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So Many Post-Christmas Links

gerrycanavan — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:18:07 +0000

Sneaking in a quick linkdump between light posting due to Christmas and light posting due to MLA…

* The Senate bill has, as you undoubtedly already know, passed. Ezra Klein, Kevin Drum, and even Jonathan Chait have this more or less right: winning ugly is still winning. There’ll be time to get started on demanding changes to the bill, but progressives shouldn’t forget the victory lap. Here’s Kevin:

So it doesn’t feel much like a victory yet. But it should. I’m 51 years old and this bill is, without question, the biggest progressive advance in my adult life. You have to go back to the great environmental acts of the early 70s to get close, and to the civil rights/Medicare era to beat it. That’s four decades, the last three of which have constituted an almost unbroken record of conservative ascendency. And now that ascendancy is just days away from being — finally, decisively — broken. Warts and all, we’re on the cusp of passing a bill that provides all of this:
• Insurers have to take all comers. They can’t turn you down for a preexisting condition or cut you off after you get sick.
• Community rating. Within a few broad classes, everyone gets charged the same amount for insurance.
• Individual mandate. (Remember how we all argued that this was a progressive feature back when John Edwards and Hillary Clinton were championing it during the primaries?)
• A significant expansion of Medicaid.
• Subsidies for low and middle income workers that keeps premium costs under 10% of income.
• Limits on ER charges to low-income uninsured emergency patients.
• Caps on out-of-pocket expenses.
• A broad range of cost-containment measures.
• A dedicated revenue stream to support all this.

* Likewise, from Al Giordano: “Health Care by the Numbers: What’s In It for You?”

* All the ways the Left has already destroyed America, prior to the health care victory.

* More change we can believe in: The Calm Act would direct the FCC to regulate TV commercial volume to be pegged to the volume of regular programming, so as not to be “excessively noisy or strident.”

* While I’ve been away, everyone has been talking about reforming the filibuster.

* Obama: One-Eighth of a Presidency. 5 Myths about a President’s First Year.

* David Weigel: “Why I Don’t Write about Sarah Palin’s Facebook Posts.”

The problem is that Palin has put the political press in a submissive position, one in which the only information it prints about her comes from prepared statements or from Q&As with friendly interviewers. This isn’t something most politicians get away with, or would be allowed to get away with. But Palin has leveraged her celebrity — her ability to get ratings, the ardor of her fans and the bitterness of her critics — to win a truly unique relationship with the press. She is allowed to shape the public debate without actually engaging in it.

Merry Christmas Eve

cmitten — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:00:43 +0000

Merry Christmas Eve! I am in Detroit now but I only got in late, late last night, which is why I’m sending you a Christmas tree from Washington Square Park. Ain’t it pretty?

I’m so excited to hang out with my family today and I can’t wait for them to see what I brought for our exchange game. This year’s theme was “favorite things” but you’ll probably never guess what I came up with. Well, maybe.

The Nature of the Opposition

millerbros — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:23:05 +0000

It’s hard to believe that this was ever a controversial piece of legislation. Harder yet to believe that Republicans were caught off-guard by the backlash.

—Jason

Sometimes, Stillness Really Is the Move

millerbros — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:52:05 +0000

Here’s today’s Video of the Liberal Traitorsphere. The Franken/Lieberman moment is gold, of course, but the McCain swoon is what really sells.

His outrage is funny to me! Perhaps he can discuss this during one of his numerous upcoming Sunday talk show appearances.

—Jason

South Lebanon is a Historian and Archaeologists Delight

hot1524 — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:28:07 +0000

South Lebanon is a village located in the central part of Warren County, Ohio in south western Ohio in Union and Hamilton Townships.

As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,538, down from 2,696 in 1990.

The village was originally called Deerfield because it was the chief settlement of Deerfield Township, Hamilton County, Ohio, but renamed because of its proximity to the county seat of Lebanon.

South Lebanon is a historian and archaeologists delight, with a history dating back to the Assyrians over 6,000 years ago.

The regions rolling hills sloping down to sandy Mediterranean beaches are dotted with Biblical sites, Roman and Phoenician ruins, remnants of the Crusades and the major Phoenician trading centres of Saida and Sour.

The ancient cities of the region are like one stop shops to explore the ancient civilizations and history of the Mediterranean, with remnants of Egyptian, Assyrian, Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, and Ottoman civilizations.

While South Lebanons historical sites can easily keep you busy, the area has a number of other attractions, including the pristine beaches south of Sour and the rare opportunity to snorkel or dive among long submerged Phoenician and Roman ruins near the ancient cities of Saida and Sour.

Culture lovers will enjoy exploring bustling Ottoman era souks, and everyone can relax after a long day at seafood restaurants overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

What to see and do in the South can include some of the following.

Explore the remains of the largest and best preserved Roman hippodrome in the world at the Sour archaeological site and discover the many other remnants of this ancient coastal metropolis.

View the ruins of the Phoenician Temple of Echmoun, a well preserved complex honouring the principal god of the city of Saida.

Visit the village of Qana, where Jesus Christ is said to have performed his first miracle, turning water into wine at a wedding he was attending with his mother and disciples.
Snorkel among submerged Phoenician ruins outside of Sour and Saida.

Catch a glimpse of endangered sea turtles and other fascinating marine life at the Tyre Coast Nature Reserve, and go for a swim at one of the souths pristine beaches.

See the Sea Castle, a Crusader castle sitting on a small island in the old harbour, connected by a stone bridge to mainland Saida.

Discover the ancient tradition of glass making, dating back to Phoenician times, in the village of Sarafand.

In close proximity to Sour are several Biblical sites, which include the Tomb of King Hiram, the Phoenician King of Sour who was a contemporary of Kind David and King Solomon.

IAN's Best of the Aughts!

IAN — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:46:50 +0000

Ok, I had so much fun doing the Best 9 of ‘09 I figured why not do every other year in the Aughts (2000-2009) and then the best of those best! Best of the WHOLE decade! So I’ve done that. It got harder and harder as the years went back, especially considering I was pretty young in the year 2000. But I think I’ve come up with a pretty good list of my favorites (and least favorites!) from the past ten years. Again, maybe Avatar or some other such movie will blow my brains out all over the place before the end of 2009 and force me to amend my lists, but we’ll see. Ok, I’ll start with the shakiest years and move forward ending with my best 9 of the decade:

Worst of 2000:
Battlefield Earth

Best of 2000:
9- Battle Royale
8- O Brother, Where Art Thou?
7- Shadow of the Vampire
6- The Emperor’s New Groove
5- Memento
4- American Psycho
3- Gladiator
2- Requiem for a Dream
1- Best in Show

Worst of 2001:
Jurassic Park III, Monkeybone, Planet of the Apes

Best of 2001:
9- Amélie
8- Zoolander
7- Ocean’s Eleven
6- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
5- Wet Hot American Summer
4- Shrek
3- Mulholland Drive
2- Monsters, Inc.
1- The Royal Tenenbaums

Worst of 2002:
Queen of the Damned, Signs

Best of 2002:
9- The Salton Sea
8- Solaris (2002)
7- Secretary
6- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
5- The Bourne Identity
4- Punch-Drunk Love
3- 28 Days Later
2- City of God
1- Adaptation

Worst of 2003:
Cold Mountain, The Hulk, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Best of 2003:
9- Lost in Translation
8- Bad Santa
7- 21 Grams
6- Kill Bill Vol. 1
5- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
4- The Cooler
3- Coffee and Cigarettes
2- Swimming Pool
1- Finding Nemo

Worst of 2004:
Alexander, The Village

Best of 2004:
9- Undertow
8- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
7- The Aviator
6- Kill Bill Vol. 2
5- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4- Primer
3- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
2- Shaun of the Dead
1- The Incredibles

Worst of 2005:
The Jacket, The Devil’s Rejects, The Island

Best of 2005:
9- The Three Burials of Malquides Estrada
8- A History of Violence
7- Batman Begins
6- Oldboy
5- Capote
4- Grizzly Man
3- Paradise Now
2- Good Night, and Good Luck
1- Cache (Hidden)

Worst of 2006:
Ultraviolet, Thank You for Smoking, The Da Vinci Code, Superman Returns, The Wicker Man, The Black Dahlia

Best of 2006:
9- The Proposition
8- Inside Man
7- Stranger Than Fiction
6- Brick
5- Pan’s Labyrinth
4- Inland Empire
3- The Fountain
2- Casino Royale
1- Children of Men

Worst of 2007:
Transformers, Across the Universe

Best of 2007:
9- 3:10 to Yuma
8- The Bourne Ultimatum
7- The Darjeeling Limited
6- Michael Clayton
5- Superbad
4- Eastern Promises
3- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
2- There Will Be Blood
1- No Country for Old Men

Worst of 2008 (and among some of the worst movies ever made):
The Happening, Wanted, Chapter 27, The Life Before Her Eyes, Choke, Repo! the Genetic Opera

Best of 2008:
9- The Fall
8- Iron Man
7- The Dark Knight
6- Young@Heart
5- Tell No One
4- The Wrestler
3- Slumdog Millionaire
2- WALL-E
1- Let the Right One In

I’ll post 2009 here again, just so your life is easier!

Worst of 2009:
The International, Watchmen, Adventureland, Surveillance, Public Enemies, Where the Wild Things Are

Best of 2009:
9- The Brothers Bloom
8- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
7- Inglourious Basterds
6- Zombieland
5- The Road
4- A Serious Man
3- Star Trek
2- Up
1- Moon

And here it is… the moment of truth…

My favorite 9 films of the Aughts!!!
9- Best in Show
8- Star Trek
7- WALL-E
6- Up
5- There Will Be Blood
4- Moon
3- Cache (Hidden)
2- Let the Right One In
1- No Country for Old Men

Well there you have it! My favorite and least favorite movies of the past ten years. Maybe not all technically the best movies ever made, but my favorite. Agree? Disagree? Think I’m crazy? Maybe I am. Why don’t you tell me about it, or better yet offer up your lists in the comments I’d love to hear them!!

December 17th, 2009 Chicago [IAN]

I AM NOT A NUMBER—I AM A FREE MAN!!! THE PRISONER (1967) ABOUT TO BE REMADE ON CABLE TV

pedrofeliz3b — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:50:28 +0000

“Where am I?”
“In the Village.”
“What do you want?”
“Information.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“That would be telling. We want Information. Information. Information.”
“You won’t get it.”
“By hook or by crook, we will.”
“Who are you?”
“The new Number #2.”
“Who is Number #1?”
“You are Number #6.”
“I AM NOT A NUMBER, I AM A FREE MAN!!!!!”
[stranger laughs diabolically at his assertion of freedom].

THE PRISONER (1967) STARRING PATRICK MCGOOHAN (SOON TO BE SHOWN AS A REMAKE ON CABLE TV) – This is truly one of the legendary TV shows of all time, and an inspired choice for a remake. The originals are now out on Comcast on demand and available to be seen for the first time in quite a while. They are in color and in excellent, really superb quality, considering they were filmed more than forty years ago and have been in the vaults a long time. The Prisoner was a cult hit in both Britain, and later in the US, where it was shown on PBS sometime after it was shown in Britain. Along with Monty Python and Sesame Street, it was one of PBS’ biggest hits of the late 60s/early 70s.

Every episode of the Prisoner started the same.

McGoohan, who is a british spy, obviously working for British Intelligence, has an angry argument with his superior, then bangs the table and throws his resignation letter on the desk.

Then cut to McGoohan’s apartment, where we see him packing. Meanwhile, next cut to a strange looking man in a top hat who approaches the apartment door from the outside. Cut to inside view and gas starts pouring visibly inside McGoohan’s flat, overcoming him.

He wakes up in a strange bed in a strange place. He does not know where he is. He looks out the window and sees a strange town. Then cut to a strange place, a strange person seated in a throne like chair in a round room. McGoohan is being interrogated by the Stranger.

McGoohan: “Where am I?”
Stranger: “In the Village.”
McGoohan: “What do you want?”
Stranger: “Information.”
McGoohan: “Whose side are you on?”
Stranger: “That would be telling. We want Information. Information. Information.”
McGoohan: “You won’t get it.”
Stranger: “By hook or by crook, we will.”
McGoohan: “Who are you?”
Stranger: “The new Number #2.”
McGoohan: “Who is Number #1?”
Stranger: “You are Number #6.”
McGoohan: “I am not a Number, I am a Free Man!!!”
Stranger: [laughs diabolically].

So many aspects of the show are classic—the bubble chasing down anyone trying to escape, the taxi which goes nowhere (local service only), the oblique references to a “New World Order”, the bicycle logo with its subtextual semiotic references to Orwellian dystopias, the constant references to the battles between McGoohan and science, McGoohan and psychology, McGoohan and being watched all the time, and the hilarious fact that every week, McGoohan defeats #2 and a new #2 has to brought in to break him down because McGoohan has broken down the previous #2. No one has money in the Village, only “work units,” and there appears to be a sort of communitarian utopia. There is a democratic council, but there are no actual rights. In one episode, McGoohan runs for election, but he quickly finds out he is not actually allowed to say or do anything that would upset the status quo. “your local council” is just a hollow slogan, a catch phrase for a democracy that doesn’t exist at all.

The key concepts of the show are freedom, human aspiration, knowledge, escape, dignity, free will and liberty. Everyone in the village has all their material needs met, but they must sacrifice all of their liberty, including their own individual identities, their memories and their minds, in order to obtain it.

In short, this show presents a working picture of what a communist or fascist society must really be like, in which everyone enjoys health care, work, food, leisure and a decent living quarters, but absolutely no freedoms whatsoever to think or exist except as dictated by the state. Presented hour after hour, episode after episode, the Prisoner is an unqualified call to freedom everywhere.

In our own times, many movies and series have been inspired in whole or in part by the Prisoner. The X-Files, certainly, draws some inspiration from the Prisoner. The Jim Carrey movie “The Truman Show” draws heavily on the Prisoner for its set designs and concept of an observed, controlled village, and for the notion that a person is subject to psychological control by an unseen central force.

Finally, we have the current phenomenon, worldwide, of people being arrested and detained without due process of law, in places unknown, for periods of time, and being interrogated in all sorts of ways for what they know. Every side politically does this, including our side with Guantanamo Bay and all our allies who assist in the war on terror. Of course, at the time of the Prisoner, it was understood that Russia and the US were both doing this as part of the Cold War—and yet both the James Bond series of movies, as well as Get Smart, the Prisoner, the Man from Uncle, and numerous other fictional spy shows continued to assert the existence of a third, “shadow” force, as powerful as the US or Russia, which also employed spies, torture methods, interrogation methods, and bargained or double-dealt using agents who had defected from one or both sides—under such acronyms as KAOS, SPECTRE, and so forth. Even the recent series of Mission Impossible films remade with Tom Cruise as their star clearly posit a so-called “third party” of international force. This premise was cleverly lampooned in the Austin Powers-Man of Mystery series of spy-lampoon movies, where the third power was led by a man called “Dr. Evil”, who was laughably played by the same actor playing Austin Powers, in perhaps the most brilliant series of spy spoofs ever committed to film.

Without commenting on the right or wrong of it, imagine if you will the situation of a man seized and placed in a “village” one day, deprived of his freedom and dignity, and forced to give up not only his secrets and knowledge, but also his identity, his selfhood and everything that makes him a man. Every dystopian novel or non-fiction work ever written—Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, Player Piano, the Gulag Archipelago, The Road to Serfdom, the Open Society and Its Enemies, Atlas Shrugged—posits precisely this sort of situation coming to pass in our own day.

Perhaps no two writers were more articulate about this phenomenon than Arthur Koestler and George Orwell, who wrote frequently, passionately and articulately about the dangers and evils of communism, socialism and false utopias. Koestler’s Darkness at Noon is the dystopian novel which most clearly reflects, and inspires, the series “the Prisoner,” in that it is directly a synopsis of the main character’s experience of what must have been the experience of Stalin’s purge and show trials of the late 1930s—first capture, then interrogation, then brainwashing, then being made to confess one’s sins in public, and finally, the inevitable lengthy prison sentence in Siberia or, perhaps more mercifully, death. The forturnate few were “rehabilitated” if they could be made to “understand” Stalinist communism and completely confess and revoke their sins, and be made to be a number, and not a free man.

The Prisoner is a powerful reminder of why liberty is the most important right we have.

Art Kyriazis, November 1, 2009
Philadelphia, PA
Eagles Pounding Giants as we speak

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Posted in Economics, Economy, Entertainment, History, LIBERTY, Patrick McGoohan on the Simpsons, Sports, The Prisoner, World Champion Philadelphia Phillies, politics | Edit | 1 Comment »

reprinted from the sophist,

http://pedrofeliz3b.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/i-am-not-a-number%E2%80%94i-am-a-free-man-the-prisoner-1967-about-to-be-remade-on-cable-tv/

Don't Get It

millerbros — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:31:13 +0000

Joe Lieberman is a liar and a sociopath. The only regrettable part of Ezra’s now-famous smackdown is that it didn’t go far enough. Because of Joe Lieberman’s efforts in the Senate to destroy healthcare reform, human beings will die. Simple as that. Joe Lieberman knows this. Joe Lieberman doesn’t care.

Our language is replete with words to describe people who cause the suffering and death of their fellow human beings. Take your pick.

—Jason

Monday Night

gerrycanavan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:00:07 +0000

* A key feature of capitalism in America is the complete insulation of elites from the violence the system inflicts against the poor. This is illustrated well in today’s health care debate; the actual human suffering and death caused by our broken health care system is invisible to people like Joe Lieberman, who is therefore free to consider health care reform as a purely abstract game centered around revenge against his enemies. To bring up the fact that people are actually dying over this is considered unspeakably rude—a total breach of decorum. Frank Rich and BAGnotes make the same point today about the invisibility of suffering in the economic crisis as a whole.

* In any event, Lieberman won (with an apparent assist from Rahm): the Medicare buy-in is officially dead.

* Ezra Klein explains why everyone is so terrified of reconciliation.

* Grist says the big story out of Copenhagen’s first week is the emergence of tensions between richer and poorer developing nations.

The one significant new feature of this treaty round is the emergence of a distinct voice for small island nations and the poorest states—the folks for whom climate change is an existential, not just economic, problem. Inside the talks, this manifested in the tiny island state of Tuvalu’s call for a new, post-Kyoto treaty that would require mandatory reductions not only from rich countries but from the biggest and fastest-growing developing nations, including China and India. It would also set 1.5 degrees C as the target for limiting the rise in global temperature, rather than the 2 C agreed upon in previous talks (and still maintained by big emitters). This amounts to the first big public eruption of the simmering tensions between major developing countries and their smaller/poorer brethren. Whereas China and India want to shelter their economic development above all else, Tuvalu, well, might go under water soon.

* The ultimate Disney/Marvel mashup.

* Millions of “lost” Bush administration emails discovered by computer technicians. MetaFilter has your schadenfreude.

* Could Bernanke really withdraw his nomination for chairman of the Federal Reserve?

* And I wanted to post this a few days ago, but seem to have forgotten: the situation with Arizona’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio is rapidly growing completely insane.

Bad Play

fullbleed74 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:13:44 +0000

This does look like an extremely bad move now, doesn’t it?

How are Democrats so bad at politics?

-Ian

the village

Anda — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:54:01 +0000

mi-ar placea sa mai am, acum, laptopul in brate, stand pe pervaz, in camera aceea de camin de la etajul 2, intr-o noapte cu ochi.

mi-ar placea sa ascult melodia asta. cu fereastra deschisa, cu mine pe margine. si sunetele sa se rasfranga. sa se rasfranga.

noapte.

frig.

mi-a zis cineva ca ninge.

"The M. Night Shyamalan Poetry Contest" entries!

jshady — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:56:28 +0000

I know people have been waiting in breathless anticipation for this post, so let’s get right to it!

Here are all of the entries (listed in no particular order) for “The M. Night Shyamalan Poetry Contest!”

I’m going to post all of the entries first, and announce the winner of the contest at the end. Some people entered numerous times, so you’ll see a few names popping up two or three times.

Untitled Haiku
By Ralph Apel

M. Night Shyamalan
Name’s too long for this haiku
“The Village” was shit

Untitled Poem
By Ralph Apel

Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Fuck off, M. Night
Your worthlessness doesn’t deserve the time it took me to write this poem about you.
I did like “Unbreakable,” however.

Untitled Haiku #1
By Frank Cvetkovic

Marky Mark leads his
Funky Bunch across the state.
Trees try to kill us.

Untitled Haiku #2
By Frank Cvetkovic

Bruce Willis is dead.
There! Now you don’t have to spend
Five bucks to rent it.

Untitled Haiku #3
By Frank Cvetkovic

I don’t think I’ll go
See “Lady in the Water.”
What else is playing?

Untitled Poem
By Mandy Tuthill

Shyamalan, a Ding Dong

If only horror writers
Could capture in words
The dread of a nation
Anti-anticipating your next release.

I see dead careers.
Why isn’t yours one of them yet?

Boo.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Untitled Poem
By James Decker

I kinda like “Signs”
the one where faithless Mel whines
I liked the ones with Bruce
but your others smell of deuce
Especially “Lady in the Water”
the one with Ron Howard’s daughter

i am the sign of the times
By Susanne Iles

i am so pretty am i
wanted to be an actor i am
in my own films the lead am i
a one-trick pony not me i am

an enigma wrapped in a riddle wrapped in a story that repeats
‘til the twist (which repeats) film after film after i
am an echo of other’s writings not plagerist not i
am my own happening

Untitled Poem
By Lisa

Regurgitated bile is vile
M. Night movies are worse
My life hours repeatedly stolen
And now the minute spent on this verse
I am ashamed

Untitled Poem
By Voltaire

This is in defense of Shyamalan,
Please do your best to follow along,
You may think I’m a sap,
And that his work is all crap,
But I’ll explain why you’re so wrong.

“The Sixth Sense” helped Night burst on the scene,
It was unlike anything we’d seen,
But in every movie since,
We’ve expected the twist,
And it’s made his reviewers obscene.

I won’t say Shyamalan is always great,
“The Happening” makes that an impossible position to take,
But just ‘cuz he’s made some crap,
Doesn’t mean he’s all bad,
So I think everyone should give him a break.

And the winner is… Voltaire!

Why? Well, for two reasons. One, Voltaire is one of the few people who entered who I don’t personally know! And two, because they’re honestly a fan of Shyamalan’s work and will appreciate the copy of “Signs.”

I think the rest of us would have probably used it for a coaster. Or worse. Heh.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and be sure to keep an eye out on “The Blarg” for more contests!

Ain’t no Robert Frost,

-Shady

Zombieland On DVD

scifitalk — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:51:52 +0000

“A brilliant horror-comedy! More fun than anything else this year!” James Rocchi / MSN Movies “Super

Speed-boating on the Mekong River in Laos

afriend102 — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:00:42 +0000

It was early morning when we left the village of Huay Xai in Northern Laos for the Mekong River, planning to get to Luang Prabang the same day. The 150 km journey along the river by speedboat would take half a day, breaks included.

Contrary to the advice given by our Lonely Planet guidebook we had decided to take a speedboat, because our hostess at Chiang Mai had recommended this alternative. Traveling on a big, slow river boat would have taken two days and required an overnight stay at the village of Pak Peng.

There were a lot of people at the pier when we arrived and the small speedboats set out one by one as soon as they were full. We were among the last to board and when stepping on the boat we saw right away that we had made the wrong choice. There was no turning back however; the low, narrow boat was packed full of people and off we went.

The boat flew on the surface of the water at high speed, at times reaching 80 km/h, and we sat on the hard benches with our chins on our knees, space for each passenger being about 40 x 50 cm. After only half an hour’s travel our muscles were cramped and we felt miserable. We watched the passing scenery with our earplugs on, because the noise from the motor was deafening. The Lao passengers also wore helmets and lifejackets provided by the boat driver.

When the river is low, as it was then, accidents happen when speedboats bump into sandbars or sunken logs. Those who have not survived have been mostly local people who cannot swim.

Water splashed on our clothes and soon we were soaked to the skin. The sun was shining and the air was warm but I felt cold. Andy had a pained expression on his face; there was definitely too little room for a big man, particularly for one with occasional but severe lower back problems. I got a cramp on my left leg, but there was nothing I could do about it.

We had been promised that there would be a break every sixty minutes or so and after what felt like an eternity, the boat stopped. We discovered that our feet had gone to sleep and Andy’s right foot was totally numb for at least ten minutes.

Luckily there was an additional stop when the boat motor suddenly started to act up. After landing on a sandbank our driver began to repair it and we hoped
that he would not get it fixed too soon.

Stepping onto the golden sand dune and warming our sore muscles, we enjoyed our freedom. But then we came to think that we were in the middle of nowhere, only forest on both sides of the river. If the driver were not able to repair the motor, when would there be other boats coming to our rescue? We had not brought any food with us. And how long would our drinking water last?

We then saw two hunters walking on a ridge with guns on their shoulders. One was also carrying what to us looked like a wild boar. He came to the shore with his dog, threw down the boar and, unconcerned about our presence took off his clothes and plunged into the water. The dog remained watching over the
boar but could not resist the temptation, started to bite into it greedily. When the man got out of the water, he raised hell, and the dog moved aside with his tail between his legs, waiting for his master to calm down. Finally the hunter left with the boar, the dog walking close behind him.

Our trip continued. One more hour of speeding down the Mekong and we would reach the next stop, the village of Pak Peng. Our minds were made up; we would get off there and rest our limbs.

When and how we would continue our journey would remain to be seen. A traveler’s tomorrow is always a new adventure!

A friendly reminder...

jshady — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:56:10 +0000

…that all entries for “The M. Night Shyamalan Poetry Contest” are due tomorrow (by midnight)!

Offer not valid in Barbados,

-Shady

Not So Thinky, McCainy

fullbleed74 — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:47:21 +0000

President McCain doesn’t understand the whole public policy, legislator, details, brain type stuff and junk.

The Hill reported that one of the relatively specific spending cuts that was suggested came from Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who suggested paying for the additional troops “…through a freeze on discretionary spending — specifically, holding 2009 appropriations at 2008 levels, which he said would generate $60 billion.”

Someone needs to tell the senator that fiscal 2009 ended at midnight September 30, 2009, that is more than two months ago.

Maybe he should “suspend” his Senatorial career to work on that.

-Ian

Fiscal Conservatives

fullbleed74 — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:26:12 +0000

From the crowd that has been screaming like fucking howler monkeys about a bill that is deficit neutral and actually… you know… helps people, rather than… you know… killing them.

“Ideally, it would be better to pay for the war than not.”

– Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Shameless, scumbag, hacks.

-Ian

This Isn't About Escape, This Is About Survival

Jesse — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:51:15 +0000

While Matt was visiting at the ha-hacienda last week, we sat down and watched The Prisoner episode 6, Checkmate. He opted not to say anything for the moment, preferring to let me dig my own grave. As with all of my other Digressions, there are SPOILERS ahead.

We open with 2 seeming stronger than ever as 6 is getting weaker. This is a plan to get 6 to accept his place in The Village by acknowledging his mortality and impending death (although it’s still not a plan to get him to reveal anything.)

Part of the confusion I had with this episode is that as time progresses, counterparts in the Other Side and the Village start wearing the same clothes. This is by design, I’m sure, to demonstrate the two worlds closing in on each other, but it did lead to some confusion. We learn that the entire Village and all of its inhabitants DO live in the mind of M2. They are sent there for rehabilitation but ARE eventually allowed to rejoin the real world. This is why 2 was blowing up Villagers with grenades in the first episode, and that’s how he makes his permanent return.

I pleased to see I was right in my reasoning why 1112 couldn’t make it to the Other Side, and it was fairly interesting that his birth was an experiment by 2 and M2 to see if someone could be born in the Village. 1112, fed up and confused by The Village (I can relate), kills M2 and himself in the Village, which causes the holes to start destroying everything. 313, who would never be able to return to The Other Side due to psychotic baby stabbing, volunteers to take M2’s place as the dreamer and holder of The Village. In the end it was pleasant to see 2 and M2 get a happy ending back on The Other Side, free from the burden of governing. Meanwhile, Michael sits down at Summakor and 6 takes 2’s place in The Village. I can even imagine this happening over and over again, as 2’s search desperately for their own replacements.

Not everything was answered: Does The Village still exist, or will our new 2 have to rebuild it? Who was 2×6? Why was everyone spying on each other? This seemed to be more of a holdover from the original series than a necessity of the new one.

And none of addresses that the moral questions. Was 2 wrong? They were providing an environment for therapy to take place and releasing their “prisoners” at the end (the Villagers may have all been kidnapped, which makes it less of a gray issue).

All said, I really enjoyed the remake. Despite the fact that I wound up confused for some time thinking this was another spy story, trying to recreate the spy elements from the original would have been setting themselves up for failure. This version took the key elements from the original and made something entirely new and compelling. And if this remake wasn’t your cup of tea, the original is still there for you without the burden of continuity.

* A special thanks to my Dad for being able to track down the “pigger counter” poster.

** A double special thanks to everyone who’s found these digressions interesting. I didn’t actually think I’d post about every episode, but these Prisoner posts have been getting more hits than anything else I’ve written.

The M. Night Shyamalan Poetry Contest!

jshady — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:52:08 +0000

If you’re anything like me, you think M. Night Shyamalan sucks.

In my opinion, he hasn’t made anything even mildly interesting since “The Sixth Sense,” yet he keeps churning out new crap every couple years.

Kathy snagged a free copy of “Signs” from work last week because she had never seen it. After subtly offering up my critique of the movie (to be read: “It’s one of the crappiest crap craps ever crapped out of Hollywood!”), we made some dinner and sat down together to watch it.

After all, I had only seen it once before, way back in 2002 when it first came out. And, who knows, maybe it gets better over time, like an expensive bottle of wine.

And so, I sat… I watched… AND I WAS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!

It’s still the crappiest crap craps ever crapped out of Hollywood. And now Kathy agrees.

But I’ve decided to turn something awful into something wonderful with this, The M. Night Shyamalan Poetry Contest!

The rules are simple:

1. Write a poem about M. Night Shyamalan in 100 words or less.

2. To go along with the theme of this contest, the crappier your poem is, the better.

3. Email your crappy poem to me at justin@tlchicken.com.

4. Deadline for contest entry is this Friday, December 4th.

One winner will win these crappy prizes:

1. DVD copy of the crappiest crap craps ever crapped out of Hollywood: “Signs”

2. The original crappy artwork of my crap drawing of Sloth and Bert for this month’s “Sketchbook” assignment:

3. A crappy techno CD that I got for review that is total crap.

So… get to it!

I’ll leave you with my own (excluded) entry:

“If M. Night Shyamalan Wrote a Haiku”
By Justin Shady

Establishing shot
Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap
Dumb surprise ending

See how easy it is?!?

Bruce Willis is dead,

-Shady

PS: All entries will be posted on “The Blarg.”

How to have Explosive Church Growth?

Bryan McKnight — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:18:10 +0000

How does a church grow from 100 to thousands in just a few years (Acts 2 Church, Jerusalem; Elevation, NC; New Spring, SC; The Village, TX and there are more)?

Does it study the more than 10,000 books that have been written about church growth? Do the pastors just mirror or duplicate what these other leaders have done? Maybe the leadership needs to attend the myriad of catalyst events, church growth conferences & seminars? Or maybe it is just the luck of the straw or the much more superior abilities and talents that the other great leaders possess and it just can’t be manufactured or duplicated. Maybe Scott Hodge, Perry Noble, Steven Furtick, Matt Candler, and others are much more cool than other pastors. Or they have a website after their own name (another Brian McKnight got mine). Maybe they had more money, more advertising, more people, more talent, more resources, better breaks, bigger buildings, deeper networks, talented staff, right times, right friends, or were just plain lucky.

Or maybe they share the same qualities and practiced the same simple principles that we see God use for revival since the dawn of time?!?

I believe experienced revival has these common elements. It doesn’t matter how much money and time you spend on conferences, coaching networks, assessments, mentoring programs, buildings, campaigns or advertisement. If you don’t possess or do what is listed below, you will NOT experience a God anointed revival. Each pastor I listed above will have their own unique experiences, but these biblical experiences are the short list of the necessary elements for revival.

The Leadership MUST confess their sin! In Nehemiah 9 we have a beautiful picture of revival. We see in this tribute and Praise to God that the number 1 problem the people recognized was sin among their leaders, Nehemiah 9:2. Pastors, if we don’t get a handle on who we are, in and out of God, we will NEVER experience revival. It is time for pastors to repent so revival can come!
The Leadership MUST pray! Prayer is God’s direct line for knowing and doing His will. It is necessary for everything from confession to direction. The apostles did nothing but pray as they prepared for the day of Pentecost. God honors the prayer of His leaders.
The Leadership MUST fast! As the people repented, we see they also fasted, Nehemiah 9:1. Fasting was a spiritual discipline that appears to get God’s attention! Every single time we see God do remarkable things in the midst of His people it is proceeded by the leadership fasting. Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Elijah, David, Samuel, JESUS, the Apostles, Paul and many, many more. Pastors, if fasting isn’t a regular part of your Christians character, you will never experience community changing revival!
The Leadership MUST read God’s Word! This seems like a discipline that should have to go unmentioned. But quite frankly, this is overlooked and ignored more than any other activity that pastors should be doing. In the busyness of our routines we often take for granted the need to get into God’s word for own spiritual health. Nehemiah 9:3 says they needed it so bad they got into it for 3 straight hours…standing up!
The Leadership MUST want revival! Nehemiah 9:3 shows how bad they really wanted revival! Whatever it takes!! They ripped their clothes, they threw themselves to the ground, they repented, prayed and STOOD as the Word of God was read for 3 hours. WHATEVER it takes! It doesn’t matter how long you hang out with great leaders if you are NOT willing to do whatever it takes to experience revival, you will not experience it!
The Leadership MUST worship! It is so tempting to manufacture our own environment that we can actually program worship out of our lives. I have always said that what happens on Sunday is just a reflection of what has happened throughout the week. If we replace true anointed worship with events and concerts we will get what we create…an event. But if we come before the Father with intentional worship and praise we will get an eternal element we could never manufacture…God’s favor! Nehemiah 9:3
The Leadership MUST be bold! Nehemiah wasn’t worried about who the biggest contributors were in the assembly. He wasn’t worried about what his colleagues would think. He didn’t play politics in the church and he absolutely knew he didn’t have a second to waste. If revival was going to happen, he had to get up and tell it like it was. Pastors, if you are such a wimp that you are more concerned about who you will offend rather than who will go to hell, you will never experience revival.

That’s my list. We are daily praying for and expecting revival in east Tennessee. We all serve the same God and God wants to save people everywhere. He doesn’t reserve revival for the select (or elect) few. He simply honors and gives favor to those who follow HIS plan.

Be Happy!

Bryan

Taken Down Like A Little Fawn

fullbleed74 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:18:16 +0000

Ouch.

When the sad and destructive history of the U.S. over the last decade is written, the coddled, nepotistic, self-serving face of Evan Bayh should be prominently included. It embodies virtually every cause.

The whole post is worth reading. Bayh is the worst kind of politician, a preening, self-serving hypocrite who leaves his constituents out to dry for the sake of his corporate over-lords EVERY CHANCE HE GETS.

-Ian

Movie Discussion - The Village

windmillfighter — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:00:47 +0000

Cover of The Village [Region 2] Summary: Here The Questions: Level One (Observation) What was the sc

A, B & C or Arnotts, Buskers & (more) Christmas Windows.

whisty — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:57:27 +0000

Dublin was chilly and bright today, I walked into town along Baggott Street which is still pretty, e

I Don't Think I'll Make It

Karen McKibbin — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:49:58 +0000

I recently overhead two elderly ladies chatting by the bus stop outside The Guildhall. One was waiting for the Number 5 bus, the other was a Thaxted resident who was walking past and stopped for a chat. I couldn’t quite hear where the lady waiting for the bus was from – the next village I think – but she said, quite proudly, that she had lived there for 30 years. Her friend chuckled and replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes, “You can only say you’re from Thaxted when you’ve lived here for 60 years.”

I started calculating. Ok, so I’ve now lived in Thaxted for four months. If I add on another 59 years and 8 months … … Oh dear, it doesn’t look as if I’ll make it.