Tuesday, July 3, 2007

PIZZA FOR THE HOMELESS

I meant to blog on this back in May, but it slipped through the cracks. It turns out that, for one man, a death row sentence doesn't always equate to anger and bitterness. For one guy, who has since been executed, kindess was what he wanted to give for his last meal. Check it out:
Philip Workman, 53, requested that his final meal be a vegetarian pizza donated to any homeless person located near Riverbend Maximum Security Institution.

....

But prison officials refused to honor his request, saying that they do not donate to charities.
That apparently upset a few people willing to pay for and deliver a lot of pies themselves.

....

Donna Spangler heard about Workman's request and immediately called her friends. They all pitched in for the $1,200 bill to buy 150 pizzas, which they sent to the Rescue Mission.

"Philip Workman was trying to do a good deed and no one would help him," said the 55-year-old who recruited a co-worker to help her make the massive delivery Wednesday evening.

"I knew my husband would have a heart attack -- I put some of it on the credit card. But I thought we'll find a way to pay for them later," she said. "I just felt like I had to do something positive."


That came from [http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/09/execution.pizza/index.html|a May 10, 2007 article] at CNN.com.

Pretty fuckin' cool, huh? I always feel like the most important thing you can do is leave something positive behind when you go. This guy has changed the world in a tiny way, but he has changed it none the less. Philip Workman may have been on death row, but after his death he'll be remembered a bit more positively.

By the way, Workman was on death row for killing a cop during a robbery he committed in order to score some cash to fed his cocaine addiction.

Yeah, a wish pizzas for the poverty-stricken can't undo a cop's murder, but shouldn't it at least earn him our forgiveness now that he's dead?

I think so. Color me soft on crime if you want.

DAS EXPERIMENT (2001)

[asin: B00009AVA8]
Positive Experience/Entertaining? WOW, was it ever! Incredibly good, powerful, solid, entertaining and very thought provoking.


Technically any good? While I would have done a couple things differently, generally speaking the film is very well put together. The acting is very believable, the story and script are also solid and the music, while intrusive almost everywhere it shows up, was not bad music. I just feel that the film should have been music-free entirely. Also, there are these glasses that have no real purpose, ultimately. Still, for it's incredibly minor flaws, this film is very good. Oh yeah, and the direction was transparent--the way it should always be.


How did it leave me feeling? Like humans are dark, scary things. It was very interesting to watch these characters (on both sides) descend from civilized people into virtual barbarians. I'd love to see an English-language remake of this film with big Hollywood stars because the story would tear them down so that we'd totally forget that they were stars.


Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now - based on a real life experiment (that didn't go as far, thank God) this film is a powerful cautionary tale that one could easily see as a mirror to our society.

BUSH ACTING ALL KINGY

By now you've heard that Bush pussy-pardoned Libby in the Plamegate case. The dude was found guilty of leaking, yet the Bush Admin doesn't seem to mind this leak. Anyway, here's is what Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said in response to Libby skipping his jail time:
Fitzgerald said in a statement that Libby was sentenced under the same laws as other criminals. He also said "It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals."


Yeah, good luck with that whole "equal" thing. America may be a country that claims "all men are created equal" but after that creation? All bets are off.


Suddenly? You parents, their ethnicity, income and social class all determine whether you'll be a Scooter Libby or a Rodney King.


Scooter should drop what he's doing and thank his parents for being white, rich and horny.



http://www.koin.com/Global/story.asp?S=6740514

OUR WAY OF LIFE IS HURTING OTHERS

Turns out that the Western World (you know, us rich folks) are making it harder for developing nations to, well, develop. It seems our very way of life is causing the problem. Here's a cutting:
Rockstroem said that as wealthy countries increase consumption they also increase their exploitation of the world's natural resources, and in turn emit more greenhouse gases.

That ultimately speeds up the desertification of sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the world.


Weee, so not only do we exploit workers in other countries, but we also harm the environment. Gotta love that capitalism!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/climatedevelopment http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/07/01/2217/

Monday, July 2, 2007

Project365 day 182




Project365 day 182 2007 07 02, originally uploaded by thepetecom.



Sometimes, this is the best I can do. :(

STUDENT PERSONALLY ADMONISHES BUSH

Check it out: Kid with spine equals awkward moment for Bush. Seems a kid had the balls to hand a letter slamming torture directly to Bush while Bush was handing him an award. You go, kid! Too bad Bush will just claim he's not torturing anyone and continue torturing people.


http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/06/30/presidential_scholar_confronts_the_president/

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/06/30/2209/

UPDATE: I just listened to the coverage of this story from DemocracyNow.org and it turns out that something like 50 students all signed a letter that this one kid handed to Bush, who then read the letter right there in front of her.

KICK ASS.

BUSH TOO HALF-ASSED TO JUST PARDON LIBBY

So, I'm at work and I hit the MSNBC.com to discover the breaking news. Bush has commuted Scotter Libby's sentence. Libby will still have to pay the fine but he won't have to do the time--a whopping (measley) 2.5 years.

My question is: Why didn't Bush just pardon the guy?

I'm not endorsing a pardon or any other form of "letting Libby get away with it" but we all know what's going on here. What? Was Bush just worried how it would look if he pardoned Scooter?

When is the Bush Administration going to stop pretending we don't know what's going on?

SiCKO (2007)

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Wow--definitely positive in that it taught me a few things I hadn't known before, but depressing otherwise. How can a movie like this not be depressing?


Technically any good? While the film does employ typical Michael-Moore-style tactics (using slight-of-hand editing and delivering only content that meets your agenda) the facts that the film presents are pretty unassailable. This film is taking some criticism for "not presenting both sides" of the health care debate, but I have to ask: "What's the other side of people deserving quality health care?"

So, while it's not perfect (as with all other Michael Moore films) it still presents some important, thought-provoking content (as with all other Michael Moore films). I could have done without Moore's patronizing voice-over. How about dropping the holier-than-thou act, Mike?


How did it leave me feeling? Depressed and honestly interested in leaving the country in search of better (read: FREE) health care. I seriously don't see the argument for keeping health care costing us. Other countries can do it, why can't we? I thought America was the best country in the world. Not when it comes to health care, that's for sure.


Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now - This is an important movie and I think everyone should see it. I don't think anyone can say that the people in the movie should go without free health care--especially the 911 workers.

MEDIA FAIRNESS BILL BLOWN AWAY

Hey, did you know there used to be a law forcing news shows to present both sides to every news story? It's true--it was done away with during the Regan years (big surprise). In a world where our media practically rolled a red carpet from the US directly into Iraq and Afghanistan for the US military to march down, you'd think a bill reintroducing this law would be something the American people would want. Too bad our "leaders" don't.


http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/fairness-doctrine-hammered-309-115-2007-06-28.html

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/06/29/2191/

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Project365 day 181




Project365 day 181 2007 07 01, originally uploaded by thepetecom.



Me my cat Ecks! He and I have been together longer than my wife and I! Good old Ecks!!