The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics

The above is an old cartoon I thought of the other day.  Enjoy.

Low Budget Avengers Movie Trailer

What I Learned From Watching Hunger Games:

They have a high-speed light rail system and I cannot take a train to Cowboys stadium or the Ballpark in Arlington from Dallas.  To be clear, in a post-apocalyptic dystopian future where the presumably totalitarian government forces its twelve districts to sacrifice 2 kids each year in a organized fight to the death, they have a mass transit system that puts DFW's to shame.  Ouch.

Mayor Cluck: Latino Officials, "Bunch of Mexicans"

Arlington, Texas mayor Robert Cluck allegedly referred to a gathering of elected and appointed Latino officials as, "a bunch of Mexicans."  

Where to start?  Not all Latino or hispanic persons living in the United States are "Mexican."  Guess what Mayor Cluck, there are countries other than Mexico south of the United States.  Moreover, a lot of hispanics in America were actually born here, especially elected and appointed politicians.  They are United States citizens.  They are American.  

Look at it another way.  There are those with ancestry from other countries such as Ireland or other continents like Africa.  I wonder what would Mayor Cluck would call a gathering of African American political types or a group of Irish Americans?

Separated At Birth?

The dean of TCU (Texas Christian University)

The fictional dean of Greendale Community College (from the TV show Community)

Blasphemy: Star Wars Episodes I-III better than IV-VI?

That's what one daring author recently wrote and  defended in an article.  Good arguments made.  Of course he's flat out wrong but, kudos for taking a contrarian position and running with it.

If Giants Intended to Injure San Fran Player, = Criminal Act(s)?

If a group of people planned ahead of time to try to injure another person and succeeded in doing so and/or think they succeeded in injuring him, were their actions criminal? I would think people planning and then attempting to injure another person is criminal.  What if they're playing football?  In the NFL?  Should that matter?  Not to get too legalese-ee regarding this topic but, look up mens rea.

Reports are that New York football Giants players may have intended to injure San Francisco 49'er returner Kyle Williams.  Giants players appear to admit that they knew he had a history of concussions and tried to knock him out of the game or concuss him.  In other words, with malice aforethought, they tried to and succeeded in injuring him, or at the very least they think they did.  One Giants player even brags that after one early hit on Williams, the San Fran returner looked "dazed." Plus, if coaches encouraged and/or instructed Giants players to try to purposefully injure San Fran's Williams, would that not constitute a conspiracy to injure another person?

In other words, besides being beyond dirty players/coaches for all but admitting they were trying to injure a fellow NFL player, is what the NY Giants players did (try to/actually injure Williams) criminal?  Of course now, maybe realizing how damning their quotes were after the game, those same Giants now deny they were trying to injure Williams.  But, speaking of the Giants' quotes, take a look at them.


Hockey players have been charged with crimes for their on ice, intentional acts that resulted in injury to another player.  Why should NFL players' actions not be examined in the same manner?  Did Giants players intend to injure another player?  If the answer is "yes," why should they not have to answer for their intentional, and potentially criminal actions?

This...Is...Awesome!

Star Wars (Episode IV, A New Hope) was remade/pieced together using, at a max, 15 second fan-made clips by Casey Pugh at Vimeo.com.  I now have a reason to figure out how to hook up my laptop to my TV.  Again.  Awesome.

 
Star Wars Uncut: Director's Cut from Casey Pugh on Vimeo.

Wow, It Takes a Xmas Miracle for a US Court to Decide That Calling an African American "Boy" is Racist

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled that calling an African American worker "boy" was not racist.  They neglected to consider many factors in their ruling, not the least of which, was that a jury had heard all the evidence provided and had decided that yes, calling an African American "boy" is racist, given all the facts presented.  I will write that again, a jury, that sat and listened to all the evidence presented, made a decision that calling an African American worker at a Tyson Food factory "boy" was in fact racist.  That decision by a jury was then summarily overturned by a federal court of appeals that did not hear any of the evidence presented.

Then that same court of appeals reversed itself. Why?

Is it shocking that an appellate court in these United States got it so wrong?

No.

What is great is that they eventually got it right and reversed themselves.  What is unfortunate is that it took the the diligence of many, including a former African American US federal judge, to lobby against this asinine ruling.  And finally, this terrible decision was thankfully reversed.  Too many times to mention appellate courts do not trust or value the decisions that the juries that we, as a people, empower to make these important decisions.

Juries are empowered to hear our complaints against both private and public entities; juries, in civil and criminal cases, are our right.  Juries of our peers.  We should remember that.  Please.

Jedi Listed as Religion in Census

The Czech Republic's recent census revealed that many more people than you'd think listed Jedi as their religion.  And there's even an official website for them and their religion.

Preacher Addresses a City Council Re a Prior Speaker Not Being Allowed to Seek Redress of Grievances Against Government and Almost Gets Censored and/or Arrested

SNL re Tebow and Jesus

Just in case you missed it late on SNL this weekend they took a shot at Tebow and of course it was funny:

Kim From Facts of Life Died?!?!?!?

Oh wait, it was tyrannical dictator Kim Jong Il that died not Kim Fields who played Tootie in Facts of Life.  My bad.  Apparently, there were some less than bright twitter heads that confused Kim Jong Il's death with the untrue death of Lil Kim.

Mass Asbestos Exposure in Fort Worth in 2007

That's right, according to a study reported in the Fort Worth Star Telegram a controlled demolition of a building in Fort Worth using a new "wet" process instead of removing the asbestos before demolition exposed workers and others to respirable asbestos.  People can have limited exposure to asbestos and then develop cancer decades later.  And this happened not in 1957 or 1967 but, in the 21st century in 2007.

In other news, Fort Worth is also putting lead back into all paint used in schools and is also putting mercury directly into its water supply.

New Addition to My X-Mas List: Batman Snuggie

Batman Snuggie?  Yes please.

Why Is the Queen of England Playing Risk?

a. Because she's wants a re-do of WWII ending with Britain still being a superpower.
b. Because she's a habitual gambler, she's gambling her hat she can hold onto the Faulkland Islands again.
c. Because she's tired of counting all her money and jewels.

Here's the article this photo is from.

Best Bad Movie of All Time...

Is of course, in yours truly's humble opinion is "Big Trouble in Little China."  Most of you probably knew that's my opinion.  And it goes without saying that the best "B" movie actor of our times is Kurt Russell, again in my opinion.  And again most know that's been my opinion for some time.

NBA Season On!

Details to follow.  Tentatively (click here for a link).

New Series: The Best Bad Movies of All Time

Best bad mountain climbing movie of all time?

Easy, Cliffhanger, Sly Stallone is in it, nuff said.

I Can't Believe What I Just Saw

Mavs win?  Yeah! Mavs win!  How?  I do not know.  But, they did.  Wow.  Series changer?  Maybe.  We will see.  Regardless, this is/was one of the best comebacks late in the game of all time.  Or maybe the best, I cannot think of one better right now.  Name one better, I dare you.  Let's go cross-sports.  Well, let's not.  Otherwise I'd start talking about the Red Sox against...  And the series is not over.  So it might be all for naught.  We will see...

Let's see what happens going forward.  However, going forward the Mavs have no business winning this game or series, according the the talking heads.  They do like to talk, don't they?  We will see...