Thursday, July 15, 2010

Fresh tomatoes, salt, bit of mayo = perfect. Katsuura farms are brilliant.

Bonus, tomatoes were free.  Because while Katsuura farms are brilliant, Katsuura farmers are awesome.

Comics that kick ass - Justice League: Generation Lost - "Don't leave me to be hangin'."

I dig on the 80s run of Justice League International, which makes me inclined to dig on this series, but this crop of heroes having to deal with a resurgent Maxwell Lord, who's manipulated the entire world, is remarkably good.  Complex with some depth there in the characters.  This beat, though, is pure comedy win.  "Hypocrite on Justice League!" indeed.

Comics that kick ass - "Scarlet" by Bendis & Maleev - "Everything is Broken."

This is awesomeness, Made of Win.  Bendis' work at Marvel has always been...  good.  And interesting. But the Bendis stuff I've loved is his more indie work - Torso, Fire, Goldfish, Jinx [and to a lesser extent, Powers & Alias] - those are books I absolutely love.  This is a return to that form.  Brilliant.

Brian Bendis's Scarlet Revolution - Comics Feature at IGN:
"But what if one of these people, rather than protesting, legitimately fought back – with as much absolute feeling in their heart that they are right? And this person's situation as a victim gets them so far… but then are they a part of the problem?"

Damn, Tarantino was right - you really are an Elvis or a Beatles person.

I always thought the analysis was bullshit, but considering Japan's unabashed love - for folks of a certain age - of all things Beatles, I recently picked up The Beatles 1 and it was good. Damn good. But I followed it right up with a listen to Elvis 30 #1 Hits and OMG, holy jesus, yeah, that totally just resonates with me on a whole 'nother level. Makes me an Elvis person, clearly.

Due in no small part, I'm sure to Mom running Elvis on the 8-Track [fuck me, I'm old] almost every weekend. In hindsight, probably the best thing I took from... no, let's not go down that path tonight.

The cut scene from Pulp Fiction that lays it out:

And some Elvis breaking it the hell down.

This, all day. John Rogers, Leverage showrunner, on capitalism & corporations.

Worth the clickover/reading in full.

Kung Fu Monkey: Side Note: Writing, Corporate Bad Guys, and Worldview:
"...I like universal health care not for any moral reason but because it encourages job mobility, enterpreneurship, takes the burden off our manufacturing industries, and leads to cheaper health care costs. I like to spend money on education because it makes our workers competitive in the international market... I want solar power so people with thousand-year-old grudges in countries half a world away stop yanking us around. I want to cut defense spending so we can move it to border control and humint resources. I favor separation of church and state because, like Thomas Jefferson, I don't want people of faith to have other faiths shoved on them by the power of the government.

I'm a goddam 1972 Republican.

But, some people have a knee-jerk reaction and assume I'm generally anti-corporate or anti-rich people, and so the show is written that way. For this I have... responses, in ascending order of crankiness...

b.) The fact that you're having an emotionally defensive response for a corporation, or corporate culture in general, but not for the parallel personal example of say Criminal Minds or Law & Order: Super Rape Squad means that the century-long campaign of multinational billionaires to convince you they are both invaluable and oppressed has worked. Congratulations, you've been mind-hacked.

c.) Sorry we made you feel unsafe. That maybe, just maybe, some -- not all, but some -- of the people who you've been taught to trust are not very nice. The world's unsafe, sookie-baby. Grow up."

The Onion FTW - "Repeal Of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Paves Way For Gay Sex Right On Battlefield, Opponents Fantasize."

Repeal Of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Paves Way For Gay Sex Right On Battlefield, Opponents Fantasize | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

"Arrested for blowing bubbles at the G20" - this cop is a horrible human being.

Who positively reeks of "respect my authoritah!" Worth noting, it seems to me, his compatriot seems embarrassed by him.

Arrested for blowing bubbles at the G20 in Toronto? - Boing Boing:
"If the goal of the police at the G20 was to act pissy and escalate minor incidents into major ones in order to assert their authority, mission accomplished. If, on the other hand, their mission was to de-escalate, keep the peace, find rapport, and celebrate the democratic right to protest, this officer is an abject, total failure."

"August 13th - We Take Back What's Ours" - That's pretty funny - The Expendables: Call To Arms Trailer.