The Mind of the Modern Atheist

Note the nail through a presumably consecrated Host.

Brought to you by the Asshole.

What Happens when Overpaid Executives Lose Their Minds?

They come up with products like "Guy-Liner" and "Manscara".


Proof that homosexuals will someday run the world. They already run the cosmetics industry.

Hopefully, I've checked out by then.

The Problem with Film Adaptations

I found this comment on an article reviewing the contemptible, horrible new adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited":

"Sadly, contemporary producers are rarely so modest. They insist upon interposing their egos between us and the work, ensuring that, wherever we sit in the cinema, we have an obstructed view."

Bingo.

Nobody wants to see the gob of spit you just so artfully hurled at a well-loved book. I pray Tarantino never attempts to adapt a book into film.

Dictionary Entries

  Asshole: {as.hohl}

  -noun Vulgar.

 1. Anus.
 2. This guy.
 3. Slang
     a. a stupid, mean, or contemptible person.
     b. the worst part of a place or thing.
 
 -adjective

                                         4. Slang. stupid, mean, or contemptible.
                                                           

Bonus Definition:

Secular Humanism: {sek-yu-lar . hyoo-man-isum}

-noun
1. Any set of beliefs that promotes human values without specific allusion to religious  doctrines.

2. The asshole's religion. [see entry "asshole"] 

If This is Possible...

...then Hope springs eternal. This means even I can land my own smoking hot redhead.

Thank you, forever-failing Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich. You are a light to nerds and geeks everywhere! May your legacy of babe-snatching spread.

Origins of the Mass Man, Or Why I Don't Give a Shit About the Masa

The political plight of the middle class Filipino is to always get berated; berated by the disconnected elite for not loving the dumbest of their ideas (i.e. the "family planning" people) on one hand, and berated by the self-entitled, grievance-mongering masses (or at least, their self-appointed representatives) on the other. While I find both of them contemptible, for this one, my guns are focused on the latter.

I came upon this article from the First Things blog entitled "The Mass Man", by Joseph Bottum, a former editor from the Weekly Standard and current editor for First Things. Here, the author recalls the work of a Spanish intellectual named José Ortega y Gasset, who lived from 1883 to 1955. Here are some excerpts from the article, in case you don't want to click the link.

"There’s a reason Ortega is remembered for his 1929 book, The Revolt of the Masses. He authored many other works, including History as a System, The Origin of Philosophy, The Dehumanization of Art, and The Mission of the University. But he remains, more than any author I can think of, remembered as the author of a single idea, the one he put forth in his Revolt of the Masses.

Ortega’s accomplishment in that book was to identify a new sociological species: mass man. As The Revolt of the Masses explains, the mass man is not just an ordinary man, and he is not associated with any particular class. He is, rather, a product of European historical development, a kind of human being born for the first time in the nineteenth century."

While one might take issue with the claim of European origin, it is not hard to see that even our own masa here takes its conception from European ideas, the most notable being Marxism. Why do you think all those rabid party lists of the Filipino Mass Man spout out Marxist cliches? The non-masa everyman that I admire knows the value of hard work, not Marxist ideological entitlement. Unfortunately, the masa owes its very being to the ideological forces that made the concept of the masa possible.

"The description Ortega gives is not particularly enjoyable. The mass man lives without any discipline, and—as Ortega remembers from Goethe—“to live as one pleases is plebian.” The mass man “possesses no quality of excellence.” He demands more and more, as if it were his natural right, without realizing that what he wants was the privilege of a tiny group only a century ago. He does not understand that technological wonders are the product of an intricate cultural process for which he should be grateful. “What before would have been considered one of fortune’s gifts, inspiring humble gratitude toward destiny, was converted into a right, not to be grateful for, but to be incited on,” The Revolt of the Masses insists."

The description Ortega gives of the Mass Man is spot on for the Filipino masa. The Mass Man does as he pleases. Who do you think spray paints all those senseless gang signs in moronic fonts you find along the sides of EDSA? Spoiled little rich kids with too much allowance? I'll bet those "Bawal Umihi Dito" signs were not meant for  the middle class pedestrians. Then there is the lack of quality of excellence. Take a look at our movies. How many bad movies do we have to make just to please the masa? Even the indie movies that purport to make us sympathize with the Mass Man are mostly so much trash. I recall reading somewhere that sexual taboos are "burgis", and that sexual libertinism is part of the wisdom of the masses. That demented Filipino entry to Cannes, "Serbis", is certainly an embodiment of that mentality. Along with that piece of shit, you can attach a whole train of fuck-a-ton movies geared towards celebrating the apparent sexual depravity of the Mass Man. Let's not even get into those "novelty songs" specifically geared for the Mass Man's poorly-cultured ear. A whole body of cultural "achievement" from and for the masa, and yet so few culturally edifying artifacts among them.

Then, there's that sense of entitlement, turning hard-earned priveleges to be thankful for into rights to be incited on. Sure, the elite are responsible for the most recent attempts at inventing stupid rights to supercede what ought to be priveleges. (The most egregious example is the invented "right" to marriage, following the heels of "reproductive rights".) However, this trend started when the Mass Man suddenly got it into his head that he ought to have the right to be as rich as those who've managed to make more than he. This is behind all that loud shouting at corporations, government, and whomever else they can blame other than themselves. They give poor people with actual grievances a bad name. Heck, they've given the culture that housed them a bad name.

"Mass man, fortified by an array of rights, is in charge of historical destiny.

The danger of that fact, however, lies in mass man’s lack of even a rudimentary understanding of culture. Here Ortega draws a critical distinction between civilization and culture. Civilization is the sum of the technical and technological tools that make life as we know it possible*. And culture is that civilization’s underpinnings—the set of ideas, motives, and religious truths that gave birth to civilization."

* To this, I'd add artifacts. -Me

There are Filipinos from all walks of life who understand this distinction of culture and civilization deep in their bones. I am reminded, for example, of OFW's who, in foreign lands, keep such traditions as the Pasyon and the Senakulo in foreign parishes, for those traditions embody the heart of a culture, their culture. They implicitly know that it is not the civilization that makes them, rather, it is culture. Culture coursing through man holds up the shaky house of civilization, for fallen man is not, by virtue of fallen nature, naturally civilized.

But then, there is Mass Man, coasting on the tails of culture, and yet constantly mocking it as either outmoded, "colonial mentality", or most comically, as "burgis". They would call Filipino Christian religious ideas old and irrelevant, dismiss centuries of cultural absorption as shallow and oppressive, and malign the Filipino middle class (just mention "ilustrado" to the likes of Constantino) as hypocrites. And yet here they come, telling us to hail "Monster Mom", "Urduja", "Live Show", "Serbis", "Bathhouse", "Twilight Dancers", "The Spaghetti Song", "Sex Bomb Dancers" and that creature known as Kris Aquino as triumphs of genuine Filipino "culture". I suspect their sense of irony was unceremoniously killed as well, dumped in the same ditch they left their sense of culture in. And after all that, here comes Akbayan and Ako...err...Bayan Muna demanding I give them respect and bow to their gravitas whilst I vote for legislation to give them and their client, Mass Man, more stuff they've  thought they've earned. And so I say to the Masa and its enablers: Fuck you all.

PS:
Does all this mean I hate poor people? Far from it. There are such people out there who appreciate hard work, and are often the ones to lift themselves up with their own two hands. I admire such people, for they triumph without the entitlement, and feel no need to turn every single grievance into a right. So, there is a distinction. To paraphrase Chris Rock, on one hand you have poor people, and on the other hand, you have the masa, just as on one hand you have black people, and on the other hand, you have n*ggers.

The ironic part is that some of the loudest, if not the loudest, voices  among the masa are not even poor. This segment is composed of a bunch of elite and middle class socialist posers who often have never had blue collar jobs in their lives. (A lot of them are tenured academics, "entertainers", or professional activists.) I am reminded of that sad, pathetic old woman who was singing the praises to the choir after PETA's first showing of "Noli at Fili: Dos Mil" (a rather execrable piece of shallow writing backed by nice production values). This elite poser was wistfully recalling her first swear word at some protest march, before beating into all our heads that logging was bad and we had to worship Gaia and shit, just before being picked up by some gas-guzzling SUV. I think she used to be an actress. Blech.

Dungeons, Dragons and Girls.flv

I love this one. What do you get when you garnish nerd soup with a smattering of female? Comedy gold. A bunch of Dungeons and Dragons nerds fall all over themselves emasculating each other's characters, all for the sake of their club's lone female member. :)

Over the Hill

At MSN, I stumbled onto this list of 10 artists who should stop making records. Quite funny.

I agree with the writer regarding the following artists:

Madonna
Now a mass of ugly girl muscles, the gracelessly aging Madonna should just put the toys away and start acting like a respectable grandma. If my grandma ever went out in her undies and got herself fake-crucified, I'd think somebody's due for the nursing home. In any case, nothing good ever came out of her once she started spouting stupid mysticisms.

Bryan Adams
I'll be kinder than the writer and say that I at least found Summer of '69 entertaining. However, this guy should just stick to photography and banging younger chicks.

The Rolling Stones
I'm just afraid Mick Jagger's gonna keel over and die in the middle of one of their tours. That would leave Keith Richards as the last drug-addled Ent in the forest.

Elton John
While the article said all that needed to be said about Elton John musically, I'm hoping for a different kind of self-restraint. I'm just hoping he'd shut up. Everytime he voices a public opinion, I feel like I'm being lectured by the guy who wrote fucking "Levon". (Wait, that was him, wasn't it?) This makes me want to curl up in a corner and ask God why there's evil in the world.

Carly Simon
You're so vain. You think this industry's about you?

Def Leppard
Led Zeppelin in back on tour, man! What? No? Def who?

Everything's back to normal now...

My sister Abby has gone back to her studies in the UK. With her departure ends two months spent with my sisters.

I love my sisters. They're great in their own little ways. Abby is an analytical mind with a closeted creative side. Belay is a creative mind, but seemingly forced into a profession she doesn't particularly like for earning's sake. And she still manages to thrive.

I'm also quite proud of the two of them. Belay is interning for Merryl-Lynch, and may end up with that high-paying gig for a few years after her graduation. (Probably until she has enough to do stuff she actually loves.) Abby just got a first class ranking in her Master's course in Chemistry at Oxford. My only real regret is that they're probably not coming back.

I'm going to miss them. Although, its probably good to have everything settle down. I've been having trouble writing while they're here, since I spend more time with them. And its probably nice not to be nagged about not aiming high enough. (I resisted going to the UK and doing what they did a few times.)

God bless 'em though. I hope they'll be alright.

CSI to Get A Facelift

Apparently, Gil Grissom (William Petersen) is on the way out. Must be why he suddenly started spouting bullshit.

Possible replacements are Lawrence Fishburne and John Malkovich. Yep, they're getting either Morpheus or Cyrus the Virus. Wouldn't Malkovich be better cast as a master criminal who constantly mocks and befuddles the CSI team in a loud, obnoxious manner?

The Dark Knight

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Mystery & Suspense

Note: Warning, spoilers ahead! Oh, and curse the lack of nuance in the star system!

This is probably as close to perfect as a superhero movie can get.

"The Dark Knight" heralds the return of Batman, DC Comics' only successful movie franchise to date. And what a hell of a return it is.

Director Christopher Nolan manages to top his first effort at reviving the Batman franchise. "Batman Begins", already a masterpiece in superhero movies, was a tough act to follow, but "The Dark Knight" not only follows, it sped straight forward and left its predecessor in the dust.

The Visuals

The movie, as befitting its subject, is shot mostly in the dark. Even the outdoor day scenes seem tainted with hues of gray and dark blue, ala NYPD Blue. Gotham City (with the city of Chicago in the role) looks like a tired and dirty city, a far cry from the gleaming progressive triumph that was Gotham City in the first movie prior to the death of the Waynes. There are some gorgeous airborne shots of both Chicago and Hong Kong, including a stunning sequence in which Batman glides across the Hong Kong skyline to reach a target.

However, herein lies movie's only serious flaw. The action sequences, though better than that of the first film, are still rough, choppy, and difficult to follow. Most of them being in the dark also doesn't help matters. I understand Batman is supposed to be business-like in dispatching his foes, but it would be nice if we could get in on the business too, and feel every searing punch or kick, instead of constantly blinking to follow his movement pattern. The scenes being in the dark should have added to the mood and enhanced the fight sequences, but the choppy nature of the sequences only made it more difficult for the eyes to adjust.

The Soundtrack

The soundtrack suits the subject. The low, rumbling melodies evoke an immanent presence in the dark. The rising crescendos, sometimes overpowering all other sounds, are placed in appropriate places, enhancing the emotional impact of what is occurring onscreen.

The Gadgets

Everybody and their mother whose been to the movies the last month has already seen the Bat-Pod. While the bike is cool, there are several other little enhancements that give Batman a realistic feel. Adjustments to his body armor give the viewer the sense that the wearer is human, and the tech comes from somewhere, which was lacking in all pre-Begins Batman movies. There is even an insider reference to lack of mobility of the Batman suits of the previous movies. But the biggest gadget of them all was a computer system that mapped out the entire city using sonar emanating from every cellphone!

The Characters

I know everybody's been raving about Heath Ledger's Joker, and its all justified. This Joker is possibly one of the most disturbed characters to ever grace a screen. However, I am more impressed with Christian Bale's Batman. It is much harder to act under a mask than it is under make-up, and Bale doesn't have the same license to go over the top as Ledger, but unlike previous Batmans, he refuses to be overwhelmed and out-acted by his villain. He chews up snappy lines, and oozes stoic bad-assery in the midst of Joker's creepy clowning. The only real drawback is the pseudo-growl he affects when attempting to disguise his voice. I don't think he should bother with it. Maybe next time.

The supporting cast also do their part. Gary Oldman as Lt. Gordon is strong and sympathetic, thankfully lacking any "I'm too old for this shit" cynicism. Maggie Gyllenhaal's Rachel Dawes makes me wish Katie Holmes never got a callback. And Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent was utterly believable as a crusader fallen from grace. There were a few drawbacks though. Eric Roberts just can't help but be Eric Roberts. Hey look, Eric Roberts is an Italian Mafia boss! Really?

The Story

The story moves at a slow pace, but the build-up to the climax brings the viewer to the edge of his or her seat. The twists and turns of the plot are manageable, and the dramaturgy is textbook in execution. The plot is straightforward enough that it allows time for the characters to develop, but at the same time, the twists are just enough to keep the story interesting without hijacking the narrative. My only real problem is that there wasn't enough space to fully emotionally flesh out Bruce Wayne. For example, he is not given enough time to even look like he's mourning his lost love. The actor makes do well enough with what he's got. However, this quibble is extremely minor. In terms of the integration of theme and plot, as well as proper pacing, Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan could school any screenplay writer out there. (Or preferably, here. Our screenplay writers, even the PhD'd ones, are absolutely pathetic compared to these two gentlemen.) The ending is a good paradox...it is both satisfying and makes me want more. I'm already in line for the third installment.

Themes

Bar none, this is the best treatment of the question of nobility to ever appear in a superhero movie. There are no platitudes or motherhood statements, only a strong, unspoken code that creates the backbone of the Dark Knight. The internal conflict regarding the inherent goodness and evil of humanity is extremely well-handled. I never expected to see a treatment of that question this good in a movie, much less a superhero movie. It was like Thomas Aquinas getting kicked around before rising up and bitch-slapping Nietzsche and forcing him to tap out...but in more cinematic and metaphorical form. The resolution to the conflict at the heart of this theme, whether or not the passengers of each boat would the other up to kingdom come or meet fiery doom simultaneously, doesn't feel forced. It felt...human. And I mean that in its good sense. As an added bonus, there is even an inadvertent reflection on the power of Original Sin, especially in the character of Harvey "Two Face" Dent.

Conclusion

Christopher Nolan set the bar really high with this one. I truly hope the third movie is worth the beauty and build-up of this middle piece. Let's hope the curse of both X-Men and Spiderman does not rear its ugly head.

4.5 / 5 (But since there is no nuance in the star system, I'll err on the higher side.)

Blessed Are the Weak

When I read articles like this, I cannot help but think that God is love.

The author's father had Alzheimer's, a disease that many people generally assume robs a person of their humanity. It strikes a certain fear in me because my grandmother had it, and I was too young to care when she died. But the man in the article shows that human dignity is not inherently tied to  the ability to remember what one did five minutes ago.

This is why I am absolutely horrified by attempts to perfect the human race through genetic cleansing. It seems that the more perfect we become, the more inhuman we become. It is only the truly metaphysically myopic person who believes that a girl born with the breast cancer gene cannot live a life worth living. "Life unworthy of life" stands up there with "Work Will Set You Free" as one of the most damnably cold-hearted phrases to ever be uttered by the mouths of men. Who are we, the sons and daughters of perdition, to say which life is worthy of life, when we all hold it so cheaply?

I pray that when my time comes, I go with even just half the grace and dignity this man did. I'd trade being able to wipe my own ass for that if it has to come down to it.

Elementary, My Dear Watson

Looks like Sherlock Holmes' popularity is resurging. There will be two movies about the guy in the next two years.

The first is from Columbia Pictures. It has no director as of yet, but will star Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell as Holmes and Watson respecitvely.

The second film is from Warner Bros. It will be helmed by Guy Ritchie and will star Tony St--Robert Downey Jr.

Hmm...I wonder how that's gonna play out.

For now, I'm gonna root for the Sherlock Holmes who flies around in a suit of titanium armor and makes the industrial military complex look good.

Politically Correct Brainlessness

This is retarded.

Commissioner Mayfield: [referring to paperwork lost]...the office has become a black hole...
Commissioner I-Was-Asleep-During-Science-Class: Excuse me! It's a "white hole"...
(Some blah blah blah passes.)
Judge I-Never-Learned-5th-Grade-Science: I would like an apology from the Commissioner at this day and time for using a negative term like "black hole"....

Unbefuckinglievable. The only black holes in that room were the ones sitting on those two idiots' shoulders.

I Don't Think It Means What You Think It Means

Okay, so the Catholic Church in the Philippines is very politically involved. It regularly lobbies, even in issues wherein it has little competence. (Nothing too bad, like mining and GMO's.) Now, I wouldn't mind a few blowhard bishops shutting up now and then. But, most political issues have a moral dimension, and as shown by certain national policies and certain combox brain farts (including the ones in the editorial I'm about to cite), neither politician nor ordinary Joe Middle Class can easily get "moral" right. So, overall, I'm glad the Church gets involved as often as it does.

So, here comes an editorial from the Philippine Star.

The gist is the usual case of keep your rosaries off of some ugly chick's ovaries, by the same type of guy who seems to think all of the Philippines' economic woes can be solved by placing a rubber sock over every Filipino dick. (Apparently, self-restraint has been focus-grouped as "too hard" with a whiny voice.)  Ironically enough, it smells of pot calling kettles black.

But the real kicker is this:

"Malacañang and Congress can listen to all concerned sectors. But the country is supposed to be a democracy, not a theocracy, and the separation of church and state is enshrined in the Constitution. Religious groups can set policy — in their own organizations."

The T word. Yep, this guy went there.

Now, its one thing when professional leftist fearmongers in the US use the word to caricature any argument made by a Catholic or Evangelical. But in the hands of this numbskull, it just comes off as rehash. Dude, I've read Andrew Sullivan, and you're no Andrew Sullivan.

So, whenever the Church attempts to lobby Congress against a bill it deems to be a moral disaster, its suddenly theocracy? Has this idiot even seen a real theocracy? So, when the left lobbies government for the return of oil regulation, can we jump up and down and scream "Communism"? Oh, wait, farmers lobbying for land reform! We must be an agricultural tyranny! Homosexuals lobbying for...whatever it is they're lobbying for! Gayocracy!

Look, in a democracy, everybody has a say in how to run things, including *gasp* the Church. The government agreeing with the Church no more makes it a theocracy than appointing some washed up general makes it a junta.  The Star ought to get better writers. Leave this crap to the Inquirer.

No Oxygen in the Ivory Tower

If you've ever been to college, or worked in academia, and wondered what a Professional Tenured Asshole looks like, look no further.

I present Dr. PZ Myers.

In this little ditty, the brave little scientist tees off:

"So, what to do. I have an idea. Can anyone out there score me some consecrated communion wafers? There's no way I can personally get them — my local churches have stakes prepared for me, I'm sure — but if any of you would be willing to do what it takes to get me some, or even one, and mail it to me, I'll show you sacrilege, gladly, and with much fanfare. I won't be tempted to hold it hostage (no, not even if I have a choice between returning the Eucharist and watching Bill Donohue kick the pope in the balls, which would apparently be a more humane act than desecrating a goddamned cracker), but will instead treat it with profound disrespect and heinous cracker abuse, all photographed and presented here on the web. I shall do so joyfully and with laughter in my heart. If you can smuggle some out from under the armed guards and grim nuns hovering over your local communion ceremony, just write to me and I'll send you my home address."

So, the guy reacts to people reacting to desecration by encouraging even more desecration. And, he thinks the Church has "stakes" out for him. Umm...I think the Church has better use for wood than frying a fat prick.

He thinks he's so courageous. If he wants his vandal street cred validated, let him piss on a Koran in the middle of Iraq. Because you know what, those guys will not only have "stakes" out for him, they're gonna enjoy every goddamn minute of PZ Myers' gargled protestations.

Really, Dr. Myers...your version of sticking it to the Man is making a nun cry? Tsk. Tsk.

Cracked.com

http://www.cracked.com/index.php
One of the funniest places on the Net.

There's Something More I Wish He'd Say...

I'm mostly a quiet guy who tends to keep his mouth shut when in the company of the unfamiliar. (And unfamiliar is mostly women.) So, as a tribute to my friend X, and in an attempt to "list like Hornby" (if the author of my sister's "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" blog/novel can do it, so can I...), here's 10 things I wish I managed to say in front of certain ladies I've met throughout the years.

1. If wine aged like you, my cousin would be sober.

2. Were you really staring at that other girl's breasts?

3. You wanna know how much I wasted on that stuffed toy fetish of yours?

4. (After a lady friend insulted me.)  Yeah, I love you too.

5. You're going to be a nun about as surely as I'm going to be elected Pope.

6. I wish you weren't a student.

7. If you were the last person on Earth, I'm gonna start a family with a goat. A female goat. (Oh, wait, I think I actually said that one...)

8. What about me? I fancy you, and I'm not gay.

9. If you become Catholic, I'll marry you in a heartbeat.

10. Why did God have to make you so perfect? Now all my poetry will suck...

And Now, Raelians!

It seems that World Youth Day in Oz has prompted some of the Catholic Church's pimpingest critics to take a day off from the asylum. The lede is already slap-tastic funny:

"A GROUP of glamour lesbians who believe the world was created by an alien civilisation 25,000 years ago have criticised the Catholic Church for being out of touch."

This is like Tom Cruise telling Mother Teresa she's "out of touch". Where the hell did the media find these quacks? Did somebody already process their passports from outer space?

And, on what planet are these hags considered "glamour"? Not even the word "lesbian" can make 'em sexy...

Imagine There Are No...Useless Eaters...Its Easy If You Try

I've been trying to get a hold of some science stories around the web in preparation for writing a sci-fi short story for that Neil Gaiman Fully Booked thing. Sometimes, I come across stuff that makes my blood run cold.

This article is one of them.

The title looks upbeat enough: "Baby to be born free of breast cancer after embryo screening."

No more breast cancer for baby! Hooray!

Wait a minute...embryo screening?

" The couple produced 11 embryos, of which five were found to be free from the gene. Two of these were implanted in the woman’s womb and she is now 14 weeks pregnant."

Okay, so what happened to the other nine? Now, I know the elementary question of "when does life begin" provokes hissy fits, but come on. What did they think the human being was between conception and birth? A chicken egg? As a former embryo, who probably has a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's, I find this genetic pre-natal genocide of the "unclean" to be very disturbing.

I suppose these parents didn't want their designer "perfect" baby to grow up like these poor unfortunate souls.

When they came for the Jews, I never spoke up, for I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for the embryos, I never spoke up, for I was never an...wait a minute...

Fuck.

Girl Gets Court to Overrule Grounding

This is insane.

A 12 year old girl gets grounded for slutting it up in a dating site, and she sues her dad in order to overturn her punishment.

Thanks a lot, Canada. Hard enough to try and raise kids, but raising them with government backseat parenting is just plain ridiculous. While this decision will probably not gain traction in the Philippines, the mere fact that there is precedent may give some bright young smartass here some leeway to sue his parents in the International Courts via established legal precedent as shown in Her Majesty's Canadian courts. After all, the ICJ, with no legal traditions of its own, tends to borrow a lot from those that have them.

What's next, a middle-school boy suing to have the family PC's net nanny turned off?

Pity Canadian parents. Oh, and fuck Canadian government.

I still don't get why that country is such a popular immigrant destination.

More Sci-Fi on CSI

Who's writing these shows nowadays? HG Wells wannabes?

First, Grissom invokes the scientific wet dream known as String Theory.

And now, CSI New York has an entire episode that features  time travel, which is taken seriously.

Hell must be freezing nowadays. The most scientifically plausible CSI is CSI Miami...

Where's Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck When You Need Them?

Here's a nice, eye-opening article about stuff that could end the world in an instant.

Apparently, NASA's main priority is to build a "moon base" (with a "laser" perhaps?), while some space-oriented folk are screaming for a defense initiative against asteroids that could possibly hit Earth. Seems like NASA is run by 12 year-olds still obssessed with their Wonder Magazine subscriptions. A moon base? What will man do with a moon base? Welcome incoming alien immigrants?

On the other hand, developing stuff to blow meteors and asteroids out of the sky sounds much more fun. And if the article is to be believed, the FATE OF THE WORLD depends on it.

Heh, as long as our secret weapon ain't Ben frickin' Affleck, we'll probably be fine.