Bad day?

This will brighten it up. I've never met a person who didn't laugh at the scene.

Gaza Zebra

I hesitate even putting the caption with this photo. It is a "Zebra" in a zoo in the Gaza Strip. Trade restrictions made it impossible for them to get a real one, so they painted a white donkey with black stripes.

Scary stuff.

As the German winter approaches, Dolores and her friends will not be bundling up -- the Leipzig zoo's bears have lost all of their fur. The scary part is that vets aren't sure why the sudden hair loss happened or if there is anything to do about it. The hairless bears have become something of a spectacle at their zoo as crowds flock to check out their rare condition. HuffPost Green wishes the poor animals a warm winter and a safe recovery.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/05/german-bears-mysterious-a_n_346904.html&cp

I wonder if they are going to quarantine them. In case it is a virus and to keep it from having a genetic shift. What if it spread from the zookeepers or vets to the polar bears and panda bears?

Shooting in Texas

So I may have some interesting stories or information in the near future. My friend's brother is running for Congress in Texas in 2010. Right now he runs a charity of injured troops out of Ft. Hood and is kind of a big shot in that world. He is not active in the military anymore, but his charity is huge. My friend (his brother) is unreachable. We smoke pot every day, so this is kind of weird. I forgot what the charity is called, home for heros or something like that? I'll see if I can get his website information soon.

This story is crazy though right? I'm wondering if the shooting, protest, and people arrested at Pelosi's office are all related. Also, I think Michelle Bachman needs to be detained and investigated for leading an uprising with the "whites of their eyes" and 'we need to scare congress' speech she made. They really need to see if she new about any of this stuff before it happened. If Bill Clinton got impeached and censured for a blowjob, the dems are more than justified to take action on Bachman. Who knows who else in the republican party would go down in an investigation too. Probably even people at fox too. This last paragraph is just my two cents on what is going on right now. I don't have a tv so I have no idea what is going on or if these stories are linked.

Thoughts of an Old Stoner

So I'm high, feeling old, and watching sci-fi. Naturally I think this:

The kids that are babies right now, may never actually write on paper in school at all. At least 90% less than we did. Strange thought right?

When I left high school, we only had maybe 40 computers available for students to use. For some reason I can't remember if I wrote or typed papers that were 100% my writing, like reports and summaries. Going to the computer labs was a huge thing and you could only get in them if the class went as a whole. Like a field trip to the other side of the building. I don't even know what it is like now, but it can't be like that. I'll bet it is like my labs and classes that I take now, 7 or 8 computers in every room.

Kids don't even pass notes in class anymore because they all have cell phones. Something else that has changed since I was in school. I remember I was one of like ten people who had cell phones and it was confiscated twice just for having them in the building. I'll bet by the time these kids get to school they will all have their own computers which will eliminate writing all together. Except of course for when they learn to do it, which leads to my next question.

Will we forget how to write?

My take on "V" - No Spoilers

You guys know me from a political, science, and just general news type of stuff. Well, I love Film/TV. Not all of it. I am a very big stickler about stuff. Other than documentaries, I really enjoy more daring and different stuff. For example, All in the Family was very daring writing. I love Quantum Leap because it is like mental foreplay. However, the dramas where the cop/FBI agent is just running around and busting people bores me. Then there is Fringe. Ok so basically, I'm saying I'm a big time gay geek stoner. I enjoy stuff that makes you think, even in my comedy. That being said I prefer character driven scripts as well. The complex social dynamic that is so rich that you could remove the scenery altogether almost and still have a great production. That is why I am a mega huge Lost fan.

Tonight V came on tv. I had only just heard about it like 2 days ago, so I didn't have time to watch the original show. I think its from the 70's. I wanted to give my take on it because I live for this like Lindsay Lohan lives for meth. Tasteless joke, I know. I'm going to assume you've seen trailers for this at least, the show obviously has a giant budget. Here we go.

This show has misjudged humanity. Being that I am from and never left a western culture, I can only speak from this perspective. Aliens come to earth and flash a uniquely beautiful leader to us and the majority of our public approaches them with open arms? I'm not even talking about our government's reaction - that is another show altogether. Can you imagine the fucked up stuff that would have happened if this were real? If you looked at their space ship, from directly above in near-space, you would see mass evacuation spreading around the ship in every direction. It would be like the ripple spreading through water if you dropped a rock in it. Who knows maybe the aliens have some kind of anti-fear weapon/non-weapon they dispersed in the air... The show only just began. I just don't think this was very good writing. It is however a teeny tiny part of the show.

Another thing that hit me in a big way was the church's reaction. I said no spoilers, so I'm not going to say what it is, but it is safe to say that it was completely wrong. The polar opposite in fact. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt because maybe there is a reason they framed this stuff in such a way. There was also a part where they required a consent form be signed at one point, as if they cared about our laws. They've made it look like they came to earth because they needed to refuel basically. You're telling me that they learned our law that quickly, to have come up with paperwork? Seriously, that part really really irked me.

No more hater-aid. I really enjoyed it. The lead is my second favorite character from Lost, which actually scares me because she is still on Lost. I do not want her to leave in the last season. My guess is they've filmed around her schedule in Hawaii. Those "what if" questions and hypotheticals that run through your mind are awesome. It seems that these mega producers who are doing the contemporary drama have found the perfect formula. If you make the actual story about the characters while letting the audience think the real show is about something else (Lost, Fringe, likely V), then you are half way to a hit show. Then add in nuance. You cannot truly know your characters. Nothing is black and white. You can never tell who the good guy is or who the bad guy is.... Throw in a splash of sci-fi and you might as well start walking to the bank.

Specifically the way they approached the aliens coming to earth part, was very good. I think it could have been a lot more dramatic and it should have been. They should have shown more of how that effected society in the immediate aftermath. I loved seeing the plane fall out of the sky and the parachuter - although I can't for the life of me figure out why he died. That isn't really a spoiler at all. I promise. The effects they spent the whole episode exploring were secondary. They also managed to get a little bit of background in there too. Most people would have left that for the second episode, but I'm glad they included a little bit here.

I predict this show will be a giant success. It mirrors what is going on in our country right now almost. We have a lot of paranoid crazy right wing republicans who are going to start thinking this is what the Obama administration is. If you haven't seen the show then you probably scoff at that idea. However, the story of these aliens isn't new at all. We've probably all heard the stories - again you have to see the full show first to understand. So there will be a load of right wingers watching then all the left wingers who appreciate intelligent writing. It will be shot like lost where the story is actually character-centric like I said before, always leave with cliff hangers, and never give you closure.

Did you guys watch it? Do you plan on watching it? What do you think? Are you Lost or Fringe fans? If you're Lost fans, I think we should discuss the episodes after they air when it comes back on. I'm that kind of geek.

This show will not be posted online until Saturday, November 7th. So I can't put an embedded player in this post. Seriously, tv stations need to get with the times here. That is another extremely long winded discussion though. Here are the first 8 minutes, which has been released. What the fuck is the point of putting the opening segment up but not the whole damn episode? I don't know. This shows the full initial reaction to aliens hovering over NYC and airing a message to the public.

Neat Video

I'm trying to explore my area a little more just to understand the outdoors, and honestly I feel like I'm in one of those life transforming stages. They say you go thru one every 7 years. Anyhow, I found this video of waves at Beverly Shores. That is where I ride my bike and where I drive around and jam while getting high. I've only seen waves this big a few times my entire life in Lake Michigan, but only in Chicago. I thought I would share it with you for a few reasons you might think are interesting living all the way over there.... You know what, actually, I forgot Lisa lived in Wisconsin. Did you live on the lake? Here are some Gale force winds at the Indiana Dunes.



I'm not sure if Kerry knows how insanely dangerous Lake Michigan and Lake Superior are in particular. Thousands of big rig ships have sunk there. There is even a ship wreck that is part of a park on the Michigan side by the island, I forgot the name. Because I live on my computer I always get weather alerts, so the next time we get gale warnings I'll drive out there with some weed and take pictures. I wonder if there are documentaries on the the Greak Lakes? There must be. I know in the 50's there was a rougue wave that hit the north side of Chicago like a Tsunami and killed a few people. If I find any of that stuff would you want to see it?

US Parks - Yellowstone

Part 1


Part 2

I love this quote that is featured in the second part. This is the stuff that made me cry that I was talking about last night. Romantic philosophy like that. This documentary is full of stuff like this:

"The best idea came from Thomas Jefferson: "That all human beings irrespective of the accident of their birth, are entitled to enjoy the aspirations of being fully complete and free human beings."

Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Part 6

Gossip

I thought you may like the satisfaction of confirming your suspicions with Anderson Cooper. Gays have KNOWN for ever that he is gay, but a lot of people suspect he is. This is a photo that someone took recently in India outside their hotel. The guy he is with is Antoine Maisani, who owns Eastern Block which is a legendary Gay Bar in the Village. The word on the street is that it is written into his contract that he cannot disclose his sexuality, but I'm sure you've even noticed on his show, he does not hide it. Anyways, now you know.

Leonid Meter Shower

On November 17th the Leonid annual meteor shower will be an atypically great event because we will have a new moon. They are saying we will a few hundred meteors per hour. I don't know much about this stuff but I am going to try and see this. I had seen a map where it showed you local spots with the least amount of light pollution, but I can't find it now. If I do find it, I will share it with you incase you want to watch it too.

This photo is from a Leonid shower. In the wikipedia link there is a sketch from the 1833 shower that looks spectacular.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonids

Coolest House EVER!

I have always fantasized about living on a island alone (or with a select few). Not sure I would want to maintain a house this size but if you have a large family....

I wonder how much the property taxes are.

CGI

This commercial is from like 6 or 7 years ago and it is Gene Kelly performing Singing in the Rain, but updated to a remix and contemporary dancing - popping and locking. You know me, I love my musicals. Naturally I loved this commercial. Since it is so old I can't find a good quality copy of it, but here is one from YouTube. Do you like it? I don't know how they kept the integrity, but somehow they managed. I think so at least.



BTW kerry, I found that commercial with the cat and it looks real to me. It was odd though. If it was real, I'd expect the cat to be moving its legs somehow. Do cats swim?

How Bellingham Parties on Halloween

We weren't one of the dancing zombies but witnessed this last night. Look out at around 1:50 for Jesus with a cameras.

A Conservatives Nightmare

I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this photo from the White House today. I could almost see a GOP campain commercial about what would happen if we let liberals win the White House again. This costume is so french. It reminds me of of a street performance I saw in Miami of that really famous circus. I forgot what they are called.

If you take this photo out of context it is the most hilarious thing ever. Dude, we have a giant human butterfly trapped in a bubble stuck on the White House lawn. That is what some real change looks like, I'm sure.

Cat in Zero Gravity

Nasa has gotten 2 posts on our blog in 2 days in regards to their treatment of animals. I still don't know how I feel. I think this one is ok, because the cat is fine. It sure was more freaked out than any cate I've ever seen. It did like 10 barrel rolls in a row at the end. I don't know weather to laugh or what.