Home
D&D
Music
Banner Archive

Marvel Comics Timeline
Godzilla Timeline


RSS

   

« December 2010 | Main | February 2011 »

January 31, 2011

Time to retire the feature, i think

Q: Did the phrase "Grim and gritty" once get used on the Adam West television series?

A: Yes. Yes, it did.

Another Comic Book Legend revealed!!!!!!!!!


By fnord12 | January 31, 2011, 2:57 PM | Comics| Link



January 28, 2011

Air Force Training Video or Top Gun?

You decide. Link

A few days ago, China Central Television showed footage of what they claimed was an air force training exercise conducted on January 23. From the looks of things, they were actually just playing clips from Top Gun.




h/t, once again, to wnkr


By min | January 28, 2011, 10:44 AM | Liberal Outrage| Link



Fuck Your Mitsubishi

*Warning* You will not be able to understand anything being said prior to the song starting.




h/t wnkr


By min | January 28, 2011, 9:07 AM | Music| Link



D&D is a Gateway to Gang Activity

Playing Dungeons and Dragons is a threat to prison security, a court has ruled - because it encourages prisoners to cooperate.

A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit this week concluded that "cooperative games can mimic the organization of gangs and lead to the actual development thereof."

...
The judges conceded that there was no evidence that playing D&D had ever led to a single incident of violence. However, they still sided with the prison.

Their conclusion was, in effect, that it didn't matter whether or not D&D really led to gang activity - only whether prison officials were reasonable in thinking it might. And they pointed out that inmates could always play something else instead (Snakes and Ladders? Barbie and the 12 Princesses?). Singer's appeal was denied.

So does that mean basketball is also out?

Link


h/t wnkr

By min | January 28, 2011, 9:00 AM | D&D| Link



January 26, 2011

For All You Jersey Shore Fans in the UK

Everyone knows how much I love the Jersey Shore (especially the Jersey Shore tactical RPG). Well, I can't tell you how excited I am by this. Ladies and Gentleman, I bring you The Geordie Shore!

The UK version of the show will be made by Liverpool-based Lime Pictures, producer of another teen reality show, The Only Way Is Essex, which was a hit for digital channel ITV2 last year, and Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.

Taylor said it would be "loosely based on the American show". "The things we are taking away is the great cast - memorable characters who are funny and brash but at the same time warm and get on with each other," she added.

I think the best part is the production company has a person who's supposed to be the "head of factual", and they're making a reality show.


By min | January 26, 2011, 6:57 PM | TeeVee| Link



January 25, 2011

Can't be any more explicit than that

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell:

MCCONNELL: If the president is willing to do what I and my members would do anyway, we're not going to say no and -

ALLEN: But that's not much of a concession. That's not bargaining, to just give you what you want.

MCCONNELL: Um, I like to think I'm a pretty good negotiator.


By fnord12 | January 25, 2011, 5:42 PM | Liberal Outrage| Link



January 24, 2011

US Bullied EU and Guilted Vatican into Supporting GM Crops

Nothing exceptionally surprising. The US used its clout to pressure the EU to become more pro-GM. And, knowing the Catholic church is a strong influence in developing countries, they lobbied hard in that sector, as well.

Link

In response to moves by France to ban a Monsanto GM corn variety in late 2007, the ambassador, Craig Stapleton, a friend and business partner of former US president George Bush, asked Washington to penalise the EU and particularly countries which did not support the use of GM crops.
...
Because many Catholic bishops in developing countries have been vehemently opposed to the controversial crops, the US applied particular pressure to the pope's advisers.
...
"Opportunities exist to press the issue with the Vatican, and in turn to influence a wide segment of the population in Europe and the developing world," says another [cable].

The language in these documents show how conservatives plan for the long game, not for immediate results.

"Country team Paris recommends that we calibrate a target retaliation list that causes some pain across the EU since this is a collective responsibility, but that also focuses in part on the worst culprits.

"The list should be measured rather than vicious and must be sustainable over the long term, since we should not expect an early victory. Moving to retaliation will make clear that the current path has real costs to EU interests and could help strengthen European pro-biotech voices," said Stapleton, who with Bush co-owned the Dallas/Fort Worth-based Texas Rangers baseball team in the 1990s.

[Emphasis mine - min]

But, recently, they somehow lost the support of the Vatican.

But in a setback, the US embassy found that its closest ally on GM, Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the powerful Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the man who mostly represents the pope at the United Nations, had withdrawn his support for the US.

"A Martino deputy told us recently that the cardinal had co-operated with embassy Vatican on biotech over the past two years in part to compensate for his vocal disapproval of the Iraq war and its aftermath - to keep relations with the USG [US government] smooth. According to our source, Martino no longer feels the need to take this approach," says the cable.

1) I find it dismaying that the reason the Vatican changed its message to support GM crops was cause they felt bad about criticizing the US government for invading Iraq, which they damn well ought to have criticized them for if they believe any of the (New Testament) religious stuff they preach. Either there's more to the story than we know or the Vatican really is taking Catholic guilt too far.

2) What did the US government do to annoy them enough that they decided they weren't playing anymore?


By min | January 24, 2011, 2:24 PM | Liberal Outrage| Link



January 21, 2011

Vagina Dentata!

Er....ah....

Later this month, South African women will be able to purchase the Rapex device, marketed as the "anti-rape condom." The rapex, shaped like a female condom, is worn internally and equipped with 25 teeth in its lining. The razor-sharp teeth fasten on the attacker's penis if he attempts penetration. Since the device does no lasting damage to the attacker, it is completely legal and will sell for 1 Rand (around 14 cents) when it hits stores. The majority of women surveyed about the device said they would be willing to use it.

Ouch. Link

h/t to wnkr

By min | January 21, 2011, 3:13 PM | Ummm... Other?| Link



January 19, 2011

Disappointing

Sometimes you hope that Obama's economic team knows what they're supposed to be doing but there are challenges that we don't realize. This NYT article makes it pretty clear that they're actually just directionless.


By fnord12 | January 19, 2011, 10:32 AM | Liberal Outrage| Link



January 17, 2011

What's a Pinter Play?

Two Mystery Science Theater movies we've seen recently mocked the odd dramatic pauses in the dialogue by asking "What is this? A Pinter Play?" My degree in English Lit failing me, i had to look it up:

Harold Pinter, Playwright of the Pause:

But while Mr. Pinter's linguistic agility turned simple, sometimes obscene, words into dark, glittering and often mordantly funny poetry, it is what comes between the words that he is most famous for. And the stage direction "pause" would haunt him throughout his career.

Intended as an instructive note to actors, the Pinter pause was a space for emphasis and breathing room. But it could also be as threatening as a raised fist. Mr. Pinter said that writing the word "pause" into his first play was "a fatal error." It is certainly the aspect of his writing that has been most parodied. But no other playwright has consistently used pauses with such rhythmic assurance and to such fine-tuned manipulative effect.



By fnord12 | January 17, 2011, 10:25 AM | Movies| Link



January 14, 2011

The real travesty was Grizzlor

Sure, Leech didn't look all that hot in the She-Ra cartoon.

But you have to admit, the original toy was pretty bizarre to begin with. I think they went a little overboard with the suction cups. (I definitely liked him when i was a kid, i admit. I thought all of the Horde was awesome. Until i saw the He-Man/She-Ra movie, anyway.)

If anything, the real problem with Leech in the She-Ra cartoons was that they hardly ever used him. They tended to favor the insanely annoying Catra instead.

Grizzlor, on the other hand... i don't know what was going on there. Check out his toy.

That is a big fuzzy dude who is ready to party. But in the cartoon?

That's a sad mantle of fur. And cartoon Grizzlor is skinny and dumb looking. (And I don't know why Hordak was always putting a mouth-breather like that on monitor duty.) Really terrible cartooning there.


By fnord12 | January 14, 2011, 10:24 AM | TeeVee | Comments (1) | Link



Anyone going to do anything about this?

Via Matthew Yglesias.

Here's our GDP compared to the other G7 Nations (we're blue):

But here's our employment rate comparison:

I think you'll agree that something's not right there.

Also, here's the latest recession comparison chart from Calculated Risk. My understanding is that if the GDP continues to grow at its current rate, we'll be back to where we were in 2008 unemployment-wise around 2022.


By fnord12 | January 14, 2011, 10:11 AM | Liberal Outrage| Link



January 10, 2011

Marvel Sales

November.


By fnord12 | January 10, 2011, 11:11 AM | Comics| Link



« December 2010 | Main | February 2011 »