GIANT. FUCKING. ROBOTS.

um... i think my head may explode.

(transformers)

down in disturbia

down in the valley is a peculiar movie. it's a quietly disturbing film about a delusional man who believes he's a cowboy, that starts a relationship with a bored but rebellious teenage girl. i never heard of this movie until i saw the trailer for it online and to be honest, i'm not surprised i missed the movie's release.

it's an interesting movie for sure, and it moves in slow gradations, building on scene after scene until the plot comes to a slow boil about two-thirds the way through, to slowly limp to its finish. it's definitely not for mass audiences, because it's not a thriller nor is it a love story. it's more of a character portrait the way taxi driver is, and like that film, down in the valley's climax doesn't really make it worthwhile to sit through the film a second time. the film actually pays homage to taxi driver's infamous "are you talking to me?" scene, but this makes sense once you find out how much of a film buff the guy is.

it is, however, interesting in terms of how it portrays this urban cowboy. at first, you don't really know what to make of him, because he comes across as a naive guy. but you slowly get a broader picture of him as you start to learn about his fascination with guns, cowboy movies and basically playing cowboys and indians in his living room... by himself. what i really liked about this film is that two-thirds the way through, the plot effectively sets aside the love interest in favor of showing the relationship he kindles with the girl's younger brother.

another movie i've come across is disturbia (which is a horrible title for a movie). i sort of wandered into this movie not expecting anything, and was pleasantly surprised. i thought it would be your typical silly thriller, but it turned out to be quite entertaining.

the plot involves a kid who is sentenced to house arrest after punching his spanish teacher. he has slowly wandered down a troubled path ever since the death of his father. he spends his days playing video games, making twinkie mountains, and spying on neighbors. his boredom leads him to get pretty involved in the lives of his neighbors through his binoculars. one such neighbor is the girl next door, who's brought in as the resident hottie. as the days progress, he starts to think one of his neighbors is a serial killer, and he jokingly starts to investigate him, only to become a serious target.

the film is interesting in that the first hour, you barely notice that it's a thriller. it's basically about developing the protagonist as a flesh and blood, three dimensional person. normally thrillers don't take time to do such things, because they're usually more involved with playing out the formula than anything else. what you get is a movie where this teenager is actually quite bright, funny, troubled, curious, horny... basically a complex kid like most teenagers. by the time the movie starts getting into the thriller formula, it's basically already an hour into the movie, which i thought was brilliant.

there are some actual scary moments in the film, but i suppose it would have had more effect on me if it weren't for the three girls sitting behind me whose shrieks and giggles were a precursor to the scares. still, i was entertained, and the writing was actually pretty good. even the goofy asian sidekick didn't annoy me like i thought he would.

heaping spoonful of shit

the conservative government in canada is claiming that in order to meet the kyoto protocols, they would have to manufacture a recession. they claim that it would result in the doubling of natural gas costs, electricity would rise 50%, gasoline would cost over $1.60 a litre, and 275,000 canadians would lose their jobs.

now, to be fair, there has been fear-mongering on both sides of the global warming debate, but the the difference is that global warming is a real and present danger. whereas the conservative number crunching seems manufactured. it reaks of greed and desperation and i'm calling bull shit on this one.

they're influencing the numbers by omitting all the benefits of a shift in business and political thought. they're omitting how many new jobs will be created by new industries, how the trend is to go towards green economics and how beneficial it would be for canada to be ahead of the curve, at the forefront of new and innovative technologies, not to mention all the benefits of real conservation if the government actually had the balls to enforce anything.

this whole scam reaks in a really bad way. the conservatives are not serious about global warming. what they fail to understand is that we'll eventually pay, both economically and environmentally; the longer we wait, the more we'll have to pay. it may hurt in the short run, but we'll be better off for it.

the conservative government is actually trying to get canadians to swallow this shit. and i'm not talking a little bit; i'm talking about heaping spoonfuls of it. open up and say "aaaahhhhhh...." mmm... you taste that? that tangy taste there was the corn you had last night, mixed in with your intelligence and common sense. eat it.

(source)

get your fat ass off the couch

get ready to kiss your ass goodbye. at least, if you're a realist, that's what it's going to come down to. i'm not talking about the glass being half full or even half empty. i'm talking about how once you drink what's left in the glass... there's no more.

global warming is something that i've been rambling about for a while now and will most likely not cease. after all, it is such a well of inspiration... at leat until the gamma rays scorch the earth and turn every single human being into burnt toast. spring break in december? why not? it's hot out and the girls wear less. it's a win, win situation, yes?

sure, i may be using hyperbole, but global warming is a serious threat. but is it so serious that only the government can stop it? the following is a clip from last friday's bill maher. i have to say that i do agree with maher when it comes to the government. only the government will be able to fix this and that will only happen when the people force them to. it's all about the power of the people. now, if only we can get our fat asses off the couch.

yahoo

geraldo rivera and bill o'reilly are arguing about something. what are they arguing about? who cares. somebody should give those two some nerf bats. fox news... fair and balanced.

entourage: a lifestyle is a terrible thing to waste

entourage is back, and it couldn't have been at a better time. well, actually, they could have given it to us six months ago, but that's a minor complaint now that the premier of the second half of the third season is happening on april 8th at 10 pm.

for those of you who have been living under a rock, entourage is about four friends making their lives in hollywood, dealing with expensive clothes, expensive women, and fame. the first half of season 3 ended six months ago on a cliff hanger, with super agent ari gold being fired. then the show went into hiatus with the intent of airing right after the sopranos, which is in its final season. the reason for doing this was presumably to give entourage a boost in ratings and viewership, and since the sopranos is the last of hbo's flagship shows to sail off into the horizon, hbo is sort of hurting for material. the channel once applauded for original television is now suffering a bit of a lull. in order to return to glory, hbo will have to start taking more chances again, really push the envelope, considering regular networks like nbc are already doing it with shows like heroes, which, by the way, is the second best show on tv.

the good news is that entourage is better than ever. and according to the advanced previews, it looks like they've kept the show just as amazing as ever, full of beautiful girls, witty writing, and still no real responsibility, the show is every guy's wet dream. despite it being very much a guy's show, i've yet to come across a woman who doesn't love it also.

fame. it's more fun with your friends.

season 3 sneak preview:

season 3 backstage footage of vince's birthday:

generation y give a shit?

there's nothing more depressing than getting up to go to work when it's still dark outside, and then getting off work... and it's still dark outside. during the winter, if you work a 9-5 job, chances are, you missed the day. in my case, it's even worse because i work 10 hour days, so it wasn't until last saturday that i could finally still see daylight when i got off work. the streets were bathed with this eerie, sundown glow where everything was golden, from the buildings to the streets to the cars. it's then that it occurred to me more than ever, that working in a cubicle for 10 hours a day isn't right.

humans weren't meant to live this way.

it's no wonder that a generation of people, my generation, those on the tail end of so-called generation x, a generation possibly even more vacuous and directionless than those who were firmly at the heart of generation x in the 1990's, are basically going nuts. we're freaking out, having mid-life crisis before we're thirty. some of us even still live with our parents, while others return to school in a vain attempt to escape our failures in the working world. it's a mad, mad world out there, and we don't want any part of it. it's just easier to stay at home, play xbox and masturbate.

of course i'm generalizing here, but you get my drift: live to work, work to live. but where's the living? somewhere along the line that part of the equation got lost. it's more like live to work, work to exist. to eat. but existence isn't living. existence is just taking up space.

and what is there to look forward to? an existence of botox injections and organic consumption? is that what our claim to fame is going to be? to be proud that we eat organic food when in reality the types of toxins in every day life, in your home, in the atmosphere, in your clothes sort of negates anything you do? sure, that person who works out all the time and always eats organic foods may be in better shape than you, but does it mean they'll live longer than you because you eat genetically modified foods (the vast majority of foods these days)? hardly. trust me... in the end, the worms aren't going to care what you put into your body. dead meat is dead meat. and does it mean they're less toxic than you? if they live in a major urban centre, they're walking toxic bags of flesh just like you. the good thing, is our bodies have adapted and despite all of that, we still live longer than we used to.

sixty years ago, that generation beat hitler. the boomers after that lived through the cold war and beat the soviet union. the bulk of generation x... well, they sort of existed and are now only reaping most of the benefits of what the boomers paved the way for. plus, they had that movie, reality bites. you know, the one where ethan hawke is a bum and ben stiller was just starting to annoy the shit out of everyone. that movie basically sums up that generation perfectly: overrated. but us? those at the tail end of generation x... those 'twixters' or 'boomer-rang kids' who still live with our parents, or who are still trying to find our way and discover who we are when we're in our late twenties... what is our claim to fame?

is it to defeat terrorism? right. if you believe that we'll defeat terrorism the way were going about it now, you've got delusions, because i'll tell you right now, you don't defeat terrorism with bombs and bullets. yes, you kill flesh and blood terrorists that way, but you don't solve the problem. you kill one terrorist, another three pop up on their place. the only real way to solve it is to chip away at the root causes of terrorism, being social and civil inequalities as just one of many institutional reasons. this is a man-made problem, and one that can be fixed - or more realistically, maintained - just not how we're currently doing it.

what about the environment? are we poised to make the ultimate paradigm shift of this and any other generation when it comes to consumption and the relationship with the earth? it doesn't matter how you look at it, but we only have one earth. whether you believe in global warming or not, we only have one home. and despite what science fiction writers may like to propose, the future of inhabiting other planets is a pipe dream. if we can barely land a rover on mars, the chances of us relocating the human population to another planet is nowhere near remotely possible right now.

so we need to fix what we have. but the problem is, are you sacrificing enough? certainly, sold my car in favor of the bus. i rollerblade to the grocery store, i consume far less than i have in the past by purchasing only what i need, i recycle, i changed all the lights in my apartment to energy efficient ones... but i could probably do more. none of what i have done has hampered my lifestyle any. and there's where the fear is with trying to be environmental... people don't want to give up their lifestyles. but the truth is, if we're going to change things, we need to really sacrifice. that means that buying a fuel efficient car is not something to be proud of if in reality, you can take the bus or bike to work and you just don't want to.

this problem is obviously bigger than the individual. it's something where the excuse of just not wanting to or not feeling like it isn't going to cut it anymore. so our generation has a shot at changing things, or setting a new precedent in the way we think about how we live and consume in our lives. if nothing else, riding a bike to work should help you lose weight, and we all know how much of a concern weight is in our society. look at it this way: you and your granola crunching, organic food loving neighbor will ultimately face the same fate in the end. at least if you're trying to be environmental and riding that bike to work, you'll not only help reduce the dependence on foreign oil, (which helps fight terrorism) but you'll also leave a good looking corpse. and really, that's all that matters to us, isn't it? to just look good doing whatever it is that we're doing.

it may not be as glorifying as taking down the kaiser or knocking off hitler... but at least it's something. it sure beats simply existing.

here is the latest clip of bill maher and the gang discussing global warming and the act of sacrifice:

just a few...

just a few quick personal notes, aside from the doom and gloom politics of this little blue marble we call earth:

i've started a photo blog called scene 3. i'm still working on the format and layout, but basically, it's just a blog with panoramic photos of various scenes i have shot around the city of vancouver like the one included here and as the header at the top of this blog. i'll be updating it periodically whenever i have the time to take photos.

i will be going on a half month road trip with a couple of friends through the united states in mid july that will take me from vancouver, bc, all the way down the pacific coast to san diego. from there, we'll head over to las vegas and spend some time in the desert before going back up through colorado for some hiking and camping, maybe hang out on the bonneville salt flats. the goal on the way down is to behave as beach bums and head on down through places like big sur and santa barbara. apparently my friend knows people that we'll be staying with in san diego who own an actual mansion. i've never been in a mansion. should be interesting. basically, this is the jack kerouac pancake breakfast tour of america that i've always wanted to do.

i will be taking a digital camcorder to shoot some footage. i want it to be more like a personal documentary, but i have a feeling it will just degrade to me and my friends acting like assholes on camera, which is fine by me.

anyway, i will hopefully be posting some great panoramic photos from the trip on my new blog, scene 3. in the next couple of weeks, i have time off work so i'll be able to take more photos of vancouver, not just cityscapes. so check up on it from time to time. any suggestions on the new site would be greatly appreciated.

the iraq war - four years and counting

via onegoodmove

banksy

i'm a fan, no doubt. you can always count on him to do something interesting. long live banksy.

guantanamo bay in disneyland. it's a small world after all.

infidel

ayaan hirsi ali, dutch feminist and political writer, was born into a muslim family in somalia. she escaped her arranged marriage and ended up in the netherlands where she gained notoriety as a vocal opponent to the treatment of women by the religion of islam. she participated in a controversial film with theo van gogh, which was about the subjugation and suffering of muslim women in forced marriages and wife beatings. theo van gogh was murdered by an angry muslim radical as a response and death threats were issued.

she has written a new book called infidel, which is a memoir, and as she goes to promote her book, she continues her criticism against islam. she comes out and says plainly that islam is not a religion of peace. she describes the quran as "not a holy document. it is a historical record, written by humans. . . . and it is a very tribal and arab version of events. it spreads a culture that is brutal, bigoted, fixated on controlling women, and harsh in war."

i haven't read her book, but i've seen many interviews with her and she comes across as a very compelling person to listen to. despite being very soft spoken, it is clear she always says what she believes and believes what she says. one of those beliefs is that islam is not a religion of peace. this is something most people are afraid to say in public due to its lack of any political correctness. sometimes it seems that political correctness tends to stifle what could otherwise be intelligent and interesting debate.

it certainly is a bold and seemingly heart-felt view she has, and after what she's been though, you can't blame her for feeling the way she does. certainly over the last few years, some muslims have been shown to be less than tolerant of any sort of criticism against islam or the prophet mohammed, usually resorting to violence which doesn't help the public perception of islam at all. all this seems to highlight the view that not all religions are the same.

there are some very interesting questions that come about due to all of this, such as whether or not a religion - violent or not - is just what one makes of it? and why does it seem that muslims tend to be more violent than followers of other religions? most muslims don't behave the way they are shown on television, so is it simply a case of media bias? or is there something inherently violent about islam as she implies?

regardless, religions make an already complicated world that much more complicated and harder to live in. and whatever you think of her views, you have to respect how brave and courageous she is. and you have to love the fact that she is free to voice those opinions.

here is a clip of ayaan hirsi ali on real time with bill maher:

blackwater usa

private military contractors are nothing new. they've been around in one form or another since humans have been finding ways to kill each other. because wherever there is war, there are profits. these contractors are basically mercenaries, except with logo branding and better funding. funding from where? well, the united states government.

private military contracting has become a lucrative industry, and it's only gotten bigger as these businesses become corporations. there was heavy activity by mercs in sierra leone and other parts of africa during the 1990's, working primarily as security forces protecting diamond mines and other resources that "belonged" to various corporations. and now, as they've grown in popularity, one of the biggest, blackwater usa, has become quite an issue in iraq.

blackwater usa is one of the companies that the u.s. government has been using to contract out various security details, logistics, as well as other more unsavory missions. although some of these fighters used to be soldiers, they are technically not soldiers anymore, and they're not even police officers; they're a legal quagmire, like so much of what this whole so-called war on terror has produced: from guantanamo bay to blackwater usa.

because they seemingly work without regard to the law, and because these aren't your regular combatants, there is a huge problem if they ever get caught, if they get killed... but as far as the u.s. government is concerned, they are just hired guns. does it matter if they get killed? i guess not. and what of the crimes that they commit? do their victims matter? probably not. at least not in any traditional legal sense, because nothing seems to get logged or recorded statistically and no one gets punished.

what the iraq war is doing is providing some interesting precedence. we have a situation where for the first time, the u.s. government is flagrantly ignoring the geneva conventions, where the u.s. government has taken away the right of habeas corpus from its own citizens no less, where private military personnel are now becoming part of growing corporations with government backing. all this goes to blur the line between combatants and soldiers. i wouldn't be surprised if a whole new crop of international laws come to pass as a reaction to this increasingly murky grey political and legal area.

the problem with the law is that there is hardly any foresight, if ever. you can't legislate what you don't anticipate, and a lot of the times even if you do anticipate it, chances are it doesn't become law until the damage is already done. the law tends to be reactionary more than anything, especially in international law. and most of it is based on previous case studies and laws, as opposed to precedent setting rules. and on top of this, in order for international law to be effective, you need the superpower on board (re: see geneva conventions).

and since the u.s. government is the one allowing this to go on in the first place, chances are pretty slim that they will ever sign on to any international agreement limiting their ability to wage war unless there is a public outcry. because grey armies like blackwater usa are effective both militarily and politically. better they get killed than actual soldiers. the prime example being the difference between the mogadishu incident where u.s. troops got strung up and dragged through the streets versus the blackwater employees enduring the same thing in iraq. if it had been u.s. troops, reaction would have been much more different domestically.

the following is a video from the nation, giving a brief overview of blackwater usa and their activities. it's interesting, and it points out how blackwater usa employees are now operating on the streets in certain u.s. cities, possibly bringing their legal and moral problems onto home soil. blackwater usa seems to be a cut above the rest, not content to simply provide security for corporations and governments overseas and out of bounds of prying eyes. instead, they seem to be actively seeking the domestic market. and who can blame them? there's money to be had.