I’m not fond of comparing the revolutions in the Middle East with the Occupy movement, even though there are some obvious parallels – The reason being that in any comparison, the occupy movement comes off as a weaker, diluted cousin. The stakes are lower, the motive is lesser, and the majority of the people involved in the occupy movement are far more privileged.

That said, the fact that there are any parallels at all between the way the American government and the governments of corrupt dictatorships in the Middle East are treating citizens exercising free speech… that speaks volumes. So to all the people around the world who are fighting peacefully for what they believe is right, I say, hold on. Keep fighting. You are not alone. The fight is worthwhile. We believe in you.

This is possibly the most important video on marijuana legalization I have ever seen, or will ever see (outside of the notification that marijuana has been legalized – if that day comes in my lifetime).
I don’t care if you link back to my site, I don’t care if you tell people whose blog you found this on, just show people this video.
Lawrence O’Donnell, former chief of Staff for the Senate Finance Committee, on MSNBC, has something to say. I urge you to listen.

For those who can’t see the video above, here’s the link: http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_zak_trust_morality_and_oxytocin.html

Generally speaking I admire Penn Jillette for a couple of reasons. The one I admire him most for is his uncompromising and well-reasoned world-view (although we definitely disagree on some subjects). Here he is, making more of his thought-process and wisdom available. This time, it’s on religion, politicians, and religious behavior of elected officials.

I am sooooo…. glad…. It’s OVER! No more tests for a while, no more stuffing my brain with homework on the side…

On the other hand, I’m so looking forward to starting up again… SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE OUT THERE…

I feel like the guy from that Twilight Zone episode did, right before he broke his glasses.

Yeah, that guy.

I said BEFORE he broke his glasses. Jesus.

I’ve seen so much that I’ve wanted to show you all… I don’t know where to start. I’ve been building up since about mid-quarter, but school and homework (and my boyfriend ^^) came first.

So to start off, a little something on maturity.

http://www.viruscomix.com/gotes.jpg

I love the fact that whoever did this captured everyone at their best and worst… Maybe these should be renamed Barnum goats.

http://www.3steg.com/images/stories/super_human_expirence.gif

Talk about timing. That right there is something I can only admire… as long as it isn’t shooped, which it most likely is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirpan

That up there is about the only reason I can think of to become affiliated with a religion, even though I couldn’t actually believe in it. Being allowed to carry that bowie-esque sonuvabitch any-damn-where I want in public? and it’s my religious freedom, so law be damned? Freakin’ sweet.

Lastly, a little something to make up for that remark, because really, I promise I wouldn’t sell out my principles for a knife (unless it was Excalibur and the zombie apocalypse was at hand, at which point my principles would have a fire sale – you still wouldn’t be able to make me believe, but I’d say any damn thing you wanted to get my hands on a magic sword if evil undead were on the horizon).

http://lolgod.blogspot.com/2010/05/this-is-not-difficult-concept.html

So there ya go. I’m still Arthur from the block, or whatever.

See y’all soon!

For those of you who don’t know, Skins is an insanely popular British T.V. show televised on the U.K.’s channel E4. It follows the lives of a group of high-school aged teens as they love, hate, party, and all the rest – think Degrassi done by Larry Clark. It’s dark, twisted, fun, and brutally honest in a lot of ways.

I think  one of the problems I have with the American version is that it lacks that brutal, honest feel. It  isn’t that the source material is being almost word for word copied (which is bad enough, in my opinion), or even that they’re dumbing it down all the same for American audiences (the bedspread below is from the U.K. – the new version has some stupid abstract design. BOOOORING) – It’s that the combination of dumbing down, ripping off, and miscasting have dulled the dark, brilliant edge that made this show like nothing else. The cinematography (from what I can tell, which isn’t much,  in all fairness) ain’t much to write home about either.

Original Tony's bedspread - accept no substitutes

The Original Skins Cast - Cute, But Real.

Skins U.S. - So hot they're ugly

And I have it from an online source that the American analog for the gay boy in the series is going to be *sigh* you guessed it, a lesbian. Who -get this- is a cheerleader. *speechlessness ensues*

I think what got me really were the casting choices, though.  I mean, casting a lesbian role instead of a male gay role… well, that pisses me off and it’s exclusionary, but I don’t know that I’d expect any different from a U.S. television company. The problem goes beyond that, though – the guys are hunks, the girls are impossibly thin and pretty, and that alone makes the show uninteresting, both visually and aesthetically. It’s pandering MTV crap.

As a comparison, an American show I really love is Glee (broadcast by Fox, no less. *shudders*) One of the reasons I like Glee is for the specific reason that although the kids are all actually adults, and are very attractive in their own way, the cast as a whole is pretty, i dunno, average looking. They don’t look like they stepped off of a GQ cover. They look real, fer gossake. They look like high-school students.

As far as the American version of Skins, as much as I like(d) the original, I’d rather watch The Office – I’d actually cringe less.

Television High School - UR doin it rite.

Q: [The author] asks, “How long are we going to keep passively selling our own and our children’s souls to keep Madison Avenue on Easy Street?” (sic) Do you agree or disagree with Mayer’s contention that television has had a largely negative effect on our children and families? Write a paragraph in which you defend one of the following statements: “I believe TV is generally a harmful influence on children and families” or “I believe TV is not all that bad for children and families.” Use specific examples to support your argument.

pictured: your childhood dying.

So this is what I came up with:

I believe TV is not all that bad for children and families. To say it were would be to cast aspersions on such folk as Wilde, Marlowe, and Shakespeare. Television is nothing more than a technologically advanced version of the playhouse where Will Kemp and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men did strut and fret their weary hours. Television is a storytelling medium, with a rich history stretching back as far as language itself. Even when the stories are not strictly educational, still they can teach, in their finer moments, about the underlying truths of humanity – teaching us that we are not alone in the darkness. Television can remind us that there are others like us, laughing, crying, and courageous, sharing with us the rich tapestry that is life – a far better purpose than mere entertainment.

pictured: art.

So what would you do differently? ^^ I’d like to know.