Yankers Pull A Boner
It is common knowledge that George Steinbrenner does not like the World Baseball Classic. Recently a sign was put up at Yankees spring training, which you can see here. I guess the Yankee fans that were expecting to see Derek, A-Rod, and Johnny Damon are miffed that their heroes are not there, but the Yankees employees are sick of answering their questions. Steinbrenner, never one to pass up a chance to be whiny, denied (through a spokesperson) that he had the sign put up. It has since been taken down. Who knows if the Boss ordered this, but he is “The Boss”, so he gets the fingers pointed at him for what happens in his organization.
I don’t like the WBC, but for far different reasons than Georgie boy. He doesn’t want his prima donnas getting hurt. But I think there is something fishy about a tournament where many players who are American citizens are playing for countries like The Netherlands or Italy. Even in the Olympics, when players try to compete for countries they are not from, they are at least switching citizenship, like Tanith Belbin went through before this year’s Turin Games. If players can just switch around, depending on their grandparents, then what is the point of claiming there are different countries participating at all? The passport should be the ultimate determinant as to what country you are allowed to play for.
Duke Nukem
In a very “interesting” move, President Bush has decided to break U.S. Law and international treaties, and agree to a nuclear deal with India. The gist of the deal is that the United States would be giving over nuclear information to the Indian government, and in return, India agrees to a number of conditions. Details of the deal can be read here. I came to be aware of this by listening to a discussion of the deal last night, on National Public Radio.
The thing that is strange about this is that upon further review, it’s going to suck either way. India has nuclear weapons and nuclear technology already. So here President Bush goes, giving them more technology, and in return we are going to be better strategic and economic allies with India. To large corporations, this is of course, welcome. Soon enough, India will be the largest country in terms of population in the world. Anything the U.S. government can do to get in bed with India is going to go over well with companies like Nike and Coca-Cola, who want nothing more than for every Indian to be buying their products.
On the other hand, what message is this sending to other countries? The United States is going to be openly allowing nuclear development in one country, while lobbying against it in others. This week the United Sates will be arguing to the United Nations Security Council that Iran should not be allowed to continue its development of nuclear technology. This double standard of only allowing “our friends” to have nukes is already drawing ire in Middle Eastern media. Sure, Iran and India are two very different countries, with different levels of trust with the U.S. But the last time I checked, the only reason India has nuclear weapons is because they violated international law and used nuclear material given to them for peaceful reactors to make a bomb. And while they claim to only want to alleviate their energy needs with nuclear power, they freely admit they will continue nuclear development for Military purposes. By the way, it is estimated India already possesses between 60-250 nuclear weapons.
The double standard issueis nothing new. After finding no WMD’s, the Bush admisnistration claimed that Sadaam had to be overthrown, to ensure the freedom of the Iraqi people. That is ceratinly a noble ideal. But is the measuring stick for invasion is whether we think a government is treating its citizens farily, then why are we only invading Iraq? Don’t China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and others have many human rights violations? And are any of those countries democracies? Something to ponder.
So what is the solution? Should President Bush make the bold move, and try to solidify relations with this sleeping giant? Or should he conform to the laws and treaties that were obeyed by every U.S. President for the last few decades? There is evidence that if Congress goes along with this plan (they would have too change a number of laws to make President Bush’s decision legal), there would be an arms race between India and Paskistan. The only solution seems to be exactly what the Bush administration would like…for us to forget all about this and go hunting. After all, that is a safe hobby.
Hidden agenda
- Cache
- A beautifully shot French suspense film with many twists and few answers.
The English translation of the French movie “Cache” is “Hidden.” Ironically, this movie is left way too open for even my taste.
I like any kind of art that provokes intellectual stimulation, even if sometimes that stimulation comes with no conclusions or answers. Usually, I abide by the belief that the more abstract the art, the better, or the more surreal the art, the better. Blurring the line between reality and non-reality is always fun too, unless you’re featured in Oprah’s Book Club.
So why did I feel empty leaving “Cache?” Continues after the jump »
A Super Lady Leaves Us Too Soon
Today started off sadly, as we learned that Dana Reeve has lost her battle with cancer. The widow of Christopher Reeve was a non-smoker, and was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer just last August. She was 44 years old. In recent years she had been a tireless activist for spinal chord research, and her legacy (along with her husband’s) will be one of great hope. We can also take comfort in the fact that she and Christopher have now been reunited.
Get your ‘Daily’ fix without cable
I’m probably not the only person who knows a few people who dish out $50 or more every month just so they can get “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.” Even though I don’t get to watch either one as much as I’d like to, I have to admit that without them, I’d have a really hard time justifying the cost just to watch all the “Futurama” reruns on Cartoon Network that I already own.
Well, now you have one less reason to be a slave to Comcast. Apple is offering “Multi-Passes” for Stewart and Colbert, that let you get a month’s worth of episodes, that’s 16, for $9.99. Not a bad little plan, really. Of course, I’m assuming you’re one of the kind souls who would rather not acquire your fake news from the Bit Torrent store. I can’t say I’m about to go for this, but if you’re the commuting type who has to sit on a train or bus every morning for 22 minutes or more, this might be right up your alley.
Check out The Colbert Report and The Daily Show on iTunes.
Man Bites Dog
Paris Hilton. You know her. You love her. You hate her. Anyway, is good to see that she is just as genuinely nice as she claims. She is so nice, that she has had a restraining order taken out against her. The funny thing about this order is that she will not allow it to affect her partying racket. The unusual parameters reduce the distance she must stay away from this gentleman, if they are attending the same social function.
This guy needs to have some fun with this. I say give him his own reality show, all about his adventures with Paris. Or should I say MIS-Adventueres!? (Chortle) At a party they are both at, he should start to slowly walk towards her, and see if she backs away, maintaining her required 25 foot distance. That would be a lot more fun to see on TV than Paris working in some fast food place. Imagine watching Paris fumble through a crowd, and end up tripping, landing face first in some caviar. Smells like a hit to me.
You have plans for May 26
Just in case you were planning to not see “X-Men: The Last Stand” on May 26, I submit for your approval the theatrical trailer. Prepare for lots of hot mutant-on-mutant violence followed by mutant crying and then pure glee. If the trailer is any indication (I know, trailers are rarely any indication), this one will beat out “X2”, which itself was an anomoly in that it was clearly better than the original film (which wasn’t bad either).
I’m finding it harder and harder to get excited about the recent glut of comic-film adaptations, but the gems like “X2” and “Batman Begins” keep me coming back for more. I’m predicting another winner for the X-Men series.
Scott Stapp finally gets a break
It ain’t easy being Scott Stapp. The man’s life has basically been a string of public embarassments, and with good cause. He’s a talentless hack, a hypocrite and a douchebag with a god complex. Also, he tried to nail some chick at Denny’s.Oh, and he’s allergic to shirts. What’s not to hate?
In case you’re not familiar with his latest fuck up (and it’s not the one involving his nipple, Kid Rock, and some strippers), here’s a brief primer:
The former Creed frontman and beauty queen Jaclyn Nesheiwat, 25, were married in Miami and en route to a Hawaiian honeymoon via L.A. when he was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of being drunk in public. Stapp requested a blood-alcohol test, which he received—and promptly registered a 0.18, twice the legal limit, according to airport police. The singer was then booked and released on $250 bail
That’s just stupid. Stupid stupid stupid. Anyway, it looks like the L.A. district attorney had mercy on his pathetic soul and decided not to press charges. I guess he’s had it bad enough. On the other hand…
Nobody gives a shit about Pete Doherty
1. Who the fuck is Pete Doherty?
2. What the fuck is a Babyshambles?
3. Why the fuck is there a media obsession them?
These are questions I will attempt to answer.
1. Pete Doherty is a retarded hobo from England. His main hobbies are fucking up, having sunken eyes, having transparent skin, riding Kate Moss’s nearly nonexistant coattails, filling gossip pages in trashy British tabloids, getting arrested and heroin.
2. ba·by n.
A very young child; an infant.
sham·ble intr.v. sham·bled, sham·bling, sham·bles
To walk in an awkward, lazy, or unsteady manner, shuffling the feet.
I’ve got to assume that in England, “babyshambles” is a word used to describe the way babies walk. Here in the U.S. and A, we don’t use this word. It’s not a word. It’s not in dictionaries. Don’t believe the Pete Doherty media.
Babyshambles is also the name of Pete Doherty’s band. Nobody has ever heard them and nobody ever will. Web sites that serve entertainment news to the U.S. like to toss the name of his band around as if you may have heard of it. Don’t be fooled into thinking you somehow missed the Babyshambles revolution. It never happened and it never will. Pete Doherty will never be the modern Syd Barrett on heroin. Dick Cheney could shoot him in the face and you should never hear about it in the news, because he is of absolutely no consequence. That lawyer in Texas was more important and you never heard of him until he got a face full of Cheney’s shot.
3. I have absolutely no idea. Nobody cared when Kate Moss was caught on camera with a face full of nose candy, because absolutely nobody was shocked that a rail-thin and not-too-attractive model actually did coke. If you were shocked by that, get ready for this: No-name British musicians sometimes do drugs. And sometimes they make an ass of themselves. And sometimes they write incoherent bullshit on the inside of fogged up police car windshields. There’s no reason to care and make this a top story on Yahoo News. Really. That’s all.
Warsaw packed with Les Savy Fav fans
- Les Savy Fav
- Les Savy Fav plays an impressive set to hundreds of smelly hipsters at a packed Warsaw ballroom.
I’ve been to a lot of concerts in my day. It’s just the nature of things that some will be awe-inspiring and some will be disappointing. Some will destroy your expectations and leave you wondering what just happened. This was one of those.
Before Friday’s show to a healthy crowd, I wasn’t overly familiar with Les Savy Fav’s incredible live performances. I’m a fan of the “Inches” singles collection, which is a great album showcasing the band’s career, but pretty much all that I had heard about their live shows is that “they’re great live.” That’s a lukewarm endorsement, and a more than a bit of an understatement. To say that they’re great is to say that there are a lot of hipsters in Williamsburg. Williamsburg is teeming with those filthy mothers. And Les Savy Fav is more than great live. Continues after the jump »
