10. The West Wing
“What Kind of Day Has It Been?”

The first season of the West Wing was a show full of spirit and good-hearted drama. Sure, it was somber at times and dealt withsome heavy themes, but it was also full of fast-paced energy and witty dialgue. Therefore, we were all surprised to see the season end in such a vilent and dramatic manner as a group of white supremecists opened fire on the president and his staff. We were left pondering all summer; who was hit? And who survived?

9. Friends
“The One With Ross’s Wedding”

The on-again, off-again love story between Ross and Rachel in the hit comedy Friends has become a legendary staple on network television. And just when audiences thought it way have died down and that the story arc may be over as Ross prepares to marry his new girlfriend Emily, they hit us with a bombshell: Ross says Rachel’s name instead of Emily’s during the wedding vows.

8. The Office
“Casino Night”

But enough about Ross and Rachel. They’re old news. Lets get on to the new wave of will-they wont-they TV couples, Jim and Pam. In the original British The Office, Tim and Dawn went striaght to the bitter end with their sexual tension. We assumed that the Jim-Pam relationship would be much the same, until Jim took matters into his own hands. He kissed Pam outside and expressed his true feelings, shocking viewers everywhere. But the real cliffhanger would come a few minutes later when he kissed her again…

7. 24
“Day 1: 11:00 pm – 12:00am”

When 24 aired in 2001, it was stretching the barriers of TV, and so the ending of their first season was no different. In the last few mintes of the last hour, Jack Bauer finds that his wife has been murdered. At this point, fans of the show knew that the producers of the show, from taht moment on, would not be afraid to take bold chances. What would happen with Jack now? How is his wife’s death going to change the fabric of the show?

This shocking conclusion is a cliffhanger for these reasons,, yet it is also, strangely, a resolution to the season as a whole.

6. Lost
“Through the Looking Glass”

Lost has always used flashbacks as a way to tell its character’s stories, and in their third season finale, Lost used this staple storytelling device to give us the show’s best cliffhanger. DUring the two-hour seaon finale we follow the cahracters’ exploits to get off the island, while following Jack’s flashbacks intercut throughout the show. It isn’t until the very end, when Kate appears in Jack’s flashback, that we realize thatwe were never watching a flashback, but that it was in fact a flash forward. Jack and Kate had made it off the island! But how? When? What about everyone else? This revelation shocked Lost viewers and gave them a plethora of questions to ponder over the summer months.

5. The Simpsons
“Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part 1″

No one is better at homaging and spoofing great movie and televison moments better than The Simpsons. And so who better to do a spoof of the infamous “Who Shot JR” moment? This time, Mr. Burns was the gunshot victim, and everyone in town was a suspect. The producers also played up the mystery by giving clues throughout the summer and having cans write in their thoughts on who was the guilty culprit. This was the only time in the SImpsons twenty year run that theyended their season on a cliffhanger, and it was a good one. (even though it just turned out to be Maggie, but oh well)

4. Star Trek: The Next Generation
“The Best of Both Worlds: Part 1″

Usually the best cliffhangers are the ones that hit us with something completely unexpected. Something like the main characters becoming one of the enemy. That is what happened at the end of TNG’s third season, where Picard is not only captured by the Borg, but is made to be one of them. And when Picard turns toward his former crew and says “I am Locutus of the Borg”, geeks everywhere were on the edge of their seats.

3. Alias
“The Telling”

Alias was a show which seemed to end every episode with a cliffhanger. Therefore, when it came time for their season finales, they had to find ways to step up their game and bring those cliffhangers to the next level. The first season finale was okay; she was captured by who turned out to be her mother after years of believing she was dead. But the second season finale was when the producers of Alias really outdid themselves.

After all o fthe events of the final episode transpired, Sydney found herself exhausted after a fight with the agent who was doubling as her best friend, passing out onto the floor. When she awoke, however, she was in an entirely different city; Hong Kong. It was only until after she contacted the CIA and Vaughn that she, and we the audience, discover that she has been missing for two years.

2. The Sopranos
“Made in America”

Here we have a unique sort of cliffhanger; a cliff hanger in the final episode of a TV shows run (a purposeful cliffhanger, as opposed to a show which just got canceled. David Chase ended the Sopranos’ 6 season run with a scene where Tony and his family meet for dinner. Against the backdrop of an old Journey tune, a shady figure comes out of the bathroom, looking ready to make a hit. And just when we think something is about to happen, the screen cuts to black.

Fans were split on what they thought of this ending; any were angry while others thought it was a brilliant and original way to end the series. We don’t know what happens at the end, and we are never going to find out. It is a cliffhanger without a resolution, and a stroke of genius.

1. Dallas
“A House Divided”

Its hard not to put this one at number 1. Back in the days of Dallas, a season finale was simply the last episode of the airing season. There was nothing really special about them. But suddenly Dallas comes along and has their main character shot in the closing moments of the season, making TV audiences everywhere wait a whole summer to learn who the culprit was. “Who shot JR?” became a cultural phenomenon in 1980 and it built the trend of television cliffhangers which TV audiences now enjoy almost every May.

Cassie Steele

“Cassie who??” Yeah, alright, we got that out of the way. Now at 22 years of age, I have been a fan of Degrassi: The Next Generation for about 10 years — it’s a sort of teenage soap opera, going over nearly every issue any teen could possibly face, and combining it all in one school/circle of “friends”. If you’ve never heard of Degrassi, it’s unlikely you know who this young lady is. Keep reading, anyway. Number 1, this is one of my favorite shows of all time — period. Number 2, Cassie Steele, who plays ‘Manny Santos’ on the show, is without doubt the FINEST actress on the show, and really, one of the main reasons I’ve watched Degrassi this long. But seriously, the stories are actually really good, too … so, yeah, watch it.

When she was first introduced, Manny was an extremely “kiddish” character, that had no attractive appeal, whatsoever. After Craig (another character on the show) decided not to date her for this very reason … it was all over. She decided she’d never be considered a “kid” again, and the episode where Manny dramatically bursts into the Degrassi hallways in a halter top, super-low rise jeans, and her underwear dramatically showing outside her clothes is unforgettable. I think I was about 13 or 14 then, and I was hooked. Needless to say, she only became more beautiful over the years, and though the old cast has now been basically replaced, she will always be a staple of the show.

Dark hair, nice eyes, great smile, and GREAT body — Girls, Girls, Girls material, for sure.

Indeed.

_Reverend Zombie 12.47

Humanzee … is that you?

Good thing I have Star Trek to entertain me while my Netbook is getting repaired. Sorry not around so much…hoping the UPS man brings it by this week. Luckily, it was still under warranty. Anyhow, I am currently on the sixth season of TNG.

I am a hopeless GEEK. ST is damn awesome. Call me a trekkie if you so desire

Ahhh, guilty pleasures…

Even I am allowed to escape, occasionally!

Anthony Mackie was named the actor to watch in The Hollywood Reporter’s”Next Generation” issue!

Anthony Mackie was named the actor to watch in The Hollywood Reporter’s “Next Generation” issue !

Fuck to the yeah: the Cappy and I are just doing the usual, chatting, but it happens to be while he packs to leave that hellhole, thank you very much! I could not oversell my happiness right now.

So we were talking about how he’s going to return soon to his apartment in Krautland after having been gone for a year, in this whole other life in this whole other country, like it’s a reboot to a previous setting of existence, and I can only think what a trip that is in general for any serviceman, but in the specific for my friendoh (hey, I’m selfish, what can I say). Especially emotionally, being in a different place in life and all now but with all these former trappings waiting for him.

Naturally, because we are awesome and you wish you were cool like us, we segued into discussing “Tapestry,” Season 6, Episode 15, Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is not the first time we’ve discussed this episode and the trend of do-overs in TNG. I’m serious: it came up earlier this year. We are consistent, okay? Plus, it also reminds me that I haven’t yet shared all my Ashley Judd pictures! I’ll get on that ASAP, I promise.

Elizabeth: we have, in the last thirty minutes, discussed chicken wings, heavy emotional shit, an episode of star trek tng that we’ve even discussed before, divorce, rebuilding one’s life, and legos

the Cappy: I rule. I know.

Yeah, legitimately, now I’m lego-shopping thanks to his link. I should totally get him some Star Wars ones for when he comes to visit at Christmas! ‘Cause it is making him happy to browse through this site, and I believe that everyone in the Army who is super-important and dignified needs quiet time with legos in the comfort of their own apartment, okay? Haters to the left. I’m just giddy that he’s getting out of the Middle East.

the Cappy: I’m glad you sent that
the Cappy: because I totally was thinking of the wrong episode
the Cappy: it wasn’t tapestry
Elizabeth: it wasn’t?
Elizabeth: which one was it
the Cappy: The Inner Light

the Cappy: its where the Enterprise finds a probe in the middle of nowhere
the Cappy: and it zaps Picard
the Cappy: and he ends up living this second life on another planet in his mind
the Cappy: and has a wife and kids and everything
Elizabeth: OH YEAH

I’m sorry, but your father and I talked it over. You can’t come back to the Enterprise ’til you cut your hair and get a job, Captain.

I totally see the comparisons. That’s a very poignant and moving episode, by the way.

Biggest. Dorks. Ever. I love this boy!

Star Trek fans might the the biggest and baddest of all the fandoms, known by all for being at the forefront of every fan-ish phenomenon from cosplayer conventions to the internet fan fiction’s ’slash’ genre. They’re the original modern fandom, really, with Trekkies and Trekkers (there’s a difference–look it up!) devoting their time, their money and sometimes every aspect of their lives to the universe the shows, books, films and games have created.

Once upon a time, though, a lot of the collectibles and merchandise you could find at conventions was fan-made. While it seemed obvious to Trekkers/ies that there was a market for themed items, the production companies were a little slower to catch on.

Not anymore! The massive merchandising wave was truly born of the success of Star Trek’s second incarnation, “The Next Generation”. With that came figures, replicas, books, role-playing games and apparel that sold like hotcakes to every fan who had waited for more than the paltry offerings of the Kirk and Spock days. And now, with this summer’s hugely successful Star Trek reboot film (the 11th Trek movie, for those keping track), interest has been renewed among the mainstream and the toy companies know how to react.

So here are some quick links to CmdStore’s Star Trek toys and collectibles, where you can find something from the original series to TNG to Deep Space Nine and beyond! Check these out!

The Original Series collection includes classic characters like Kirk, Spock, Uhura, and Khan, plus adorable Quog versiona of the characters. Retro fans need look no further for their Enterprise fix. And yes, we’ve also got a salt vampire.

Captain Picard, Riker, O’Brien, Dr. Crusher and many more make up this very awesome selection of toys from The Next Generation. For the record, my favorite was Data.

Deep Space Nine brings us Sisko and the Defiant Command Chair, Kira Nerys, Gul Dukat, Julian Bashir more. And again for the record, Odo may have been pale, but he was no Data.

The Vehicles Series includes a whole lot of Enterprises. Battle-damaged, Wrath of Khan style or remastered for 2009, we’ve got ‘em all. Plus, a bonus Excelsior!

The accessories section includes Phasters, a Tricorder and communicators style both for the original series and the second film. Whether you’re a collector or a cosplayer, you’ll definitely want to check these ones out.

Finally, we come to the latest entry into the Star Trek legacy, the 2009 film collection. Pine’s Kirk, Quinto’s Spock and Nimoy’s…well, Nimoy’s Spock are all here and ready for fans both new and old.

PSA: Wesley Crusher’s Butthole is in Constant Jeopardy!

Did You Know?

It gets lonely in deep space, and Starfleet chicks are mainly bleah (we’ll spotlight non-bleahs as time goes by, don’t you fret). Consequently, Wesley Crusher’s butthole is in constant jeopardy.

PICARD
A bit of good news, as well.
We’re to rendezvous with a
shuttlecraft carrying Wesley
Crusher. He’s on vacation from
the Academy.

Riker reacts, pleasantly surprised.

RIKER
Wesley… good. We’ll need an
extra hand around here.

Picard smiles — it’s clear they’re both looking
forward to seeing Wesley again.

– Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 5, Episode 106, “The Game.”

Almost makes me feel sorry for him, but he’s got that creepy German Shepherd mole on his neck. Forget it!

Remember how I mentioned not long ago that I’d spent an entire morning downloading pictures of Ashley Judd in this and her other featured episode as Ens. Robin Lefler on TNG? Yeah, I’ve finally had enough private time with that, and I’m ready to share. So look for that!

Listen to the episode HERE.

When Mandi likes a thing, she needs more of that thing in whatever form she can get it. Before discovering Star Trek fanfic, it were the official novels. At one point she had the entire set.

I’m a bit different when it comes to my fandoms. I tend to only enjoy the original iteration. With films I often don’t even feel the need to see the sequels. Though, of course,  I eventually do. I just don’t feel the need. For me having that one perfect movie or book is enough.

So I generally don’t wait in baited anticipation for movie adaptations of my favourite books and reading about the Star Wars Expanded Universe never appealed to me (though I did dip my toe into the Thrawn graphic novels).  The same has applied to Star Trek books. I have more than enough Star Trek to watch and re-watch, why would I need, what I assumed were poorly written, novels on top of that?

But with Star Trek there’s a few extra Nerd Hurdles I needed to leap. Yes, the assumption of simplistic, cheesy writing is at the top of the list, but it’s due mostly to some of the worst book cover art outside of Harlequin romances.

Take Masks for instance. Floating heads over a volcano. And not just the usual nicely blended floating heads you might see on a movie poster, but these look like they were torn from another book cover and pasted on as an afterthought. Picard looks okay but what’s with Riker’s expression? He’s looking both drunk and constipated. I suppose that fits with my general feelings about Riker as a character anyway. Not the wall-eyed drunk so much but there’s something stuck up somewhere within him.

Which is one of the reason’s I’ve never jumped on the Star Trek bookmobile. They seem generally Riker intensive. They were also lined up on one of my highschool buddy’s shelves along with his Dragonlance books. Forever the two series have been intertwined in my subconscious. That’s not exactly true. They’ve been intertwined in the forefront of my consciousness, no “sub” about it. I imagine I don’t need to explain Dragonlance books are a hurdle for me on principle.

 So what did I discover about Star Trek novels during the course of this rather tangent-intensive episode? You’ll have to listen (link at the top of the post) to find out.

Notes: I have since read up about Oliver Cromwell and the Princes in the Tower on Wikipedia.  So there’s no need to school me on English history. Well, there is a need. But not about those two particular subjects.

~ Jakob

From SciFiMoviePage.com

Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren, Universal Soldiers: The Next Generation will be directed by John Hyams, son of Peter Hyams of Timecop, 2010 and Capricorn One fame. It is the second sequel to 1992’s Universal Soldier.

In the original movie Luc Devereaux (Van Damme) and Andrew Scott (Lundgren), both killed in Vietnam, are brought back to life by the U.S. military as near-perfect soldiers. According to Fantastique magazine in this sequel a deranged Chechen nationalist named Basayev has taken control of Chernobyl, site of the infamous nuclear disaster, and threatens to release radioactive clouds unless his blackmail demands are met.

Devereaux joins a group of re-animated soldiers held in a secret army installation. Their mission: to take back Chernobyl and disarm the explosives set to release the radioactive clouds. Devereaux is however surprised to find that one of the soldiers is a clone of his former sergeant, Andrew Scott, who has no recollection of him. The two soldiers are however captured by Basayev’s troops and using mind control technology Basayev turns the two soldiers against each other. Wounded and isolated Devereaux must fight Andrew to save the world from cataclysmic ruin . . .

This article was written by Tyrone Warner of CTV.ca. The original link is here.

BACK TO REALITY: DEGRASSI GOES DARK IN SEASON NINE PREMIERE
Tyrone Warner, CTV.ca

As “Degrassi’s” go-to bad boy, Peter Stone has always been waist-deep in trouble — but he’s never gone off the deep end like this before.

During an interview with CTV.ca, Jamie Johnston, who plays Peter, reveals that in upcoming episodes his character “Develops a little bit of a drug problem.”

When audiences last saw Peter in the “Degrassi” movie, “Degrassi Goes Hollywood,” his life was looking good: His band Stüdz was destined for fame, dating the hottest girl in school and leaving his problems behind.

But as Peter realizes he can’t seem to fit into the high-fashion world Mia (Nina Dobrev) inhabits, an unlikely guest offers him a chance to escape. 

The two-episode season premiere, “Just Can’t Get Enough” begins Sunday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. ET.

In order to portray such a massive shift in character, Johnston says he did his homework before attempting to portray a drug-addicted Peter.

“Thankfully there are shows like ‘Intervention’ and ‘Dr. Phil,’ where you can see what people are thinking when they go through experiences like that. I even travelled downtown to the more sketchy areas of Toronto to see how people move and how they act when they are on drugs,” says Johnston.

“I just took every piece of information I could get, mixed it all together, put it in the oven, took it out, and now I have Peter on meth.”

Despite taking on the challenge of taking Peter to a dark place, he also says he’s grateful for the opportunity.

“The juicier the storyline is, the better it is. The craziest thing that can happen is the best thing that can happen, and as bad as your character is, that is how good you are as an actor, basically,” says the young actor.

“I’m a nice guy, so it’s fun to play a messed up person.”

Unlike most teen dramas, “Degrassi: The Next Generation” has never shied away from complicated and controversial storylines that deal with problems most young people face. When it comes to a storyline like Peter’s, Johnston hopes viewers use it as a chance to learn.

“I hope that when people see how bad even just a little bit of meth can mess up your life, that people will know to just not do it,” says Johnston.

“There’s been a lot of stuff going around recently about the horrors of meth, the before and after pictures of their faces… its one of the worst things you can put in your body.”

Along with the stark change in Peter’s life, his mother Daphne Hatzilakos, played by fan favourite Melissa DiMarco, will return as the principal of Degrassi Community School.

Johnston, 20, was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, and joined “Degrassi” in 2005, during the fifth season of the series. Outside of acting, his passions also include playing the guitar, which he’s recently featured both on the show and in his personal life.

After being tasked with singing in his on-screen band, Stüdz, he eventually introduced his guitar playing to the group. Between takes, the band immediately noticed they had chemistry, and with the addition of another guitar player, went on to form heir own off-screen group, “Sound Speed.”

Explaining the band name, Johnston says “It’s an actor joke. When we’re on set, and we’re about to film, they say ‘Roll sound, roll camera,’ and then the sound guy says, ‘Sound speed!’ and another guy says ‘Frame’ and then the director says ‘Action.’ (‘Degrassi’ co-star) Raymond Ablack pitched the idea we should be called ‘Sound Speed,’ and all of us, except for Shawn, who’s not an actor, giggled and thought it was a good idea.”

Johnston says the band has already played a few shows, and is currently writing songs for an upcoming album.

I don’t wear power suits,
make speeches,
or drive a fancy sports car.
I’ve never talked on a car phone,
made a big sale,
or been elected to the Senate.
I don’t “do lunch”,
have a big impressive office
or carry a beeper.
I spend my days wiping away tears,
giving hugs,
and serving chicken nuggets.
A good day is when I go through a whole day
without a temper tantrum, bite mark
or a toilet training accident.
My “office” is a room full of brightly colored toys
and laughing children.
You may not think that what I do is very important
and you may even whisper behind my back
“What a waste of a good mind.”
But I know better.
I make a difference
because I’m changing the world
one child at a time.
Everyday I’m getting the once in a lifetime chance
to touch the future.
I’m proud to say “I’m a child care provider”.
~ by Marti Doyle

I meant to write a lot today, to explore my feelings and seek some epiphanies, and schedule some of the usual ghost posts way ahead of time because I have a busy afternoon, but instead I have spent the entire morning downloading pictures of Ashley Judd as Ensign Robin Lefler in two episodes of season five of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

No regrets.

GEORDI
You know Robin Lefler.

RIKER
Of course.

GEORDI
Her performance around here has
been sensational. I’ve decided
to make her a mission specialist.
–Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season Five, Episode 106: “The Game.”

Oh, I’m sure you have.

Knife Clubs abound. Many are city and community clubs started back 20 and 30 years ago. Some are simply fan clubs of particular brands, but either way, anytime knife folks come together across the table at the local steak house in the name of knife collecting- it is a good thing. Through these activities our hobby is strengthened.

With today’s busy lifestyles it is difficult to go to club meetings. I know, I have never attended a meeting of our local club and yet I am involved in “knife collecting” everyday. I’ve thought about it…been invited to it…but for one reason or another it hasn’t made my priorities to go. My suspicion is this is the case for the majority of collectors who are members of local clubs too.

“And yet, most all collectors spend time online participating in knife collecting.”

Knife Club Websites- little time and no money

In an effort to help maintain their sense of community and provide benefits to their members many of these local clubs have turned to the web to locate their clubhouses. Usually one of the club’s more geeky members sets up a website. Upgrading, updating and adding functionality to that site, while a desirable thing, oftentimes goes undone- it requires time and in most cases a cash investment from the club, like adding a forum or providing for its members to have their own email addresses, adding the ability for their members to upload knife pictures or a chat feature, even adding the functionality of embedding videos- these are luxury items and rarely seen on knife club websites.

How about a new FREE clubhouse?

To the knife clubs of America there is an answer. Yes, there is a place where they can have a highly functional community clubhouse- not just a static webpage- exclusively for their club. No more web design costs. No writing code. No hosting fees. No frustration over not being a large enough to afford features their members want or need, or that their competitors offer.

In fact, this place is the hub of knife collecting online-  it is iKnifeCollector.com. On top of having a cutting-edge user-friendly online clubhouse sitting there waiting for your group- it is FREE.

Unprecedented Opportunity- Highly Functional Modern Clubhouse

Never in the history of knife collecting has there been an opportunity to have a complete highly functional clubhouse- complete with your own forum and group emailing capability. Don’t get me wrong- the message here is not, “Knife collecting has now gone online only,” but look at what the members do at home in the evenings- they go online and play knives. Moreover, besides being FREE, it is within a larger community of knife collectors.

So, here’s the deal- there are dozens and dozens of knife clubs, who if they understood how this opportunity can help them engage their existing members, plus attract new members, would jump at the chance. My role is to help them see the benefits available here though an iKC Group.

iKnifeCollector offers your club-

It’s a Win-Win Situation, But I Need Your Help

If you are a member of a local or regional club tell your leadership to contact me. I want to help them see how easy it is to house their group within our knife community. Will it make iKC grow? Yes. Would I like that? You bet. The truth is though we’ll be fine without them, but this is a no-brainer. And aside from all that- if they don’t they will continue to lose members because other “places” out there are providing more of the benefits their members want. These “places” have no membership dues either.

Please help me get the word out to them. I go through the “knife club” pages of some of our publications and find most clubs have no website, or even email addresses for me to attempt to reach out to them. In many cases, I am forced to write a letter (paper letter) and send it to a PO Box (and so is any prospective member for their club). iKC can help them be more relevant in today’s times.

Please forward this article to your Club officers and board members.

Thank you,

Scott

iKnifeCollector Founder

Okay, going from best to worst (and btw, take a look at my blog name and gravatar if you’re not sure what way I’m going to go here).

If your sensibilities towards your favourite captain are easily offended and you get mad if someone is rude about them, (I know I do, hehe.) then I suggest you either stop reading right now or bear in mind that this is my opinion and I am entitled to it, and keep reading. And my opinion is right.

1: Janeway. The best captain. Tough, courageous, intelligent, gutsy, charismatic, confident, daring, unorthodox, intuitive, noble, protective, a natural leader, justifiably brash, and she practically bleeds authority. She even has rough edges, like arrogance, stubbornness, and a touch too much self-assurance on occasion. Much like real people have flaws. Not to mention that the real-life woman Kate Mulgrew is the best actor out of the lot of them by a considerable order of magnitude. The best captain, hands fucking down. Also, and this is coming from a heterosexual woman, she’s the best looking one of the lot of them.

(Insult HUGE GAP here between 1 and the rest of the list, similar to the kinds of gulfs that separate galaxies in this immense universe we live in). I think that illustrates how strongly I feel about this matter.

2: Original Series/movies Kirk. This lad’s got some pizzazz, he’s ballsy and brave. Still, I have some questions over his ability to keep any member of his crew not on the senior staff alive…

3: Picard. This man’s way to soft for my liking. Not what I want or expect from my science fiction heroes. Being cerebral is fine and admirable, but I want some badass attitude and some pizzazz as well as that. This guy has NIL, nadda. He doesn’t exhibit forcefulness often enough, which is a shame, because when he does, he’s a real leader, reaching similar heights to Janeway and Kirk. Sure, he’s a professional, but at the cost of his guts. Just tell the Romulans to go to hell man, they do the same to you! Grrrrrrrr. He may be third on my list, but he is certainly second in terms of acting ability. The real life man, Patrick Stewart, is almost at good as Mulgrew in the believability department.

4: Kirk from the new movie. Yup, he’s perhaps a bit young, but he’s got a style and method all his own, which is quickly established in the movie. I think Chris Pine gave a fine performance. Although he does get beaten up a bit too much for my liking. I thought he had advanced combat training? Sheesh. You don’t see Janeway and Picard having their asses handed to them, they’re usually the ones delivering the punishment when necessary. Also, Pine is the second best looking one of the bunch.

5: Archer. He’s to easily led, is easily offended and loses his temper WAY to easily.

6: Sisko. Wow, what a fucking dick. He’s a whiner and skin-peelingly annoying, he looks so miserable most of the time I would reach inside the screen and give him a hug if I didn’t think he was such an idiot. There’s simmering, and then there’s just being a complete arse. He is the latter. However, I have nothing against Avery Brooks, for the record. He seems like a nice guy. If I don’t like a character I’m not going to hold it against their real-life counterpart. That’s just deeply weird.

Case closed.

Voyager out.

Advice for the day: Razzle dazzle ‘em! Lieutenant Troi most certainly is.



Work with the tools you’re given and make it happen!

Many of us are members of different knife clubs and organizations- I am a dues-paying member in three myself. Knife organizations played a prominent role fostering our hobby for many years. They connected collectors, provided collectors a sense of belonging, provided news and organized knife shows, to name just a few examples of benefits offered to their membership.

There is an interesting editorial by Bruce Voyles in Knife Illustrated this month on the subject of knife organizations. It is entitled, “Are Knife Organizations Getting Left Behind?” and while he doesn’t delve too deeply into the subject, he does put it on the table for us to consider.

In it he recounts the history of how collector associations and clubs formed. Then he leads up to today and calls the leaders of these organizations to examine their mission and practices in order to appeal to today’s collectors.

And pertaining to these organizations meeting the needs of today’s collectors, he added-

“The future of knife organizations is only that of decline and eventual dissolution unless they discover some 21st-century relevance.”

*****

Now I must ask- “Did the needs of collectors change or were the organizations so busy working in the business of running the organization that they failed to work on the business- staying abreast of changes (technological advances/collector habits and lifestyles) that would benefit or negatively impact the organization?

Here is an interesting stat on this subject from a survey of the membership of iKnifeCollector.com, an online collector community.

In case someone wants to scoff at this stat as skewed data because “only young people use the web and online collector communities, and they aren’t members of associations anyway,” well, the average age of the iKC membership is 39.55 years old and that’s close to about half life.

If that statement is true, on the other hand, and “young people aren’t members of knife organizations anyway,” there may be a clue for these orgs to get back on track, wouldn’t you say?

If  today’s organizations do attempt to appeal to this younger collector profile- some things are gonna have to change- that much I can say.

Stats can be interpreted differently. So in fairness, the above data either means the majority of today’s collectors don’t feel the need to join these orgs (for whatever reason) or the iKnifeCollector community has successfully reached the next generation of knife collectors who have yet to join the traditional knife organizations.

This brings us back to our original question- “Have the needs of knife collectors changed?”

What do you say?

The survey data represented in the chart is from iKC’s membership as of 9.02.09.

Ugh. So I absolutely HATE how trendy that phrase is. “Going Green” … just the sound of it makes me shudder and puts my gag reflex up.

However, I am becoming obsessed with the healthy things for my kid and my planet.

I really, really, really want to cloth diaper Marley. I just really, really, really don’t have the money to invest in it.

I will be switching to homemade cleaning products and natural home cleaning methods with our next trip to the grocery store – because it’s cheaper and safer for my oh so sensitive toddler.

I contemplate organic toys. And if they weren’t so ridiculously over-priced, I would buy them.

I am already a proponent of thrift store recycling of everything from clothes to toys to furniture. In fact, pretty much everything I buy for the punkin head comes from a thrift store.

I want to buy organic food and promote a healthier lifestyle, but I loathe cooking and again, we barely scrape by month-to-month with the grocery bill.

I just think that we can treat this planet better than we do. I think we have to keep moving forward and keep educating kids in how to make this place we live better. That’s how the next generation progresses. It wasn’t all that long ago, that I was sitting on the gym floor learning about water-efficient shower heads and CFL bulbs, concepts that were in a complete foreign language to me. And as my generation came of age to purchase such things, they were all the rage. We couldn’t convince our parents at the time, but we remembered. We made it matter. And I’m proud of that and proud of the adults that sat us down and drilled it into our heads. And now everyone knows how much better it is to watch water levels and what kind of light bulbs we use.

Now, to make it work in my own financially strained life. Baby steps for me, but I’ll get there eventually. And some day I’ll hopefully look back and say “I can’t believe I used to do that!”

So let’s try to reverse some of the waste that this planet produces! Let’s hug a friggin tree every now and again! Let’s pay attention to how much energy we’re wasting!

That’s all for me. Hopefully I’ll keep this blog a little more updated and I’ll be able to track exactly where I came from and how far I go.

With Season 9 of Degrassi quickly approaching, we’re currently in a “transition stage.” This is where we don’t officially know that much about the new season, so the only thing we can do is speculate.

Of course speculation always leads to ridiculous rumors that ALWAYS end up on wikipedia or imdb, and naive fans go around telling everyone they’re true.  Anyway, here’s just a few of some of the most random (FALSE) rumors in Degrassi history that made me lol.

Stacey Farber Is Pregnant

People saw her outfit, saw a "bump" and automatically assumed Stacey was pregnant. Sheesh.

It all started in the season 7 episode “Jessie’s Girl.”  Fans SWORE up and down they saw what looked like a baby bump on Stacey, and because of what she was wearing people assumed she was pregnant.  That of course led to people thinking they’d incorporate her “pregnancy” into the show by saying Jesse got her pregnant.

Unless Stephen Stohn and Co. did a masterful job of keeping it on lockdown, it turns out Stacey did NOT (and has not) become a baby mama.  Shocking.

Marco Has AIDS

Marco has AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDS....not.

At the end of the season 4 episode “Moonlight Desires,” Marco talks with Caitlin about the possiblity of him volunteering in Africa over the summer.  Shockingly enough, the rumor after that was Marco would come back from Africa and have AIDS in season 5…because it’d be ironic that the gay guy got AIDS while visiting Africa, and not from having sex, you see? No, I don’t see…and that would be a stupid way to go about an AIDS storyline.

No, Marco didn’t contract AIDS. Man, I’m surprised no one has started a “Darcy has AIDS” rumor yet.

J.T. dies….In Season 3

The silliness of people thinking this pic is of J.T. getting killed makes me LOL.

The Degrassi universe will always feel empty without the presence of J.T. Yorke.  But before his untimely death in season 6, people thought he was going to kick the bucket in season 3.  When the promo pics for ”U Got The Look” were released, a crazy rumor went around that J.T. was gonna get struck and killed by a car.

Of course it turns out, after watching the episode, J.T. skateboarded right into a parked car because he was distracted by Manny’s lady lumps.  Apparently some people had an overly INTENSE imagination (remember when 100% INTENSE was the tagline for Degrassi on The-N?)  “Manny Santos, my how you’ve grown….”

I see no reason to go into great detail on this, because 1 : ITS FUCKING OBVIOUS, look into your quantum theory, and 2: I can’t be arsed to go into huge detail because it shouldn’t be bloody necessary.

Okay, quick and to the point:

After reading various comments around the Internet, gotta add my own to this pointless ‘debate.’ Anyone who thinks that the new film (which is great) somehow effects the canonical escapades of the VOY, TNG, TOS and DS9 crews is a FUCKING MORON. They’re not going to piss all over forty years of canon and stories for the sake of one film. I wouldn’t give a crap if DS9 was erased because its fucking rubbish, but neither it nor the other shows are changed by the movie. They set it in a different reality. Job done. Problem fucking solved. The destruction of Vulcan, which appears in later movies of TOS era, clearly indicates that it is a different universe. Sheesh. This is clearly indicated in several places in the film.

Everybody clear? Good.

Voyager out.