Frog's House of Infinite Wisdom

Instead of being one of those people that complains about Fahrenheit 9/11 without having seen it, I managed to figure out a way to view it without financially supporting it. I already knew Moore's angle and decided that I didn't want to add to his bank account, which has already profitted from the Iraq War in its own unique way.

If you are at all curious about the movie, I suggest you see it. I would also strongly suggest that you avoid paying for the viewing because you may find that you're disgusted by the overt and covert manipulation he uses. He's the ultimate egotist and the notion that he could make a fortune and affect a national election is no doubt a feast for his ego. The film is available on BitTorrent and other P2P communities. My other strong suggestion is that you have crib notes handy when you watch the film, because if you take the film at its word, it will most assuredly manipulate you to anger. Dave Kopel, a lifelong Democrat and writer for the non-partisan Independence Institute, has a great document which follows the movie premise by premise and debunks the manipulations within.

I've also been able to find contradictions within Michael Moore's own site. It's not that hard, especially when you consider that he uses nuance to create an overall impression. For instance, the assumption that is forced on the viewer by the movie (and by ravenous Bush-haters out there) is that the Bush administration set a policy that doesn't allow the press to take pictures of the flag-draped coffins coming back from Iraq. Despite the fact that it might be an invasion of privacy to some families that might not want their son's or daughter's death to be used as a political chess piece, the Bush bash crowd have claimed that this is a deliberate tactic on the part of the Bush administration to keep us all from the realities of war, as it might sway public sentiment against the war. Well, according to Moore's own site, this is a policy that has been in place by the Pentagon for the past 13 years, well beyond Bush's tenure. Moore cleverly has supported his premise that the "government would not allow any cameras to show the coffins coming home" without owning up to the fact that he has used the quote and footage against Bush for a policy that has nothing to do with him.

There are many other talking points in Fahrenheit 9/11 that can be disproven but instead of going over all of those in this post, I would suggest you read for yourself. It's quite enlightening to see how this "independent" filmmaker would use clever editing and parsed words to manipulate and distort the truth.

10. Stick to stories everyone can agree on, like cookies are delicious.
9. Move nightly "happy hour" to after the broadcast.
8. Stop hiring guys with crazy names like "Morley."
7. Can't figure out if a news story is true? Let Judge Joe Brown decide.
6. Every time Mike Wallace tells a lie he gets a life-threatening electrical shock.
5. Newsroom patrolled by some kind of lovable but strict "truth monkey."
4. If it turns out the story is wrong, give away 276 brand new cars.
3. After delivering a report, correspondent must add, "or maybe not--who knows?"
2. Newscast consists of Dan Rather sitting down to watch Tom Brokaw.
1. Oh, I dunno, stop making up crap?

Haikus by GregNews:

Freshman quarterbacks?
Why did we blitz so little?
Put them on their ass!

Many missed chances.
Touchdown passes dropped four times.
Shoulda, coulda... not.

Easy field goal missed.
Boy, we could use a guy like
Judd Davis again.

Bullsh*t penalty.
Once again, ref screws gators.
Tennessee leads east.

Note to D. Baker:
You never retaliate
When your team is up.

Jeremy Foley,
How many times will you fold?
Go change your tampon!

A gutless wonder,
our athletic director.
It is nothing new.

All the tools are there,
but our coaches call bad plays.
8 and 5? Again!

Al Pacino was
good in Heat, but better in
Glengarry, Glenross.

"Marshall your sales force?"
"We need the leads, the good leads!"
"put that coffee down!"

Haikus by Frogbrother

Dumb ass referees
Useless as tits on a bull
Biased against us

Conspiracy game
Tennessee versus Gators
Vols! Eat shit and die!

Haikus by Cynical J

Déjà vu again
Will we get to a bowl game?
To the Outback Bowl!

Refs hete Spurrier
Zook will always pay for it
Stupid stupid refs!

I'm so goddamn tired...
No more football Saturdays
Jim wants out for good

Haikus by Frogbrother

Jim will never quit
He loves U.F. forever
He also loves the NASCAR

Refs after the game
"Let's hurry and let Vols win
and then have butt sex!"

Referees, my ass!
The stupid refs can't call plays.
They are mindless dicks.

"If you don't believe ... Saddam Hussein is a threat with nuclear weapons, then you shouldn't vote for me."

Last night, I fought past the throngs of geeks, nerds and dweebs to pick up a copy of the original Star Wars Trilogy DVD collection. I was hesitant to pick up a copy (but obviously not too hesitant since I purchased it on the day of release) but did so anyway and watched the first in the series, A New Hope.

One thing you may or may not be aware of it is the changes that George Lucas made to the film. One of the major accomplishments was a complete restoration of the film, which is amazing. Believe me, you've never seen the film look this good, even back in 1979 on the big screen. Lucasarts commissioned a company specializing in film recovery and restoration to clean the movie and bring out the vibrant colors that were lost from years of copying and storage. No odd film grains or other elements like before. It looks brand new. There is also an improvement in sound. The background music sounds like it was rerecorded and reapplied to the film. To be honest, it sounds odd in a way because the voices have a slight grainy quality to them, as if they were recorded with old equipment while the music has a crisp clarity to it. Naturally, I noticed this while I was fiddling with my pocket protector and slide rule.

Anyway, instead of restoring the film to its original lustre and stopping there, George Lucas shot past propriety and added elements to the movie that were not in the original and were more reminiscent of his later, clumsier attempts at character development.

The advent of CGI was the best and the worst thing to happen to George Lucas. Instead of the old adage "less equals more", he seems to thing "more equals not enough". It was documented that he filmed certain scenes with the understanding that technology might allow him to add elements to his film at a later date. Well, the later date arrived and his excitement took over. Whenever a new CGI element was added to an already pre-existing scene, it would try and take over. It's as if he was trying to justify the money spent. In the Tatooine city scenes, native creatures who would (or should) be just walking by do everything but hold up a Looney Tunes "Ain't I A Stinker" sign.

To me, restoring a movie classic like this is like art restoration. You bring back colors that were already there. You don't add new elements. What if Michelangelo has put the classic "David" on display, only to come back later and change it because he wanted to give him bigger quads? Or if da Vinci went back and changed Mona Lisa's smirk? Shameful.

Anyway, it's still Star Wars, so I give it 4 stars out of five. Damn you, Lucas!

Some people are just too damn clever. This is the back of a shirt being sold by IMAO.us, a pro-US, anti-terrorist website.

I'd love to take credit for this one... but I can't. Take a look at this Amazon.com user guide for books, supplies and techniques guaranteed to help you score with the ellusive white females.

Are you tired of the two venom-spewing candidates? Are you looking for someone who has a great deal more fashion sense and looks good in a pair of Jimmy Choo's? Look no further than Carrie Bradshaw!

Looks like it might miss us this time... hopefully...

I know you have probably heard the Republicans talk about how the media is slanted against them. Usually, it's hard to prove. Not this time. An AP report states that at a campaign stop, Bush mentions to the crowd that President Clinton has been hospitalized and he wishes him a speedy recovery. This report also claims that the crowd booed and that Bush "did nothing to stop them".

It's a lie.

Fortunately, camera crews were there and recorded the event and someone online saved the audio. Take a listen. If there are people in the crowd booing, those people are quickly overtaken by the thousands of people cheering for President Clinton's recovery.

BANGKOK (AFP) - Drinking urine can eliminate sinus trouble, turn grey hair black and even cure cancer, a Thai academic said, citing a study of local Buddhists who engage in the unorthodox practice.

Ratree Cheepudomwit, of the Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine Development Department, said hundreds of urine drinkers attested that consuming a daily cup worked wonders for their overall health and helped slow the ageing process.

She said that in June she queried 250 members of Santi Asoke, a strict indigenous Buddhist movement believed to have thousands of followers, and 204 respondents said they had learned from ancient Buddhist manucripts that drinking one's urine improved health.

"Of the respondents, 87 percent confirmed that it had head-to-toe benefits for them, including for example reduction of dandruff, grey hair, sinus problems and cancer," Ratree told AFP.

The medical elixir was not easy on everyone's system, as about one in 10 urine drinkers suffered diarrhea afterwards, but the practice should not be viewed with disgust, she said.

"Other groups of people who drank urine were Buddhist monks who practised in accordance to scriptures which are more than 2,500 years old," she said.

Despite his sweet look, Benji wants to destroy you.

Oh, the humanity! A pit bull... hey... why is it always a pit bull or rotweiller? You never hear: "Today, A Irish Setter Ripped Out A Man's Jugular Vein Today"!

Where was I? Oh... yes... a pit bull in Albuquerque is still at large after ripping off a man's genitals. The man was found in a local park, naked and disoriented. Investigators are unsure at what point the man removed his clothes.

The most ironic quote in the story? "A man whose genitals were bitten off by a pit bull remained in serious condition Tuesday" Hey, Sun Sentinel, I got news for you. This dude is going to be in serious condition for a lot longer than just Tuesday, mark my words!

If the quote on "Drudge Report" is accurate, Illinois Senate carpetbagger Alan Keyes is an ass. He is so firmly wedged in the ultra-conservative agenda, that he's decided to attack Dick Cheney's gay daughter for being a "selfish hedonist". His quote, not mine. Let's just say that he's not one of the "compassionate conservatives" - of which I consider myself a part of. Personal attacks from someone who is usually pretty articulate have no place in politics and I hope this comes to bite him on the butt when he needs White House support for his candidacy.

Good for Cheney, by the way, to take a stand against the official White House position on gay marriage. I think, if nothing else, that there is room in the Executive Branch (and the Republican party) for different opinions.