to stop it. The students are not taking this change sitting down, they are fighting for what they want.

While there are no current plans for organized protests, several students have talked about the idea of nonviolently protesting the change. They want to force the universities, and the politicians, to understand that they deserve to be listened to. Students want the right to be represented properly, to be consulted, and not to be lied to. Students want to be heard and respected, and they are willing to fight for what they deserve.

COP #160, you are all wet...

2009-03-24T23:54:00.002-04:00

Hey all, whalertly is mentioned in this weeks Carnival of Ohio Politics. The feature this week is Wetness (don't know why). The site is, as always, filled with many interesting blogs from around Ohio. You should go CHECK IT OUT.

New Jersey and Genital Waxing, What a Fun Combo

2009-03-23T00:01:00.000-04:00

There are tons of stupid laws in this county. Some are left over from older times (whistling on Sundays), and some just make no sense (like getting a fish drunk). A few of the more stupid are:
-In Ohio, it is illegal for five women to live in the same house, too bad for the sororities (in most states similar laws mention the word brothel as a direct cause for this, again, aimed at the sorority houses).
-In Alabama, It is illegal to sell peanuts in Lee County after sundown on Wednesday.
- A person may not enter Wisconsin with a duck on their head
- In Tennessee, it is illegal to give or receive oral sex
Laws like these make one wonder what the hell happened to cause this law to be enacted, and who the hell caused it. But none of these top what New Jersey wants to do, or their argument for it...

Recently, New Jersey decided that genital waxing seems to be a problem. Various women have gotten infections in the state, and thus they are thinking of banning it. Somehow, the idea that two women got infected means that millions will be, and, as usual, the lawmakers are going out of their way, and wasting tax payer's money, to make another stupid law. These two women probably got infections due to either bad after care, or unsanitary conditions, both of which would have happened to waxing in other locations, not just this area. Clearly, the best course of action would be to work on better policing of current sanitary laws, not banning a popular, and money making procedure.

To me, this sort of thing happens far to often in the legal system in America. From states passing laws apologizing for slavery, to the federal government passing and act (non binding or legal) that says McCain is qualified as natural born, to New Jersey working on this law, far too many states and agencies do this. Meetings to pass laws like this, and various boards and cabinets that it needs to pass through, simply serves to waste the tax payers dollar. There is no way that this is good for America, nor is it a smart use of money. Politicians who work on projects like this deserve to be promptly voted out of office.

Aside from just waisting the tax money on this sort of research and work, what about the money that this sort of procedure brings in? Procedures that various locations offer clearly make a ton of money, and have a relatively little cost to do. This means that clinics are easily able to make a ton of money, and a high margin, on procedures like bikini waxing. Millions of women do it, as do thousands of men, and they spend billions a year on getting their hair painfully yanked out. Clearly, any smart politician knows that it is important to ensure that your people make money, as that keeps you in power. Additionally, they know that the only way to keep New Jersey in the black is to get more tax money. This sort of procedure brings in money, and they need to keep it.

Basically, I think that asinine laws should be removed, and any politician that votes for them should be ridden out of office on a rail.

On a side note, I really liked one quote from the piece. While arguing that it was already banned (which causes me to wonder why you are making a new law, instead of yelling at the cops to enforce it), Jeff Lamm, a spokesman, said this:
The genital area is not part of the abdomen or legs as some might assume...
Now, the face, neck, abdomen, legs and arms are permitted, but he wants to argue this one location is not allowed (odd that they banned only one location, without specifying it). Anyways, the thing is, the Human abdomen starts at the end of the torso and continues to the pelvic brim, that is, from the chest to the bottom of the pelvis. I am quite sure that the waxed region is above the pelvic brim.

So, the law currently states that anybody can get anywhere waxed, even though the spokesman doesn't agree. Clearly, this is another case of an idiotic politician not knowing what the hell they are saying.

My Man Crush on Vermette

2009-03-21T10:32:00.001-04:00

I know, I know, you were all expecting a post yesterday. Well, I had one ready, but needed it to be published on blogcritics first, and they have yet to do that. So, with that in mind, follow THIS LINK and read all about the Blue Jackets last game and my man crush on Vermette. Please comment on it...

Whalertly’s March Madness Picks

2009-03-19T11:30:00.000-04:00

BLAHBLAHBLAH, nice intro. I copied Barga’s format and all of that so that this was easier on myself, and easier for you all to follow. My choices, of course, will be the perfect choices, and so you should all bet with me. If Barga wins (we have a side bet), then I will accuse him of changing his during the outcome. Time for a screen shot. That said, here are my picks…

*All games with an asterisks means that they are upsets

Midwest
First Round
Louisville, OSU, Arizona*, Wake Forest. West Virginia, Kansas, USC* ,Mich. St
Second Round
OSU*, Arizona*, West Virginia*, Mich. St.
Third Round
Arizona*, West Virginia*
Winner of this portion
West Virginia

West
first round
Conn, BYU, Purdue, Washington, Utah State*, Missouri, Maryland*, Memphis.
Second Round
BYU*, Washington, Missouri, Maryland*
Third Round
BYU*, Missouri
winner of this portion
Missouri

East
First Round
Pitt., Tenn.*, Wisconsin*, Xavier, VCU*, Villanova, Minnesota*, Duke
second round
Tenn.*, Xavier, Villanova, Duke
Third Round
Xavier., Villanova*
winner of this portion
Villanova

South
first round
UNC, Butler*, Illinois, Gonzaga, Temple*, Syracuse, Michigan*, Oklahoma
second round
UNC, Gonzaga, Temple*, Oklahoma
third round
Gonzaga*, Oklahoma
Winner of this portion
Gonzaga

final four
West Virginia V. Missouri and Villanova V. Gonzaga
Championship game
West Virginia* V. Villanova
Winner
West Virginia, with a total of 174 points

Barga’s March Madness Picks

2009-03-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

I know that this is not a normal time for me to post something, but Whalertly is doing it at roughly the same time so I figured that I should… Plus, the games start later today. So, without further ado, my basketball picks for March Madness 2009.

*All games with an asterisks means that they are upsets

Midwest
First Round
Loisville, OSU, Utah, Wake Forest. West Virginia, Kansas, USC* ,Mich. St
Second Round
OSU*, Uth*, Kansas, Mich. St.
Third Round
Utah, Mich St.
Winner of this portion
Mich St.

West
first round
Conn, Texas A&M*, Purdue, Washington, Marquette, Missouri, Maryland*, Memphis.
Second Round
Conn., Purdue*, Missouri, Memphis
Third Round
Conneticut, Missouri*
winner of this portion
Missouri*

East
First Round
Pitt., Oklahoma State, Wisconsin*, Xavier, UCLA, Villanova, Minnesota*, Duke
second round
Pitt., Xavier, Villanova, Duke
Third Round
Pitt., Villanova*
winner of this portion
Pittsburgh

South
first round
UNC, Butler*, Illinois, Gonzaga, Arizona St., Syracuse, Michigan*, Oklahoma
second round
UNC, Illanois*, Syracuse, Oklahoma
third round
Illanois*, Oklahoma
Winner of this portion
Oklahoma

final four
Mich. St. V. Missouri and Pitt V. Oklahoma
Championship game
Mich. St. V. Oklahoma
Winner
Oklahoma, with a total of 174 points

Exam week, another history essay

2009-03-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Equality, in America?

Robert M. Barga

Equality is an ideal that all people seek to achieve, and yet very few in the world actually have ever seen it, let alone had it. Throughout the entire history of the United States, various groups have tried, and slowly succeeded, in gaining rights and freedoms that others in the country have; these rights and freedoms would make that group equal with the rest. Once that group gets those rights, it usually joins in the status quo and tries to keep others from gaining those rights (i.e. women opposed to black rights, Irish opposed to black rights, black opposed to gay rights). This internal struggle for freedom and rights shows that various members of the country perceive that they are not equal, regardless of whether they are or are not. Now Americans no longer argue (as openly or as much) about gender and race^¹, but mental attractions (sexuality) and age. Over the years America has changed and accepted more and more people into her borders. Along with her growth, she has become more open, and more accepting. America today is a far more equal society then America was a century ago.

Humans tend to think of freedom, and only freedom, when talking about equality. This is a common misconception, and one that should be discouraged. Equality is far more than just freedoms; it is the very simple concept of being seen, not just treated, as the rest of the community. Class, socio-economic, education, rights, freedom, justice, and the right to be admitted into groups: these are all aspects of equality, and all need to be considered when deciding if America is truly equal.

Starting with class and socio-economic factors, one can see the first threads of inequality in the 1870s. In this decade, and the ones following it, America was broken into various parts. There were farmers, business owners, and barons, all in well-defined class roles. America also had economic divisions based on the location of where people lived in the country. People in the South were typically poorer, while the industrialists in the North had the cash^². Though the social hierarchy was not specifically rigid, for the most part, people who were well off stayed well off, no matter what. As the socio-economic and class structure were rigid^³, this factor of equality was lacking.

On the other hand, if one looks at the socio-economic and class boundaries of modern day America they see only a bunch of fluid gray lines. While there are still some class differentials (arguably race and gender, when discussing pay), for the most part, America seems fluid in this regard. The only lines now seen are based on earning a high school diploma or not, and those are only seen after a lifetime^⁴. People rise and fall in modern America, usually not dependent on the class that they were born in to. President Clinton, President Obama, and President Reagan all show that any person can achieve the highest position in the land by working hard and applying themselves. These people started with limited social and financial means, and achieved great things using their own personal skills. It becomes clear that modern day America is far more equal in the socio-economic and class category than the 1870s.

Another facet of equality is the overall quality of education. The more equal and applied education in the country, the more equal the society. In 1870, education was extremely limited. Children were not required to go to school, most people went only part of the year (due to the agricultural nature of the country), and most Americans dropped out before sixth grade. Overall, the quality of the school was also sub par, with kids of all levels learning together. It wasn't until 1870 that schools were governed by the Federal Government^⁵, and they did not do a very good job of it. Even upper-education was not equal, as only the white males were admitted to most universities. There was no equality in education in the 1870s.

In today's America, however, the Federal and State Governments try to work together to ensure a quality education to all children. They try to make sure that students know the basics, and know what is necessary for the real world. Additionally, children are required to stay in school until they are 16, which is a vast leap from the 1870 world. Though there is still a slight disparity in upper-education, most universities enroll roughly 34%^⁶ of minority students, marking a much more equal and fair measure. It is clear that modern education, though not completely equal or fair, is still far more equal than its counter part in the 1870s.

Justice is a key aspect of an equal society. Unless the courts are just – applying the rule of law equally and fairly to all person - there can be no equality in America. Court-rulings favoring whites, and yet with the same evidence and basic case ruling against a black man, is clear evidence of an unjust, and thus unequal, society. Men, women, blacks, white, it should not matter to the courts, nor should it matter in the eyes of law enforcement when they seek to prosecute a case. Without this justice, there can be no equality.

In the 1870s, there was no justice for black men, nor was there justice for women. Blacks were routinely beaten, lynched, and killed while the law enforcers turned a blind eye^⁷. The Chinese were subject to the same treatment, with very little justice given to them when they were wronged. The same was true for women, though to a lesser extent, as many were seen to be less than men. Though there was never a ‘rule of thumb’ (that applied to carpentry)^⁸, women, as well as all other minorities, had little justice in 1870s America. Unless a person was a white male, chances were that they would not get a fair trial, nor exercise their legal rights, anywhere in the country.

In sharp contrast, however, is modern day America. Though there are laws that appear to target minorities (drug laws), the American justice system has made progress towards being fair and just. Gone are the days when courts employed only white juries^⁹ , along with the days when women were kept off of the bench. Minorities now are given a jury of their peers, a jury that shares the makeup of the American people. Though there are cases of police brutality and profiling, most often of Muslims and Latinos, the law enforcement personal are much fairer then in the past. This drastic change in the fairness of justice serves to show that there is more equality, at least in this regard, in the 2000s than in the 1870s.

Rights and freedoms are the quintessential evidence of equality, as it is clear that people are not equal if they are treated differently and given different privileges, and they go hand-in-hand when you seek to discuss the history of the American people. The nation was set up – after the Articles of Confederation fiasco - on the concept that there were certain rights which all persons living in the country would be granted. Of course, there was argument concerning what counted as a person, but the founding fathers all agreed that blacks were not a full person, they were only three fifths of one^¹⁰. Over the course of her history, America has added one group after another, from women to blacks to Irish to Gays, to being considered full citizens.

In the 1870s, blacks were no longer considered three fifths of a person; the 14^th Amendment had given them full personhood and citizenship. That said, however, they were still not granted the same rights as other Americans. Nor, for that matter, were women, Chinese, Irish, or even poor people living in various communities. Once the Reconstruction Era ended, the South moved back into its old ways^¹¹. Minorities could not vote, could not hold office, could not sue, and had various other basic rights and freedoms taken away from them. For almost a century, blacks in the south had no basic rights or freedoms, and thus America was not an equal country.

In the 1950s and 60s, Americans were quickly changing the way that minorities were treated. The Civil Rights Movement gave blacks the right to vote, along with various other civil rights that they wanted. Though there have been attempts by various groups to remove these rights, America has left them bestowed upon her people. To drive this point home, the first black president just took office, a feat in equality and rights that was never before believed possible. It is clear that America is recognizes, or at least honors, far more rights and freedoms then she did in the 1870s.

The last prong of equality is not what a country does, but what her people do. The allowance for a person to join a group, a club, or an event is a clear sign of equality, as it shows that they are accepted for who they are, not what they are. In the 1870s, blacks, women, and Irish were not allowed in many clubs. There were men only parlors, colored water fountains, and no Irish need apply signs. The people of America were actively excluding these people from their ranks, and they were doing so with discrimination in the private sector. This is, in no way, equality.

It was not until the 1990s that women were allowed to join various ‘mens’ clubs, like Lions Club and Rotary. Blacks could not go onto golf courses or race in cars until the1980s. Now, however, the most prominent golfer is a black man, and two women drive cars for NASCAR. There is a black president, a black leader of the GOP, and several black governors. America has embraced the allowance of minorities into positions in the public, and in the private. This show, quite clearly, that America is far more equal, in terms of groups and the private life, now then it was in the past.

Equality is, simply put, the fact that people are treated the same, even when they are not seen the same. While it is allowed to discern if a person is white or black, male or female, old or young, it is not permitted to change the actions you take due to this. If the country acts differently in justice, rights, economics, education, or a whole slew of other areas simply because the person is different, then the country is not equal. In the 1870s, America was nowhere near equal. Her minorities were systematically harmed, attacked, and disenfranchised. In modern America, for the most part, all people are treated equally and fairly. It is clear, when looking at the main conditions of equality, that modern America is far, far more equal than 1870s America.

1 Ignore any concern over Obama and Clinton, while mainstream America focused on their minority status, it was not a major deciding factor in votes.

2Rising Wage Dispersion Across American Manufacturing Establishments, 1850-1880, Jeremy Atack

3Education and Social Structure: An Historical Study of Iowa, 1870-1930. Final Report.

4Learn More, Earn More. http://www.uwrf.edu/admissions/Degree_to_Income.pdf – last seen 3/12/09

5Elementary Education Act 1870

6 http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/09/20/minority - last checked 3/12/09

7 Lynching in the New South – Brundage, William Fitzhugh - University of Illinois Press, 1993 – PG 133

8 http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/rule-of-thumb.html - last seen 3/12/09

9 Norris V. Alabama 294 U.S. 587; 55 S. Ct. 579

10 US Constitution, Article 1, Section 2, Portion 3

11 Creating Jim Crow - http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/history/creating.htm - last seen 3/12/09

Jim Cramer on John Stewart

2009-03-17T11:36:00.001-04:00

For those of you who missed this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/13/jim-cramer-on-daily-show_n_174558.html

The 'History' of Caligula: An essay for class

2009-03-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

The 'History' of Caligula

Robert M. Barga

For a full version of my Movie Review please go here:

http://whalertly.blogspot.com/2009/03/blu-ray-review-caligula-1979.html

or: http://blogcritics.org/archives/2009/03/12/101729.php

Caligula is one of the most mature, and most pornographic, 'main stream' movies ever to be released. The movie, which was released in 1979, contains the acting of some of the best actors of the era, interjected with the hard core sex of some of the worst actors of the era. Controversy has surrounded the film since it showed up, usually regarding the mature nature of the film, the blatant interjection of porn, and the blind side that the producers pulled on the actor. Usually ignored in this controversy is the fact that the history of Caligula is not exactly what is desired from a retelling of hisotry. Caligula and real history really do not seem to go together.

Caligula tells the story of a fledging Roman youth (I wonder what his name is) as he migrates from being the heir to the throne to being the emperor to being beheaded. This movie starts with Caligula’s rise to power, when he is frolicking in the woods having sex with his sister. It then moves on to when he ascertains the throne of Rome and discusses his popularity and love. Finally, the movie comes crashing down due to the madness that is associated more often with Nero. The movie does this in a somewhat slow paced fashion, which surprisingly fits the film. Oh, and on a side note, it interjects hard-core pornography throughout.

Moving on from the discussion of the plot of the movie, it becomes apparent that the history in Caligula is lacking. Ancient Rome was not sexually obsessed in any manner. As a Roman History major put it, “They were much more open about sex; however, they were also far more conservative then modern America.¹” Basically, the Romans were fine with the concept of sex, but they were not having sex all of the time, nor were they having sex in public. This is a major theme of Caligula, and one that is greatly incorrect. No matter what somebody might see saying otherwise, the Romans were not hyper sexualized.

The rise to power by Caligula was not one of deceit and killing, as it was depicted in the movie. Instead, Caligula's family was killed by his adopted uncle, and then he waited until that uncle died naturally to become emperor; in the movie Caligula kills his uncle and his sister (with whom he has sexual relations) is still alive. After this, for the next two years, Caligula led a decent, moral, and much enjoyed reign².

According to Caligula, he not only killed his uncle, but he immediately led a perverse and violent regime, one not enjoyed by the people. This is a great falsehood, but it is one that is acceptable for the movie. As his actual reign moved into a immoral and horrific one, it made sense for the movie to start with this setting, so that it can move quickly into the actual meat of the movie. That is, the movie is designed to be inaccurate here because the otherwise needed character interplay and growth would be too large.

The rest of Caligula's reign, after those initial two years, was marked with gruesome and perverse interests. This seemed to occur immediately after his illness³. As his mind changed, Caligula started to kill off random people, including many family friends. He also decided to randomly invade Britain, much to the hatred of his generals⁴. Caligula focused mainly on this nature of the emperor, and it was done quite well. Though it was far too focused on his sexual perversions, the actual nature of his other attacks, specifically the move on Britain, were well covered by the movie. This made sense, as the actual nature of the movie was to examine the perversions and immoral aspect of Caligula.

Caligula seems to divulge from the real nature of Caligula's history because it needs to target a specific audience. People who enjoy pornography, or anything of this nature, seem to want to look at immoral and more violent fare. A movie which focuses, for the most part, on the immoral nature of Caligula fits far better into this demographic. Toss in incest (which never happened), gay sex (when in Rome...), and a ton of violence and you have a nice mix for this audience.

It seems as though Caligula was designed to focus far more on the later nature of Caligula's reign, once he had gone crazy and off the rocker. Additionally, it added several untrue features to further the overall enjoyment of the target audience. Most movies seem to do this, and Caligula is in no way alone with this. Caligula has a few parts of history correct, most specifically when talking about invading Britain, but it generally failed its exam. Overall, it seems as though Caligula missed the mark if it was aiming at history – as do most movies based on history (see 300⁵) – but hit the mark if it was aiming at its target demographic.

1IM conversation with Lucas Proctor, copy can be provided

2“On the Embassy to Gaius”, Volume Two – Philo of Alexandria

3“On the Embassy to Gaius”, Volume Two – Philo of Alexandria

4“Natural History” Volume Eleven - Pliny the Elder

5“300 Vs History” - http://www.bayareanewsgroup.com/multimedia/mn/entertainment/300_history_031407.pdf – last seen 3/15/09

Update time, enjoy

2009-03-13T00:00:00.001-04:00

So, I figured that it was time to update you guys on some posts I did in the past, and see how they have changed or altered our course. Some of these are just updates, others discuss how our posts were used, and some are just fun factoids.
Enjoy...

USG and their job: USG voted today to accept the semester switch. I am hoping that there is a legal way to stop it which will pop up soon (KADIM, where are you??). That said, my facebook group against it has grown by over 500 members since this morning. Keep in mind that it was at 10 for about 7 months and now is at 518 and growing. Join it

Change is Coming: As most of you have noticed, we now have 5 active posters, and one sitting there doing nothing. Additionally, I am working on migrating us to our own website, as I see more traffic and potentiality with that site.

Adsense: I have not updated the authors, too bad. Adsense has been doing well in this time, and made over $121 since the post. Thanks all.

Senators to Watch For: Currently, both Fisher and Bruner have declared a campaign. As has Mr. Portman. I know that 3/8 is not good, but there still are two years left

Ten Tech. Predictions: I made ten predictions that I believed would happen in 09. So far, I have been right on several:
Apple is loosing market share
Netbooks are taking off
Rockband/Guitar Hero released a join controller
More will come as the year goes on

My Tat: My tattoo has almost fully healed, and it is doing well. Pictures next time I find my camera

Whalertly sponsoring Weight Loss: Though Gwenn is at a plateau right now, she has been losing weight. I wish her the best of luck

A name for a sports post and Blue Jackets first post: Both of these got various attention and emails, which is good. I chose ABCs of Columbus Sports as the name, and had my first blue jackets post go live. Please check out the actual posts.

iPhone Application Review: Thirsty Pocket

2009-03-12T22:32:00.001-04:00

Are you tired of the dogma that craigslist has on online classifieds? Sick of the ever increasing fees charges by ebay, or their ever changing rules? Just want an online classified that you can easily use from your iPhone or iPod Touch? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, or you just want to try a new online marketplace, then Thirsty Pocket is the application you need.

Thirsty Pocket is just like ebay, amazon, and craigslist, but much easier and much better to use. The application connects you to a simple online marketplace, where you can sell, browse, and/or buy many different items. A simple quick search gathered over 1,000 items near me ranging from a 69 Austin Martin (I wish I had that sort of money) to a scientific calculator. The market is open, more user friendly, and a lot less draconian then most online markets. This is a huge plus.

The way that Thirsty Pocket works is quite simple. Take a picture with your iPhone camera, upload it to the server, enter some information (price, e-mail for contact, small description), and then sell it. BOOM, done. Some buyer will come strolling past (in an online fashion, of course) and look at your item. Heck, he might even buy it. When that happens, the money moves hands, and everything is done. Both you and the buyer leave as happy people.

One of the nice feature in Thirsty Pocket is the simplicity and ease of use. Literally, I can get a posting up, and start selling, in about two minutes (they advertise one minute, but I have yet to be able to do that). Furthermore, I never need to hook up to a computer or use my digital camera. This simplicity is a huge jump from other online sites, where you need a computer and it takes much longer to get everything set up. Not only does this serve to help distance Thirsty Pocket from the crowd, but it also makes sure that we can all use it on the run, which is what most sellers on iPhones want to do.

Another nice feature is the actual layout of the application. Looking at Thirsty Pocket, you can tell that it was designed with the iPhone in mind. From the ease of the submission, to the overall layout, the online marketplace is perfect for you iPhone. Additionally, it utilizes the flick gesture perfectly, and this is pretty sweet. I think that proper integration is essential for every and any application or game on the iPhone. It makes sure that it fits into the theme and ensures that every user known what to do and how to do it. I am really glad that the makers of Thirsty Pocket took so much time to make sure that the layout and integration was so well done.

Yet another nice feature (I know, they seem to be piling on) is the fact that there is no middle man in Thirsty Pocket, but there is no long-term account and/or fees. This is similar to Craig’s List, and vastly different then all other (save for the aforementioned website) auction and selling websites. Anybody can use it, provided they have the e-mail address and access to the system. There are no fees and long-term agreements that you need to make with the makers of the application, so you can feel comfortable in getting the most bang for your buck. You also will not need to worry about absurd rules being changed, added, and the other stuff that Ebay likes to do to the loyal users. No, with Thirsty Pocket, it is just you and the buyer; they just serve as the host.

This is not always a good thing, however. There can be scams, bad listings, and just bad people; this could turn into the iPhone’s version of classified ads. I am a little worried about a system with no internal policing of people, and no overall insurance over my item. I hate the draconian rules and fees of Ebay, but I do like the protection that it offers. I am not really sure how to fix this concern, save to make people get accounts. The accounts, however, will ruin some of what I really like about Thirsty Pocket. If only we could trust each other.

My only other issue with Thirsty Pocket is the fact that there are not many users. As the application gains ground, it should become better, but right now there is really not that many. To me, I want to be able to find a fair share of what I am looking for for sale, thus allowing me to get the best deal possible. Currently, I am stuck shopping at an oligarchy of online sellers. On the other hand, if I am selling, I want many buyers, so that I can up the price. Thirsty Pocket does not yet have the traffic I would want. When they launch the website (coming soon), I am hoping that this changes.

Overall, I think that Thirsty Pocket has a lot of potential. I love the fact that I no longer need to deal with the draconian rules of Ebay, and that all of the money goes into my pocket. I love the ease of use and the overall feel of the application. I really, really like the fact that there is no long term deal for me to sign. However, the security of my trade does worry me a little bit. I am hoping that an increase in traffic will make Thirsty Pocket a much more used and better application. Currently, due to the slower than desired traffic, I give Thirsty Pocket four out of five stars.

Thirsty Pocket is available on the iPhone and iPod Touch, it will soon be coming to the World Wide Web

Blu-ray Review: Caligula (1979)

2009-03-12T12:00:00.002-04:00

Please keep in mind that Caligula is an extremely pornographic movie; continue reading the review with that in mind, if you wish. Unlike all of my previous reviews, I think that I will be starting with the technical aspects of Caligula, then moving into the actual movie itself. See, I think that more people focus on the end of the piece, not the beginning, and believe that the actual review of Caligula, as a move, is far more important than the review of its Blu-ray parts. With that in mind, let’s start with the visual aspect of Caligula on Blu-ray

The visual quality of Caligula is exactly what you would expect from a movie made thirty years ago. Grafting a movie onto a blu-ray disc can slightly improve the quality of the look, but what really matters is the quality of the film that was used in the first place. Caligula used low-quality film for the cameras, and that shows up when you try and watch the movie on a HDTV. You can easily see ghosting, the grains of the film, and several other problems with the actual imagry.

That said, however, not all was bad. With the move to blu-ray, the colors of the film seemed to become brighter, and the black levels were deeper. This is easily noticeable in the first few scenes, especially the opening forest scene and the introductory swimming scene. I am not sure exactly what caused this change, if it was a digital enhancement or simply a product of the blu-ray process. Either way, the color change was appreciated and very interesting.

Moving onto sound, you notice that Caligula is not presented in the normal Dobly TruHD that is typical of blu-ray movies. Nope, it is presented in a Dolby sound that is stereo; the typical one you will find from standard DVDs. I was not really too happy with the sound quality, but I didn’t expect much coming from a movie that is roughly thirty years old. There are occasional spots where the sound mixing fizzled, where you lose dialog, and a few times where the volume change is absurd. Once or twice the music got a bit too loud, and it drowned out everything else.

There, now all the bad stuff is out of the way, let’s talk about Caligula as a movie. To start, I think that we should have a little history lesson. Ancient Rome was not sexually obsessed in any manner. As a Roman History major friend put it: ”they were much more open about sex; however, they were also far more conservative then modern America”. Basically, the Romans were fine with the concept of sex, but they were not having sex all of the time, nor were they having sex in public. This is a major theme of Caligula, and one which is greatly incorrect. Sure, it might be a movie, but I do not like things this historically off of center. No matter what you might see saying otherwise, the Romans were not hyper sexualized.

Caligula tells the story of a fledging Roman youth (I wonder what his name is) as he migrates from being the heir to the throne, to being the emperor, to being beheaded. This movie starts with Caligula’s rise to power, when he is frolicking in the woods having sex with his sister. It then moves on to when he ascertains the throne of Rome and discusses his popularity and love. Finally, the movie comes crashing down due to the madness that we associate more often with Nero. The movie does this in a somewhat slow paced fashion, which surprisingly fits the film. Oh, and on a side note, it interjects hard-core pornography throughout.

Caligula has several major stars to its name which gives it some acting chops. The movie stars Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) as the emperor himself. His love interest, and sister, is played by Teresa Ann Savoy ( Salon Kitty ) and she shows acting ability that was not seen in her earlier works. Academy award winner Dame Helen Mirren (The Queen) plays Caesonia with the same passion and energy that she has come to be known for. The great acting cast is rounded out by Peter O’Toole (Lawrence of Arabia) and Sir John Gielgud (Chariots of Fire). The great actors have companions that are not so great at acting, the porn stars that did all of the sex scenes.

Caligula was a very interesting movie to watch. I had no idea that it was so pornographic when I decided to review it (I did have a warning about mature) so I as a bit surprised. However, it was not as bad as it was described on the interwebs. Don’t get me wrong, my sensibilities and boundaries were definitely breached (I never want to see homosexual sex, no matter what gender, again); however, that didn’t mean that the movie was not enjoyable. The acting, as mentioned above, was quite good, the overall story was compelling, and the script was decent. I really liked the interplay of the various actors, and they pulled the movie off perfectly.

Quite frankly, my favorite part of Caligula as a movie was the cinematography and direction used throughout. Caligula was made like a big budget film (it was one of the first big budget to also utilizes hard core porn) and was thus quite well done. The shot angles, coloring, and overall feel of the movie struck a tone with me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I must say that the stylistic approach of this movie was probably one of my favorite approaches to any film that I have seen recently (save Watchmen, of course). This alone seems to redeem the random pornography that runs rampant.

Speaking of the random pornography, Caligula seems to be on a lot of hit lists because of the nature of the film, and the overall graphicness of it. I do not like how they implemented the pornography (they added it not telling the main actors, and they never got their consent); however, that doesn’t mean that the film was bad. No, I think that you need to look at the nature of Caligula in a concave lens, and see the actual point of the movie.

Caligula is a movie that is designed to be confrontational and controversial; it is the best way to make people discuss the actual movie, and the intended points. No, Caligula is no Cannibal Holocaust, nor is it an older version of The Basketball Diaries, but it still serves the same purpose. I believe that Caligula gets you talking, and that it drives forward the interplays between various people in the past. This movie was not intended to be a drama, nor was it intended to be a classic; no, Caligula, it seems, was intended simply to be a thinker.

How many porn movies do you know that allow you to get off of your ass and actually think about the movie? What was wrong with a proposed marriage to his sister? They both loved each other, and they both wanted it – they just simply were not the right ethnicity. What about the homosexual sex in it, or the group sex (disclaimer, this author did not mean to imply that homosexual sex and group sex are in any way related)? The point of Caligula was to make us rethink the social norms of our time, when we could see another empire of debauchery still standing up. Remember, in Caligula, only the rulers of the moralistic mess fell.

I believe that Caligula will eventually be redeemed in the eyes of society. The debauchery, lust, immorality, and all of the other fun and exciting things will be looked at as a lesson, or a story, instead of filler. I believe that society will come to accept the movie and will start to realize that Caligula is just as worthy as Kids or Reservoir Dogs due to the fact that it causes discussions and makes you think. Sure, it uses pornography to advance itself, but that doesn’t mean that it is a bad movie. I thought that it was a thinker, and I hope that you do too.

Overall, I believe that Caligula is an interesting and thought provoking movie. It is no Bully, but it will make you sit up and think. I am not sure who to recommend this too, as it has a very limited audience, but I think that anybody who is comfortable watching this level of ‘action’ will be okay with the movie. It is good for college kids (trust me, they won’t mind it) or people who want to use it to spark discussion. Do not give Caligula to kids, evangelicals, or history majors. With the fact that the quality of the film is not that much better on blu-ray, I recommend that you get it on standard DVD.

Movie: Once you look through the porn and vulgarity, you find a compelling tale and amazing filming
Blu-ray Quality: No real difference from the DVD version
Sound Quality Same as the Blu-ray quality, nothing new
Overall the thought invoking movie can not make up for the hyper sexualization or the lack of an upgrade in film and sound

Caligula (1979) is unrated but is exceptionally mature. Vulgarity, sexuality, sex, pornography, nudity, violence, blood, gore, etc. are seen throughout the movie. Please do not let a kid watch this.

I need some help, new Blue Jackets Post

2009-03-12T00:41:00.002-04:00

So, my first bluejackets post went live over on Blogcritics. Can you guys please help me by going over and reading it and possibly commenting on it if you like it or want to argue with me

PLEASE
thanks

Carnival of Ohio #158

2009-03-12T00:33:00.001-04:00

Hey all, whalertly is mentioned in this weeks Carnival of Ohio Politics. The feature this week is SPRING (WOOOOOT. The site is, as always, filled with many interesting blogs from around Ohio. You should go CHECK IT OUT.

The Fed is Dead.

2009-03-11T12:25:00.007-04:00

For all intent and purpose the Federal Reserve is bankrupt.

There are two banking systems in existence today. The Traditional Banking System – i.e. High Street banks and the Shadow Banking System. But both systems overlap because, the major banks of the traditional system helped create the shadow banking system. In fact they are the key players in the use of the so-called "new financial products, the CDOs, CLOs, MBS" etc and which have now turned toxic – worthless, junk to be exact.

The first public mention, to my knowledge, of the shadow banking system by anyone of any public authority occurred on March 3rd, 2009 by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s remarks at the White House, March 3, 2009:

“Well, there's got to be deep regulatory change. We've just been talking, Barack and I, about the need for proper supervision of shadow banking systems, of areas where there was bank practices that were unacceptable, where remuneration policies got out of hand and weren't based on long-term success, but on short-term deals. And these are the changes that we've already announced that we are going to make.”

“We've had a global banking failure, and it's happened in every part of the world. It's almost like a power cut that went right across the financial system. And we have got to rebuild that financial system. We've got to isolate the bad assets.”

“You don't want shadow banking systems. You don't want regulatory tax havens. So we've got to act as a world together to deal with that. And that's one of the things we'll be talking about in April in London.”

Even if he meant it, it is too late.

The idea of a central bank going bankrupt is not out of the realm of possibilities. What underlies this crisis is the potential collapse of the global banking system, specifically the Shadow banking system.

Nouriel Roubini, the New York University professor said:

"The process of socializing the private losses from this crisis has moved many of the liabilities of the private sector onto the books of the sovereign. At some point a sovereign bank may crack, in which case, the ability of the government to credibly commit to act as a backstop for the financial system – including deposit guarantees – could come unglued."

"Sovereign bank" means central bank. When a central bank "cracks" it becomes insolvent. If the Sovereign bank becomes insolvent any government guarantees will ring hollow and will be useless.

The only issue is the extent of the damage to the global economy and how long it will take for the world to recover from this financial madness that has no precedent.

To give a small sampling of the 4th quarter mess here are the banks' quarterly financial reports as of Dec. 31:

— J.P. Morgan had potential current derivatives losses of $241.2 billion, outstripping its $144 billion in reserves, and future exposure of $299 billion.

— Citibank had potential current losses of $140.3 billion, exceeding its $108 billion in reserves, and future losses of $161.2 billion.

— Bank of America reported $80.4 billion in current exposure, below its $122.4 billion reserve, but $218 billion in total exposure.

— HSBC Bank USA had current potential losses of $62 billion, more than triple its reserves, and potential total exposure of $95 billion.

— San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, which agreed to take over Charlotte-based Wachovia in October, reported current potential losses totaling nearly $64 billion, below the banks' combined reserves of $104 billion, but total future risks of about $109 billion.

These numbers are bad but are completely missing the heart of the problem: The Repurchase market.

The repurchase market is the link that joined the two banking systems together.

As such, it is the weakest link in the entire financial system.

The repurchase market is a very very complex organism that I am only beginning to wrap my head around. To use an analogy, cash and cash flow is the life blood of the economy and the Repurchase market is the heart that keeps pumping it through the system. It is the market where all financial institutions (regulated and unregulated) go to obtain financing to meet reserve requirements, bridging finance, to lend or purchase securities, to hedge and or to invest on short-term basis.

I will work on another post to explain the nature of this market but for now I will leave it at that.

The repurchase market before the crisis was estimated to be worth around $12 trillion as compared to the total assets in the entire US banking system of $10 trillion.

With the collapse of Bear Stearns what we were effectively witnessing was a run on the repurchase market as observed by Tim Geithner in 2008:

"The structure of the financial system changed fundamentally during the boom, with dramatic growth in the share of assets outside the traditional banking system. This non-bank financial system grew to be very large, particularly in money and funding markets.

"This parallel system financed some of these very assets on a very short term basis in the bilateral or tri-party repo markets. As the volume of activity in repo markets grew, the variety of assets financed in this manner expanded beyond the most highly liquid securities to include less liquid securities, as well. Nonetheless, these assets were assumed to be readily sellable at fair values, in part because assets with similar credit ratings had generally been tradable during past periods of financial stress. And the liquidity supporting them was assumed to be continuous and essentially frictionless, because it had been so for a long time.

"The scale of long term risky and relatively illiquid assets financed by very short-term liabilities made many of the vehicles and institutions in this parallel financial system vulnerable to a classic type run, but without the protection such as deposit insurance that the banking system has in place to reduce such risks."

And Bernanke said:

"We have been working with market participants to develop a contingency plan should there ever occur a loss of confidence in either of the two clearing banks that facilitate the settlement of tri-party repos."

Louis Crandall, economist at Wrightson ICAP observed:

"The vulnerability of the tri-party repo system has been a recurring theme among Federal Reserve and Treasury officials in recent weeks."

Panic swept across the entire repurchase market.

No securities were considered safe enough for repurchases except US treasuries.

Fundings in the repurchase market ground to a halt.

Market players withdrew funds and began hoarding treasuries.

Treasury interest rates actually reached a point where they were being bought at a negative interest rate they were so desirable.

To quote Gary Gorton:

"Imagine a firm that is levered 30:1, by borrowing in the repurchase market. If the haircut doubles, or goes from zero to a positive amount, the required deleveraging is massive! Most investment banks were levered 30:1, equivalent to about a 3 per cent haircut. If the haircut rises to 6 per cent, at least half the assets will have to be sold.

"Another sign of trouble is a ‘repo fail’. A ‘repo fail’ occurs when one side of the agreement fails to abide by the contract. [Fail to deliver the security under the repurchase agreement.]

"Dealer banks would not accept collateral because they rightly believed that if they had to seize the collateral should the counter-party fail, then there would be no market in which to sell it. This was due to the absence of buyers because of the deleveraging. This led to an absence of prices for these securities. If the value cannot be determined because there is no market – no liquidity or there is the concern that if the asset is seized by the lender, it will not be saleable at all, then the dealer will not engage in repo. Repo dealers report that there was uncertainty about whether to believe the ratings on these structured products, and in a very fast moving environment, the response was to pull back from accepting anything structured. If no one would accept structured products for repo, then these bonds could not be traded – and then no one would want to accept them in repo transactions."

The Fed intervened aggressively to check the run on the repurchase market by the creation of the Primary Dealer Credit Facility (PDCF). Various measures were taken, but the Fed was willing to accept and secure funding of the players in the repurchase market. The Fed also intervened by lending a huge chunk of its US treasuries in exchange for junk securities to facilitate credit expansion.

The result and where we are now: The Fed’s present balance sheet of approximately $2 trillion is made up mostly of junk securities.

If you found out your bank's balance sheet is made up of junk and not backed by real assets, what would you do?

But of course, one can argue that the Fed is not your bank. It is the central bank of the all powerful USA. It will always be able to "print money" or "digitalise" money and keep the markets going.

But the Federal Reserve Note is mere paper, fiat money which cannot be redeemed for anything tangible such as gold.

When Joe Six-Pack realizes that the Federal Reserve Note is not even secured by US treasuries and or the FED has real tangible assets, but its balance sheet is littered with junks and toxic waste, there will be a run on the Fed.

In other words, when Americans and foreigners no longer have faith in the Federal Reserve Notes as "money".