Samantha Says: GET A GRIP!

What year is this? That’s right, it’s 2008. We have gay adoption, marriage, and work place security in some states. We have been witnessing history with the first woman, and the first African- American male running for president. We have seen a lot in the past 30 or so years. So why, with all of these great strides toward acceptance and diversity, do I still hear HOMOSEXUAL people making comments to others like “you aren’t a lesbian if you have slept with (or would even consider sleeping with) a man?”
Anyone who is familiar with gay movie culture can surely quote the infamous words about sexuality from Chasing Amy. The premise is simply this: for many of us it doesn’t matter what sex you are, it only matters who you fall in love with. I know, I know…scientists have now proven that there is actually a genetic programming connection to being gay, but what about those of us who don’t feel “pre-disposed” to being gay?? I do not truly wish to get into the nature vs. nurture argument, but I would like to remind many of you that if you open up a Psychology textbook anywhere in the country and look under “sexuality” what you will see is a line chart of sexual fluidity.
True, some people fall into the distinct category on the extreme right or left of that line (totally straight or totally gay) but a lot of people also fall in the middle where they either question or move around depending on whom they are seeing. No, I am NOT talking about bi-sexuality. I am simply talking about people who are monogamous to whichever sex they happen to be dating at the time based on who they fall in love with. Why is that so hard to deal with?
The homosexual community seems to have a problem. That problem is that we are total hypocrites. We stand in our pride marches and lobby for non-discrimination and acceptance yet we don’t (or can’t) even be accepting to other people in our own circles.
Why say derogatory things about a lesbian because she has been with a man? Why get all riled up because a transgender man wants to be a father but has to give birth to the baby to get it? Why do we accept lesbians who have had past relationships with men before they came out, but not the ones who choose to continue them when they aren’t with women? Let’s be honest here. Does never having sex with a man (or woman) make you any better or worse than someone else? Does forcing your opinion on other people in a derogatory way really get across your “supposed” superiority, or does it just make you look like a self-righteous, closed minded, un-accepting individual? Isn’t that EXACTLY what the homosexual community has been fighting against? Come on people, if we cannot even accept each other we don’t even have a fighting chance of getting acceptance from those in the conservative community. You don’t have to agree with it, but you certainly don’t have to take the opportunity to let them know how you feel. If you don’t like someone’s life choices then don’t date them, just like we ask others to do for us.

Problem With the World Today

We have allowed our government to wiretap our phones, search our e-mails, and detain our citizens for simply LOOKING suspicious. We attack a foreign country to PREVENT terrorist attacks that MIGHT come our way. We condone torture as a method of gaining information.
Someone spits at us, we take a swing at them. Someone takes a swing at us, we tackle them. Someone tackles us we draw a knife.
All in the name of security, and demanding respect. How much more of our honor and stature are we going to sacrifice to these false gods? We lower ourselves to the standards of the dregs of the world around us. We no longer take defensive actions, we defend, then strike back, and do not care who gets hurt because it is in the name of Justice… and we do not stop until they are utterly destroyed, and we claim it is a kindness as we rebuild the rubble.
I was asked, “If you knew your mother might be killed by a terrorist one day, would you not do everything you can to stop that?” It’s a hard question, and it is the one that has people all over lowering their moral standards, and allowing nations to kill people who MIGHT strike at us; who differ in opinions. And the US Government wants to continue to watchdog our activities, and create an environment where there are no repercussions for allowing them to do so. Anyone remember Welle’s “1985”? Big Brother is watching. Far-fetched you say? We already have a computer program flagging our e-mails to be read for using words such as Bush, President, bomb, terror or anything that may be suspicious or subversive. Is it that much of a stretch to believe that one day someone will be tempted to abuse that power?
The Statue of Liberty gets bombed, and the President immediately implements active surveillance on anyone who used the word statue or lady in their e-mails. Anyone known to have ever belonged to a “subversive group”, for example a Muslim, or a kid who signed up with “Anarchists of America” on line gets brought in for “questioning” (read: torture) and America cheers. We can feel regrets later, right? If we were wrong, we did it to save lives.
So why do we stand by Israel so adamantly? Israel was given land that belonged to Palestine for over 1500 years. What did they do? Killed and expelled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, but that is ok, because they are God’s chosen, and have suffered enough, right? Where does that give them the right? If a man in the US is molested and beat as a child, verbally and mentally abused, and then turns around and murders a man, we send him to jail. We do not offer to give him a better gun to kill his enemies.
Nations of the world pretend to some high moral standard; a holier than thou attitude. Yet we lack the honor and integrity of our pretenses. To escalate violence and condone depravity in the name of security only debases ourselves, and makes the words “Land of the Free” nothing more than empty mockery.

Samantha Says: I ADMIT IT!

I admit it. I like listening to conservative talk radio just to keep up to date on the issues that they deem important. A few days ago I received a phone call at home telling me to turn the radio on and listen. I tuned in and could not believe my ears.

Apparently, a gay man has taken it upon himself to sue two very prominent publishers of the Bible due to the homosexual references, which he claims they made up to suit their own agenda. Before I even get started let me express that I have no desire to comment on the Bible, its publishers, its revisions, religion in general, or people that read the Bible (I am one myself and this is not a commentary on whether the text of the Bible is appropriate or has been distorted). The link to the news story is: http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-07-09-gay-bible_N.htm

Let me give you a little background before I go on my personal rant. The local talk radio station took this story and ran with it. It went from the gay man suing these publishers, to gays in the military, gays getting married and on and on. From gays it goes to crazy gay lawsuits and believe me they had all the ones I had heard of, and a few I hadn’t. The stories became worse and worse until I finally called into the program myself, but they had moved onto another topic and I was denied.

I am a lesbian. I am a wife (yes, a wife- a legally married in Canada-wife). I did not get married so that I could sue for my rights. I did not get married to rub it in the face of the straight community. As a matter of fact, most of the people I come into contact with on a daily basis have no idea at all that I am a lesbian. I don’t lie to them; I just don’t make it a big deal either. We got married because we love each other, were ready to make a life-long commitment, and we don’t believe in playing house. We wanted children and we believe that a strong family unit is important to formulating the morals, values, and beliefs that we hold dear. We attend church, we own a home, pay taxes, and we added a young child to our home in the past few years. Both of us have a college education, and both give time to various charities and organizations. Yet we are the people that get the bad reputation for the actions of militant individuals that take it upon themselves to push ridiculous lawsuits into the public eye before the public is ready to even deal with the fact that gays may be human.

I am not ashamed to be a lesbian, but I am not proud of it either. There is no need to be because I just am who I am. I personally haven’t seen a single heterosexual sporting a heterosexual pride T-shirt; because there is no need…they simply just are heterosexual. I see no need to go to gay pride rallies in funny clothing and party. Let’s face it…the pride movement has moved past its original purpose of letting people know we exist to the unfortunate purpose of a large party. I took my wife to Atlanta pride last year and we were appalled at what we saw….streakers, people heavily petting in public, disorderly and drunken conduct. In short, we were certainly not proud to witness the actions of the crowd.

I am all for raising money, I am all for letting people know we are there (without being pushy), and I am all for putting our efforts into litigation with a purpose. That purpose must be to further the ENTIRE cause, not to make us all look like raving lunatics to a majority of Americans. The gentleman suing the publishers of the Bible makes us all look bad, as do the antics of people that get out of control at pride marches. Lets all remember that if we are going to make any progress in the fight to gain equal footing in this country then we must first place ourselves in a position where we can be seen as equal in the eyes of the general public. When we are no longer the group of “crazy” people we begin to become human. Changing the text of the Bible is pointless if you cannot change the heart and minds of the people who read it.

Samantha

Samantha Says: SUPPORT YOUR POLITICIANS

Fund Each Other!

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been front page news for over a year. Now that Barack is the Democratic candidate, the two took great pains to meet in “Unity” to 1) present a united front, and 2) ask for help in paying down/off Clinton’s financial debt load from campaigning. Hillary’s debt load is around $10 million dollars. What I find amusing here is that the Clinton’s publicly released their tax returns since 2001during her campaign. Together they have grossed over $109 million dollars, $52 million of those dollars were reportedly from speaking engagements. Am I the only one who sees the irony in this situation?? Let me explain something. I believe in the American dream. I believe that if I work hard enough, long enough I will make my dreams come true. What I don’t believe is that people who already have millions of dollars need help paying down their debt.

I will admit that I started late in life, and I don’t expect to ever see a million dollars (at least until I retire). Ten years ago I didn’t care what the issues were or why I needed to vote. Now, after getting my life on track and having a son, I am concerned. I am concerned about family values, abortion, education, taxes, the war, and gay marriage like most young adults. However, I am also equally concerned about my own personal debt load. I am a married lesbian with a young son and I am about to complete my Bachelors degree. I go to school, take care of our son, run a house, and still manage to find time to work yet when I graduate yet I will still be nearly $100,000 in debt in school loans. I know what you are thinking… can she not manage money? To the contrary, we have no credit card debt, we do not rent- we own, one car is paid for and we only have a year to go on the second. Literally, our ONLY debt is college. Now, issues aside, why would I want to send my hard earned dollars to Hillary Clinton in order to help pay off a debt that she is fully capable of paying off herself? Or the other question…Why would Hillary keep campaigning if she knew she could not pay for it?

I propose a solution to this problem. There are hundreds if not thousands of young GLBT people who could use the money instead. Go buy some groceries for a student in college and show that you really care that they get an education instead of sending your money to a politician who probably won’t change a thing. Send your donations to college students who need it. Help young GLBT members of your community to achieve their potential and become productive members of the GLBT community. It is a circle. If we all just help individuals, those individuals will prosper and help other individuals. In the end we could end up with a large and successful enough community to actually pay off the lobbyists to make sure that we get the changes we need in this country. What the GLBT community needs is to help itself, not politicians. Now I am not saying “don’t vote”, I am not saying “don’t volunteer to help with the campaign”, what I am saying is that there are enough large businesses helping to support politicians that your money is being misspent. Spend it where it counts.

Acting Lesson part 1

Acting Basics – Part 1

To be an actor takes a few necessary ingredients. Take a dash of talent, mix in a smidge of desire, and some training; stir it up and you have a performer. Change measures of ingredients to taste.

Have you ever lied to someone with a straight face and known they believed you? Think back now to that time you came home late from school because you were in detention. Remember what you told Mom? That is acting. Not only that, but is called improvisational acting. Congrats, you have a dash of talent.

Do you like being the center of attention? Do you tell jokes and dance boldly in the middle of the crowded dance floor? Do you enjoy when someone laughs at your witty quip on a date? You may have the desire.

Let’s help you now with the training. We’ll start with some basic acting exercises you can do by yourself, in preparation for partnered exercises. I like to take a real-life approach to acting before advancing to character acting.

First, it is important to get comfortable with your body and its various uses. I recommend that you spend a few hours each day studying your natural movements. Try to really pay attention to your own way of walking, sitting, or holding a cup. Do you stride with confidence? Do you take small steps? Do you hold your head down and look at the ground when you walk, or do you look around you at everything you pass? These are all the little things that can help you gain an awareness of your body.

Another thing is to always stretch your muscles out every day. Take a half hour in the morning to really stretch gently to learn how your muscles work. This is not only good for gaining an awareness of exactly how a body moves, but muscles maybe you didn’t know you have. Plus it is healthy for you, and you will feel more energized for it. As you stretch, try to imagine yourself in a peaceful place, filled with light. Try to take this light into the bottom of your feet, tensing your feet, then your calves, your thighs; all while pushing this light through your body. Keep tensing your muscle groups, until your entire body is tensed up and the light reaches the top of your head and the tips of your fingers, hold the light in, tighter until you feel ready to explode, then release… you should feel relaxed now, and the light, the energy will suffuse your body and you will be more at peace. This should ideally take you to a place where you can get better awareness of yourself.

This may sound silly to you, but an awareness of self is necessary to create things that are NOT you. When you get angry, or if you can make yourself angry, or sad, look at yourself in the mirror. Examine the facial expressions you make, feel how the muscles move. Most people take for granted the expressiveness of their own faces, and how much can be read on our faces. An actor cannot. We MUST be aware of our expressions at all times when in the lights. The cramp in our leg cannot let itself be known when we are performing. We must know the positions of our facial muscles when we smile or frown, how the eyes crinkle at the edges and the forehead raises or furrows. We must know how to not let our true feelings, pain, anything other than what we want, to show in our faces or walk. No limping unless your character limps. It’s difficult, but you CAN do this.

Once you feel like you are comfortable in your skin, and a general awareness of how you move, talk, react and feel in response to situations, you can begin the next lessons.

I’ll give you some basic improvisational exercises that will get you started. These may be incredibly silly, but the purposes of the exercises are to:
1. Get you outside of your comfort zone. Learn to open up to situations you may find embarrassing or uncomfortable. Remember that class clown? He is now humiliating himself for a living, and earning money and adulation for it.
2. Get a feeling for speech. To help you to learn to ENUNCIATE, really pronounce each word crisply, Every “T” sound and every “O” comes through; even if your mouth is full on stage. This is also going to help learn how the mouth and tongue moves to shape words and learn accents.
3. Give you the basics for creating a character, and practice immersing yourself in them.

First, Let’s deal with pronouncing word crisply. Find some tongue twisters, like “she sell sea shells by the seashore”, or “a tutor taught two tooters to toot, said the two to the tooter, is it harder to toot or to tutor two tooters to toot”. Make sure you work on saying these as crisply as possible, gaining in speed as you go. Practice these every day, to keep your tongue loose and pronunciation clear, enunciating every consonant and vowel clearly. Repeat the one’s you have more difficulty with most often. Let the sentences flow.
We’ll move on to more exercises in the next part of the lesson.

You wanna be a professional actor? Lesson one.

Let’s begin. You have big dreams. We all do. You look at yourself in the mirror and imagine masses of adoring fans asking for your autograph, clamoring to catch a glimpse of you exiting your limousine…

Maybe it can happen. However, unless you are one of the incredibly lucky (read: charismatically good looking) few, your chances of fame and glory are slim. So I pose this question to you. Do you love to act? Have you been onstage, conquered the roiling monster in your gut, and lived to wish for it again? Do you think you have talent?

Lesson # 1 starts here. It is called REALITY.

Acting is a much harder field than most know. Take a typical NYC theatrical performer.

Your day begins early (5-6am) to exercise. Why? Your body is your instrument, your tool, your livelihood. Without a body that is conditioned, you will not be up to grueling tasks before you (you’ll understand as you read on). I am not saying your body must be that of a Greek god, nor even skinny. Just FIT. Have a little stamina. By the way, try not to wake up any of your roomies; they had rehearsal until 2am because the choreographer wasn’t happy with the Crapshooter’s Ballet.

Maybe you can make a 7am or 8am audition if you are lucky before running into “work” schlepping coffee or serving eggs to ungrateful breakfasters whose caffeine has yet to kick in. Hopefully there will be less than 150 auditioners for the role you are seeking that morning, because your boss is tired of each of his workers being late because auditions ran long. You are really hoping to get a call back, because it has been 5 months since your last show.

After your shift you go to your next audition. You enter the room with 1 or 2 monologues and an upbeat song and a ballad prepared, hand your headshot and resume to the director and before you can say two words the director says, “Thank you. Next!” Let’s assume it is a “cattle call” where you audition in a large group. Perhaps your group of 30 needs to learn a bit of a dance number from the choreographer in under 5 minutes and audition en masse. The choreographer and director then simply watch the crowd and eliminate those who don’t meet their criteria. Maybe you are too short. Maybe you don’t have the skills necessary for the dance. Maybe they want all brunettes.

You survive the cutting. Now you must sweat it out until you find out whether or not you get a “call back”, or invitation to the next round of auditions. After all this, you may get a part in a show. Now the real fun begins.

First you need to contact your day job and make arrangements around the rehearsal and show schedule, because the production simply doesn’t pay enough (IF it pays) to live off of without your daily tips. Now, in addition to your 5-8 hr. work shift, you will be rehearsing 5-6 days a week (Monday is “dead day” in professional theatre; unless you really suck), for 4-8 hrs or more as you get closer to opening night. So your daily schedule now looks like this for 4-8 weeks (if you don’t have to help construct the set, too):

4a
Wake up
5a
Day Job at food service establishment of your choice
11 am
Work out
Noon
Lunch
2pm
Studio for dance practice
4pm
Work on lines with friends (I.E. Dinner)
5pm
Rehearsals
10-11pm
Food or Stimulant and socializing or sleep or more rehearsal…
12-1am
Sleep (if not rehearsing still)

The show begins and you are now performing 7 shows a week, 6 days a week including the matinee on Saturday. You show up 2 hrs. prior to curtain time to put on make-up, check costume and props, and if the budget of the production isn’t big enough for stagehands, check and prep the set. Plus you warm up to help prevent body and voice injuries. However, if you pull a muscle, break a toe, or have a sore throat the show must go on! You grit your teeth and perform through the pain, because chances are you have no understudy. So you take pain relievers, sore throat lozenges and tea, wrap up your injuries tightly and go on. (Once I had my face gashed open in the middle of a chase scene gone wrong, and held the cut on my face closed with butterfly bandages, instead of the recommended stitches, because I could cover the bandages in make-up, and not stitches. I still have a scar years later.)

Not being one of the lead roles, you have 5 different characters to play in the show and 5 lines accordingly. You have to strip down to a dance belt (glorified jock-strap showing a whole lotta ass) side stage in front of 3 people who assist you in changing costume and make-up, freezing from the air on your sweat covered body, in under a minute so you can make your entrance at the start of the next scene. Hopefully after the bow, you don’t have to help strike the set as well.

All this, so some critic can say, “Did we really need a revival of Hair set during the first Iraqi War? The mediocre ability of the cast really detracted from what should have been brilliant choreography on the part of Mr. So-and-So… blah, blah, blah.”

So you ask me why anyone would want to perform? If you have to ask, you may not be ready for a career as a performer. If the sound of this sends thrills up and down your spine, and you think that one show a year and 5 people in a studio apartment appeals to you; if the tired sore feeling you have is how you measure accomplishment; then read my next article: Acting Basics.

Greener Airways

Move over luxery cruiseships! Here comes the Luxury Airships! Yup! They are making a comeback, those blimps of old. However, they are newly designed for a greener tomorrow. Expected to replace everthing from airliners to commercial trucking, these gigantic airships can get up to 100 miles an hour and 10-60 thousand feet in the air. Mostly powered using solar tech, the uses for these are already being planned:

firefighting- replace the relatively small loads of planes and helicopters with a much larger payload from a blimp.

commercial transport- move much larger payloads to replace dozens of pollution spewing semi's.

Cheaper Public transport- Goodbye tour bus, so long Greyhound, Amtrak who?

Luxury Transport- Air Cruise to Europe anyone?

you can find more details about this topic at: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4242974.html

The Prozac Brigade

Time Magazine recently reported that nearly 17% of military forces in Afghan/Iraq conflicts are currently on anti-depressants or anxiety medication during active combat. This is due to increased stress on an inadaquate fighting force not being given proper recovery time and being forced to remain in ever increasing conflict areas, and increasingly isolated missions. Another 10% are taking sleep aids such as Ambien.

People are questioning the reliabilityof these statistics, as due to privacy issues, and the likelyhood of those who go unreported due to shame issues or pure stoicism, that the incidents of mentally impaired soldiers is likely much higher. In addition, due to the rising number of suicides in the region among military personnel, it is a question as to whether the warnings about higher risk of suicidal tendencies among those aged up to 24 on the medications are being heeded.

Some officials are of the notion that the US is simply putting band-aids on a seriously injured force in order to get them right back on the front lines.

Apparently this is a serious enough issue that it is being discussed as to whether or not to issue Purple Hearts to those suffering from stress disorders after conflict. Read the June 16th issue of Time for more details.

In Memory Of...

Today a good man passed from this world. James Mack Moore died alone around 4 pm today from natural causes related to several recent strokes. He was hospitalized for 6 days before passing. My grandfather was the most decent man I have ever known. He never had an unkind word to say to anyone. He was not the kind of person to criticize others, and kept his opinions mostly to himself. I have never known him to be judgemental of anyone, no matter whether he thought you were right or wrong, he simply judged the person for who they were. He may not have done great things, but he made the world a better place, and that alone makes him special.

The world is a little darker without him in it.

Mark

Living: The High Cost of Death

America, the land of the free? The free WHAT? To be born in this country will cost you. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 45.8 million Americans do not have health insurance. This person can anticipate an a hospital bill of $5,000-$10,000 for a typical delivery, and at least $12,000 if you need a c-section. These figures do not include the medical costs associated with nine months of prenatal visits, ultrasounds and other lab costs. A baby born premature or with health problems? Neonatal costs can range from a few thousand for a short stay to more than $200,000 if you baby is born more than 15 weeks early.


That's just the beginning! Wait until you die.

God forbid you get sick with any sort of prolonged illness. A hospital stay prior to leaving this world is one sure way of incurring a nice large debt for your next of kin in the range of ten's of thousands of dollars. Stay a couple weeks or more? hundred's of thousands depending on the illness and services needed. Even the insured can end up with quite a bundle to pay in copayments and uncovered costs.

A funeral with a good ceremony and reception can be the equivalent of paying for a small car. The average cost of a casket (finished with cloth covering, and interior, and little adornment) is around $2000 or more, and this isn't counting the costs of a ceremony, burial plot, grave marker, etc. And whoever makes the arrangements is responsible for the debt, NOT the family as a collective, so be careful.

Thank goodness that the debts of Living are not inheritable unless you assume responsibility or do anything to indicate you have assumed resposibility for those debts.

My advise: Save your family with a life insurance policy of around $15,000 at least. Why? The poor have an option of a plain wood container for close to $500, and the completely impoverished $200 for your basic cardboard box.

Don't get me started on taxing of inheritance! Ridiculous, it is, the high cost of death.

Alleged 9/11 mastermind requests death penalty

Read more here:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/05/news/CB-GEN-Guantanamo-Sept-11-Trial.php

All right, I am not the one who just assumes anyone is guilty, or passes judgement early, but if he IS guilty, why should we give him what he wants? To allow him his desired martyrdom seems a bit counter-productive. I can almost guarantee he will not survive a month if placed in any prison in America if he really is the mastermind of 9/11. I say to put him in our highest security prison and let nature take its course.

New Pledge of Allegience

Want to brainwash children with some daily recitation? How 'bout a pledge of compassion and understanding.

"I pledge allegiance to the people of the world,

as a human living in America.

And to the Justice and Compassion for which we stand,

One People, Humans all, indivisable,

with liberty and justice for all."

Oral Sex is STILL SEX!!

All right. I am getting a little tired of people saying that oral sex does not count as sex, and that a person who has had Oral sex is still a virgin. It seems to me that it is a really lame way of justifying sexual activity that is outside of certain norms, like cheating on a partner (Pres Clinton), or for some teenager who has spent two years on their knees weekly and still says "I'm a virgin!".

To the guy who has an encounter with another guy/girl and says to his partner, "I didn't have sex, it was just a mouth." Read this carefully now:

Oral SEX - S... E... X...

It is even written in the term, guys! Give it up. A completely oral lifestyle doesn't save you from promiscuity (AKA. Slut), nor does it save your precious virginity, except in terms of a specific body part.

Prediction: Lakers win first game of the playoffs

The desire and drive combined with the incredibly deep bench behind Kobe Bryant equals a Laker win thursday as the NBA finals begin at 9pm. Look for the strength of the Laker offense to overwhelm Celtic defense for a victory by around 10 points.

In a match that has historical connotations of a former brilliant rivalry renewed, the Lakers will continue to show the domination they have showed the entire playoffs.

Joke of the day....

A blonde woman walks into an H & R Block Tax accountant's office andtells him that she needs help to file her taxes.

The accountant says, 'Before we begin, I'll need to ask you a few questions.' He gets her name, address, social security number, etc. and then asks, 'What is your occupation?'
'I'm a prostitute,' she says.

The H & R Block accountant is somewhat taken aback and says, 'No, no, no, that won't work. Let's try to rephrase that.'
The woman says, 'OK, I'm a high-end call girl.'

'No, that still won't work. Try again.'

They both think for a minute; then the woman says,

'I'm a chicken farmer.'

The accountant asks, 'What does chicken farming have to do with being a Prostitute?'

'Well, I raised a thousand little peckers last year. '

'Chicken Farmer it is.'

Lakers vs. Celtics...

Two teams with a storied past... 10 meetings in the finals, and for the first 8 matches the Celtics stood tall, unbeatable. Then the Lakers reigned in th 80's.

Now they finally meet in the finals again, over 2 decades later, no kareem, no Larry, No Magic or Showtime. Just a group of young talent including the league MVP and some of the strongest and most consistent players in the league.

The teams are both #1 seeds, and have the best 2 records in the NBA, so this matchup should be stellar. Kobe has proven to be a machine, powering through injuries to hand and back to lead the lakers to a 12-3 playoff record this year (league best so far) and are undefeated at home in playoffs this year.They've won 14 straight home games and 21 of their last 24 postseason games at home.

Lakers are averaging almost 106 per game while limiting opponents to under 100 points.
don't forget Kobe is the playoff scoring leader at 32 per game.

Celtics are only averaging 92 points in the playoffs, but are holding teams to under 90 points. Can the Celtics D limit the Lakers offense?

We'll find out soon. Thursday at 9 pm. be watching.

McClellan memoir slams white house

Admirable but untimely. Mr. McClellan, it is a laudable and noble thing to try to clear your conscience over your part in this current administrations dealings, but a tad too late and certainly untimely. I would hesitate to ask how much you were paid to open your mouth and say all this now, with your book tour coming up, but that might suggest strong conservative, capitalistic, and maybe right wing tendencies on your part, which would mean this administration would have to applaud your efforts, and the liberal, leftist groups would have to acknowledge less than altruistic reasons for your dramatic outpouring of less than flattering facts about this white house's current tenants.
Motives aside... Here's the story...

McClellan says he believed Bush as war started
By David Jackson and Richard Wolf, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan, whose new memoir has sparked controversy about the Bush administration's plans before the Iraq war, said Thursday he is "disappointed that things didn't turn out the way we had hoped they would turn out" at the beginning of the administration.
McClellan, whose memoir claims the administration manipulated facts to "sell" the Iraq war, told NBC's Today Show that he became "increasingly disillusioned with things" during his time in the White House.
"My hope is that by writing this book and sharing openly and honestly what I lived and what I learned during my time at the White House that in some small way it might help us move beyond the destructive partisan warfare of the last 15 years," he said of the memoir, excerpts of which were first disclosed earlier this week.
BOOK BLOW UP: Criticisms stun White House team
RICE BACKS BUSH: She says administation was clear on Iraq
Also Thursday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice became the latest administration official to express puzzlement about McClellan's statements.

Review and analysis- Achebe "Dead Mans Path"

Paved With Good Intentions


The third reich- the Vietnam war- the patriot act: all examples of acts undertaken with the well-intentioned ideas of the people involved. All turned out to be bad- nay, disastrous ideas. In “Dead Man’s Path” by Chinua Achebe, Michael Obi is an enthusiastic and energetic young man newly appointed to the position of headmaster of Ndume Central School. Ndume Central School was an old fashioned school located somewhat centrally to the daily village activities. Michael and Nancy, his wife, try to take this school and modernize it with his advanced education and lofty ideas. However, one must always remember to honor the past, and not make the common mistake of the human condition to dismiss the values and wisdom of the past in the search for a better future.
From the beginning, Obi denigrates the “old and superannuated people in the teaching field” rather than graciously receive the examples and knowledge they represent (247). Nancy herself is more interested in her sudden rise in social standing than for the actual good they both could do. Hence, upon discovering the existence of an ancestral footpath leading from the shrine to the village’s burial site, Obi’s first concern is not for the traditions of the people he is supposed to teach, but for the propriety and appearance of the path according to his own ideals. Obi scoffs at the ritualistic ideas and the history of the villagers saying, “Our duty is to teach your children to laugh at such ideas” (249). It is exactly this type of disregard for cultural canon that led the European colonials to ‘civilize’ the savages around the world. This well-intentioned thinking leads Obi to his eminent downfall.
Moreover, Obi’s zeal is fueled by an overdeveloped sense of pride in his abilities and social standing. Even Nancy is “infected by his passion” to “show these people how a school should be run” (247-248). They raise teaching standards, and cover the grounds in gardens of hedges and flowers, as if the flora could set the school grounds above its surroundings. The ancestral path, infrequently used by the villagers, intersects this garden through the school compound and inflames Obi’s concern over the propriety of such a path, since a school inspection is imminent. Lest his pride be damaged by an imagined impropriety, Obi springs into action.
Obi immediately closes off the ancestral footpath, not just with heavy sticks- but with barbed wire as well. Perhaps the barbed wire was as strong of a barrier as was the barriers to tradition in his mind. When the village priest, obviously a man to be respected, confronts Obi with the importance of the path to the village, Obi responds without a hint of respect to the conventions of the village saying, “the whole purpose of our school is to eradicate just such beliefs as that” (249). This blatant disregard of the villages deeply held beliefs compounds Obi’s problems as those very beliefs rise up against him (250). When the death of a young woman in the village is attributed to the inaccessibility of the path, the villagers are obviously incensed.
Before the inspector can visit, the hedges and flowers near the path- and all around the school as well- are torn up and trampled (250). Obviously the new life he intended for the school was rejected by the villagers as they retaliated by trampling his ideas of the way the school should look, the hedges and flowers of Michael and Nancy’s dreams and ideals. Had this couple but respected the people they were meant to teach, the people who wore those very paths into the earth, perhaps the supervisor would not have seen the barbed wire of Obi’s mind that caused the “tribal-war situation developing between the school and the village, arising in part from the misguided zeal of the new headmaster” (250).
Forcing one’s own ideals upon people who are treading well known paths has never resulted in the best of circumstances. Obi hopefully learned that the past of a person will always have bearing on the future of that person, and it is important to respect that history- for oft times it is more than just hopes and dreams carried up on that foundation. It is a solid basis of beliefs and traditions that can be more volatile if upset than just a mere dream. Michael and Nancy- remember that we must acknowledge and respect the whole beings of those around us in order to create a mutually beneficial future.

Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama - yours to lose.

I think it is evident throughout America that the democratic party, despite a wealth of good intentions, has set itself up to lose an election that was once considered a "Gimmie" after the past four years of unpopular political missteps that has come out of the Bush administration. The election should have been a democratic lock, but now I have doubts that America sees a party ready to change America because all they see is the normal political bickering that has characterized the democratic party (since they ARE so diverse in membership, they have a hard time agreeing on... well, much of anything).



With the lack of satisfaction over the "War on Ira..", ahem... "War on Terrorism", the democrats should have had this election in the bag, but thanks to backbiting, dirt digging, and TOO many diverse needs within the constituancy, the democrats are setting themselves up for a big loss to McCain.

Isn't the point to win the white house? Get your act together Dems, or lose the election. Simple as that. Maybe they really sould join forces and help unify the party. True loyalists will continue to support them against McCain, race and sex aside.

I never thought I would miss Gore running for office....

American Idol Finals Winner David Cook???

Ok, maybe a lot of rockers out there voted 3 or four times because that is the only way David C could have beat Archuleta tonight. When Cook himself said Archuleta hands down out performed him last show, thats the only explanation. Archuleta lost by 12 million votes. Maybe his fan base just couldn't use the phone after bed time, and Cooks were able to keep calling.

Either way, we now have our rocker idol to make up for the Daughtry withdrawal so many idol fans suffered with his loss.

The true Idol on tonights show was George Michael though, with his stunning performance that had people crying in thier seats. AWESOME.

RESULTS: COOK WINS IDOL, Archuleta wins hearts, and Michaels wins night.

Tokyo pop

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

COOL CHANNEL TO WATCH!! Check this out if you are a anime or manga fan!!

Byrd sh*ts on Obama - A sign from god?

Byrd says it wasn't political.
Byrd says he thought Obama might be muslim, what with his name so... ethnic sounding.
Guess the Pastor of this small Church of God in Jonesville, SC doesn't watch the news to hear Obama attends a controversial little church in Chicago where another controversial little pastor made some other controversial little comments that had some controversial repercussions for the Christian church.
The last time someone made some racially and religiously charged political comments, Mitt Romney was holding up a sign showing ignorant people couldn't spell "momma" (see it here)
http://www.tmz.com/2007/07/21/mitt-catches-s-t-over-hillary-bashing-sign/
Now this Pastor decides to show ignorant pastors from small southern towns can't spell "Hmmm". (See it here- http://www.wspa.com/midatlantic/spa/news.apx.-content-articles-SPA-2008-04-20-0005.html ) "Obama Osama humm are they brothers"

Churches, especially the Christian church of late, are really not making a strong showing for being racially tolerant, whether it be a black OR white church, huh? Kinda makes me sad...

New Movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

So the next installment of Indy is coming out, and people are practically drooling to see it... crash and burn. However, I think that it is going to take some people by surprise when it actually has some decent content in it and reprises Indy successfully, even if the audience is not as forgiving of Indy and Spielbergs flaws as his devoted fans used to be 19 years ago.

Still with Indiana Jones rides at the Disney Theme parks, and it not being so long ago that Young indy had a television show, perhaps people are underestimating the power Indy still holds in our culture...

Speaking of, I find it refreshing to note in the following article that Indy goes from chasing religious oriented artifacts to chasing science and alien artifacts in this installment (Roswell?) . Any thoughts out there?



Indiana Jones is back! And the Cannes Film Festival has him

By Anthony Breznican,, USA TODAY
Welcome to France, Indiana Jones.
You should find the accommodations here at the Cannes Film Festival, along the crystal waters of the Mediterranean, most pleasant. But be warned: There are critics in the midst.

The intrepid archaeologist with a penchant for fistfights and fedoras has squared off against Nazis, flesh-melting spirits and monkey-brain-eating cult leaders.

On Sunday, we'll see how he fares with international film reviewers.

While it isn't the fate of the free world or the Shroud of Turin at stake, much rides on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's debut Sunday night at the Grand Theatre Lumiere. Or, make that Indiana Jones et le Royaume du Crâne de Cristal, as the ubiquitous signs at Cannes read.

Few films come shouldering as many expectations as this installment of one of the most profitable franchises in Hollywood history. And given that the series — and its star — has gone 19 years between episodes, the film world is a little anxious about whether Indy still has some crack left in his whip.

If the cast and crew are nervous about the high-profile debut, it doesn't show. If anything, star Harrison Ford approaches the movie's fate the same way his character would a pit of snakes: with a quip.

"That damn costume still fits," he says. "We've always had fun making this kind of old-fashioned, uncomplicated movie. People will always be drawn to a good yarn."

Well, most people. A few harsh (and anonymous) reviews from early industry screenings made their way to the Internet last week. But it seems Indy creator George Lucas would have been surprised had they not surfaced.

"You'll always be compared to what you've done in the past, and you can't compete with fond memories," he said in March. "You're never going to make everyone happy."

Besides, says star Karen Allen, who is reprising her role as the plucky Marion Ravenwood, the true test comes Thursday, when the film opens nationwide.

"Who knows who they are," she says of the online reviewers. "I can't imagine anyone who liked any of the first three not loving this film."

Everyone's a critic

Millions will judge for themselves Thursday. Analysts say Skull could be two hours of Indy plucking lint from his hat and it would still enjoy one of the biggest debuts of the year, thanks to the franchise's legacy and the veil of secrecy that director Steven Spielberg has kept over the project.

"Critics have had less and less impact on a picture's box office," says Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo. "And with a movie like this, which people have been awaiting for so long, the effect (of harsh reviews) is going to be nil."

Many had assumed that 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, co-starring Sean Connery as the hero's father, was the final installment. That included Spielberg, who included a nostalgic ride into the sunset as his closing shot.

Even Allen thought her days as a hard-drinking adventurer were done. The actress, who includes Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw, on her Christmas gift list, was caught off guard by the director's phone call.

"It crossed my mind that he was calling to say thanks," she says. "He said, 'We just announced we're making the next Indiana Jones film, and we have a wonderful role for you, but you can't tell anyone.' I told my son, because I was going to be gone for four months. I had to make plans."

Anticipation for the fourth movie has been building since the late '90s, when talk first began about bringing the series back. Since then, numerous writers have taken a crack at the story — from Frank Darabont (The Green Mile) to M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) — and the project seemed destined to become something Ford, Spielberg and producer George Lucas would talk about making, but never actually complete.

When Skull got the official green light, it was almost inevitable that the film would land at Cannes, which has increasingly turned to high-profile Hollywood films to draw attention to a festival once known for its international fare.

'Worldwide attention'

Festival organizers, "like virtually everyone else in the movie world, need to drum up interest and attention for themselves," says film historian Leonard Maltin. "Obviously, purists would prefer not to have that Hollywood association. But you have to think global, and nothing is going to get more worldwide attention — for the festival and the movie — than having these stars and director on the red carpet."

It's widely known that the new film ages the character in real time, about two decades, placing Jones in the 1950s during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. The villains seeking the eponymous relic in this installment are not Nazis, they're Soviet agents, and Cate Blanchett plays their dominatrix-like leader, Irina Spalko. Meanwhile, Jones has continued his relic-hunting, though not quite at the same intensity as the tank-crashing, runaway-mine-cart-racing good old days.

"We started thinking about Indy's legacy and what all of his searching really was about," says writer Jeff Nathanson, who spent a year working out the story with Lucas. "He's still searching. That's the great thing about the movies and this character. It's his love of the hunt, his desire to keep searching and never lose that passion."

But the professor sees that the price of his own pursuits has been a lack of family — a continuation of a sentiment from The Last Crusade. In that film, Jones rebukes his aloof dad, saying, "What you taught me was that I was less important to you than people who had been dead for 500 years in another country."

Says producer Frank Marshall: "I think you'll see a side you haven't seen before of Indiana Jones — a warmth to the character, some heart, though it doesn't get sappy."

Some of that heart stems from the presence of the young Mutt Williams (Transformers' Shia LaBeouf), a young greaser in a black leather jacket who roars around on a motorcycle. His arrival, Marshall says, helps trigger the new adventure.

"Indiana Jones has been pretty quiet in the past 19 years," Marshall says. "He's really dedicated his life to education and teaching. and so he's been mellowing, shall we say. It takes quite an event to get him back into the fray. That is something that has happened and brought to him by Mutt."

'We're in the '50s now'

Another newly revealed story point: Jones is facing a congressional probe similar to that era's House Un-American Activities Committee, which in the movie is crushing the reputations of professors, scholars and teachers suspected of lacking patriotism.

"We're in the '50s now, there is a great deal of pressure on academia from people like Joe McCarthy," Marshall says. "The educational system was under fire. It's kind of interesting that Indiana falls prey to that. He comes under heavy government scrutiny."

It seems unfair, doesn't it, given that Jones came to the aid of the U.S. government by preventing Hitler from harnessing the power of both the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail?

Marshall laughs: "That's kinda the way he looks at it."

Whatever it is that Mutt presents and the pressure from the politically charged investigation combine to launch Jones on his race against the Soviets to figure out the power of the crystal skull.

The skull, an artifact based on several real objects sculpted from clear quartz, suggests an alien rather than human source. Add that to a shot in the trailer — of a box marked Roswell, N.M., the site of an alleged alien landing in the late 1940s — and the pieces point to galactic origins.

Koepp says it's important to have something from beyond human understanding to trigger Jones' innate doubtfulness and skepticism.

"The supernatural is always close at hand," he says. "But Indiana Jones plays the classic skeptic and agnostic. He allows it may exist. He just hasn't personally seen proof of it. There's an intellectual respect there. He knows there is a lot of stuff he doesn't understand."

The spiritual dimension isn't the only Indy screenwriting guideline.

After reading dozens of previous drafts, Koepp says, there were certain rules they laid down, things that Indiana Jones would never do.

The big one: "Feel sorry for himself," Koepp says. "He was a character who never, besides a moment in the first movie where he thought Marion was dead and allowed himself to get drunk, he would never bemoan his lot in life and feel like he got a raw deal."

But that doesn't mean he's not vulnerable. "The whole idea of the character," says Koepp, "was that when he gets hit, it hurts. He's human. He winces, and he has to cheat in his fights, and when he gets hit in the face, his knees buckle and he falls on his (butt)."

So if he takes a beating from the critics Sunday night, he might grimace and groan. But the perfect Hollywood salve — big box office — will be on the way.

Contributing: Scott Bowles and Donna Freydkin

Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-05-15-indiana-jones-cannes_N.htm

Copyright 2008 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Anime ROCKS!

This is Bleach episode 32. one of the coolest animes to rock mainstream tv in years! More adult oriented while still teen friendly, this anime revolves around Ichigo Kurasaki, who turns into a Shinigami, one who guides souls to the next world while protecting soul society and earth from dangers of the hollows! See more soon at http://www.mjutv.com/animEtionnation

Sue Simmons and the great F@*K up!

Check this out! I say "You GO girl!"

Maybe it's time America was a little less PC anyway! We are so afraid of stepping on toes and being stepped on anyway!

6 million saw this hillary video... did it hurt Hillary?

Tell me what you think of this s--t!

Watch it and give me your opinion. America (or I) wants to know!

Religion. Help or Hindrance?

While it is true that many people find religion to be an enhancement to their lives, I find that it all too often is simply a hindrance to the lives of people in general. It has been my experience, that while it may be true that individuals get personal benefits from religion, it also tends to close the persons mind to the greater world around them; that their intense faith in something unseen closes the mind to other options.
A person who believes in something for which there is no definitive proof tends to get defensive about their beliefs. As a result, the mind shifts into a mode of discomfort, and an “Us” vs. “Them” attitude as one struggles to find those who hold the same beliefs, and disdain those who believe something different. Often times, this can result in violence. More often, however, it serves to simply set apart people, one from the other. You can see this in the mundane today as clashes between those who identify as Christian or Islamic, or sects of such groups clash, often as a response to the fundamentalist ravings of a few loud religious or political leaders. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US, the word Muslim tends to have a nasty connotation to it, and the uninformed masses pointing fingers does not seem to help the situation.
The acts of a few seem to represent the whole. “Al-Qaeda attacked us” became “Muslims attacked us” and translated to “ALL Muslims are terrorists”. My own parents are Pastors, and based on TBN news and suggestions of things they hear on that channel, every Muslim is being taught terrorism as a required course in elementary school, or in the Mosque. No matter what evidence I show them from books or the Internet, there are no exceptions to this rule in their eyes. They refuse to believe that the teachings of Muhammad contain peaceful and good works towards others.
I think that it is their own belief in Christianity and the sanctity of the USA as a whole blinds them to the greater world around them in a lot of ways, and I pity them and all those like them, hand raised in worship but covering the eyes.

Welcome to Opinions are like A--holes

You've got one. I know you do.

Mine just happens to be the one that matters on this site.

What is your opinion? Let people know. I'll post anything that I happen to have an opinion about, and I want to know what you think. I may post an episode of BLEACH, an anime, or the results of that last Lakers game (THANKS for winning again guys! Utah started to scare me there!), since the Lakers are the best team around, and always have been.

I might post a new movie vid, or just some s--t about the latest election news. Don't get me started on Bush, or we may never stop posting... LOL. If it's interesting to me, look for it here. You want me to post something, or research a topic, let me know. If I think it is worth my time, I'll look it up.

My main posts will be about:

1. gay stuff
2. straight stuff
3. environmental stuff
4. anime stuff (Bleach ROCKS!)
5. Video/Movie stuff
6. book stuff
7. my stuff
8. your stuff
9. news stuff
10. anything else cool this week.

Which leads me to this: WAS ANYONE WATCHING THE SAME EPISODE OF AMERICAN IDOL I DID THIS PAST WEEK? I'm sorry, but David Cook was WEAK and Syesha was HOTTTT! Cook had no concept of pitch, and his songs were weak for the first 30 seconds of each 45 second song! Keep him from his guitar and his hands and body have NOTHING to do, and he just plain looks awkward on that d-mn stage. I'm starting to think that the judges are scripted, or at least told how they are going to vote. (Ok... So I'm not an avid watcher of IDOL, for those who knew it was scripted long ago...)

Syesha, at least, sang her songs incredibly well, and if second to Archuleta, it is only because he has that f--king Disney appeal that is so prevalent in America today... with the Mylie's and Jonas Bros. and s--t just dominating music. Thank the GODs MADONNA is back to show this new generation of stank hookers how to lose their innocence properly.