Battlestar Música

Apparently senioritis doesn't care if you want it around or not, it comes to visit anyway.  But school has been pretty tame lately as second semester picks up, and I've been spending my days listening to music and catching up on TV shows, as well as cleaning the garage (yikes.  you find straaaaaaaaaaaaange stuff in there!) and, yes, keeping up with schoolwork.

I suppose it's because it's been so awesomely rainy lately that I've been in a strange mood, musically at least, lately.  I've been listening to four albums practically nonstop: Moya Brennan's Misty Eyed Adventures Sarah Brightman's Harem, The Corrs' In Blue, and Sinead O'Connor's Faith and Courage.  Why?  I'm not quite sure.  They make me happy, I suppose.  Make me want to go out and travel the world, get on a train & just see where I'll end up.  I highly recommend all three of these albums.

And, my other current obsession: Battlestar Galactica.  I'm 8 episodes into season 3 and have never loved it more!  There's so much more intrigue now, so many battles (between ships and people).  Everything is so intense, after the failed harmony experiment of New Caprica.  I'm kind of wishing Baltar is a Cylon, just so I don't have to think that a human would betray his own race so horridly TWICE.  Laura Roslin is reminding me why she's my favorite character (not that I need reminding) but ohhhhh boy, she does have ice water in her veins sometimes!  I'm starting to like Sharon Agathon -- Athena -- more now, and Racetrack is epic pilot win, as usual.  Tory is awesome even if she's a psychotic Cylon later on, Apollo is soooo much cuter now that he lost all that weight, I am so not surprised Ellen was a collaborator on New Caprica, Tigh as a drunk is supremely unattractive.  Oh, and I hate all the Threes because Lucy Lawless is such a good actress she makes me feel sorry for them.

Oh, yeah, and I went to this store in Hollywood called "It's a Wrap" that gets all sorts of costumes/props from movies/tv shows/whatever, annnnnnnnnnnnd ......... I found outfits from BSG!!!!  Soooooo excited ... I'm going to be watching all the episodes super closely looking for my new clothes :P

I am in love with the BSG soundtrack.  Endofstory.

I downloaded the first half of the pilot for Caprica.
Ugh.
I swore I wouldn't get it/watch it.
But it was free on iTunes and I'm a sucker for free stuff.
I comfort myself by knowing that just because I have it, doesn't mean I like it.

So, take all the sex, drugs, and violence of Vegas, multiply it by a few thousands, and you have "V-World".  Ew.  I get the point -- the colonies are in love with themselves and headed toward destruction.  And yeah, sex and violence sells in our pathetic little American TV culture.  But really.  The most interesting parts were the FX and the creepy priestess lady.  I think I might have to watch the second half of the pilot, but not the rest of the series.

Will the Real Catholic Church Please Stand Up?

So, I'm looking for the Catholic Church as it was meant to be.  The Catholic Church that:

• Preaches love for everyone
• Supports tolerance
• Is doing such a good job helping people in Haiti
• Knows better than to get involved in politics and legal battles
• Says everyone is equal in the eyes of God . . . and the Church

Not the Catholic Church that:

• Seems less than interested in reaching out to other faiths
• Threatens to stop social service operations in DC if the city legalizes gay marriage
• Threw support behind the "yes on 8" campaign in California in 2008
• Has forgotten that church and state are supposed to remain completely different entities

I might as well wish for Admiral Adama to swoop out of the sky in the Galactica and take me to Kobol, it seems.

Some People Shouldn't be Allowed to Talk

Well, that's not true.  Everyone should be allowed to talk, we have a right to freedom of speech, and I cherish that right.  It applies to everyone, no questions.

On the other hand, just because you can talk, it doesn't mean you should.  And it for sure doesn't mean you should be allowed to broadcast your opinions to the world.

Take Pat Robertson.  He says that the earthquake in Haiti was caused by the Haitians themselves, because they made a pact with the devil to throw out the French.  That is so disgusting on so many levels, I don't even know where to begin.  He's dismissing the Haitian's religion, promoting colonization, ignoring the fact that things called natural disasters exist, and are called natural disasters for a reason, and he's implying that 50,000 people deserved to die.  Excuse me.  I take issue with that.  You should be praying for those people, donating money to help them, promoting relief efforts.  I didn't think it was possible for Robertson to offend me any more . . . he did.  I am glad, at least, to see that the White House is responding to this, with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs calling his remarks "utterly stupid".  Because, guess what, they are!

Or Rush Limbaugh.  He, at least, is not blaming the Haitians for their tragedy.  But he's matching Robertson in stupidity, by saying that Obama is using US relief efforts as a way to boost his credibility with the black community in the US.  'Scuse me?  What happened to caring for your neighbor, and, um, the obligation to help people?  I mean, Limbaugh is very Christian, right?  Doesn't the Bible have very specific things to say about loving your neighbor?  And doesn't "helping your poverty-stricken neighbors recover from a devastating earthquake" qualify as "loving"?

And then, when somebody actually points out what a hypocritical, lying, jerk he's being, he responds with . . . well, some unrepeatable sentiments.  Watch here: http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201001140046.  I got exactly 1 minute and 30 seconds into the video before wanting to strangle him, and about 2 and a half minutes before I nearly cried at how simply horrific, disgusting, and completely un-defendable his statements are.  Really.  I don't care if you don't like the president, no one in their right mind would turn a humanitarian tragedy into a political game.  Except, apparently, Rush Limbaugh.  Way to make the world hate you.

By the way, it's also a good idea to check out some of the other videos on that page.  And I know that Media Matters is a very liberal website, but keep in mind that there is no commentary on these videos.  It's simply exactly what Limbaugh/Robertson said: their words from their mouths.

Kudos to Senator Claire McCaskill for posting this on her Twitter, that's where I found it :)

Fox News is Not News, or, Why Glenn Beck Should Keep His Mouth Shut

Oooh!  Lookit what I dug up from last October!

Unless you've been living under a rock the past month (and I hope you haven't, that sounds awfully not-fun!) then you know all about the war of words that the White House is waging against Fox News.  For me personally, I found it enjoyable to follow for the first few weeks, before I resorted to shaking my head and repeating Artie Neilson's line from Warehouse 13: "Children.  I am working with children."  Okay, I'm not working with them, but they sure are running the country!  In any case, I think Anita Dunn & Co. are emerging as the clear winners in this, for several reasons.

1. When you get right down to it, well, the White House is right.  Fox News is not news.  I wouldn't go as far as Anita Dunn and call them the PR wing of the Republican party (although several people there do a very god job of being exactly that), but it's not news.  It's commentary, plain and simple -- incredibly biased commentary, that likes to pass itself off as news.

2. Fox is populated by liars and hypocrites.  Well, actually, that's not fair.  The most vocal people on Fox (Sean Hannitty, Glenn Beck, et al) are hypocrites.  For example, Glenn Beck calls Anita Dunn a communist for saying Mao Zedong is one of her favorite political philosophers.  But . . . guess who one of his favorite authors is?!  Yep, Adolf Hitler.

So . . . interesting, yeah?

By the way, before you accuse me of railing against Fox just because I disagree with their conservative position, consider this: Keith Olbermann says many things that I agree with.  I still think he's a pretentious git, and MSNBC would never be my first choice for news, either.

If I Can't . . .

If I can't check out videos/CDs on my own library card 'till I'm 18, why can I drive when I'm 16?

If I can't text while walking without running into trees/tripping/etc, why do people need a law to tell them not to text while driving?

Just some stuff to think about, I suppose.  Comment if you have any others :)

In Your Place: Randomz

I made it my mission a bit ago to find Republicans With Brains (they get capital letters in their title 'cause they're just that rare, y'know?).  Actually, Ash kinda inspired me to go on that search.  I found two: Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, two lovely senators from Maine who care about things like bailout packages, social equality, and affordable healthcare.  Kudos to them for knowing when to drop the party line.

I want a Kindle.  And an iPhone.  And a tablet.  Why do all the best things in life come with such huge pricetags?  Apple should hurry up and release their tablet . . . but if it's just a large-scale iTouch, I will be quite unhappy.  On the subject of computer-y things, I have a newfound respect for Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator (we're using them a lot in designing our yearbook).  I'll still take GIMP over Photoshop any day, but I haven't found anything to compare to Illustrator or InDesign (my dad thinks I'm a bit crazy.  He says, "why would you want software you have to pay for?"

I love Nancy Pelosi.  She doesn't stand stupidity from anyone, and when told by a senior army figure that she needs to be put "in her place" she responds with "I am in my place".  And her place just so happens to be Speaker of the House of Representatives.  I approve =)  There needs to be more people like her in Congress.  Maybe then things would actually get done in an orderly fashion.

Speaking of, I'm in my place right now . . . watching Stargate Atlantis and "doing schoolwork".  I suppose I have to get back to the second part of that now (though the schoolwork is the reason I have to multi-task and watch SGA at the same time, because it's taking me three months to watch four episodes.  Sheesh).  Catch ya on the flip side! =)

Things Wrong With the World

Call me insane, call me sleep-deprived, call me over-sensitive, but this stuff just shouldn't be happening.

I saw a ten year old reading New Moon at the feis this weekend.  Absolutely disgusting and entirely not appropriate.

Obama dropped his demand that Israel cease building settlements in the Occupied Territories.  Excuse me?  Haven't those been declared illegal by pretty much everyone who matters?  The settlements are one of the true roadblocks to Middle Eastern peace, and it's sad that Obama is willing to bend to pressure from the Israelis (because Prime Minister Netanyahu is the one being unreasonable here.  Did anyone read his conditions for a Palestinian state that came out earlier this year?)

Iranian police are starting to order shopkeepers that any mannequins they have in their store windows be wearing proper hijab.  This is how ridiculous this is:  It showed up as a headline in the LA Times Twitter feed I have in my Google reader, and I thought I had accidentally hit the Onion's Twitter feed.  So I started laughing.  Until I realized it was real.  Stuff like this leaves me speachless with shock over how badly women are treated, and how unable we are to put a stop to it.

Speaking of Iran, President Ahmadinijad has been denying the Holocaust.  Again.  How blind to you have to be to stare all that evidence in the face and say it's faked?  Such hatred and such stupidity.

An off-duty police officer was driving drunk in NYC and killed a woman.  How can you not know better?

Stuff like this makes me want to curl up in a corner with my eyes shut tight, waiting for things to improve.  But if this is ever going to change . . . we have to get out there and make it change!

Obama, Healthcare, and Stuff You Really Shouldn't Say During Congress

It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or a Republican, if you love you president or hate your president, if you are a member of Congress, and the president is addressing a joint session on a televised broadcast, you do not jump out of your seat and yell "You lie!" at the president.  Especially if he's well, not actually lying.  And yes, Joe Wilson, I'm talking about you.

Now, I'll be the first person to tell you that I haven't been keeping too close of tabs on the whole healthcare debate.  I am far and away more interested in international relations and foreign policy than domestic issues.  But I do know a few things.

The current healthcare system is broken.  Even most of the Republicans know that, even if they won't admit it.  We need a new plan, and right now, Obama's is the best one out there.  It provides coverage for the millions of Americans who can't afford insurance, and, after all, healthcare should be a right, not a privelege.  For all of you who complain that Obama's a socialist, guess what: he's not.  For all of you who think this plan covers illegal immigrants (*cough*joewilson*cough*), guess what: it doesn't.  For all of you who bitch and moan about the increased taxes, try thinking beyond yourself for once.  You might want to try reading and understanding something before you criticize it.

Now, on to the actual outburst.  Grown peoples' ability to act like schoolchildren never ceases to amaze me, and apparently even congressmen aren't exempted from this.  Basic manners say you don't talk while other people are talking.  Don't you remember learning that in kindergarten?  And while caning people on the Senate floor may have been perfectly normal in the 1800s, neither that nor its verbal equivalent is acceptable today.  I agree with the House's decision to formally reprimand Wilson just as much as I roll my eyes at his "apology" and "resoning" behind the outburst.  When even people from your own party join in condemming you, you've crossed a line.

Congress is supposed to represent what's best about America.  Checks and balances, the people's elected representatives making laws, and all that.  And no matter who currently occupies the position, the office of President of the United States should command some dignity and respect (there are those very few cases who make such a mockery of the office that I just throw my hands up in disbelief).  Civil debate is what Congress is all about.  This healthcare speech was a chance for Obama to explain his plan, to try to reach out to Republicans.  Joe Wilson, therefore, made not only himself but the whole House look stupid.  How is anyone supposed to take seriously a body that doesn't even afford the president the simple courtesy of silent attentiveness during a speech?  Honestly.

Hopefully, this was a (relatively) unbiased look at this one issue.  This is one case where my reaction would have been the same no matter who yelled at Obama.  And now . . . off to bed!

This one's for you, Ash!  Thanks for the idea =)

iTunes 9 Is Love (Or It Should Be)

Apple's September conference always has me running home from school a bit earlier than usual to read the news and see what new updates have come out.  And I love most of the new updates this year.  Emphasis on most.

I won't spend too much time on analyzing all the new iPod updates, since you can read those pretty much anywhere.  Quick summary though: a new 64GB Touch, price cuts for the 8GB & 32GB Touches and the shuffle, video camera for the nano.  What I really want to focus on (read: rant about) is iTunes 9.

So iTunes 9 is a wonderful update, I'm not disputing that.  The new features are excellent.  It looks pretty, it runs faster.  And everything I've read about the re-designed iTunes store makes me excited.

Except.  You need Safari 4 to use the iTunes store.  And, well, me being me (tell me if I have anybody else who does this), I go back and forth between Opera and Firefox and never actually use Safari.  So I don't have Safari 4, 'cause, hey, what's the point?  And I can't actually download the update because (as usual) I've been lazy and haven't updated my OS recently, so I'm still running 10.5.2, while you need 10.5.7 to get Safari 4.

Now, really.  I need two updates before I can use half of what makes iTunes so great.  I know I partly have myself to blame, but seriously.  The Safari download could be easier/still availible to us who don't have time to update to 10.5.x every month.  Or . . . just . . . i dunno, make iTunes work with earlier versions of Safari?

The upshot of all this is, I'm very happy with almost everything new.  Just that pesky iTunes store stops me from enjoying everything like I should.

Common Sense Fail

According to this Washington Post article, there has been a bill introduced in the Senate that will require states to prohibit people from texting while driving. Excellent idea! Right?

People, why do we need this law? Well, obviously because people are texting while driving, and thus getting into accidents. Which begs the question, WHY are people texting while driving??!! That is quite possibly one of the stupidest things you could ever do. It's in the same vein as the hands-free-phone-while-driving law, but at least that one, I understand. I know many people who are on their cell phones in the car, whether for their work, or because they're calling someone for directions. And honestly, even though I think it's better to not call people while you're driving, and you certainly need to have a headset on, responsible and mature people can talk on the phone while driving safely.

But texting. That is so different. Texting requires (unless you are one of the very few people who are texting wizards) two hands and total concentration. Which means that your driving lacks . . . well, what a surprise, two hands and any concentration! It is completely unfathomable to me why anybody would think that is acceptable. You guys, it's just not. I know I complain about people's stupidity sometimes, but this is a whole new level. We need laws to tell us what common sense should have made totally clear. That's just . . . wow. But since apparently we need these laws, I really, really hope this bill gets passed.

~~~~~~~~~~

On a totally unrelated note, check the Atlantis section of my website for new Season 3 reviews and some new artwork!

Twilight, Vampires, and Souls

Some of you might think it's odd that I write so much about Twilight when I hate it so much. But the idea from this blog post came out of an AIM conversation I was having with Taya, and then I just had to write about it.

So Taya said that the only thing she hated about Twilight was that Edward had a soul. I was really surprised at that . . . I had no idea (like I said before, I've only seen the movie and read like a chapter of the book). So Taya said, "Well, it was never said that he did, and that's what bugged me. Was that he wasn't evil. Vampires are monsters." And that got me thinking: I'm pretty sure Edward qualifies as a monster (all sparkling aside). I told her so. Her response? "Monsters don't love." Let me tell you something. Edward doesn't either.

From the beginning, Edward and Bella's relationship has been completely based on mutual dependency (in a very bad way) and lust. That's it. They are attracted to each other based solely on physical features, there is absolutely zero connection between them. Bella spends pages going on about how hot Edward is. I think we got the picture in the first sentence. Edward is attracted to Bella based on . . . guess what . . . the scent of her blood. I mean, ew!!. That is not a reason for attraction. Oh, I forget, he also thinks she's "mysterious" because he can't read her mind. Well, I'm sorry, but the only reason that he can't read her mind is because there's nothing in it! Leaving aside the whole idea that trying to read people's minds is completely unethical, I mean, really.

Then there's the whole idea of Edward-as-a-stalker. He sneaks into her room to watch her sleep. That's, like, what serial killers do to their victims. And then, there's the pedophilia issue. Physical appearances aside, Edward is a good hundred years (if not more) older than Bella. Their relationship is completely illegal. Add to that the fact that neither of them are emotionally mature enough to make the distinction between love and lust, and you have a problem. Another thing worth mentioning is that (correct me if I'm wrong) but they fall in "love" over the span of a few days (weeks at most). A relationship should take years to develop. Not weeks.

Now, on to the idea of mutual dependency. There's nothing wrong with being extremely attatched to your boyfriend/girlfriend. There's nothing wrong with being sad at the prospect of not being able to see said boyfriend/girlfriend for a long period of time. But these two take it to a very disturbing. Both Edward and Bella try to kill themselves when they're apart from each other. That is not the mark of a healthy relationship. Bella is clingy and her only goal is to keep Edward by her . . . she deludes herself into thinking that he is what makes her life worth living. Any relationship based on love does not include the idea that you will die without your boyfriend/girlfriend by your side (that's what also bothers me about Romeo and Juliet). And look at Edward's reaction when any other guy so much as looks at Bella, much less the fights he gets into with Jacob. He is disgustingly possessive, and so clearly views Bella only as an object. This dehumanization of women is a huge problem in our society, and I think it's awful beyond words that Stephanie Meyer makes it seem like such a wonderful thing. People who are really in love don't treat their partners like objects. End of story.

I know people who will point to New Moon as an example of Edward's true love for Bella, a validation of the "If you love someone enough, you'll know when to let them go" principle. That's not true. A real example of that can easily be found in the Odo/Kira relationship from Star Trek: Deep Space 9. This is quite different. Edward is acting in his own self-interest: he does not want to inadvertently kill or injure Bella, and then end up in a whole mess of trouble. As their suicidal tendencies after their breakup clearly show, they each think that their existence depends on a continued romantic relationship with the other. Excuse me? Since when did one person, let alone one relationship, define people's lives? I would be tempted to say, "since Stephanie Meyer", but there is a different, better answer. That idea is found all the time in high school flings, which is, when you get down to it, exactly what this relationship is.

Edward and Bella are not in a loving relationship. They are in a lust-based and probably mutually destructive one. It's true that monsters don't love. Edward Cullen doesn't love Bella either. And based on his horrifyingly creepy and disgustingly possessive actions toward Bella, I think there's plenty of evidence to show that he is, indeed, a monster.

So, agree/disagree? *Hides from swarm of rabid Twilight fans.* No, seriously. My exposure to these books/movies has been limited, and I welcome any civil debate. Emphasis on civil, you guys =)