Jack's Complete Lack of Surprise

Se7en

2008-02-22T22:45:00.000-08:00

Why is it that every time I watch this film I always find that the most disturbing thing is that the credits roll backwards...

Kangaroo Court

2007-01-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

A recent exchange with my client on the record, in open court.

Jack, Esq., Defender of Freedom delivers his first question:

"Sir, do you believe you suffer from a Mental Illness?"

Response: "Fuck you!"

Ok...I guess I'll take that as a 'no', but I'm sure the judge took it as a 'yes'. Sigh...Do I really need to call these people as witnesses to properly defend them? As you ponder that question here is a another exchange.

Jack: "Could you explain the delusions the doctor referred to?" (I didn't even want to ask that, but client wanted me to and it was going to come out on cross anyway.)

Client: "I know it sounds crazy, but CBS corp.* is really hacking my computer and bugging my house."

You're right it does sound crazy.

*Note to CBS's attorneys - CBS Corp. to my knowledge did not actually partake in any of this activity, this is being told for entertainment purposes only and could in fact have been another one of the major networks. I fully enjoy CBS and their wonderful programing.

PS please don't sue me.

Regards,

The Management

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

2006-11-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

I recently started a new job and part of that job is representing people who have been civilly Committed. Basically someone goes off their meds and goes a bit "nuts" (yes, we use very technical terms) and they get put into a hospital where they refuse to take the meds and want to be released. Enter Jack, Esq., Defender of Freedom. (Yeah, it scares me too). So there they are being held in the loony bin (actually, it's the "Behavioral Health Center", because it's the behavior that's wrong with them, not that their off their fucking rocker) and it is up to me to tell their story. And boy can they tell a story (except for the ones that are catatonic and drooling (no they are not on meds, that's their normal state)).

This gets me to tell you about something I learned today reading the DSM-IV (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition, for those of you not cool enough to be in the know). Apparently, there is a difference between a "nonbizarre delusion" and a "bizarre delusion", you would figure that all delusions would be bizarre but not true, not true! Nonbizarre delusions, are your boring, run-of-the-mill delusions, like the police have bugged my house, basically they could happen (and are more likely under this Administration). Your bizarre delusions are the really fun ones as the DSM gives an example "a person's belief that a stranger has removed his or her internal organs and has replaced them with someone else's organs without leaving any wounds or scars."

So basically what I'm saying is that I need to get a badge issued to me cause they could so lock me up with me protesting that "I'm an attorney! I'm not crazy!" and I would completely fit the bill of someone meant for a padded room.

Married with Children

2006-06-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

No, not me, it hasn't been that long since I updated. I'm talking about other people and their children. Specifically, about how people assume that their lives are more important then yours because they have children. This does come from a good impulse to put your kid at the center of your world, but notice the key word in that sentence "your", as in not mine.

Some examples of this over the top behavior are the parents ignoring their children screaming at a restaurant with no concern for anyone else, or, my personal favorite, taking your 8 month old kid to the latest R rated movie at 11 at night. However, today I witnessed something completely over the top.

There I was in my car, "driving" (read: crawling, as in snail's pace) in a parking lot because there was a mother and her young child in directly in front of me. Now your thinking "that's not so bad, the mother was driving slowly to keep her kid safe, if only more people would drive like that." The problem was she WASN'T IN A CAR. That's right she was pushing her child IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE instead of off to the side so I could, you know, FUCKING GO AROUND HER!

Man, I fucking hate people...

I'm going to set up a direct deposit for Lucas

2006-05-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

In an effort to continually take my money, Lucasfilm is releasing the Original theatrical version of the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD. This means the original, un-fucked around with version and, of course, I have to have it. I own so many God damned copies of this thing already (from a quick count I believe it is 4, which will make this number 5). Just ridiculous, however the more ridiculous thing is that I will continue to buy it and they know it. There is also talk of releasing Star Wars again in the theaters IN 3D!!! (yeah you have to do the voice to get the proper effect).

So there you have it more of my money going straight into George's pocket, and I'll even say "thank you". (At least now I have a paycheck so I can buy shit like this).

Ed: Yeah it's been a while since I posted...Deal with it.

Jack, Esq.

2005-11-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

'nough said

Hockey Update

2005-10-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

After watching OLN's coverage I wrote this e-mail:

To Whom it May Concern:

I have say that I was skeptical when I heard that OLN was covering
hockey. However, being a fan I was hoping for the best. I sorry to say
I was very disappointed. When you got the contract did you bother
hiring people that had covered a hockey game before. The camera is too
zoomed in to get a sense of the whole game. As a result, the camera is
being jolted back and forth, thus making the game unwatchable and
myself nauseous.

Hockey Rules!

2005-10-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

So, I've been watching hockey for about 6 hours straight. God I missed this sport. Anyway, here is my take on the rule changes. I think for the most part it greatly improves the game. It makes it more exciting if that was possilbe. No two line passes, faster clearing for offsides all equal more scoring opportunities. (I don't like that my Kings lost after being ahead 4-0 after the first period). However, I thought that there were way too many penalties called. Wheather this was a matter of the new rules or just people adjusting to the new rules is a quesiton.

To sum up...Hockey kicks ass and it felt like Christmas to me. Does anyone else care?

Done and Done!

2005-07-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

"We have normality. I repeat, we have normality. Anything that you are still can't cope with is therefore your own problem."

Every Day is Exactly the Same

2005-07-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

I believe I can see the future
Because I repeat the same routine
I think I used to have a purpose
And then again that might have been a dream
I think I used to have a voice
Now i never make a sound
I just do what I've been told
I really don't want them to come around oh no

Everyday is exactly the same
Everyday is exactly the same
There is no love here and there is no pain
Everyday is exactly the same

I can feel thier eyes are watching
In case I loose myself again
Sometimes I think I'm happy here
Sometimes I still pretend
I can't remember how this got started
But I can tell you exactly how it will end

Everyday is exactly the same
Everyday is exactly the same
There is no love here and there is no pain
Everyday is exactly the same

-Nine Inch Nails, "Every Day is Exactly the Same"

Deep Throat

2005-06-01T00:07:00.000-07:00

Not not that one. The identity of 'Deep Throat' has finally been reveiled after 30 years. For those who do not know their history (or news), Deep Throat was a key informant that Woodward and Bernstien used to bring to light the break in at the Watergate Hotel, which eventually lead to the resignation of President Nixon. Here is the story.

"Forgive me Father for I have Sinned..."

2005-05-31T00:10:00.000-07:00

I came across this very interesting site via the NY Times today. It is PostSecret, which is a really fascinating blog. The gist of it is, this artist has asked people to mail in anonymous confessions in the form of decorative postcards, which he then posts every week on his blog. I have to say it is very interesting to see the results. They seem to range from teenage angst with suicidal thoughts, to sexual fantasies, to mid-life crises, to sagely wisdom about life. The goal is for the artist to put together a montage of all of them and publish a book. Now that is what I call art.

"All work and no play make Jack a dull boy."

2005-05-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

Something happened...or rather didn't happen...I should be on vacation. I've completed my educational odyssey after 20 years. I should be celebrating, no more school coupled with the hardest 3 years of my life. I'm graduating from law school on Saturday, yet the only thing I can say about it is that it will be my first break in a week and a half. This is all because I've started studying for the bar. The next two months will be absolute hell, I thought nothing could be worse than 1L, but I was wrong.

The breakdown is like this, class for 4 hours and then study for 6-8 hours per day. The only breaks that I'm allowing myself to have are to eat, exercise, and sleep. If it was up to the people in charge of the program it would probably be only limited to sleep, eating would be limited to IV fluid and exercise is gotten by your eyes moving while reading, turning the page, and writing. Thus, two thing are for certain based on this:

1) My brain will be completely fried.
2) I will be in excellent shape, since exercising will be my only reprieve.

2 months of this, then I'll be free to work at a job that requires exactly the same amount of time and effort...something to look forward to...oh god...well, at least I'll get paid for that.

Just 12 more hours to go

2005-05-12T23:31:00.000-07:00

To all those who say I should post more I say "Fuck off, I've been busy"

I am Jack's One Year Anniversary

2005-04-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right I started this blog exactly one year ago. Originally, it was really a procrastination for finals, but I've kept it up much to my own surprise. Recently I read some of my older posts and I must say that I enjoyed what I read, but perhaps I am a little biased. I quite like having my own little place in cyberspace and I want to thank all of those that contributed comments. If it weren't for you I'd just be talking to myself. My theory for blogging is that you have to write it as if there were someone out there that will actually read it. So thank you for making it a little easier. I'm going to be a little busy for a couple months but I will keep trying to update. I do have a post that I've been meaning to write for awhile. For now, that is all.

Cell Phone Update

2005-04-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

"Why in the world would you think your (cell) phone would work in your house?" he (CEO of Verison Wireless) said "The customer has come to expect so much. They want it to work in the elevator, they want it to work in the basement."

Right...just like I said.

"The Man-Date"

2005-04-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

I found this article on my newest addition to my blog, fark.com. (Which is a great site for random links throughout the web.) *Pauses a few minutes so people can read the article* But since no one ever does...basically the article discusses with stigma that straight men feel in going out with their male friends one-on-one, in a non-sports and non-business setting. Some of the men fear that people will assume that they are gay on a date with another gay man and how this is a recent phenomena. Men used to socialize together all the time and there was never a problem with it at all. I find this a very interest societal development, that men can no longer share the company of each other without it being perceived as a "couple". I ask the men who read this, or the straight ones at least, if they find the same thing ringing true in their lives.

Now I think it is easy to dismiss this as a logical extension of homophobia, while I think that is what drives a lot of men to avoid this contact, I think there is more to it than that. Perhaps what people are really afraid of is being judged by other's unfairly. I consider myself a very enlightened and liberal person, especially in matters of sexuality. I have been described by people who know me as "the gayest straight man they know". I take this as a complement, but I also do not want people to think I am gay...not that there's anything wrong with that (sorry had to do the Seinfeld reference).

The logic of this point goes something like this. I don't want to be perceived as something that I'm not. If I behave in such a way that does not conform to how a straight male should act then I am perceived as gay. Because I appear gay to someone then they also attribute all of the stereotypes and prejudices to me as well. I am not gay, but I have been judged by someone else as being something that I am not. To put it another way, it is not a homophobic reaction on my part for not wanting to be perceived as gay, rather it is me saying "why do you assume that I am? Why can't I act in a way that is contrary to yours and society's perception of how I should act and not have a label put on me?"

Perhaps I have delusions of grandeur but I like to hold myself out as an example to other men who feel that they have to act in a certain way or be perceived as homosexual. I feel that many of the traits that men exhibit are not innate but rather taught to us by fathers, coaches, and others. That men cannot show emotion, must treat women as objects to conquer, please insert any other characteristically male trait. There is no reason men need to act like this and they as individuals and we as a society would be far better off if they didn't.

But maybe I just want to have a nice candlelit dinner with my straight friend and share a bottle of wine.

Cell Phones

2005-04-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

Anyone has spoken to me probably knows that I have a deep resentment of cell phones. It's not so much a resentment towards cell phones but rather the general idea that most people have is that they should work all the time and can not live without them. People complain about not getting reception and getting calls cut off. Somehow they just don't think something like that should happen. Maybe it shouldn't but the technology is not up to par just yet (or perhaps its the fact that we went with a different technology then the Europeans did). The point is people should realize that they do not work all the time and thus not have an expectation that they will.

However, this is a complete tangent to what I really wanted to talk about. Included in the many things I don't like about cell phones is the voice mail itself. Why is it necessary to have instructions on the voice mail "if you would like to leave a message, please wait for the tone." This comes after the personalized message of the person you are calling, and always seems to be the same woman's voice. Who decided that we as a society needed instructions on how to leave a fucking message! Oh you mean I'm leaving a message? And I have to wait for the tone? And I can leave my call back number even though the person's phone 9 times out of 10 will have a missed call listed on their phone anyway? We don't have instructions on home phones, other than the one you yourself put on their. Why is it that cell phones are completely different in that respect.

"If only we had their numbers..."

2005-03-29T09:08:00.000-08:00

Just in case you were worried about Religion being trivialized in our secular modern 21st century, those crazy Christians have done more damage on their own. No I'm not talking about the hypocrisy of the Christian Right in the Schiavo case. Nor am I talking about the fact that the church celebrates Easter on a different day each year, since the day is based off of the Lunar calendar which determined the pagan Spring festival. I am talking about the brand new amusement park...wait for it...Holyland. This only furthers my argument that I had over the weekend that Religion is really just a way of taking advantage of people in order to sell a product.

(Bonus points for the one who gets the reference in the title, I'll post a hint if people have trouble.)

Bart's Blackboard

2005-03-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

Found a fantasic list of everything Bart has every written on the blackboard on the Simpsons, Ever. Some highlights, one from each season.

1. "I will not yell "Fire" in a crowded classroom"
2. "I will not cut corners" (Repeated for 3 episodes in a row).
3. "Funny noises are not funny"
4. "This punishment is not boring and pointless"
5. "All work and no play makes Bart a dull boy" (points to those who know the reference).
6. (tie) "I will not mock Mrs. Dumbface" and "Cursive writing does not mean what I think it does"
7. "I will stop talking about the twelve inch pianist"
8. "I did not learn everything I need to know in kindergarten"
9. "I no longer want my MTV"
10. "It does not suck to be you"
11. "I won't not use no double negatives"

For the complete list

Glorifying shit jobs

2005-03-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

Something I've been thinking about, do we Glorify some shit jobs? Firefighters, cops, teachers can all be considered Heroes. But the cynic in me wonders whether we just say that to "dupe" people into doing those jobs that no one else wants to do. Even my own job can be considered noble, but I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I don't get paid anything, I deal with horrible people that are living in a terrible situation, and I have to listen to all their stories. I have to deal with the emotional baggage of my job on a daily basis, but everyone says, "wow that's a really great cause!" Sure...I guess, but are they really saying "That's a good cause that I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole, I'm glad you're doing it so I don't have to."

This can apply to the previously mentioned professions as well. I would never want to be a cop or fireman and I'm guessing most of us wouldn't either. The people who do might think that they want to make a different and "be a hero". And that is fine, good for them. I'm not saying that's a bad thing but my question is how much of this attitude is constructed by our society? Do we as a society need to say that they are heros just so that we can have a constant supply of people doing those types of jobs?

Are you the bereaved?

2005-02-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, I totally stole this from a message board, but I thought it was a worthy topic. The question:

What Song/Album would you commit suicide to?

Yeah I know it's kind of a depressing topic but it was very interesting. There are many things to take into account. It's different from what is your favorite album because it being the last one you hear makes it special, it is also possible that you would want to say something with your last selection. Perhaps you might want something that would put you in the mood, so to speak. I cheated (because I can) so I have a couple of selections, both Rock and Classical.

I must say that I had a really hard time picking some of these, I guess I thought I listened to more depressing music than I really do.

Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile - both discs ending with the song "Ripe (with Decay)"

Pink Floyd - The Wall

And being cliche, but unable to make an argument against it...
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

As for the ones that the rest of you don't know, I found these much more easy to pick. I debated about whether or not to include explanations with them, but I did. If any of you would like to experience the music first and later hear the explanation I'd advise you to skip the explanation. Enough stalling:

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique" - Tchaikovsky's last three Symphonies all deal with Fate and a person's reaction to Fate. In the 4th, there is a triumph over Fate. The 5th describes acceptance of Fate. His final 6th Symphony is a battle against Fate that you do not win. The result being that you can not escape and you are doomed to your fate

Mahler - Symphony No. 9 - Mahler became one of my favorite composers and this Symphony was the first piece I heard by him and it is still my favorite. This piece is interesting from a purely historical/technical standpoint but I'll leave that lesson for another day. If the 4th movement isn't enough to depress you, perhaps this fact will. While he was writing this Symphony his daughter died, if that wasn't enough, Mahler was diagnosed with a heart condition so he knew that he was going to die.

And finally, the piece I feel most justified in putting here, because if I was actually going to do it, this would be the one that would be playing...

Barber - Adagio for Strings - Simply...Hands down the most depressing and beautiful song I've ever heard.

Just a disclaimer, this was not written in contemplation of anything, this is not a cry for help, it is only a way of writing about music that I love. Now discuss, and please post your picks as well

And the Oscar Goes to...

2005-02-27T22:14:00.000-08:00

Well I watched the Academy Awards tonight, so I thought I'd post my thoughts on it. Honestly, not my favorite year for movies, granted I haven't seen all of them, but I've seen a fair amount. I just think that what I did see was only "ok" or "good", maybe it was even more of a I-realize-why-some-people-would-like-them-but-I-personally-wasn't-blown-away-type movies. That being said I think I have to see Million Dollar Baby, although the end was spoiled by something I read in the most unexpected of places, but I digress.

As for the show itself, I was actually really impressed. The pacing was very quick but did not seem rushed and I think they gave due respect to all the winners. Even the people given awards in their seats was not distasteful at all. They cut off people who deserved to be cut off, you can't just go up there and ramble forever. Also, for my money Chris Rock did a really good job hosting. I did think that it was the wrong crowd for him though. His humor is a little to "street" for the conservatives in Hollywood, but overall a very good job. (I do not mean this in the political sense, just that Hollywood likes to think of itself very highly...I kinda want to say "stuck-up" but I don't want it to have a negative connotation...).

Anyway a good evening in my opinion and I came in 2nd in my Oscar pool so hooray for that.

Advertising

2005-02-22T09:07:00.000-08:00

Well the last topic has dissolved into discussing robots, so it's time to move on.

The new Mitsubishi commercials are really pissing me off. If you haven't seen them here is a short description of both of them (these are not the official name but just the one I came up with).

Let's get it on: A couple walk into look at buying an SUV. Young Husband tries to convince Young Wife that they should buy it. He talks about the safety rating, the great deal they are going to get, but she is undecided. Husband looks over to the Mitsubishi guy who then does the international symbol for rocking the baby. Husband then shrugs and says "it's the perfect size for the family we've been talking about". Wife is convinced and hugs him, and he has a vague look of disappointment. She then adds "Look it seats five!" Husband stops in his tracks and the commercial ends.

The WingmanTwo guys are in the dealership. Dude#1 says here's the sporty Eclipse that I'm going to buy, Dude#2 responds "Nice, Chickmagnet!". Dude#1 responds that No, the car is really good and lists all sorts of great things. At each one Dude#2 responds "Chickmagnet!". The commercial ends with Dude#2 doing push-ups on a car, while the female sales person asks Dude#1 if "He is with you". The thing is that she doesn't ask in a completely disgusted manner, it appears to me that she is interested in the guy and is wondering if they are friends.

Right, so why do I bother describing all of these...Well it could be my Gender Discrimination class talking, but I find these commercials incredibly offensive, chalk full of all the gender stereotypes of our society. The first describes a situation where in order to get what he wants (the car) he cons his "wife" (I assume that they are married but I could be wrong) that he is ready to have a family. The problem is the suggestion that all men NEVER want to settle down and have to have a selfish motivation (getting a car) as the reason to settle down and have a family. The second one at least has a redeeming guy who wants a car and appears to be offended by the suggestion that he is only doing it to get chicks. The suggestion from the commercial is completely opposite since it could be argued that his friend 'articulates' the real reasons for getting his getting the car. And again the female seems interested in the friend making an ass of himself.

Wow this is getting long. I could say more about how advertising, rather than the Conservative right promoting the traditional values, is the real danger in our society being stuck in the terrible gender stereotypes and continue to construct our society's concept of gender.

Comments Redux

2005-02-16T17:45:00.000-08:00

Blogger changed their comments again so I decided to try them again, since they are now allowing anyone to comment. After screwing with the HTML I finally got them to work. I have added the comments from the two previous posts into the new system. Let me know what you think of the new look. I think it will automatically show all coments, I can change it so that you would have to click on them in order to view them. Also, I can always bring back the old format if this doesn't work out.

EDIT: I've decided to have a link to the comments instead of displaying them on the main page. Why? Well, it looks better, but more importantly this is my blog and thus only my opinion should be on the page. Don't like it? Get your own!

In perfect isolation, here behind my wall...

2005-02-15T08:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, I borrowed the line, it doesn't mean quite the same thing here but it does evoke a feeling that I've been thinking about recently. You see I've been listening to my iPod, pretty much exclusively since I got it. Thus, no radio, no CDs, nothing. Also I just got Digital Cable which has the OnDemand feature. Not quite as good as TiVo or DVR, but it's the same concept. Basically, this has left me only listening or watching exactly what I want to, without have to be exposed to anything outside of my own taste. Now some people would say that this is a good thing. Commercial radio is loathed, but tolerated by most people. Most Television is just utter crap, even (or especially) the shows we love to watch.

However, this also leads me to ask a question: Is this the end of popular culture?

If we are not exposed to anything besides things that we want to be, thus our entertainment is completely tailored for and by ourselves. The end result of this is that there will be no common experience among everyone. It used to be that everyone was exposed to the latest trend/fad/whatever since we were deluged with the sights and sounds of it all the time. Now we don't have to be. Some would say "thank God". But I wonder if (1) we will not be exposed to anything else, because the means of doing so are outside the little bubble we've created. But more importantly (2) we will loose a common experience that is the basis of our culture.

How was your day?

2005-02-10T15:55:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting in class not paying attention at all. Then I hear a loud noise, a *gasp* from some people, and the BOOM! Here read "BOOM" to refer to the covering of a floresent light falling from the celling and crashing down ON TOP OF MY HEAD! "Ow!" was the next thing I heard and that was coming from my mouth. So, I check to see if I'm bleeding and sure enough I am. I decide my time would be better spent if I wasn't in class. Got home found that it was just a couple of small cuts and a nice goose egg. I watched TV and iced my head. It was reported to me later that some more of the light decided to fall. A nice big metal piece of the frame fell into the seat that I had vacated not 5 minutes earlier.

On an obviously related note, my school has two brand new flat screen televisions to be used for "anoucements"...

Test

2005-02-08T15:23:00.000-08:00

I'm attempting to change the comments at the bottom but I need to test it, please be patient.

EDIT: nevermind, nothing has changed. For those who care, I was trying to change the comments to be run by blogger itself rather than Haloscan. After much work I was finally able to get the HTML code correct, since it didn't do it automatically, but I found out that you would need a blogger account, instead of posting comments however you would like. I didn't like this and thus scraped everything and went back to the old way. So there's 30 seconds of your life, but feel better because it's about 30 minutes of my life I won't get back.

Abstinence

2005-01-31T18:52:00.000-08:00

No the title is not a reference to my lack of posting, it refers to a new study. Shocking, abstinence education does not work. But look at what the article does not discuss, that being STDs and Pregnancy. It says that there has been no "improvement" with regards to the percentage of kids having sex, it does not talk about whether there has been an increase in STDs and pregnancy rates. I would imagine they have increased since birth control and thus protection can not be discussed. What is really frightening is that these are the same programs that the government would like to have in third world countries. At least here, kids have access to other resources that will teach them the practice of safe sex. In other countries those resources are limited and/or non-exigent.

Emerging from the void

2005-01-20T15:36:00.000-08:00

So, I've been on a hiatus for awhile. Vacation makes you not want to do anything at all which is why I haven't been posting. Now, I'm off vacation but still not posting. I feel the pressure to perform, the first post back has to be something witty and inventive to properly bring in the new year...The pressure has been too much. So this is an effort to get over the hump, as it were, a space filler so that I can now post without pressure. And now you will never get this minute of your life back...It is mine!

Censorship part II

2004-12-29T01:04:00.000-08:00

So, I'm watching Chris Rock on Comedy Central. After a big long bleeping opus, I finally hear a "clean" word. All of the sudden "tossing salad" (yes that kind) comes out of my speakers...and interesting choice for censorship.

Private Censorship

2004-12-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

Who needs government censorship when we have Wallmart. I'm not completely familiar with the parental advisory sticker, but if it is anything like the MPAA rating system, another self-imposed system, then it probably has certain criteria for the sticker. For example, if you have ever wondered what the difference between an R and a PG-13 movie is, I'll tell you. A PG-13 rating is limited to a particular number of cuss words in a movie and has no nudity. I believe 3 instances of the work fuck will get you an automatic R. In addition, it matters how the word fuck is used. "Fuck you!" is not as bad as saying "I want to fuck her." It all will depend on how many fucks and how you use them. If you don't believe me, I was witness to a conversation with the producers of a movie and they were trying to think of the instances of "Fuck" and trying to get it to 3 or less.

So, I'm sure the record industry has some similar criteria and wouldn't mind a little fucking every now and then. I'm tempted to comment on Wallmart being the biggest distributor of music in the country and the affect of their policy against stocking any album with a parental advisory sticker on it. Not to mention the hypocrisy of the policy when they still sell R movies and violent video games. Apparently it's ok to censor as long as it doesn't take much profits away from the company.

EDIT: I think it is hysterical that spell check wants to change "fuck" to "Fuji".

Are the NeoCons also Neo Isolationists?

2004-12-01T14:48:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say thank you for allowing me to exist. I say this since according to Ann Coulter last night on Fox News, said "Canadians should be thanking us (the United States) for allowing them to exist in the same continent that we do." So thank you again, perhaps more groveling is needed, I'll have to ask Ann. Apparently, Canada shouldn't protest Bush or US policy because they live under the protection of the US military, and they are just lucky the US hasn't taken us over yet. Ann tells us that Canada has no army and no way of protecting themselves. Perhaps, Canada should watch out, it won't be the first time the US has attacked a country with provocation (zing!).

My question is what do Conservatives want to happen? It seems that they want the world to do whatever the US says or else. The or else being something like they will stop policing the world and pull out US interest and money from any country that disagrees. It is almost this bizarre Isolationist strategy: we are protecting our interest and our interests only and to do that we need to interfere with the government and policies of every other country in the world.

Jesus!

2004-11-22T01:28:00.000-08:00

Ok I was just going to post this article but after reading it closer I couldn't help but say something about it. I would hate to go to this law school, basically they give you a biblical perspective on the law, and the result is frightening.

"The Erie decision, which is viewed as uncontroversial in much of the legal academy, represented a disastrous wrong turn, Professor Tuomala said. In ruling that federal courts may not apply general principles in some cases but must follow state laws, he said, the Supreme Court denied the possibility of "a law that's fixed, that's uniform, that applies to everybody, everyplace, for all time. He noted, though, that his perspective was "out on the limb in judicial orthodoxy."

Not much to say, pretty much said it himself that it was a fringe position. Erie has been the law for more than 70 years, is well established, and fairly clear. For those who don't know Erie basically says that in a case with parties from different states that is filed in a state court and then transferred to federal court the federal court would apply the state law on substantive issues. If they were to hold otherwise then it would be unfair to the plaintiff filing because the law they thought applied wouldn't necessarily apply in federal court.

"Prof. Roger C. Bern, who teaches contracts, said that he asked his students to look beyond law as it is ordinarily understood. For example, he said, Christian lawyers should counsel clients not to walk away from oral contracts even where the law allows it."

Um, I know I didn't pass my ethics test (well I suppose anything is possible) but I can tell you that this is a violation of a duty. A lawyer is supposed to counsel their clients in THE LAW not what God would say about it. A lawyer would be sued for malpractice if they didn't inform their clients that they could walk away from a contract, and they would deserve it too for doing something so stupid.

"We will not be committed, for instance, to being good divorce lawyers," he said. "We'll be reconciliation lawyers."

OK...right...so your client comes in and says I want a divorce, and you say well God is against divorce so you need to just work it out with your spouse. Or even better, a wife comes into your office with a black eye, broken nose, has been abused for years by her husband, he has also been beating and molesting their 10 year old daughter, and has finally decided to leave her husband. You then say God would want you to work it out with him and you shouldn't get a divorce. A lawyer is not a religious minister, they have a duty to provide services that their client wants.

"If our graduates wind up in the government," Dr. Falwell said, "they'll be social and political conservatives. If they wind up as judges, they'll be presiding under the Bible."

If you are frightened by this you should watch the 700 club sometime and that will terrify you. Basically the idea is that if you have a locked in community of say religious believers, and then you feed them a "biblical" perspective on the news, politics, or whatever. The problem is that people then mistake that world-perspective for their own religious belief without being offered an alternative viewpoint.

The only good thing about this school is that it is not accredited yet, which means that the students will not be eligible to take the Bar exam anywhere.

My computer is dead

2004-11-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

Yup, it died. It has ceased to be, its joined the choir invisible, its pushing up the daises, its gone to make its maker. It is an ex-computer. Ok, sorry, got carried away with the Monty Python (if you aren't laughing you are a sad human being and you should go find "the Parrot Sketch", go run along now). My computer decided to turn of at random times, like if I moved it, typed on it, breathed on it, or just looked at it funny. It did turn back on for a time, but that time is no more. Now it just gives me an error message that the Motherboard can not read the Hard Drive...FANTASTIC. It shall be fixed but who knows when that will be. Just wanted to explain the lack of posting. I'll leave it to you to decide if this post was just a clever way to change the subject of the last post.

UPDATE: Yeah so now my hard drive is corrupted and needs to be replaced. Yes, that means my hard drive is no more along with ALL of the information on it. No, I'm not bitter.

Setting a bad precedent

2004-11-09T01:03:00.000-08:00

Well I was asked to comment on an article posted on Michael Moore cite. First a clarification this article was written by The Daily Mirror which is an English Tabloid newspaper (for those unaware the British tabloids are worse then ours which is saying quite a lot). However, the charge is that Michael Moore endorses this article by printing it on his page.

The original comment and request to post this reads:

Jack - do me a favor and talk about some of what Michael Moore is saying on his website. In particular, check this link:

http://michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=285

I think this is one of the most hateful things I have seen anybody write (even if Moore didn't write it, he posted it on his site with an obvious affirmation of it), and I really hope people on the left are not so ignorant as to buy into this crap. If the left keeps saying that anyone who votes for Bush is a "gun toting religious nut," you will NEVER win another election. I voted for Bush, and I am not very religious, don't own a gun, don't hate gays, and don't want to outlaw abortion.
-topwop

Now, first of all I would like to say that Michael Moore and the author (who is not mentioned) has every right to say what they believe. Why did Moore post it on his cite? I can't speak for him personally but I can think of a couple reasons. One is that he agrees with everything in there. But I think there is a better answer that you might have overlooked: This is how the rest of the world views the United States. Call it an ignorant belief, but I think it at least speaks to a majority around the world. Now you say this is hateful but I don't find it any more hateful then calling John Kerry unpatriotic after serving in the war, or even better calling someone unpatriotic after questioning the administration after 9/11 or the War on Terror.

Now we come to my favorite quote from the article:

"The self-righteous, gun-totin', military lovin', sister marryin', abortion-hatin', gay-loathin', foreigner-despisin', non-passport ownin' red-necks, who believe God gave America the biggest dick in the world so it could urinate on the rest of us and make their land 'free and strong'."

Again this is a tabloid so it is trying to sell newspapers and not necessarily looking for the truth (after all it is funny). However, this again is how the rest of the world views the US as a whole. And while you, 'topwop', personally might not be a "self-righteous, gun-toting', military lovin', sister marryin', abortion-hatin', gay loathin', foreigner-despisin', non-passport ownin' redneck," you did vote for one.

Love,
Jack

Maybe I won't have to move

2004-11-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

EDIT: Had to take down the link.

Thanks to the one who sent this you know who you are.

Goodbye

2004-11-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

I'm really depressed and I'm seriously considering moving to another country (ie Canada). I think Marek has said everything that is going on in my mind.

Screw you guys! I'm going home.

Go Vote!

2004-11-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

It's election day so go and vote. I leave you with one last song from eMOTIVe (which comes out today).

And so once again
My dear Johnny my dear friend
And so once again you are fightin' us all
And when I ask you why
You raise your sticks and cry, and I fall
Oh, my friend
How did you come
To trade the fiddle for the drum

You say I have turned
Like the enemies you've earned
But I can remember
All the good things you are
And so I ask you please
Can I help you find the peace and the star
Oh, my friend
What time is this
To trade the handshake for the fist

And so once again
Oh, America my friend
And so once again
You are fighting us all
And when we ask you why
You raise your sticks and cry and we fall
Oh, my friend
How did you come
To trade the fiddle for the drum

You say we have turned
Like the enemies you've earned
But we can remember
All the good things you are
And so we ask you please
Can we help you find the peace and the star
Oh my friend
We have all come
To fear the beating of your drum.

-"Fiddle and Drum" Joni Mitchell

Election Predictions

2004-11-01T21:59:00.000-08:00

So Kerry is up in some of the polls which bodes well but this is perhaps the best predictor.

EDIT: Time change to beat competing blogs.

More eMOTIVe Lyrics

2004-11-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

From dehumanization to arms production
For the benefit of the nation or it's destruction
Power is power, the law of the land
Those living for death will die by their own hand

Life's no ordeal if you come to terms
Reject the system dictating the norms
From dehumanization to arms production
To hasten the nation towards it's destruction
Power is power, the law of the land
Those living for death will die by their own hand

Life's no ordeal if you come to terms
Reject the system dictating the norms
From dehumanization to arms production
To hasten the nation towards it's destruction
Power is power, the law of the land
Those living for death will die by their own hand

Life's no ordeal if you come to terms
Reject the system dictating the norms
From dehumanization to arms production
To hasten this nation towards it's destruction
It's your choice, your choice, your choice, your choice
Peace or annihilation

-"Annihilation" by Crucifix

eMOTIVe

2004-10-31T10:16:00.000-08:00

A Perfect Circle has a new album coming out with covers of political songs. Since it is that time of year, I've decided to post some of the songs off the album. Come back tomorrow for a different one.

There's so many of us, there's so many of us, there's so many...

Let's have a war so you can go and die
Let's have a war, we could all use the money
Let's have a war, we need the space
Let's have a war, cleaning out this place

It already started in the city
Suburbia will be just as easy

There's so many of us, there's so many of us, there's so many...

Let's have a war, jack up the Dow Jones
Let's have a war, it can start in New Jersey
Let's have a war, blame it on the middle class
Let's have a war, we're like rats in a cage

It already started in the city
Suburbia will be just as easy

There's so many of us, there's so many of us, there's so many...

Let's have a war, sell the rights to the networks
Let's have a war, let our wallets get fat like last time
Let's have a war, give guns to the queers
Let's have a war, the enemy's within

It already started in the city
Suburbia will be just as easy

-"Let's have a war" by FEAR

Episode III poster

2004-10-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Had a whole other post in mind for today, but this is just too good not to post.

Prop. 71

2004-10-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

After my last post about not talking of my own life here, I'm going to violate my own law. Why, because the personal is political. That is especially true for me with proposition 71.

I have had the honor of knowing a man by the name of Jim Wong. He is the father of a girl I used to date. He and his family are wonderful people who always made me feel extremely welcome in their home.

Ten years ago Mr. Wong was diagnosed with Parkinson disease. He had been dealing with the disease for years and never complained once about it. I saw him take all the drugs necessary to control (not cure, mind you) his condition. The best way to illustrate the amount of pills taken is this: You know those pill cases that have a space for each day of the month...That case of 31 slots for pills would last Mr. Wong ONE day, because he would take so much medication in a short period of time.

Even in the relatively short time that I knew him, I saw his condition worsen. His shaking got worse and wasn't able to walk at times. If you noticed him stuttering when he walk you would have to point it out so that his brain would send the proper signals to his body.

The point is this is a wonderful person who is dealing with a condition that will, not might, will end his life. But this is only because of the present state of science without stem cell research, this could change if studies using stem cells were done. Which could also help others that I know like Melissa Sherak who is in remission from MS or Chad Darvey who finally succumbed to Muscular Dystrophy while he was in High School. I like to remember Chad when we in kindergarten when he could still run (not well at all) and it brings a smile to my face. He was in a wheelchair from 4th grade until then end of his life.

Anyway, this all was a plug for prop. 71, if you would like to read more about Jim Wong you can read about it here.

Posting (and the lack there of)

2004-10-18T01:02:00.000-07:00

A few of you (and there are very few) may have noticed that I have not been posting anything recently. I don't have an especially good reason for this other than to say that I haven't had much worth posting about. You may say "How can you say that with all that has been going on in the world." Well let me take this opportunity to give my perspective on blogging.

My father has given a lot of advice over the years, those of you who have met him can attest to how good his advice is. Regardless of the merits of what he told me one thing he said was always very clear:

RULE #1: "Never put it in writing."

The corollary of this is one I learned in PR that is, before you do or say anything imagine it being a piece of evidence being used in a disciplinary hearing, malpractice suit, or indictment by the government.

Hence we come to my theory of blogging. Many people use these sites as a journal of their most intimate thoughts and feeling, which if fine if they want to do that. Others just post links to other stories without giving there own thoughts on the matter, which is fine if they want to do that. Personally, I want to do neither. I never write about my personal life, work, or school. The reason for this is mostly rule #1 but it is also out of respect for the people in my life. I don't want to bitch about the things going on in my life out of respect for the people in it. If I talk about work it would be either boring, depressing, or a violation of an ethical duty (See corollary to rule #1) so I don't talk about that. I suppose I do talk about school but only because I find something that relates to life in general and I have something to say about it. But if I really went over what I learned in school it would just be really boring and uninteresting.

So what I'm I really doing here? I suppose the easiest way to explain is to say that I'm playing a character. The anonymity of this medium allows me and I think most people to divorce themselves from the people they actually are and thus allows them a certain freedom to say things that perhaps normally they wouldn't say. I suppose the paradox is that, as far as I know, I know everyone who reads this page. So perhaps a qualification...I'm playing a character but it is one who I created and maintain. So perhaps it really is me and I'm just kidding myself...Perhaps that is right, most of the things I would say here I would say anyway. But maybe it is the potential that if anything ever came up that I would be unable to voice elsewhere that I could here. (As long as it does not violate rule #1 of course).

I Have a Dream...

2004-10-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

I have a dream to one day have the entire 20 volume set of the complete Oxford English Dictionary (OED). That's right 20 volumes. Well, I had a dream and I thought it would be realized earlier, but alas no. I discovered that you could get the OED online! Gasp! However, my hopes were quickly dashed when I found out it would be $295.00/year or $29.95/month, Gasp again! So much for that...I'll just have to wait till I have enough money to by the OED in print. How much you ask...$995.00 on Amazon (plus shipping and handling).

If only Hearsay was this easy

2004-10-06T01:20:00.000-07:00

Imagine

2004-10-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

A Perfect Circle just came out with a cover of John Lennon's Imagine. Now they have put out a video for the song. You can view it here and see what you think.

PR and Red Asphalt

2004-09-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

So, I'm sitting in PR (professional responsibility aka ethics) and I'm realizing the real purpose behind this class. I get the feeling that many people in this class are really uncomfortable with the topics in the class. The prof. just asks this impossible moral dilemmas that you can't answer correctly since either way you answer you will be damned. By damned I mean fired, have you license to practice revoked, and also sued for millions of dollars that you are personally liable for. Thus you will lose your job, lose your ability to be hired by other people, and just completely screwed. Now people don't like this class because if you get in a situation that is a Lawyer ethical dilemma there is no good happy answer that resolves everything. Anything you do will be wrong and will be subject to some consequence because of that. The only "correct" answer is probably to do the "least wrong thing" that way the consequences won't be as bad as it could be. All of this leads me to one conclusion.

This class is about scaring the shit out of you. It is exactly like the video 'Red Asphalt' from driver's ED (you know the one they showed you with all the nasty car accident injuries). The purpose of both of these is to say "don't let this happen to you", and they do this by scaring the shit out of me. Basically, what it teaches you is don't get into this type of situation.

Greedo shoots first but it just doesn't matter

2004-09-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

Got the Star Wars DVD's last night and couldn't resist watching one. It was just fantastic, no longer the grainy picture, only sharp and crisp. Any problems that you might have had with the Special Edition are gone because you are just in awe of how beautiful everything looks. Also, they did change somethings. Greedo and Han actually shoot simultaneously now and it went back to the scene's orignial coolness. All in all just fantastic, and I can't wait to see the rest of them.

Blasphemy!

2004-09-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

Why do you keep fucking with my favorite movies. So, Star Wars is coming to DVD finally and they are making changes yet again. They have kept the Special Edition changes and made a couple of other tweaks such as including Hayden Christianson as Ankin's ghost at the end of return of the Jedi:

"Radiohead v. Ashlee Simpson" by Moby

2004-09-06T23:08:00.000-07:00

Saw this and thought it was kind of funny and true (posted on a Radiohead fan site, quoting Moby's journal, just so you know I didn't plagiarism but tells you where I stole it from).

On his often updated journal where he constantly expresses his frustration with right-wingers, Moby decided to make a poignant political comparison that includes pitting our lads vs. the latest pop princess.

"you know what politics is/are like in the united states?
it's like pop-music
example a: pop-music.
republicans are like ashley simpson, and democrats are like radiohead. radiohead fans will forever be mystified as to why someone would buy an ashley simpson cd, but ashley simpson's handlers/managers understand what the lowest common denominator are looking for and they give it to them. radiohead fans think 'that disposable pop music is terrible, and someday people will see the error of their ways and buy radiohead cd's instead of ashley simpson cd's', meanwhile ashley simpson and her managers are selling millions of records

my point?
yes, radiohead are better than ashley simpson."

"I wish we lived in the day where you could challenge a person to a duel."

2004-09-02T23:19:00.000-07:00

So now your asking where I got the quote in the title...give up? This was said on Hardball by none other than Zell Miller. Miller got a little angry and didn't like Chris Matthews playing hardball with him. some of the other gems:

"And so I want to try to be as nice as I possibly can to you. I wish I was over there, where I could get a little closer up into your face."

MATTHEWS: OK. Do you believe now—do you believe, Senator, truthfully, that John Kerry wants to defend the country with spitballs? Do you believe that?
MILLER: That was a metaphor, wasn‘t it? Do you know what a metaphor is?

"I think we ought to cancel this interview."

Want more (and I know you do) or if you think I misrepresented what he said (which I did, what he says is funnier) here is the transcript.

Kobe Bryant Case

2004-09-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

Regardless of whether he is guilty or not, this e-mail sent by my boss I thought was poinant about something that is not covered by the media and more of a big picture way of looking at the issue:

By now you probaly know that charges were dismissed against Koby Bryant. I fear the chilling effect this could have on other victims who want to come forward. What started out as the People of Colorado v. Bryant quickly became, because of all the mythology surrounding sexual assault and Bryant's mega celebrity-sports status and money, world opinion v. the Victim. Nothing new here, every rape defendant's defense focuses on blaming the victim. The difference is that Koby has mega media power and money and can more readily influence the court of public opinion. Thus another victim is re-victimied, unwittingly or otherwise, by our judicial system. As lawyers and legal advocates this is particularly appalling. Thus, the reason why we are here. To make a difference.

Star-Schmucks

2004-09-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'm not sure how many of you actually go to the other sites that I have links to on my site. Given that I wanted to point out a particularly good cartoon this week, "Neurotically Yours" has a wonderful commentary on those trendy coffee houses.

Enjoy

3L Apathy

2004-08-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

So, in talking to everyone else in their 3rd year of law school it strikes me that everyone including yours truly has been suffering from a lack of motivation. Summer just apparently wasn't long enough for every although I can't tell you how much more time we would have needed. However, the ultimate display came to today when someone fell asleep in class. Now you might say that this has happened before and you would be right, hell I've nodded off before, but this time was different. I distinctly heard someone snore during class. I'm just amazed.

Study Break

2004-08-22T23:52:00.000-07:00

This is too funny not to post.

Oh yeah and school is starting and stuff.

Donnie Darko

2004-08-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I finnally watched this film (thanks dude) after I've been meaning to for a long time. So what did I think? Well, I'm still absorbing it but I did like it and I would recomend it to anyone. However, I do have one problem with it. After watching the film I created a theory of what happened and why that made sense to me. Now that I watched the deleted scenes and part of the commentary I realized I was completely wrong. I think that the filmmakers idea is very interesting and does really explain a lot of what happens in the film as well as working very nicely into Joseph Conrad's concept of a hero. The problem is the orginal film did not make the thesis and point very clear. There were several major scenes that were cut out that would completely explain everything clearly. Anyway, good film if anyone wants to discuss it come talk to me.

Horay for Censorship

2004-08-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

So here's part of a story (sorry for the partial story but the entire thing would cost money) relating to the Passion of the Christ:

"Malaysia's Film Censorship Board has given "The Passion of the
Christ" a U rating, uncut, opening it up to all ages, but has slapped on a
surprise restriction: You have to be a Christian to see it, Screenings will be
held at public cinemas, but tickets will be available only through churches, not
at box offices. The pic will not be advertised in the media..." - Source Variety
Discuss...

Star Wars & 9/11

2004-07-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

"Revenge of the Sith" is the title of Star Wars Episode III. Perhaps slightly better then "Attack of the Clones" but not by much. However upon reflection, all the Star Wars movies had bad titles, we just don't criticize the Holy Trilogy. "Empire Strikes Back", guess what happens in that movie. Does like the Empire, you know, strike back or something; yes I believe it does. Further, I sould note that the original title of "Return of the Jedi" was "Revenge of the Jedi" but a fan pointed out that Jedi's would not take revenge. Also this is a good title since it could be Jedi as in the plural not necessarily the singular, i.e. Luke. Thus is it the return of the Jedi order as a whole, Luke being the first who will go on to train more people. So maybe this new title ain't so bad.

And now for something completely different:

I finally saw Farenheit 9/11 last night. It was a really good documentry but I must say that I liked Bowling for Columbine a lot better. This is because Columbine did not have a clear thesis in it. It was analyzing a problem in American society and not really offering a clear solution or even a cause for it. I really liked that after watching it you could have many long discussions about the film and your own experiences with guns and the related issues. Farenheit lacked that because I found it was much more straightforward. "Bush is Bad" and here are all of the reasons he is bad. I know Bush is bad and I knew a lot of the reasons why before.

"Things I hate about you"

2004-07-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have to confess that I enjoy reality shows. However, I have a qualifier and that is I really only watch reality shows that are on Bravo. While Queer Eye is always good I'm watching their new show as I type this and that is "Things I hate about you". Basically the idea is that cameras are set up to record a couple and document behavior that the other finds anoying. Then it is seen by a jury and the most disturbing one loses. Quote of the night so far is "I think that if you can't belch and fart in front of a loved one then that is sad." This show is histerical and makes you wonder what you do that would piss off other people. Discuss.

EDIT: OK, new quote "she is a back rubbing whore"

2nd: "so maybe he has a penguin dying inside of him"

Wide Load

2004-07-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

Ok what is the deal with moving a house. I'm talking about the huge tow truck, creeping along the road, taking up ever lane, in an attempt to move a house that has been taken off it's foundation. Is it possible that these people became so attached to this home that they felt the need to pull it up from the ground and put it in a new plot of land that they bought. Normally people move for two reasons: 1) they got a new job and have to move somewhere to be closer to the job, or 2) they feel they have to upgrade/downgrade to a bigger/smaller place. Seems to me that neither of these situations calls for someone to rip up the foundation and move an entire house. In the latter they need a different house altogether and in the former in order to warrant them moving for a new job it would be over a great distance such that moving an entire house would be impractical. So, I see one of these moving houses yesterday and the thing that really kills me is that the thing is trashed. The roof is caving in and the walls are coming down so they will have to fix it once it gets to wherever it is going. WTF I want to talk to these people who decide to move their house!

Chuck Palahniuk

2004-07-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

I case you haven't noticed I am a fan of Chuck Palahniuk (the author of Fight Club for those poor uneducated souls who don't know). I just started his new book Lullaby and I have to say that I'm already hooked. He always has these fantastic, deplorable, interesting characters. First we meet Helen who is a real estate agent specializing in selling and reselling haunted houses making a commission on each sale. Let me give you a taste:

Forget those dream houses you only sell once every fifty years. Forget those happy homes. And screw subtle: cold spots, strange vapors, irritable pets. What she needed was blood running down the walls. She needed ice-cold invisible hands that pull children out of bed at night. She needed blazing red eyes in the dark at the floor of the basement stairs. That and decent curb appeal.

And some more:

People who would never throw litter from their car will drive past you with their radio blaring. People who'd never blow cigar smoke at you in a crowded restaurant will bellow into their cell phone. They'll shout at each other across the space of a dinner plate.
You turn up your music to hide the noise. Other people turn up their music to hide the yours. You turn up yours again. Everyone buys a bigger stereo system. This is the arms race of sound. You don't win with a lot of treble.
This isn't about quality. It's about volume.
This isn't about music. This is about winning.

Some of you will probably ask "what is the book about?" Well, if I told you it's about a real estate agents who sells haunted houses and a reporter to believes that the cause for SIDS is poem in a children's book that might sum up the story but says nothing about the way in which the author has the ability to capture what our society has become.

Needless to say I recommend his work.

WMD's

2004-07-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

So yeah...

CIA overstated threat of Iraq

Meanwhile...

Remember the guy we went to war over in the first place (no not Saddam)

"Pessimism never created a job?"

2004-07-05T17:11:00.000-07:00

Ok so have you seen the new Bush commercial? Well, it's the basic "look at what we've done, here's what the other guy says." They say how great the economy is and then say that Kerry is talking about a Great Depression. So the great sum up tagline is "pessimism never created a job" I'll tell you what else never created a job "sticking your head in the fucking sand." I think this is what the campain will be about. Either you think there is a problem and will vote for a change or you think everything is great and you'll vote for Bush. If so it will make for a boring campain since one side will say look at this problem, be it jobs, economy, or the war on terror, and Bush saying "what problem, we're doing great." Sigh...

I know what I want for my B-Day

2004-06-21T23:54:00.000-07:00

The original (actually the SE, but whatever) Star Wars Trilogy is finally coming out on DVD in September. I can't wait and I came across the packaging which is here:

Money, Money, Money

2004-06-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

So, I realize that some old actor with Alzheimer's died this week and I did appreciate not having to go to work yesterday, but this is going too far. I just saw an interview with someone wanting to put Reagan onto the $10 bill. I think it is bad enough that the national airport is already named after him, but now we are going to take Hamilton off of the $10! Doesn't it make sense for Hamilton to be there since he was the one pushing for a National bank. The guy went onto argue that it was not too soon to consider putting Reagan on the money. He argued that within a year of their deaths both FDR and Kennedy were put on the currency. Now there is a good reason for both of those since FDR was president for 4 terms and also was president during WWII. And Kennedy was assassinated so that sort of puts him in a different category. Reagan just doesn't fall into that category, and don't you dare tell me that he ended the Cold War...

This sucks

2004-05-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

Yeah so I can barely type this since my arm is in a splint. You see I almost, nearly, but didn't quite dislocate my elbow, but I did get a chip fracture so I have something to show for my injury. Hopefully I will be out of the splint in less than a week, if I can get an apointment with my fucking doctor.

Jack's Back

2004-05-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

Alright everyone, I'm back. What have I been doing? Well a whole lot of nothing and that's exactly the way I like it. It's amazing home much less you are on the internet when you don't have anything to procrastinate from. Hopefully I'll be posting more from now on. Until then, I leave I leave with this image I found called How do you measure up?

Finals Suck

2004-05-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, not that anyone reads this or would care. However, I should be posting more from now on since my finals are almost done.

Censorship

2004-05-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

People are always concerned about governmental censorship, but this is the kind of thing that happens when the majority of the media is owned by 3 conglomerates

Finals

2004-05-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have finals this week and in honor of that here's the best description of taking a test ever.

Schools are a continuation of toilet training.

Taking an Exam is like taking a shit. You hold it in for weeks, memorizing, just waiting for the right time. then the time comes, and you sit on the toilet.

Ah!
Um!
It feels so good

You shit it right back on schedule-for the grade. When exams are over, you got a load off your mind. You got rid of all of the shit you clogged your poor brain with. You can finally relax.

The paper you write your exam on is toilet paper

Babies are zen masters, curious about everything.
Adults are serious and bored
What Happened?
Brain surgery by the schools.

I lost my interest in books in literature class. I lost my interest in foreign languages in language class. I lost my interest in biology in biology class

Why stay in school? To get a degree? Print your own! Can you smoke a diploma?

"Do It!" by Jerry Rubin

Air America

2004-05-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

In honor of finals, I have a question for you. Please chose the best answer.
Is there any possibility of this station getting on the air in SD?

a) No
b) No way, never, not in a million years
c) We can't allow that Communist, Pinko crap on the radio
d) The FCC will ban it before it happens
e) All of the above

Iraqi Prisoners

2004-04-30T16:20:00.000-07:00

In this article Bush responds to the allegations of abuse of the Iraqi prisoners by US military personnel.

While the abuse here was particularly atrocious it does not really surprise me. This is a product of a mentality that treats any people as "others." Abuses are bound to occur when people cannot relate on a human level with a race. Much of the hostility on both sides of the "war" could be avoided if we understood the other side better.

Bush stated that "Their treatment does not reflect the nature of the American people. That's not the way we do things in America." I'm sad to say that this is the very same abuse, probably not as atrocious, that goes on in our prisons here in the US, not to mention the Private Prisons. The same mentality that allows the abuse to occur in the first place the same mentality that allows it to continue. When you label as person as a criminal the general public no longer cares what happens to him, since he is "just getting what he deserves." No person should be treated as something less than human, that is not what are country stands for.

And if you are disturbed by the abuses that are going on in Iraqi, just imagine what is going on in Guantanamo. There haven't been any complaints yet but that is perhaps we are not allowed to speak to them let alone know who they are...

WWII memorial opens

2004-04-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

Interested in seeing how the new memorial in DC looks? Check this link out.

The Wall of Separation

2004-04-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

If anyone ever doubted whether separation of church and state was a good idea, read this taken from an Op-Ed piece

In their new book, "The Bushes," Peter and Rochelle Schweizer, who interviewed many Bushes, including the president's father and his brother Jeb, quote one unnamed relative as saying that W. sees the war on terror "as a religious war": "He doesn't have a P.C. view of this war. His view of this is that they are trying to kill the Christians. And we the Christians will strike back with more force and more ferocity than they will ever know."

A response from a Wimp a.k.a. Why I think Fight Club is a great movie.

2004-04-28T23:55:00.000-07:00

This article about barbarians and wimps raises many interesting points. The severely summed up version of the article is that most men fall into two categories; Barbarians "who treat women roughly and are unreliable, unmannerly, and usually stupid" and wimps "who are whiny, incapable of making decisions, and in general of 'acting like men'." The authors basic point is that something has gone wrong with society because it is not producing "real men" who would be some kind of happy medium between the too. A man who can treat women with respect, can make decisions without being overbearing, and are tough enough to stand up for what they believe in. Now, I disagree with some of the author's conclusions for what caused this (including the obligatory conservative of heavy metal being the root cause of all that is evil in this world) and how we should get back to the "traditional family model", but it did make me think of what could have caused this and what is the best way to go about changing it.

Now I think we can agree that most of the barbarian model can be rejected as having any standards that people would find attractive or appealing in a man. Thus, we are left with trying to save/mold the wimp into something worthwhile, and I think there are things to work with (yeah, I'm biased since I fall into the wimp category, but anyway). A particularly interesting passage is this one:

"The wimp, on the other hand, has more complex reasons for wanting women. Although sex is certainly one of his desires, more than sex he needs affirmation. He desperately needs a girlfriend to boost his self-confidence. Having someone else notice him will somehow show the world that he is not a total loser. The wimp also needs someone to hear his laments, to commiserate with him when he is feeling down, to discover his secret self. Since he has few qualities or achievements to recommend him, he seeks to appear "interesting" or mysterious. Initially, the wimp might seem amusing to an unsuspecting young lady and very different from the insensitive jocks and rowdies she has known. Ultimately, however, the wimp seeks to draw her into his web of melancholy and self-pity. The story always ends unhappily since romance cannot be based upon pity or the thin facade of personality. He might mope and whine his way into a woman's bed but will find excuses to avoid "commitment." The wimp will begin the relationship by saying, "You're the only one who understands me" and end it by saying, "You don't understand me at all." The truth is that there is not much to understand."

I think that is a very accurate description of this type of man's want and needs. Query what the barbarian needs from a relationship with women? In my own "lamentations" about this with my woman, she thought that barbarians would have the same need of affirmation from women. I'm not so sure that if this is true. I think that the affirmation that the barbarian (jock) needs is from other men just like him. If he is pleased that a woman has voiced approval of him it is only so that he can later brag about it to his friends. But I digress...

By this point your probably wondering why the hell Fight Club was in the title of this post. Well, I believe one of the main themes of Fight Club (and one of the reasons it is a great movie) is the transformation of a "wimp" to a "barbarian" and ultimately finding a happy medium between the two. Exhibit A: a conversation between the Narrator and Tyler:

"I can't get married, I'm a 30 year-old boy."
"We're a generation of men raised by women. I'm wondering if another woman is really the answer we need..."

The first part of the movie deals with the Narrator's dissatisfaction with life. He doesn't feel comfortable with himself and is eternally unsatisfied. He is a product of the society that he was brought up in.

"I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."

The Narrator begins to alter his lifestyle at first by becoming a barbarian. This is when the character begins the fight club. Now just a quick interlude...many people said they did not like or would not see this movie because of the violence. But I think that it is necessary to understand the violence in the context of the story. These people are not beating the shit out of each other for no reason whatsoever. They have been so desensitizing in society that they are unable to feel anything unless it is taken to the extreme. If you don't believe me, how else is the conversation after the Narrator and Tyler first hit each other?

(Narrator punches Tyler in the ear and Tyler hits Narrator in the gut)
"That really hurts...hit me again."
"No, you hit me."

They don't fight to beat the crap out of someone else, they fight each other in order to feel something themselves, to feel alive. Eventually the Narrator realizes that all the things that he is doing to change his life are being taken to the extreme and go too far. What he learns in the end is that one must find a mid point in order to live a "normal" life and can then make himself available to find a companion in a woman.

Anyway, I'm starting to realize this post is getting about as long as the article. So if you are still with me I thank you. The author goes on to give his theory on how to instill these morals in young people in order to turn them into viable members of society. Most of these ways have to do with returning to the traditional family and corporal punishment at a young age. I'm just not convinced that we need to do away with what I'd like to think of as progress of the sexual revolution and the women's rights movement (not to mention not having to beat your children with a belt). I think the best way of doing this is for children to respect their parents so that if they act up as a child the punishment is for the parents to be disappointed in them. The trick is that in order for that to work the children must respect the parent. Not sure how exactly to do this (I never claimed to have all the answers only most of them) but I expect it would come from the parent raising the child and being active in their lives.

Just something to think about.

Take One for the Country

2004-04-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

Operation: Take one for the country

"About US: 'Operation Take One For The Country' (abbreviated OTOFTC) is a movement of like-minded women (women predominantly as of right now) who have covertly organized into groups to frequent eating and drinking establishments near armed service bases where troops are preparing to ship out overseas, and take one for the country, so to speak. We are a virtual organization and have no official headquarters or charter. We believe US service men and women deserve our support and we are willing to make caring choices about making them happy."

So...like...wha-...Um...yeah...but...right...
I don't know what to say so I'll just steal from someone else (and that way you can't blame me for saying it.)

"gotta love covert slut operations...closet whores unite!"

Tom Smith

2004-04-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Please read the Close encounter with a democrat article by Tom Smith...Thank you, now that we are all on the same page...After I read this article I realized that this exactly mirrored how he taught as a professor. The article starts off nicely, goes into a good story he has from his life, and then sums everything in a very easy to understand way. OH WAIT! I'm sorry it just fucking ends! He tells you a story and your are thinking "oh this is going to be really good and relevent to some idea that he is trying to get across", and then he stops and moves on. And he used to teach case law the same way. There would be an intro into the case what it is about, oh here's a nice life story, and what do we learn when the day is done..."I'm not sure what it is." *sigh*

The Picture Here<------------------------Explained

2004-04-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

OK, too many people have been confused as to what this sticker means so I feel compelled to explain it. Alright kids time to sit down, class is about to begin:

This is a satirical bumper sticker that is meant to parody the Bush/Cheney 2004 reelection sticker. As many have notice this sticker says "1984". I thought it was obvious, but apparently it was not, that this is a reference to the book by Mr. George Orwell about a dis-utopia, totalitarian society, Oceania, where Big Brother is always watching. The "campaign" slogan also makes an allusion to the motto of the society is
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
The sticker is trying to make an analogy between the fictional society in the novel and the society that will live in today, and it suggests that many of the aspects of Oceania are a part of the government regime in the US (which I think is a very good analogy). I hope this has cleared up any confusion you may have had.

Class is dismissed.

Ed note: Yes, "I" am Jack

BYOB

2004-04-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

NY Times Article

This seems like a really good idea and something that I would most likely use in the far distant future. My only problem is this, I have no problem with a baby crying through the entire movie as long as it is MY kid. I think I would still resent other people for bringing their children. I can just see it now..."What the hell are they thinking by bringing their kid to the movie!", I mumble to myself as my kid is screaming his bloody head off.

Da Vinci Code Controversy

2004-04-26T23:48:00.000-07:00

NYTimes article

Seriously, why is it that Christians are trying to defend against a work of fiction.

"Churches are offering pamphlets and study guides for readers who may have been prompted by the novel to question their faith."

Come on now! You've got to be kidding me. Are people's faith that low these days that reading a work of fiction (besides the bible) will cause them to question their faith? I'm all for questioning your faith, but try to do it rationally and not because the latest popular book told you to. Does the Church really have nothing better to do then to defend God from an attack by Harry Potter?

Templates

2004-04-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Alright Blair, this is just for you. How did I get this sweet looking page. Well I went up to the "help" button where you post on your blog. Then to a topic called "templates" then "how to change your templates". The page provides links to various sites I found mine at BlogSkins.com after I registered. Look around and then follow directions, but try not to hurt yourself.

The First Post

2004-04-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finally joined the rest of the world and now have a blog of my own. The final straw was when a friend of mine said he just started one over the weekend, I went perusing around the site and found it pretty easy to get started. The hardest thing was trying to find an address that had not already been taken. I have to say I'm satisfied with mine and everything worked out in the end.

In my screwing around with various aspects of the site I found the perfect place to post <---------------------this
My Northern Sun catalog came today and I saw this sticker. I even almost ordered it but $5 S&H was a little steep for a $1.00 sticker. However if anyone reading this wants to go in on a couple of things then perhaps it might even be worth it. Anyway, I found the perfect use for it here (once I figured out how to post a picture).

So here it is my place to speak to the rest of the world or whoever reads this page (Ed: read as "nobody").

EDIT: Does anyone else find it ironic that the word "blog" is not found in the spell check dictionary. You would think that with all this high tech software and things in the world that the spell check feature on a weblog would have the word in there, but sadly no. This shortcoming is especially noticeable for all you people in law school. The terms that we use everyday are not in the friggin' dictionary. "lessee" and "lessor" and many others that are very basic...not in there. But I'll tell you this, hardest word to type ever is "decedent". Go ahead try it. I dare you.