A big story this week has been Iran capturing a United States spy drone. President Obama demanded that Iran give back the drone in which Iran's government replied "uhhhhh let me think about it....NO!" I don't condone Iran's government with it's theocracy and oppressing it's people by not having freedom of speech or internet along with many other things, but if people are going to get mad because Iran got a U.S. spy plane and think that we should go to war with them then they need to know about international law and history of the U.S.-Iran conflict.
Any government has the right to shoot down or capture any unidentified flying object (UFO) that travels inside it's air space. If any UFO that is not allowed by said government to fly within the designated airspace then it could be interpreted as an act of war or violation of it's sovereignty. Iran has every right to be angry and paranoid that the U.S. could attack it's territory or invade the country itself. The U.S. has invaded the two countries that border Iran's east and west borders (Iraq and Afghanistan). This is not helping the matter of better diplomatic dialogue with Iran, not to mention it's turbulent history with the United States. In 1953 the U.S. overthrew the democratically elected president of Iran and replaced him with a dictator (Shah) to allow the U.S. to gain access to Iran's oil supply. In 1979 when the Shah was overthrown there was the Iran hostage crises in which Iran held U.S. embassy workers hostage for over a year. During the 1980's the U.S. government supplied Iraq with weapons to fight Iran, then playing double agent supplied Iran with weapons to fight Iraq.
During George W. Bush's term as president (2001-2009) he labeled Iran as part of the "Axis of Evil" which also consisted of North Korea. Then of course there was the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It is no wonder why Iran might seek nuclear weapons and help fuel the insurgency in Iraq, which Iran has done. The U.S. government seems easy to label other countries as "enemies" or warrant paranoia when other countries seem to do anything the U.S. doesn't deem as acceptable. Then the usual course of action is to put sanctions on these countries. I'm not sure if these sanctions are working. In the case of Iran it doesn't seem to effect the way Iran continues to pursue nuclear weapons or Iran's continuation of defiance towards the U.S.
Besides this story, another story semi-linked to Iran was the announcement by President Obama that military action in Iraq is over. President Obama warned (without naming) other countries that it will not accept interference in Iraq and said that the U.S. will continue to be a presence in the region. This warning was mostly likely directed towards Iran because as I've said above Iran has played a part in fueling the insurgence in Iraq and continues to have heavily influence in Iraq and the region itself. My skepticism tells me that even though military action is over in Iraq, the war is probably in reality far from over.
The United States for many decades has had a foreign policy of threatening other nations with it's military, in other terms a doctrine of brinksmanship. What happens when the threat of the U.S. military doesn't work? The United States needs to develop a foreign policy that puts away the paranoia card and start to man up. The U.S. needs to stop using spy drones everywhere and start meeting more frequently with these nations that the U.S. shies away from. The U.S. will continue to get nowhere if it continues to treat other nations as enemies and disregard international law by violating other nation's airspace. The U.S. government doesn't have to except how a nation's government treats it's people, but how can we possibly help the situation if we are afraid politically to help take the first step?
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Devin's Blog # 11 America: The Lost Republic
Before I get into this discussion I am going to put quotes from the ACLU website concerning the "National Defense Authorization Act" : "The Senate voted last Thursday to pass S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would authorize the president to send the military literally anywhere in the world to imprison civilians without charge or trial. Prison based on suspicion alone. The power is so sweeping that the president would be able to direct the military to use its powers within the United States itself, and even lock up American citizens without charge or trial." "No corner of the world, not even your own home, would be off-limits to the military. And there is no exception for American citizens. Section 1031 — one of the indefinite detention provisions — of the Senate-approved version of the NDAA has no limitations whatsoever based on geography, duration or citizenship. And the entire Senate bill was drafted in secret, with no hearing, and with committee votes behind closed doors."
While you would think that the senate would care considering this bill destroys the U.S. constitution but " I'm not sure which was more surprising — that the majority of senators ignored the pleas of countless constituents, or that they also ignored every top national security official opposed to the provisions. Opposition to the detention provisions came from Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, CIA Director David Petraeus, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, White House Advisor for Counterterrorism John Brennan, and DOJ National Security Division head Lisa Monaco. The Senate ignored them all."
Has America really lost itself? First the Patriot Act now this? What is scary is that both the House of Representatives and the Senate are moving fast to try and pass a final bill that could be on President Obama's desk by next week. The President has said he would veto the bill with the provision provided, but will he? America always talks about how it is the epitome of democracy and easily blames other countries for not providing democratic laws, but with the way the U.S. has gone down the road this past decade and even the thought of this law destroys any chance the U.S. has to regain credibility in the world. I thought America fought the fascists in World War 2? Yet it seems that we only defeated Germany and Japan not fascism.
Also how funny when Americans talk about the fear of socialism and communism, yet fascism is pissing on them and telling them Marx did it. The mainstream media doesn't want you to know about this because why talk about important issues? This goes for all the major media stations not just Fox News.I thought America was suppose to be better than the terrorists? The truth is America is losing to the terrorists because it is willing to give up its liberties for security. No matter how it goes in Iraq and Afghanistan these wars and America's continuing transformation into a military state is the biggest price this republic will face. The only opposition I've read to this bill is from Ron Paul. Hopefully this will reach the American people so that there can be real protests and revolutionary acting, unlike the failed Occupy Wall Street Protests.
On another note the U.S. Government is also trying to pass a bill to censor the internet, so in one swing not only freedom of speech will be obsolete so will Habaes Corpus. All republics fall like this in one fall swoop without much resistance. Take a note from history because the threat of fascism is not gone.
Sources: http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/behind-closed-doors-congress-trying-force-indefinite-detention-bill-americans
http://rt.com/usa/news/defense-ron-paul-detention-745/print/
While you would think that the senate would care considering this bill destroys the U.S. constitution but " I'm not sure which was more surprising — that the majority of senators ignored the pleas of countless constituents, or that they also ignored every top national security official opposed to the provisions. Opposition to the detention provisions came from Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, CIA Director David Petraeus, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, White House Advisor for Counterterrorism John Brennan, and DOJ National Security Division head Lisa Monaco. The Senate ignored them all."
Has America really lost itself? First the Patriot Act now this? What is scary is that both the House of Representatives and the Senate are moving fast to try and pass a final bill that could be on President Obama's desk by next week. The President has said he would veto the bill with the provision provided, but will he? America always talks about how it is the epitome of democracy and easily blames other countries for not providing democratic laws, but with the way the U.S. has gone down the road this past decade and even the thought of this law destroys any chance the U.S. has to regain credibility in the world. I thought America fought the fascists in World War 2? Yet it seems that we only defeated Germany and Japan not fascism.
Also how funny when Americans talk about the fear of socialism and communism, yet fascism is pissing on them and telling them Marx did it. The mainstream media doesn't want you to know about this because why talk about important issues? This goes for all the major media stations not just Fox News.I thought America was suppose to be better than the terrorists? The truth is America is losing to the terrorists because it is willing to give up its liberties for security. No matter how it goes in Iraq and Afghanistan these wars and America's continuing transformation into a military state is the biggest price this republic will face. The only opposition I've read to this bill is from Ron Paul. Hopefully this will reach the American people so that there can be real protests and revolutionary acting, unlike the failed Occupy Wall Street Protests.
On another note the U.S. Government is also trying to pass a bill to censor the internet, so in one swing not only freedom of speech will be obsolete so will Habaes Corpus. All republics fall like this in one fall swoop without much resistance. Take a note from history because the threat of fascism is not gone.
Sources: http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/behind-closed-doors-congress-trying-force-indefinite-detention-bill-americans
http://rt.com/usa/news/defense-ron-paul-detention-745/print/
Monday, December 12, 2011
Devin's Blog # 10 My random thoughts 1.0
This is a new segment for my blogs I've just came up with to take a break from the regular posts and to try something new. In this segment I will discuss certain things I've read or heard about and things that pop up in my head. The topics in this segment won't have the normal length like my normal blogs. Some of these topics might be revisited and discussed in a full length blog when I've acquired more information.
It's almost Christmas time and for many this is a time for gifts and family, also a time for religious celebrations. I personally do not believe in god or any type of deity and certainly do not have a religion. I've many friends who are religious and believe in god and I like to have many discussions about this topic, not to argue with them, but just to find out what they think about certain issues. A few years ago my mom and I went down to Jacksonville, Florida where my cousin Joe lives and when discussing religion he asked me "Devin what keeps you going?" referencing "having faith". My answer was "I don't know" and to this day I still don't know what keeps me going on a spiritual level. It's hard when you are a non believer because you naturally become a realist and view the world through gloomy shaded lenses. This is not to say I don't feel any sort of happiness, but in all my years I can't bring myself to except that with all the things that happen in the world, there is a higher power that guides people, yet at the same time lets horrible things happen in the world.
I caught something on TV the other day for a new show called "shipping wars". I honestly do not understand these shows that have "war" in the title for example: Cupcake Wars, Cake Wars, Parking Wars, Garage Wars, Storage Wars, Storage Wars Texas. These are the ones I can think of off the top of my head I'm pretty sure there are or there are going to be more shows with "war" in the title. Why in the hell does everything have to be a war? I mean its only a war when there is shooting so if you are going to get my attention wouldn't it be better if lets say for Cupcake Wars that the contestants can shoot at each other? " Peanut Butter is done --BOOM--" There goes the whipped batter.
Still on the subject of TV shows why is almost every show seem to be a competition? I mean The Voice, American Idol, The X Factor, America's Got Talent and so on. I don't care about this and just because it is a competition doesn't mean it is interesting. The sad thing is people like to watch the show just to see the fuck ups. I'm just begging for the day when there is the show "The next big custodian" Can you imagine the intrigue? There are 8 contests who will battle for the top prize of the next big custodian, the prize not only gives them this title but a $ 7.50 hr job with no health insurance and a boss who is a total dick. Along with this I just want to see who can unplug the most toilets the quickest.
I heard that doctors in Europe found the Norway shooter Breivik to be insane and with him being declared insane could not face prison but be put into a mental asylum. First things first of course this guy is insane he killed 50 people and injured 150 more, plus he went to a kids camp and lit up the place. I don't get that with being declared insane he can't face prison time. There should be standards and test to determine this type of thing but if Breivik is insane then what the fuck does that say about serial killers and mass murderers? This guy should not be put into a mental asylum he should face prison for the rest of his life. The guy who talks to himself and says things like "bugs bunny ate all my carrots and now I have to settle for radishes" is insane, Breivik is just a murderer.
On a last note I'm not really updated on the current hip trend of music, I have my own tastes, but I don't know that many current artists besides the ones that are promoted heavily such as Lady Gaga. There is this song on the radio called "Tonight, Tonight" or maybe just "Tonight" sung by some guy and featuring Pittbull. I know of Pittbull because of the stupid Dr. Pepper commercial he is in and every time I hear this song on the radio there is a part where Pittbull says "now I'm on top of your girl ha!". How can you not laugh at this and at the same time think that it sounds like rape. I swear in many songs it sounds like the singer is going to rape some random girl or screw your girl, but hey the tune is catchy.
It's almost Christmas time and for many this is a time for gifts and family, also a time for religious celebrations. I personally do not believe in god or any type of deity and certainly do not have a religion. I've many friends who are religious and believe in god and I like to have many discussions about this topic, not to argue with them, but just to find out what they think about certain issues. A few years ago my mom and I went down to Jacksonville, Florida where my cousin Joe lives and when discussing religion he asked me "Devin what keeps you going?" referencing "having faith". My answer was "I don't know" and to this day I still don't know what keeps me going on a spiritual level. It's hard when you are a non believer because you naturally become a realist and view the world through gloomy shaded lenses. This is not to say I don't feel any sort of happiness, but in all my years I can't bring myself to except that with all the things that happen in the world, there is a higher power that guides people, yet at the same time lets horrible things happen in the world.
I caught something on TV the other day for a new show called "shipping wars". I honestly do not understand these shows that have "war" in the title for example: Cupcake Wars, Cake Wars, Parking Wars, Garage Wars, Storage Wars, Storage Wars Texas. These are the ones I can think of off the top of my head I'm pretty sure there are or there are going to be more shows with "war" in the title. Why in the hell does everything have to be a war? I mean its only a war when there is shooting so if you are going to get my attention wouldn't it be better if lets say for Cupcake Wars that the contestants can shoot at each other? " Peanut Butter is done --BOOM--" There goes the whipped batter.
Still on the subject of TV shows why is almost every show seem to be a competition? I mean The Voice, American Idol, The X Factor, America's Got Talent and so on. I don't care about this and just because it is a competition doesn't mean it is interesting. The sad thing is people like to watch the show just to see the fuck ups. I'm just begging for the day when there is the show "The next big custodian" Can you imagine the intrigue? There are 8 contests who will battle for the top prize of the next big custodian, the prize not only gives them this title but a $ 7.50 hr job with no health insurance and a boss who is a total dick. Along with this I just want to see who can unplug the most toilets the quickest.
I heard that doctors in Europe found the Norway shooter Breivik to be insane and with him being declared insane could not face prison but be put into a mental asylum. First things first of course this guy is insane he killed 50 people and injured 150 more, plus he went to a kids camp and lit up the place. I don't get that with being declared insane he can't face prison time. There should be standards and test to determine this type of thing but if Breivik is insane then what the fuck does that say about serial killers and mass murderers? This guy should not be put into a mental asylum he should face prison for the rest of his life. The guy who talks to himself and says things like "bugs bunny ate all my carrots and now I have to settle for radishes" is insane, Breivik is just a murderer.
On a last note I'm not really updated on the current hip trend of music, I have my own tastes, but I don't know that many current artists besides the ones that are promoted heavily such as Lady Gaga. There is this song on the radio called "Tonight, Tonight" or maybe just "Tonight" sung by some guy and featuring Pittbull. I know of Pittbull because of the stupid Dr. Pepper commercial he is in and every time I hear this song on the radio there is a part where Pittbull says "now I'm on top of your girl ha!". How can you not laugh at this and at the same time think that it sounds like rape. I swear in many songs it sounds like the singer is going to rape some random girl or screw your girl, but hey the tune is catchy.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Devin's Blog # 9 To Be Or Not To Be Pro-Capitalist
Awhile ago when looking at news about Occupy Wallstreet, one of the protests stated "we are not against capitalism, just against corruption and the way things are." I found this to be a strange statement because on the one hand how can you be protesting against the banks and greed, yet support the system that promotes that? I find that when it comes down to it people love the benefits of capitalism, but hate the system.
Capitalism has and will always be a system of exploitation. Whether it would be petty capitalism such as a farmer selling his crops, merchants selling commodities or the bankers/owners of production/corporations who are the major bourgeoisie, capitalism is about exploiting others to gain capital. The system will not change and cannot change, history has shown that you can only tame capitalism to a certain point, then it will go out of control. It is either removal of the system completely or live with the small immediate changes. You may ask why things cannot change, the simple answer to this is human nature. As humans we need or want things and the system of capital will always have humans desiring more capital.
The question is: "What do people really want?" Can people live with a hybrid system of a socialist/capitalist system where people can only make a certain amount of money and own a certain amount of property? Can people continue to support capitalism and at the same time want socialist programs, while hating the goals and desires of capitalism? Can people continue to support a system that rewards the few?
There are more questions people could ask, but these questions are hard to answer and can be only answered within the mentality of mankind. Capitalism in my opinion is like a religion, even if it is corrupt and causes humanities degeneration people will continue to find the small amount of good or happiness in it, but be blind to the bigger picture. Capitalism cannot be fought with an economic or moral debate but can only be studied like science. If people want to start fighting the corruption of the capitalist system then people need to start looking deeper into the system and approach it from a scientific point of view. Don't let dogma stand in the way of deeper understanding.
Capitalism has and will always be a system of exploitation. Whether it would be petty capitalism such as a farmer selling his crops, merchants selling commodities or the bankers/owners of production/corporations who are the major bourgeoisie, capitalism is about exploiting others to gain capital. The system will not change and cannot change, history has shown that you can only tame capitalism to a certain point, then it will go out of control. It is either removal of the system completely or live with the small immediate changes. You may ask why things cannot change, the simple answer to this is human nature. As humans we need or want things and the system of capital will always have humans desiring more capital.
The question is: "What do people really want?" Can people live with a hybrid system of a socialist/capitalist system where people can only make a certain amount of money and own a certain amount of property? Can people continue to support capitalism and at the same time want socialist programs, while hating the goals and desires of capitalism? Can people continue to support a system that rewards the few?
There are more questions people could ask, but these questions are hard to answer and can be only answered within the mentality of mankind. Capitalism in my opinion is like a religion, even if it is corrupt and causes humanities degeneration people will continue to find the small amount of good or happiness in it, but be blind to the bigger picture. Capitalism cannot be fought with an economic or moral debate but can only be studied like science. If people want to start fighting the corruption of the capitalist system then people need to start looking deeper into the system and approach it from a scientific point of view. Don't let dogma stand in the way of deeper understanding.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Devin's Blog # 8 Brief Ratings/Reviews of TV Shows I Watch
The Walking Dead- See Post # 7
Person of Interest- 8/10 This show has an interesting premise and characters, but needs to develop the characters and main points more.
X-Men Anime - 6/10 Not a bad X-Men Cartoon, but has few X-Men and a story I do not understand.
Death Valley- 8/10 The only thing I can stand watching on MTV, has some funny moments and a zany story.
Ghost Hunters- 7/10 As always you will have hit or miss episodes, but had a horrible Halloween live special.
Ghost Adventures- 7.5 Slightly better than Ghost Hunters, but has had some weird moments.
The Borgias- 9/10 A great first season and cannot wait for the second. Great acting by Jeremy Irons and the cast of characters are the right choice for the show.
Game of Thrones- 9.5/10 Having never read the novels. HBO has developed an awesome show that delivers a great political, medieval, and fantasy show. The show also left the first season with enough power to be intrigued with the second season.
The Killing- 8.5/10 I'm not a fan of detective or cop shows, but The Killing is interesting enough that it doesn't follow other cop shows of a criminal of the week plot and gives the audience clues to try and find the killer, the only downfall of the show is that it can be very slow at times.
Mad Men- 9.5/10 Another awesome season of Mad Men as Jon Hamm continues to be awesome as Don Draper. Hope season 5 will has more Don Draper craziness.
Breaking Bad- 9/10 Although it had its slow moments, Breaking Bad's last few episodes were pretty epic and a season finale that will bring the final season into utter chaos for the characters.
Kamen Rider Fourze- 9/10 A great follow up season to the excellent Kamen Rider OOO series. Has funny and likable characters along with good action.
Kaizou Sentai Gokaiger- 8/10 Good 35th anniversary Super Sentai show, but wish the past Super Sentai fighters would fight more along side the Gokaigers.
Garo Makai Senki- 9/10 A great continuation of the Garo series. The CGI effects are a lot better and the choreographed fight scenes are excellent. The plot is starting to develop into maybe something epic, but only time will tell.
Hell on Wheels- 9.5/10 A surprise series for myself because I thought it wouldn't be good, but great character development, along with great historical accuracy. Most of the characters are interesting and leaves the show with many different angles to go with.
Being Human (Original UK Version)- 9.5/10 An awesome series overall and an ending to season 3 that will change the series dramatically.
Being Human (US Version)- 6.5/10 Although this version had some okay moments, it doesn't come anywhere close to the UK version in terms of story, characters, and character development. I will watch season 2 in hope they go with a completely different story, than in season 1 where they took most of season 1 of the UK version's plot, changed some things, and ended up not being interesting in the end.
Person of Interest- 8/10 This show has an interesting premise and characters, but needs to develop the characters and main points more.
X-Men Anime - 6/10 Not a bad X-Men Cartoon, but has few X-Men and a story I do not understand.
Death Valley- 8/10 The only thing I can stand watching on MTV, has some funny moments and a zany story.
Ghost Hunters- 7/10 As always you will have hit or miss episodes, but had a horrible Halloween live special.
Ghost Adventures- 7.5 Slightly better than Ghost Hunters, but has had some weird moments.
The Borgias- 9/10 A great first season and cannot wait for the second. Great acting by Jeremy Irons and the cast of characters are the right choice for the show.
Game of Thrones- 9.5/10 Having never read the novels. HBO has developed an awesome show that delivers a great political, medieval, and fantasy show. The show also left the first season with enough power to be intrigued with the second season.
The Killing- 8.5/10 I'm not a fan of detective or cop shows, but The Killing is interesting enough that it doesn't follow other cop shows of a criminal of the week plot and gives the audience clues to try and find the killer, the only downfall of the show is that it can be very slow at times.
Mad Men- 9.5/10 Another awesome season of Mad Men as Jon Hamm continues to be awesome as Don Draper. Hope season 5 will has more Don Draper craziness.
Breaking Bad- 9/10 Although it had its slow moments, Breaking Bad's last few episodes were pretty epic and a season finale that will bring the final season into utter chaos for the characters.
Kamen Rider Fourze- 9/10 A great follow up season to the excellent Kamen Rider OOO series. Has funny and likable characters along with good action.
Kaizou Sentai Gokaiger- 8/10 Good 35th anniversary Super Sentai show, but wish the past Super Sentai fighters would fight more along side the Gokaigers.
Garo Makai Senki- 9/10 A great continuation of the Garo series. The CGI effects are a lot better and the choreographed fight scenes are excellent. The plot is starting to develop into maybe something epic, but only time will tell.
Hell on Wheels- 9.5/10 A surprise series for myself because I thought it wouldn't be good, but great character development, along with great historical accuracy. Most of the characters are interesting and leaves the show with many different angles to go with.
Being Human (Original UK Version)- 9.5/10 An awesome series overall and an ending to season 3 that will change the series dramatically.
Being Human (US Version)- 6.5/10 Although this version had some okay moments, it doesn't come anywhere close to the UK version in terms of story, characters, and character development. I will watch season 2 in hope they go with a completely different story, than in season 1 where they took most of season 1 of the UK version's plot, changed some things, and ended up not being interesting in the end.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Devin's Blog # 7 My thoughts about "The Walking Dead"
Where do I begin with this, I like The Walking Dead, both the graphic novel and the TV show, but the TV show has been "The Walking Slow", a term my best friend Matt made for the show. Now to be fair it is difficult and maybe it is nitpicking to try and compare the two, but something has to be said. The Walking Dead has all the tools to be not only an awesome show, but an incredibly explosive TV series. The make-up and special effects on the zombies are awesome and very well created. The acting is top notch with great performances that brings out the emotions of the characters.
These things considered, there is a huge gap between the graphic novel and the TV series. This is of course is obvious because if you read the graphic novels, you would know what is going to happen and there are budget restraints to consider, yet I feel that the writing is starting to become subjugated to TV standards. What I mean by TV standards is that you have to write the story and plan on where to make the best episodes count.
The TV standard for a graphic novel such as The Walking Dead is a tall order because of what the graphic novel does to the various characters and it's almost sadistic nature, where people can be taken away from the reader in a second, it presents a world where morals are a luxury and how society in this world effects and changes people. The TV show has been able and not able to portray this at times yet the reason for the latter is because the TV show is not pushing the extremes that the graphic novel has. It will push for an episode or two, but then goes into a slow transition where there seems to be nothing going on, and with this the viewer cannot fully feel the anxiety, fear, and horror of death around every corner.
If the TV show is going to make a statement, then it has to start digging deep and unleash the nature of the beast. I'm perfectly fine with the TV not being 100% exactly like the graphic novels, but for the sake of TV and the novels it represents please commit to the full energy the graphic novels bring. Don't go half ass and give the view one big event, or scene once in 7 episodes, leave the viewer feeling that every episode counts and not just the mid-season and season finales.
I'm not sure the reasoning of AMC to have The Walking Dead return in February. This seems a little too late and too far away for people to remember what the hell happened. If I had to give a rating so far on Season 2 of The Walking Dead it would be about a 7/10. Some good things, but missing the massive potential.
These things considered, there is a huge gap between the graphic novel and the TV series. This is of course is obvious because if you read the graphic novels, you would know what is going to happen and there are budget restraints to consider, yet I feel that the writing is starting to become subjugated to TV standards. What I mean by TV standards is that you have to write the story and plan on where to make the best episodes count.
The TV standard for a graphic novel such as The Walking Dead is a tall order because of what the graphic novel does to the various characters and it's almost sadistic nature, where people can be taken away from the reader in a second, it presents a world where morals are a luxury and how society in this world effects and changes people. The TV show has been able and not able to portray this at times yet the reason for the latter is because the TV show is not pushing the extremes that the graphic novel has. It will push for an episode or two, but then goes into a slow transition where there seems to be nothing going on, and with this the viewer cannot fully feel the anxiety, fear, and horror of death around every corner.
If the TV show is going to make a statement, then it has to start digging deep and unleash the nature of the beast. I'm perfectly fine with the TV not being 100% exactly like the graphic novels, but for the sake of TV and the novels it represents please commit to the full energy the graphic novels bring. Don't go half ass and give the view one big event, or scene once in 7 episodes, leave the viewer feeling that every episode counts and not just the mid-season and season finales.
I'm not sure the reasoning of AMC to have The Walking Dead return in February. This seems a little too late and too far away for people to remember what the hell happened. If I had to give a rating so far on Season 2 of The Walking Dead it would be about a 7/10. Some good things, but missing the massive potential.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Devin's Blog # 6 XXX Alert: Porn Stars are reading to your Kids !!!!!
Recently there has been some outrage at former porn star Sasha Grey for allowing her to read to elementary grade students. Before I comment on how stupid this outrage has been, on a side note, where the hell was this when I was in elementary school? Jeez the students nowadays are spoiled, Ipods, cellphones, Ipads, porn stars reading to them, what else do they want?
Now on to the topic, why is this so hard to shallow (That's what she said) for people? I mean does her former career define her as a person? or as a matter of fact make her a bad person for being in porn? The answer should be no to both questions, but the people are always saying "What about the children?"
The children are going to be just fine with a former porn star reading to them, I mean if parents are worried about their kids wanting to look up porn because of Sasha Grey, the mothers of these children should be more worried more about their husbands looking up Sasha Grey's porno videos, I mean where do you think he gets all of those sexual ideas he wants to try out.
People need to stop panicking about this small nonsense and start to just focus on their lives. There are more pressing matters in the world to worry about and porn shouldn't be one of them, I mean when you think about it, porn is probably one of the things that brings joy and happiness to many people, in the spirit of the holidays, it is the gift that keeps cumming and cumming.
Now on to the topic, why is this so hard to shallow (That's what she said) for people? I mean does her former career define her as a person? or as a matter of fact make her a bad person for being in porn? The answer should be no to both questions, but the people are always saying "What about the children?"
The children are going to be just fine with a former porn star reading to them, I mean if parents are worried about their kids wanting to look up porn because of Sasha Grey, the mothers of these children should be more worried more about their husbands looking up Sasha Grey's porno videos, I mean where do you think he gets all of those sexual ideas he wants to try out.
People need to stop panicking about this small nonsense and start to just focus on their lives. There are more pressing matters in the world to worry about and porn shouldn't be one of them, I mean when you think about it, porn is probably one of the things that brings joy and happiness to many people, in the spirit of the holidays, it is the gift that keeps cumming and cumming.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Devin's Blog # 5 The Education of America: What is to be done for the future?
There is a lot of talk about the state of education in America. Most of the coverage has been negative with the media saying how America is behind China in education and students need to be proficient in math and science. President Obama even stated that this country needs a "sputnik" moment to vitalize the low grades in math and science.There are tons of debates about how to fix the education system in this country, but nothing seems to be in place to fix the problems. The politicians, instead of putting more effort into education are placing solutions that are closing down schools and increasing the price of education in this country, so I've decided in this blog to discuss my thoughts on how to fix the education system.
1.) End the System of Forcing Students to go to Schools That Are Only in Their Districts: This systems has never worked and continues not to work, students are getting a poor education because they are forced to go to bad schools because of where they live. Students and parents should have a choice of where they want to go to school, as should the teachers have a choice in which school they want to teach.
2.) All Year Around School: I know future students would hate this, but it needs to be done. Students need more time to learn the vast amount of subjects that are taught. All year around education would allow teachers to plan their lessons in a spacious manner instead of having to cram lessons because the school semester is only 8 months long. It would also allow more time for students to get help learning the subjects. All year around education would help parents because they could keep a solid work schedule and not worry about a 3 month long summer vacation, on the teacher side it would allow the teacher to stay employed all year.
3.) Broader Subject Matter: One of the great things about getting an university education is that I've had the opportunity to learn about different subjects I've never learned before and to learn more about the subjects that I enjoy. An adjustment in the school system could have students not just learning about American history, but also East Asian History, European History etc.. Also allow students to learn about more ideals in Science, Politics, Literature etc.. and in addition allow students to learn more languages such as Chinese, Korean, Russian, German, instead of just having the one option of Spanish.
4.) Bridging the Government with the Private: All government operated education is not working. There has to be a way that allows for the government to help it's citizens afford and get an education, but at the same time allow public schools to be more privatized so the schools can give future students an up to date education.
5.) Grades Are Not The Only Way To Judge: This country is obsessed with grades. It is the only standard on which to judge a student's merit, but grades don't tell the whole story. I've passed classes with an A or B and could care less about the subject matter or have not found it interesting, all I've had to do was just pay attention, do the homework and I would pass. There needs to be a system created to follow student progression. I'm not saying schools should scrap tests, but schools should give tests to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the students not as a system of pass and fail. Understand better a student's strengths and weaknesses would give teachers the tools to help each student move forward without having to worry about statistical grade value.
6.) Allow Creativity: A big problem with public education is that it doesn't teach students to become creative. When learning a subject matter, it just teaches the students facts and this is how to get to point A and B, but by going through the college system, you need to learn how to complete assignments using methods not taught, no one taught me how to write history papers, I was assigned papers to write and I needed to figure out how to write the subject matter and what to write about. This aspect could be used with other subjects to broaden the student's mind to think outside the box.
7.) Give Teachers More Freedom to Teach: Teachers have to follow a strict protocol when teaching a classroom. Teachers have to accomplish XYZ by this date or XYZ by this month. Teachers should be able to use the vast amount of mediums to help their students learn and to teach in ways that students can understand not only one thing about a subject, but many things.
8.) Math and Science Are Not the Only Subjects that Matter: As in my opening statement I mentioned that math and science seems to be a focal point with politics regarding education but a school's criteria should encompass not just math and science, but the liberal arts and language. At the university I took an acting class, I'm not going to become an actor, or am good at acting, but I learned a lot from this class, not only about the art of acting but about having more confidence to do something that is not comfortable, I also learned about how to have fun.
1.) End the System of Forcing Students to go to Schools That Are Only in Their Districts: This systems has never worked and continues not to work, students are getting a poor education because they are forced to go to bad schools because of where they live. Students and parents should have a choice of where they want to go to school, as should the teachers have a choice in which school they want to teach.
2.) All Year Around School: I know future students would hate this, but it needs to be done. Students need more time to learn the vast amount of subjects that are taught. All year around education would allow teachers to plan their lessons in a spacious manner instead of having to cram lessons because the school semester is only 8 months long. It would also allow more time for students to get help learning the subjects. All year around education would help parents because they could keep a solid work schedule and not worry about a 3 month long summer vacation, on the teacher side it would allow the teacher to stay employed all year.
3.) Broader Subject Matter: One of the great things about getting an university education is that I've had the opportunity to learn about different subjects I've never learned before and to learn more about the subjects that I enjoy. An adjustment in the school system could have students not just learning about American history, but also East Asian History, European History etc.. Also allow students to learn about more ideals in Science, Politics, Literature etc.. and in addition allow students to learn more languages such as Chinese, Korean, Russian, German, instead of just having the one option of Spanish.
4.) Bridging the Government with the Private: All government operated education is not working. There has to be a way that allows for the government to help it's citizens afford and get an education, but at the same time allow public schools to be more privatized so the schools can give future students an up to date education.
5.) Grades Are Not The Only Way To Judge: This country is obsessed with grades. It is the only standard on which to judge a student's merit, but grades don't tell the whole story. I've passed classes with an A or B and could care less about the subject matter or have not found it interesting, all I've had to do was just pay attention, do the homework and I would pass. There needs to be a system created to follow student progression. I'm not saying schools should scrap tests, but schools should give tests to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the students not as a system of pass and fail. Understand better a student's strengths and weaknesses would give teachers the tools to help each student move forward without having to worry about statistical grade value.
6.) Allow Creativity: A big problem with public education is that it doesn't teach students to become creative. When learning a subject matter, it just teaches the students facts and this is how to get to point A and B, but by going through the college system, you need to learn how to complete assignments using methods not taught, no one taught me how to write history papers, I was assigned papers to write and I needed to figure out how to write the subject matter and what to write about. This aspect could be used with other subjects to broaden the student's mind to think outside the box.
7.) Give Teachers More Freedom to Teach: Teachers have to follow a strict protocol when teaching a classroom. Teachers have to accomplish XYZ by this date or XYZ by this month. Teachers should be able to use the vast amount of mediums to help their students learn and to teach in ways that students can understand not only one thing about a subject, but many things.
8.) Math and Science Are Not the Only Subjects that Matter: As in my opening statement I mentioned that math and science seems to be a focal point with politics regarding education but a school's criteria should encompass not just math and science, but the liberal arts and language. At the university I took an acting class, I'm not going to become an actor, or am good at acting, but I learned a lot from this class, not only about the art of acting but about having more confidence to do something that is not comfortable, I also learned about how to have fun.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Devin's Blog # 4 Occupy Wallstreet: The Revolution America doesn't need.
As I hear more and more about the occupy Wall Street movement, the more and more I am not in favor of it. I favor that people want to take action against corruption and the overwhelming greed in this country, but these are the reasons I don't favor it.
1. Doesn't have a clear message. After weeks and weeks of protests around the country I still have no idea what the meaning of this occupy Wall Street is. Revolutions and protests succeed when a group of people have similar goals and directions on how they want society to change, but Occupy Wall Street doesn't have any of that. The protesters are not going to change anything just by saying "Wall Street sucks" People need concrete ideas such as "Higher Taxes for the rich, Government reform, No Lobbyists in Washington etc..." Then stick to those ideals. What I fear is that these people will protest then come election time re-elect the same politicians who are doing nothing to help this nation. This is what happens when there are no goals.
2. Meaningless action. Protesting is not always the solution, critical action is needed to make a point, but the Occupy Wall Street people say "We want to keep it peaceful" Well, that doesn't always get your point across. If you are going to Occupy Wall Street then actually occupy Wall Street itself. Why not take the building for the people? What are the police going to do? Arrest hundreds of thousands of people? I saw what failed action did when people protested in Madison Wisconsin against Scott Walker, all that happened is Scott Walker passing horrendous bills. Walker might be recalled, but that didn't stop the damage.
3. Lack of enlightenment. If you look back in history, when revolutions and changes happen, an enlightenment period is usually born, but in the case of Occupy Wall Street, there is no enlightenment. I don't see the people suggesting any ideas on what can be done. Maybe they are all thinking of Lenin's book "What is to be done?" and trying to figure it out, but at least start sprouting out suggestions. Just being liberal minded doesn't cut it, it takes a deep sense of wanting to restart or change society, not just acting like you do.
4. No Clear Enemies. When you oppose something, naturally what you oppose is your nemesis or enemy and in Occupy Wall Street there are no clear enemies. It seems to me that people are blaming just Wall Street, but that is too broad. The protest need to start blaming certain persons who are causing this problem, whether it be a politician or a CEO.
1. Doesn't have a clear message. After weeks and weeks of protests around the country I still have no idea what the meaning of this occupy Wall Street is. Revolutions and protests succeed when a group of people have similar goals and directions on how they want society to change, but Occupy Wall Street doesn't have any of that. The protesters are not going to change anything just by saying "Wall Street sucks" People need concrete ideas such as "Higher Taxes for the rich, Government reform, No Lobbyists in Washington etc..." Then stick to those ideals. What I fear is that these people will protest then come election time re-elect the same politicians who are doing nothing to help this nation. This is what happens when there are no goals.
2. Meaningless action. Protesting is not always the solution, critical action is needed to make a point, but the Occupy Wall Street people say "We want to keep it peaceful" Well, that doesn't always get your point across. If you are going to Occupy Wall Street then actually occupy Wall Street itself. Why not take the building for the people? What are the police going to do? Arrest hundreds of thousands of people? I saw what failed action did when people protested in Madison Wisconsin against Scott Walker, all that happened is Scott Walker passing horrendous bills. Walker might be recalled, but that didn't stop the damage.
3. Lack of enlightenment. If you look back in history, when revolutions and changes happen, an enlightenment period is usually born, but in the case of Occupy Wall Street, there is no enlightenment. I don't see the people suggesting any ideas on what can be done. Maybe they are all thinking of Lenin's book "What is to be done?" and trying to figure it out, but at least start sprouting out suggestions. Just being liberal minded doesn't cut it, it takes a deep sense of wanting to restart or change society, not just acting like you do.
4. No Clear Enemies. When you oppose something, naturally what you oppose is your nemesis or enemy and in Occupy Wall Street there are no clear enemies. It seems to me that people are blaming just Wall Street, but that is too broad. The protest need to start blaming certain persons who are causing this problem, whether it be a politician or a CEO.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Devin's Blog # 3 Republican debates are pointless
As I check the news from time to time, you come across all kinds of interesting stories, like Iran possibly hiring the Mexican Cartel to kill a Saudi diplomat, come on Iran, first of all you are taking away ideas for the last season of Breaking Bad, secondly I guess the USA and Iran has something in common: hiring Mexican labor to do the jobs that Americans and Iranians don't want to do. Time will tell if all the information is correct, but now on to these wonderful Republican debates. Personally I don't watch them, but honestly do you need to? What new ideas have the Republicans created? Yes lets hear how we can enact failed Reagan policies like the "Trickle Down Effect" and continuous tax breaks for the rich. Yes lets make America into a theocracy and continue capital punishment, but in a funny way the Republicans have spoken with the help of candidate Herman Cain. Not only is he the only black republican candidate (hey you have to have the token black guy if you are republican) and has a name you could put as the main character in an action block buster, but has said what should be on every republican slogan "If you are poor it is your fault". Ah how refreshing to hear those words because it has been the truth all along for the republicans, yet oddly the democrats haven't done anything to oppose that notion. It's funny because Hank Williams Jr. gets fired from Monday Night Football because he said "Obama is Hitler", but no one is censoring this guy? Funny the priorities in America, blame the redneck singer for his views, but don't blame the politician for his 6th century view points.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Devin's Blog # 2 Modern Warfare: The use of drones on the battlefield
Well it is has been about a few days since The US Government put out the hit on American born Anwar al-Awlaki and successfully executed him in Yemen. There are many viewpoints on this issue such as was it a good thing to use drone attacks on terrorists? Did the President overstep his boundaries, not only constitutionally with not giving an American citizen a trial and internationally by bombing in countries that we are not at war with? These questions have led to many opinions and debate. My opinion is that drone attacks, although useful so that US soldiers won't be killed or used to lessen casualties, is going to create more wars and continue to create American hatred around the world. Many countries that we use drones in such as in Yemen, Libya, and other Middle Eastern countries is breaking international law by bombing in a countries' territory and creating wars that are not officially declared. Drones could have the opposite effect that the Atom Bomb had, that instead of hastening the desire to go to war, Drones would make it an easier option to just bomb an individual or individuals without the effect of actually destroying a whole city. Drones are being used on countries that are defenseless against them and this has to be questioned, how does one distinguishes terrorist from civilian? The result is probably many civilian casualties. The Military Defense budget is already overextended to the point that it is causing a deficit, money that could be used to create better education, jobs, infrastructure, modern mass transportation, and a health care system just to name a few. As for the terrorists and Awlaki, why is the government's position just to kill them? Shouldn't they be put on trial? Why is it that the American people are for this? Shouldn't we prove that we have a better system of justice than killing? To use an example, John Adams, the second President of the United States, defended the British soldiers who fired on the Bostonian people in the Boston Massacre. This was a brave decision to take the case and to defend the British because the people just wanted to find them guilty and hang them, case over, but John Adams decided that they should be given a trial, so the soldiers could defend themselves in court without a mock trial and execution and to show that the people of Boston were better than this form of justice. It is time that the United States owns up to what it preaches around the world about our system of justice.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Devin's blog #1 Carolina Panthers status from a Panther fan
Well here it is, my first blog entry and what do I want to talk about? Well one of my favorite teams, the Carolina Panthers. It is have been 3 weeks since Cam Newton, the number 1 pick in the 2011 NFL draft started for the Panthers and what success he is having. Besides having 2 400+ yards game, this week he and the Panthers got their first win, against who else? well my other favorite team the Jacksonville Jaguars. It is an odd coincidence for sure. The Panthers are changing for sure as a team, going from a more run first orientated style to a more pass aggressive style of play. I do like this change, but with a slow start to the running game, this for sure needs to improve for the Panthers to continue winning. Now there are people who are already saying the Panthers overpaid for running back DeAngelo Williams because of the low numbers, but I think keeping Williams was a smart thing, this keeps a sold, good running back for many years, and gives depth to the team. This goes well with one of the best moves of the off season for the Panthers in getting Tight End Greg Olsen from the Bears. The Panthers might not get many wins this year, but one thing is for sure, this team is giving Panther fans hope for the future. The team will get better for sure as Cam Newton is already starting to develop into a solid, pocket passing QB threat that many "experts" were saying he couldn't be. Yes he will make mistakes, but hey he is a rookie and a rookie that didn't have training camp because of the lock out. People look at me strange because I was born and raised in Wisconsin and am not a Packer fan, I don't hate the Packers, I just like my two teams since they came to the league in 1995. One this is for sure, both Panther and Packers fans will be on the same side as the Panthers take on the Bears this Sunday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)