Archive for May, 2006
May 17, 2006 at · Filed under movies
i know it's so last year, but i didn't get to watch it till last week.
it's an amazing story of love and determination (although the penguins probably see it differently). what these small creatures go through is really unbelievable.
the choice of morgan freeman to tell the story was awful. this the thing the ruined the movie a bit for me. beside making it a bit cheesy, they guy is so full of himself and it spills from every sentence that comes out of his mouth. next time they better choose someone that is more interested in telling the story then being the star of it.
May 7, 2006 at · Filed under politics
first time i heard the minority leader in congress speak was today in Meet the Press.
i was amazed by this woman.
it was so obvious she was trying to stick to the "message" of the democratic party (probably because she read/heard from pundits that this is the way republicans win elections). repeating meaningless slogans such as the "real security" plan, "making 2006 a year of transition in iraq", while avoiding answering direct questions with clear answers.
beyond all these insulting answers (insulting because i hate it when politicians regard the voter as stupid), it was also clear to me that nancy is not very bright.. i hope the democrats will win and take back the congress, but it is a shame that nancy will be the speaker of the house. i don't know what the requirements are for this role, but if being smart is one of them i think she is not qualified.
May 5, 2006 at · Filed under general
today i hit a pigeon with my car..
i felt like george from seinfeld in that episode where he hits a pigeon with his car, and then blames her for breaking the ages long contract between men and pigeon. "they get out of the way of our cars, we look the other way on the statue dedications".
May 4, 2006 at · Filed under politics, religion
it is interesting to follow the growing rift between the vatican and china.
the latest clash is over the consecration of two new bishops without first clearing it with the vatican, which apparently is a serious offense and a "grave wound" to the unity of the church (according to the vatican).
all the chinese are trying to do is to control the church in china, so it does not become a source for civil unrest, like the falun gong. this is pretty reasonable approach from a totalitarian state that is looking to minimize any threat to its power.
i think i am on the side of the chinese on this one. since it is a state-run religion, why should they be taking orders from some old german conservative, sitting in rome? what does he know about the qualification of these guys to become bishops?. the most important qualification for this position should be their support of the government and its policies, the value of obedience, and only then the minor issue of their knowledge of the catholic principles, the bible and all that.
the vatican position is that these bishops are now by definition ex-communicated (it's an automatic feature, also applied to women who go through abortion), since it was done without the vatican consent, and not according to due process. the vatican is really concerned that the new bishops have not gone through the required "spiritual preparation" for the job.
i assume "spiritual preparation" includes guidelines on how to collect money from the masses, bank account numbers for where to send the money, standard procedure for when you get caught with choir-boys, etc.
btw, this pope is really scary looking. at least john paul looked like a friendly grandpa. this one looks like he came out of the latest exorcist movie (playing the demon that needs to be exorcised..)
May 3, 2006 at · Filed under internet
several candian artists joined forces to create the "Canadian Music Creators Coalition".
it includes artists such as Barenaked Ladies, Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk, Sum 41, Stars, Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace), Dave Bidini (Rheostatics), Billy Talent, John K. Samson (Weakerthans), Broken Social Scene, Sloan, Andrew Cash and Bob Wiseman (Co-founder Blue Rodeo).
they have 3 guiding principles:
1. Suing Our Fans is Destructive and Hypocritical
2. Digital Locks are Risky and Counterproductive
3. Cultural Policy Should Support Actual Canadian Artists
i think all 3 prinicples are great. and i hope leading american artists will come together and start a similar movement in the US.
from principles #1 & #2 it is clear that according to their principles users will be able to download and share music freely. the question is what is their suggested business model? (it can't be #3..). since more and more users are coming online, and within a couple of years every user with a mobile phone (i.e. everyone) will be able to download and share files. so they are basically giving up the opportunity to make money from selling their music to users (over a $13B industry). this also destroys the ringtone market ($5B industry)
i am all for it. i just don't understand from where do they think they will make money (beside doing tours, appearing in commercials, and launching their own fragnance/fashion brand)
