Iron Man v Bruce Lee
Canadian filmmaker Patrick Bolvin presents a rather well done one minute video, which images a fight between Bruce Lee and Iron Man.
Mr Hudson: There Will Be Tears
He might not sell the most, if any records right now, but this guy is one of the best artists on this earth.
STEEZ-TASTIC: CHIDDY BANG... SOONER OR LATER
THESE GUYS ARE EXTREMELY INTRIGUING. Chiddy Bang is a new group from PHILLY. They are providing all their music for free right now. CHECK THEM OUT YOU WONT REGRET. SOONER OR LATER IS FABULOUS.
BAND HOMEPAGE: http://www.myspace.com/chiddybangphilly
FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS: http://www.purevolume.com/chiddybang
FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS: http://www.purevolume.com/chiddybang
STEEZY: Nike Air Tech Challenge Hybrid
Nike combines Aggassi's entire career of style to create these ATCs. BUY HERE
Barry O to the Naysayers
"I realize there are those who say these plans are too ambitious to enact," Obama said. "To that I say that the challenges we face are too large to ignore. I didn't come here to pass on our problems to the next president or the next generation — I came here to solve them."
You Know Prison is Big Business When...
Criminal correction spending is outpacing budget growth in education, transportation and public assistance, based on state and federal data.States have shown a preference for prison spending even though it is cheaper to monitor convicts in community programs, including probation and parole, which require offenders to report to law enforcement officers. A survey of 34 states found that states spent an average of $29,000 a year on prisoners, compared with $1,250 on probationers and $2,750 on parolees. The study found that despite more spending on prisons, recidivism rates remained largely unchanged.
From the NYT.
BRUNO: Sacha Baron Cohen's genius lives on
Sacha Baron Cohen's new film, 'Bruno,' premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas this past week. Anyone stupid enough to get fooled this often by the brilliant Cohen deserves the public humiliation this film should bring. If you were nervous whether the follow-up to Borat could live up to the hype, the following reviews should alleviate your fear:
"A jaw-on-the-floor wow. Sacha Baron Cohen has done it again, delivering another WMD slam dunk of hysterically subversive mocku-comedy. The film's take-no-prisoners approach was breathlessly funny, but no doubt some will ask: Has Sacha Baron Cohen gone too far?" -- MTV
"To the say the material was funny is a laughable insult itself. This brief look at Bruno quite possibly promises a more raucous laugh than Borat, which is no small feat. It may just redefine outrageous and will probably outdo Borat." -- First Showing
"It was hilarious, envelope-pushing as always, but with Cohen's talent to layer it with some real hard looks at who we are as a people and a commentary on how people really act." -- AICN
"What we saw was brilliant. I can’t wait to see the rest." -- Cinematical
"You'll laugh and groan in all the right places, but it will never not feel familiar. It's funny deja vu, but it's still deja vu." -- Hollywood Reporter
"If you're a 'Borat' fan and were worried that Cohen had lost the anonymity necessary to dupe stereotypical Americans with humorous results, rest assured 'Bruno' is hilarious." -- FSR
"While the screening was funny and surprising, it did not pack quite the same punch as one’s first exposure to 'Borat'. So far, these 'Bruno' scenes lacked the truly subversive bite that made 'Borat' both outrageous and thoughtful, playing it safe rather than really pushing the limit." -- Los Angeles Times
Pope Benedict goes to Africa preaching AIDS IGNORANCE
YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Tuesday reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's opposition to the use of condoms in the fight against AIDS as he started a visit to Africa, where more than 25 million people have died from the disease in recent decades.
The Pope, who arrived to a tumultuous welcome in the capital of Cameroon, also said the continent's people were suffering disproportionately due to the global challenges of food shortages, financial crises and climate change.
"It (AIDS) cannot be overcome by the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, they increase the problem," he said in response to a question about the Church's widely contested position against the use of condoms.
The disease has killed more than 25 million people since the early 1980s, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, and some 22.5 million Africans are living with HIV.
His words were some of his most explicit on the use of condoms to stop the spread of AIDS since his election in 2005.
The Church teaches that fidelity within heterosexual marriage, chastity and abstinence are the best ways to stop AIDS. It does not approve condoms but some Church leaders have been calling for allowing their use in rare cases between married heterosexual couples where one partner has the disease.
"The only solution is two-fold: the first is a humanisation of sexuality, a human, spiritual renewal which brings with it a new way of behaving among people and, secondly, a true friendship, especially for those who are suffering, a willingness to make personal sacrifices," he said.
He called for "correct behaviour regarding one's body".
TUMULTUOUS WELCOME
The Pope was greeted by tens of thousands of dancing and singing people lining the 25 km route from the airport to the city.
With the number of practising Catholics dwindling in the developed world, Africa is seen as vital to the Church's future. But the relationship is not without controversy, mainly over the condoms issue.
"At a time of global food shortages, financial turmoil, and disturbing patterns of climate change Africa suffers disproportionately," he told crowds on his arrival.
"More and more of her people are falling prey to hunger, poverty and disease. They cry out for reconciliation, justice and peace, and that is what the church offers them," he said.
Speaking to reporters on the plane, the Pope said the economic crisis was a product of a "deficit of ethics in economic structures".
"Ethics is something that should not be outside economics, but inside it. The economy does not work if it does not carry an ethical component inside itself," he said.
In his arrival address to President Paul Biya, Benedict called on Christians to tackle violence, poverty, corruption and abuse of power, issues that have continually stifled the continent's progress.
Many in Cameroon have called on the Pope to send a strong message to his host, Biya, who has ruled for over 26 years.
Biya's time in power has been marked by accusations of high-level corruption and human rights abuses. The security forces this week destroyed street-side stalls that provided an income for thousands, in a bid to clean up the city.
(Additional reporting by Tansa Musa)
SO FLY(wire): Nike Pinnacle Flywire Windrunner
Nike's Pinnacle collection is filthy. the material on this piece is so nice I feel guilty looking at it.
Instead of a War on Poverty they gotta War on Drugs so the Police can Bother Me
Great article from the Economist."Legalisation might encourage legitimate drug companies to try to improve the stuff that people take. The resources gained from tax and saved on repression would allow governments to guarantee treatment to addicts—a way of making legalisation more politically palatable. The success of developed countries in stopping people smoking tobacco, which is similarly subject to tax and regulation, provides grounds for hope."
Regulation always works better than prohibition. Stop wasting our damn money!
POST SCRIPT: Also found this gem from Time Magazine:
Pot is, after all, California's biggest cash crop, responsible for $14 billion a year in sales, dwarfing the state's second largest agricultural commodity - milk and cream - which brings in $7.3 billion a year, according to the most recent USDA statistics. The state's tax collectors estimate the bill would bring in about $1.3 billion a year in much needed revenue, offsetting some of the billions of dollars in service cuts and spending reductions outlined in the recently approved state budget.
Hi, IM THE PRESIDENT OF FRANCE'S WIFE
CARLA BRUNI SUING COMPANY FOR ADDING NUDE PHOTO OF HER TO TOTE BAG IN FRANCE
LONG LIVE THE DARK KNIGHT
Dark Knight' Breaks DVD And Blu-ray Sales Records In Just One WeeK
It hasn't been long since 'The Dark Knight' hit store shelves but DVD and Blu-ray sales of the movie are already shattering records.
The film has already sold a whopping 13.5 million units worldwide, including a record 1.7 million on Blu-ray, to become the best selling DVD of 2008 -- in only the first week of its release. A trend that is sure to continue with the holiday shopping season now in full swing.
Warner Bros. has said that the response to the digital copy of the movie included on the Blu-ray and Special Edition DVD has also been strong with more than 300,000 users activating their digital copies.
'The Dark Knight' marked the first time that a major feature film was partially shot using IMAX cameras, and that is said to be another reason for movie's successful transition to DVD, after breaking box office records this summer.
The film recently earned a Golden Globe nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category for Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker and was the year's highest-grossing film at the North American box office. It will be re-released to cinemas in January, to help cross the elusive $1 billion mark in earnings and attempt to be fresh in minds for an Oscar push.
INTERESTING...
Argentina to trial vanishing free kick sprayReuters
December 10, 2008
Argentina will use a vanishing spray in first division games next year in an attempt to stop defensive walls from creeping forward at free kicks.
The spray has been used on an experimental basis in the second division for the last six months and the Argentina Football Association (AFA) has now approved its use in the top flight, officials said on Wednesday.
Referees pace the regulatory 10-yards between the ball and the nearest defender and then spray a white line on the pitch to mark the correct position of the wall.
The line then disappears from the pitch within a minute.
Referees carry the spray in a small aerosol can weighing 115 grams.
Pablo Silva, a sports journalist who invented the spray and has worked with chemical engineers to develop the product, said the idea came to him when he was foiled at a free kick during an amateur game several years ago.
"In the 88th minute, we were losing 1-0 and won a free kick on the edge of the area. When I took the kick, the wall was three metres away," he said earlier this year.
"The referee didn't book anyone and didn't do anything.
"We lost the game and, driving home later with a mixture of anger and bitterness, I thought that we must invent something to stop this."
A spray has been used in some competitions in Brazil in the last few years for the same purpose. Silva said the products were different and had been developed separately.
X-MEN WERE LAME. WOLVERINES, HES A B A M F
Here's the first extended trailer for 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine', which tells the story of Wolverine and his time with Team X, before Wolverine's skeleton was bonded with an indestructible metal.The prequel to the 'X-Men' trilogy is slated to be released on May 1, 2009 -- which is certainly shaping up to be a great month for movies with 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine', 'Star Trek', 'Terminator Salvation' and Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Bruno'.
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD
APPARENTLY THERES ALSO A SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND INTELLIGENCE; anyone condemning stem cell research in the name of "embroes'' is an asshole
Vatican Hardens Opposition To Stem Cell ResearchVATICAN CITY - The Vatican hardened its opposition Friday to using embryos for stem cell research, cloning and in-vitro fertilization. But in a major new document on bioethics, it showed flexibility on some forms of gene therapy and left open questions surrounding embryo adoption.
The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued "The Dignity of a Person" to help answer bioethical questions that have emerged in the two decades since its last such document was published.
With it, the Vatican essentially confirmed in a single, authoritative instruction the opinions of the Pontifical Academy for Life, a Vatican advisory body that has debated these issues for years.
The Vatican's overall position stems from its belief that human life begins at conception and must be given the consequent respect and dignity from that moment on. The Vatican also holds that human life should be created through intercourse between husband and wife, not in a petri dish.
As a result, the Vatican said it opposed in vitro fertilization and related technologies because it involved separating conception from the "conjugal act" and often results in the destruction of embryos.
But it stopped short of issuing an explicit no to "embryo adoption," whereby infertile couples adopt embryos that were frozen during in vitro techniques and subsequently abandoned. It said that while the intent was "praiseworthy," the result posed legal, medical and psychological problems.
Dr. Edmund Pellegrino, emeritus professor of medicine and medical ethics at Georgetown University and the chairman of the President's Council on Bioethics, said that vagueness indicated that the question of embryo adoption "is still a little bit open."
"That means we're not issuing dicta on things which may be questionable," he said in an interview from Washington.
He said the document was valuable not because it contained any new pronouncements, but because it made explicit, and in one authoritative place, Vatican positions on issues that have emerged since the last such document was published in 1987, "Donum Vitae," or "Gift of Life."
"The important thing is the linking (of the scientific advances) with the dignity of the human person, and the notion of the church's teaching on procreation," he said.
The Vatican said it opposed the morning-after pill, even if it doesn't cause an abortion, because an abortion was intended. That could complicate the situation of some Catholic hospitals in the United States that offer the morning-after pill to rape victims.
In the use of drugs such as RU-486, which causes the elimination of the embryo once it is implanted, the "sin of abortion" is committed, the document said, thus their use is "gravely immoral."
The Vatican did show flexibility in saying that parents could in good conscience use vaccines for their children that were prepared using cell lines derived from an "illicit origin." Religious groups in the United States have pressed the Vatican to issue a statement concerning the morality of using vaccines prepared using cell lines derived from aborted fetuses.
"Grave reasons may be morally proportionate to justify the use of such 'biological material,'" the instruction said, adding that the parents would have to make known their disagreement with the way the vaccines were developed and press for alternatives.
But the document was strong in stressing that researchers using such material had a greater degree of responsibility. It said they had a moral duty to remove themselves from the "evil aspects" of the original, illicit act _ even if they and their institutions had nothing to do with it.
The document said gene therapy on regular cells in the body other than reproductive ones was in principle morally licit since it sought to "restore the normal genetic configuration of the patient or to counter damage caused by genetic anomalies."
But it said cell therapy that seeks to correct genetic defects with the aim of transmitting the therapy to offspring was more problematic.
"Because the risks connected to any genetic manipulation are considerable and as yet not fully controllable, in the present state of research, it is not morally permissible to act in a way that may cause harm to the resulting progeny," the document said.
In the instruction, the Vatican repeated that it supported research involving adult stem cells. But it said obtaining stem cells from a living embryo was "gravely illicit."
It repeated its opposition to human cloning for both medical therapies and reproduction. Such techniques could result in an individual being subjected to a form of "biological slavery from which it would be difficult to free himself."
It noted therapeutic cloning techniques in which embryonic-type stem cells can be produced without destroying true embryos. The document didn't rule definitively on the technology, known as altered nuclear transfer, saying there were still questions about what was produced.
A service of the Associated Press(AP)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
ALREADY BEING CALLED THE MOVIE OF THE DECADE. I BROUGHT IT TO YOU A FEW MONTHS AGO, NOW YOU HAVE 2 WEEKS BEFORE YOU CAN ACTUALLY FEAST ON THIS EPIC.
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