inherently different

Archive for June, 2004

I’ve been reading a few pro-bush blogs to see their reaction to Michael Moore’s new movie. While I don’t necessarily think that the numbers thus far are an indication of what Americans are thinking, I do think that the film should get people talking about the issues.

Keep in mind that the money generated by admissions thus far ($24 Million and counting) is roughly three times the total number of people who viewed the film (3 Million x $8.00 = $24 Million). This number (3 Million) is about the number of people who are adamantly opposed to Bush’s presidency. If the U.S. population stood at 281,421,906 on April 1, 2000, that means that a little more than 1 percent of the population has seen this movie. Of course we have to consider that a percentage of the movie goers are not yet of voting age (even though the film is rated R, many theaters have turned a blind eye) and some will waste their vote by voting for someone other than Bush or Kerry. Also we have to discount the people who watch the film and will still vote for Bush.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is this: Before anyone starts celebrating because Moore’s film did reasonably well this past week, keep in mind that $24 Million dollars, while more than Moore expected, falls miserably short of making a statement about where people’s hearts and minds are.

If anyone thinks that it does, perhaps you should pay attention to box office receipts this coming weekend… Spiderman for President anyone?

Check out the Friday, June 18th, 2004 news byte on Greg’s Previews and you will see some news that makes Ocean’s Twelve worth watching. They have added mega-star power in my humble opinion. Not that they needed it since all the actors who appeared in Ocean’s Eleven are back in the sequel but… still, we’re talking the legendary Bruce Willis!

What? Monica Lewinsky is apparently “upset” that Clinton didn’t formally state that he destroyed her when he chose to protect his presidency rather than admit that he banged her like a screen door in a hurricane.

Ahh, nothing like personal responsibility to elevate a person beyond their circumstances. See, the former President didn’t ruin Monica Lewinsky. She pretty much assured her own destruction when she chose to have an affair with a married man, stuff a Cuban cigar up her own snatch and temporarily change the name of Clinton’s place of business into the “ORAL” office.

I think that if she truly wanted to put the past behind her she wouldn’t have:
A) used her infamy to land a gig as a spokesperson for Jenny Craig.
B) used her infamy to land a gig hosting a reality TV series.
and most damning,
C) open her mouth condemning Clinton for not apologizing for banging her.

I could understand if she was forced into a relationship. I can understand if she had no other choices. I could even understand her anger if she didn’t profit from i t. Let’s face facts… being a media whore is only a step or two above a plain whore.

I’m doing research for an article about internet fraud. If you have a disposable email addy (other than the one I am sending this to) and want to help me with my research, please copy and paste this email addy into your web browswer:

http://sbase30.com/promotions/register.php?p=apipd&lid=emarkapipd_emm-ref&rfr=1120987

and follow the directions of the website. Please use a disposable email addy (a valid one that you don’t mind getting spammed) for any fields requiring your email addy.

NOTE: The email address you use must be valid and you must follow the directions and respond to any email requests to verify the addy you supply, etc.

What I am doing is compiling a list of popular internet frauds and writing an article of what to avoid. The link above is one such company that promises Apple I-Pods free for completing a few mail order programs (such as book of the month, BMG music, E-Bay, Ink By Mail). Once you join one of these programs, you are entered into a database and given points toward an Apple I-Pod. Well, as you can imagine, nothing is what it seems. I’m trying to complete the process to see if they actually deliver the I-pod. So far, the process has taken since April just to get to this point after completing the “main” part of the program which was to join E-Bay and buy/sell something within 30 days. Next, I have to refer X number of people (which should complete the necessary requirements. If you have a few minutes to spare and a disposable email addy, please help me out. You shouldn’t have to actually buy anything. Most of the offers are FREE for X number of days.

Once you do, please shoot me an email letting me know you participated.

Thanks in advance!

I believe in a few socially irresponsible ideas. It has, on occasion, gotten me into trouble with a few of my more liberal, tree-hugging friends.
1. I believe Greenpeace is a terrorist organization.
2. I believe that recycling is bad for the environment.
3. I believe that most weekend-environmentalists are inherently stupid.
4. I believe the world will end eventually without mankind’s help or hinderance.
5. I believe that 90% of anything that the WWF, Audubon Society, Sierra Club, or Greenpeace states as fact is skewed heavily against corporations in order to scare people into giving them money.
I know, anyone who is reading this and purports to be environmentally conscious will say that I’m unaware of all the horrible things that are being done to the environment on a daily basis. They will spout “facts” about how we are creating greenhouse gases through pollution that are eroding the ozone and causing global warming. They will say that we are causing our forests to disappear through clear-cutting and deforestation. They will say that we are killing off 5 species a day.
The truth is much less apocalyptic and in consequence, it wouldn’t generate the kinds of donations necessary to keep these people who work for these organizations from having to get real jobs. I don’t believe anything either pro-environmentalist or anti-environmentalists spit out because it is all rhetoric. Crap.
Some good links on the many environmental myths that exist:
The Sky Falls on Environmental Myths
Ten Environmental Myths
Pro-Recycling Rhetoric
Exploding The Environmental Myths of 1997
Environmental Myths: A Brief Article
Recycling As Religion: Environmental Myths
Really, all I am asking for before someone starts to (acid) rain on my parade is to disengage your heart and engage your brain. I’m tired of misinformed do-gooders who don’t read or challenge what they are force fed by people with an agenda. Faith without understanding is dangerous. Passion without proof is more so.

Who actually believes that we are winning the war on terrorism? Who ever actually believed there were WMD in Iraq? Who ever believes politicians?

I didn’t make as much money this month writing as I should have. Granted I spent way too much time fuckerooning around, what with the Red Queen arriving and both of us getting past the initial tourist mentality of needing to see everything and do everything the island has to offer.

I’m finishing a screenplay that I will submit into the American Zoetrope Screenwriting Contest. In case the name sounds familiar, it’s the company that Francis Ford Coppola started years ago. Can you imagine Francis Ford Coppola reading and liking your script? That would be awesome.

Saw Around the World in 80 Days with the Red Queen today. I thought it was entertaining but I don’t necessarily agree with 6toGo’s rather exhuberant review. I’m of the mindset that if you can’t improve upon the original either through acting or special effects, you shouldn’t remake a film. This version of the Jules Verne classic tale is rather boring and unoriginal even though it takes the story to areas heretofore unexplored. Just changing the locations and a few of the characters for the sake of modern audiences isn’t enough to warrant a revision to the film. I love Jackie Chan and think he is a marvel of human agility, but I think he was wasted here.

Today the Red Queen and I went on a hike up into the lush rain forests on the Northside of Maui with some friends of ours
. We meandered around a stream that winds its way down from the cloud forest above the Iao Valley. I managed to ramble over slippery rocks and muddy banks without a slip.

We crossed hill & dale, forded streams and hopped long rock shoals. We dashed through vine choked forest, hacked our way through bamboo forests, and tiptoed along precarious mountain paths. All to see some waterfalls.

I was carrying my digital camera in my backpack, removing it only if I was going to take a picture (I took many) along the way to the waterfalls we were looking for. Well, I managed to get all the way to the waterfalls (and even scaled a fifty foot tall wall to reach the final two waterfalls) without dunking my camera into the stream.

Not more than 400 yards from returning to the car, I fell. While my camera was out. Hanging around my neck. This might not have been bad except I had pushed it around toward my back so that if I fell forward, it wouldn’t be smashed on the rocks. I fell into the water… back first.

The camera was submerged for the briefest of moments, but as my grandfather was fond of saying, “They don’t build them like they used to!” Only he said it in spanish and the direct translation uses many more curse words.

I did manage to save the memory card which had all the days images. I’m trying to dry out the camera for a few days, see if she’ll still capture the moments of my life. Of course, I was already in the market for a new camera but with my low income status, buying a new camera wasn’t a priority. Guess you get what you pray for.

I’m not sure what most people make of my dirty habit. In fact, I’m gonna go out on a limb here (Funny, but it seems that I have a tendency to go out on a limb doesn’t it?) and say that most people are completely unaware that I read. A lot. Since I’ve been in Hawaii, I’ve read six books. I personally think I’ve done a pretty good job of managing my time since I’ve procured a mailbox, gotten a new bank account, found a suitable place to live, gone to the beach more than a few times, gone hiking above Wailuku, helped a friend scout possible investment properties, and managed to submit thirty 250-word articles and two 750-word articles to my publisher. AND still managed to read (and more importantly retain and understand) six books.

Well, I just finished Stephen King’s Song of Susannah, one of the Dark Tower books… my seventh book in one month. If you’ve never had the opportunity (or motivation) to read one of Stephen King’s Dark Tower books, you really should. They are unlike anything else he has written. These books are influenced by so many of my favorite things in the whole of creation.

If you decide to take the plunge, begin with The Gunslinger which is the first book in the series. And if you do decide to take the plunge, get the hardback editions as they are illustrated and can definitely help you visualize the characters and other objects in this epic adventure.

Ahhh! Nothing quite like sitting back on the couch and surfing the glorious world wide web! Now I am no longer required to schlep the mile or so to the local internet cafe and pay twenty cents per minute to access my beloved internet.

It’s been tough mind you. Research for my articles has been rather hampered by my lack of connectivity. When I was staying briefly with my friend Mel I was able to use her DSL connection which functioned more like 56k dialup. That was bad enough but when I finally moved into my own condo here on the waters of Charley Young Beach I didn’t have access. And let me tell you, it is ALL about access.

If you’ve had broadband for any length of time, it is a bitch to live without it. I don’t ever want to go through that again. Ever.

Today I went to the public library here on Maui. I’ve never used the word quaint to describe something in my life. Mostly because, well, I’ve never had occasion to use it… Until now.

The library in Kihei is small, mismanaged and rather light on decent books. In fact, I’d go as far as saying there are ghetto libraries that are better equipped to disperse reading material and information.
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