My name is Earl - 3ª Temporada
Lançamento em 30 de Setembro
Status Brasil: A série vem saindo no Brasil também, as 2 primeiras temporadas já se encontram a venda aqui, então é provável que lá para outubro ou novembro receberemos este box.

Smurfs - 1ª Temporada: Volume 02
Lançamento dia 07 de Outubro. DVD Duplo com mais 20 episódios da 1ª temporada.
Status no Brasil: A Warner desistiu de lançar desenhos em box no Brasil. Toda a linha da Hanna-Barbera está incompleta desde então. Não dá nem para contar no dedo o que estamos perdendo com essa decisão estúpida. Não esperem isso por aqui. Nem o primeiro volume nós recebemos.

The instant where
Language is senseless,
Engrossing and twitching,
A visage in stasis,
A glance framed by fire.

Hours in seconds,
A crackling of sorts,
In a bright light of greyness
Something has broken,
Maybe he’s just
A rain-cloud alive.

In the latest exercise in populism, senior Democrat Senators are pushing legislation to control futures market speculation. And commentators on the Right and Left are joining the bandwagon in a hurry. “It is insane to let gamblers magnify the effect of anticipated changes in supply and demand, that may not materialize, by buying and selling oil futures,” declared FOXNews contributor Dick Morris yesterday in an email blast. “Oil is just too important strategically and economically to allow that kind of speculation.”

This focus on speculators relies entirely on the exponential increase in volumes on the futures markets. Beyond that, few facts are in the public domain, and it is doubtful if Senators Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid had any comprehensive analysis of the futures exchanges in hand prior to proposing new laws. In fact, leaving aside speculators for a moment, nobody in Washington is actually aware, with an acceptable degree of precision, of how much oil is produced or consumed on a daily basis. While output numbers are hopelessly impaired due to the lack of quality international-level audits, consumption statistics from the developing world are seriously flawed. Furthermore, the true impact of deeply embedded oil-related subsidies, in countries like India and China, has been grossly underestimated.

Adding to the sorry absence of factual applications are a few other fundamental considerations. Firstly, lawmakers and self-styled oil experts in Washington are failing to recognize, and disclose to the American voter, the huge gap between the demand, for petrochemical products on one hand and the constraints imposed by existing refining capacity other. Secondly, it is quite apparent that nobody wants to study the balance sheets of private, listed and government-owned multinationals; the fine print in the financial statements will show that strategic issues like the timing of oil exploration and oil exploitation are resolved strictly within a corporate, i.e. capitalist, framework, without any allowances being made for public interest benchmarks. By conservative estimates, well in excess of 350 million acres of oil and gas concessions around the world are presently lying dormant; this figure does not include offshore licenses or the vast resource in the Siberian hinterland.

I personally am responsible for making ongoing prices on oil and gas derivatives, and I take into a few other facts when making determinations of future prices. I take into account the fact that the most strategic of geographical locations, the Straits of Hormuz, can turn into a war zone at short notice, at the whim of Iran. I do not ignore the fact that oil flows in Africa and Central Asia are directed by corrupt governments, not be commonsense or reason. I am aware that the heavily skewed distribution of oil wealth, in Saudi Arabia and Libya for example, has created the foundations for social upheavals at some point in forthcoming years. Lastly, the developing world’s economic powerhouses can alter the oil and gas matrix quite rapidly, by simply changing subsidy rates.

So, as I am asked every day, where are oil prices headed?

Remember that my organization is neither a producer nor a consumer. Our job is to speculate, daily; a job made easier by our knowledge that there is an abundance of empty rhetoric and a paucity of facts.

But we are unable to assess the price of oil if speculators like us are driven out of the marketplace. And nobody outside the speculative arena can present a credible assessment either. It is dangerous to pass legislation founded on unsubstantiated theory.

To conclude, people like me trade in a sea of ignorance, where boldness, and the willingness to take risks, is a more durable quality than engaging in either reckless blame games or armchair intellectualism.

All that said, there is an answer, a sustainable solution: the end of private capital altogether. That solution will not only sort out oil, but also food, and poverty and marginalization.

Theory from Last Scorpion (had to do mine first )

Well I took part of my ideas from other theories on this site, well parts of other theories. I think that Pain is Nagato controlling the bodies from some remote location. This may sound out there but I think that Yahiko was killed by Kushina Uzumaki. When the demon fox attacked the village Madara was there but Pain was also there. Kushina did not die during child birth she had Naruto before the Demon fox attacked, then went to go help fight off Yahiko,Nagato,Konan and Madara. During this fight Kushina realized that Nagato was her little brother and was asking why he was attacking the village. As Kushina and Nagato where talking Yahiko not knowing what was going on rushed in to attack Kushina. Nagato was watching as Yahiko killed Kushina then they show what happened when Nagato blacks out and this kills Yahiko.

This event is what causes the change in personality of Nagato and he then becomes Pain. I now think the new body of Pain is Kushina and Tsunade will have a hard time fighting her and die. Naruto will end up fighting the real Pain but as Naruto is getting his ass kicked Nagatos old emotions start to take over due to Naruto acting just like his mother. Just a Pain dies he tells the story of Narutos parents to him, and also the real plains of Madara. If you think I am wrong or have an opinion go to the comment section I will reply.

Theory from Jeremiah

Here are my theories. Pain's new body is Kushina. I'm sure of it. When Kishimoto was going to have to insert a new body of Pain after the previous one was killed I knew the replacement needed to be dramatic and have some value to the over all story. I originally thought Jiraiya, that would have been epic but he went with a female instead.

So then I asked myself what female character could they possibly use that would be more dramatic than using Jiraiya? There is only one option...Naruto's mother Kushina. Based off of these deductions I put the two pictures of Kushina and the new body of Pain next to each other on a post to also demonstrate that they look similar. The odds that Pain replaced his new body with someone completely irrelevant to the over all story arc of Naruto is slim to none. What could be more epic than Naruto having to eventually fight a Pain version of his own mother?

This brings me to my next theory which is far less original... Tsunade will die during the invasion of Konoha, leaving the way for Kakashi to become Hokage. Naruto will later fight Pain after Tsunade is dead, ultimately defeating him and in the process having to fight the version of his own mother.

I don't think Danzo is Madara. Even though it is an interesting theory, Madara and Danzo have conflicting views. Another reason I put together that clip art of Madara/Danzo was to show what Danzo was telling Sai and the unlikely hood that Madara would ever say such a thing. He has something to do with Obito...I'm not sure what but I'm positive of it. Possibly a body theft like Orochimaru or something along those lines.

Sasuke is obviously plotting against Madara but I'm not sure its for good reasons. Sasuke has his own goals which don't line up with the best interests of Madara, Pain, Konoha or Naruto. He's got his own idea of how things should be, we just havn't seen any hints at what that could possibly be since the whole Itachi debacle.

This is already running long so I will say I have theories about the powers Naruto got from Itachi and what will happen with the eyes of Itachi but I'll save that for another time.

Ja mata

Theory from Erich22

I think Naruto will leave before Pain gets to Konoha. People will die but Pain won’t stay long since his goal is the 9 tails not the destruction of Konoha. I’m as ready for a new hokage as anyone but it still seems too soon for tsunade to die. If it keeps up the way everyone thinks it will the title of Hokage will be a death sentance.
Back to my point if Pain follows Naruto to the montian. And naruto gets a little time to train in between. Bad Ass Naruto + Bad Ass Toads vs. Pain and Konan = one hell of a fight. And who knows maybe we’ll see a Demon Fox Toad style with Sharrigan eyes. Highly unlikely more like a chance to master another element. But we can always hope.

Of course the Toad sage could also tell Naruto he is the chosen one. But he will have to choose to be good or be tempted by evil and give in to the 9 tails. Most likely that choice will come with his friends lives on the line or the destruction of Konoha. At which time the Kyubi will offer all of his power to Naruto knowing the fox would take over.

Theory from Alec AKA captainmanic

Itachi is dead, he’ll only appear sort of when Saskue looks into Naruto’s eyes when they meet again. Orochimaru probably won’t come back until the end of the manga when this whole Akatsuki thing blows over and Naruto is appointed seventh hokage after Kakashi. And if Naruto leaves before Pain arrives, then Kabuto won’t show up again and neither will the sand.

The Pain Ying/Yang theory is interesting, but it might have been Itachi who held the Yin part of the nine-tails. Considering that only the Sharingan can control the fox, the “elders” might have given the nine-tails to Itachi as a sign of trust before he was to wipe out the Uchia and protect him from danger wherever he was to go into hiding. That could have been the mysterious disease that was killing him. Since only Naruto seems to be the only one who can withstand huge amounts with little effect to his own body, while others are severely damaged from just a little. With the Yin chakra back, the nine-tails might be more stable and more willing to do what Naruto tells it to.

Theory from Skyhigh303

i think peins about to rush head first into the leaf but naruto will already be gone and instead of him withdrawing hell split up sending his six forms in six different directions to look for naruto and each form will end up fighting someone from the leaf and the main form will fight tsunade the other forms will end up fighting inos team lee’s team and kiba’s team so far thats 4 forms i also think 1 form will face kakashi solo and and one will face team kakashi minus naruto but with yammato filling in and i think paper mache girl will be with the main form against tsunade so it’ll be kinda like a mini siege on konoha with a one man army bringing the peine.

I just want to say that Chris had some good theories but they where all over and hard to put together .

Well that is all so If you want to say anything or think i am "Dumb as hell" just head to the comment section and let me know.

Last Scorpion.

The graduation ceremony was a great thrill for me and the rest of the family. I thought I would explode with pride. My son looked so handsome in his gown (minus cap, you will notice. Apparently, the graduates had been throwing them into the air for photographs after the ceremony and it was thought that was too dangerous - someone had hurt their eye a year or so ago, so political correctness prevailed and they were banned apart from in the official studio portraits - utter madness.)

My two sons and my ex and I, had a great few days in Leeds, it really is a fun city with lots of great shopping  (unless you are shopping with/for two very fussy sons - and I thought women were supposed to be bad!) and restaurants. We had one particularly wonderful dinner at a restaurant called Anthony's which was a bit 'Heston Blumenthal' if you know what I mean! Every dish had at least one ingredient that made you say 'What?!' (risotto of white onion, parmesan air and espresso? Or poached quail, pea sorbet, cocoa, morels? Or how about my dessert of apple parfait, pork filo and sage ice cream?) We were all totally amazed at how delicious it all was, in fact we would go so far as to say it was one of the best (if not the best) dinner we had ever eaten.

Since we returned, #2 son has spent his days fishing in the river which runs through our garden - amazingly he actually managed to catch a fish yesterday (which he threw back). I don't know who was more surprised #2 son, me or the fish! He saw an otter in the river while he was fishing but by the time he had shouted me to come and look, it had gone - probably terrified by the loud shouting coming from the river bank :-)

We did manage to spot a fox in the field next to my garden. Apparently, it has four fox cubs which we haven't managed to see yet but the mother fox comes out every evening for a walk around the field. We managed to catch some shots of her including this one of the fox eyeing up a crow which seemed quite oblivious.

I love the view into the field, as do some others it seems...

We have had a really fun time since we got back from Leeds. I'm very conscious that these times together are going to be much rarer in the future. My nest will be well and truly empty. On the bright side I will have lots of time to make books and play tennis... (knee is finally better, by the way). I have been working on a photo album which I am making as a gift for a friend whose daughter is about to give birth to a little girl - my friend's first grandchild. Here is a sneak preview.

By the way, an update on my garden furniture saga. PayPal finally decided in my favour and have refunded me £500 which is the most they can, the balance is still to come from the dodgy seller, (Gemma at Land of Sofas) so I'm not holding my breath. I was contacted by someone else who read about my problems here, she had also bought furniture from this wretched woman but had been too late to file a claim with PayPal, so she stands to lose all her money.

When I was searching for alternative garden furniture, I found a web site selling the same furniture, under a different name (Home Living Online) but I could tell from the telephone number that it was the same people. Please do not buy from this company. I have reported them to the Trading Standards people and I hope that they will stop them from swindling any more unsuspecting customers.

Well, it's nice to be back blogging and I have missed my visits to my blogging friends - thank you for your concern at my absence, but fret not!  #2 son is off on holiday next week so the house will be quiet again and I can get back into a routine. Books and blogging here I come....

]]> http://mommablogsalot.wordpress.com/?p=198 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:31:03 +0000 Jen E http://mommablogsalot.wordpress.com/?p=198 I'd like to tell you that I'm feeling all bent out of shape about not attending BlogHer - I know it's supposed to be amazing and at the very least a great opportunity to get out of the house and all that jazz - and it's in California! But the truth is I'm kind  of glad I'm not there - for one thing, there's no way I could afford it much less justify it to my husband. And the truth is, I'd be totally out of place - I would likely be that girl in the back corner reading a book or checking the stats on my blog and wishing I could be at home with hubby watching a movie. Because I'm lame like that. Don't get me wrong, I think all you ladies are great, but the truth is reading about this conference on your blogs is kind of like hearing about a great party that all of your sort of friends are going to - those girls who you see occasionally, admire them maybe, but you don't know them - you've never really hung out and even if you were both at the same conference / party, you still probably wouldn't hang out.

And that's pretty much the only thing I plan to say on the topic of BlogHer - I'm not going, there are no hard feelings, and I have other things I'd rather blog about - like say other amazing people that I follow to the point of feeling like they are my sort of friends - the wonderful wacky people at the Jeffersonian - the cast of Bones - I am finally all caught up on season 3 and now I understand all the cryptic half teasers I've been reading, but trying not to read. [I'm going to spoil here to warn you all.]

I ended this season (which I watched on my mac via the iTunes store, aka the only place I could find that I could purchase the shows NOW rather than wait for DVD) feeling a strange feeling - I was glad it was the end of the season - I was glad I had a couple of months before Season 4 would start - not because I didn't like it, no if you know me, you know I loved it unconditionally, but rather - I think I'm going to need that long to come to terms with a few things in the end - oh you know that whole Zack is a murderer working for Gormogon - yeah I said it - I told you there'd be spoilers.

My husband and I are still a bit in denial about this. For one thing - we've gone back and watched that scene where the lobbyist is killed and we are oh so certain that the killer was not Zack, despite Zack claiming that he killed the lobbyist - what's that about, is Zack trying to protect somebody and if so who? We also aren't happy about having to lose trust in so many people - all the creepy music and suspicious actions had us ready to throw Sweets in jail long before Cam mentioned the possibility and despite not wanting to believe it for a second, there were moments where even we suspected Hodgins despite both of us being die hard Hodgins fans. It wasn't pretty. This season in general wasn't pretty - not that murder crime scenes are normally sunshine and roses, but really - how many times can we see Booth and Bones risk their lives and nearly lose them - we had to watch Booth's funeral! We were still getting over Brennan and Hodgins being buried alive! On and on and on, and the trial with her father was drama in and of itself - and where did the british shrink go because I <3ed him - seriously, he was the bomb, not that Sweets isn't pretty decent comic relief and all that - and providing ample fodder for all the Seeley/Brennan shippers (myself included - my husband laughed at me on a nightly basis as I consistently leaned into the tv for all my might, for nothing, every time).

So what will season 4 bring? Will this whole Zackaroni thing be explained away so he can be innocent somehow? Maybe he was brainwashed? Weak mind / strong mind, all that? Will Brennan and Booth EVER admit that they are in love? Will Angela ever get her divorce so she can get married? When is Goodman coming back? Is he gone for good or just on a sabbatical? I miss his accent, too. All these things and more I'm wanting to know, but not now. Not yet. I'll take my two months or so to dwell and come to terms with what I've learned so far, and continue watching season 3 obsessively trying to prove Zack didn't do it - and read all of Kathy Reich's books so I can feel like a totally obsessed nutjob.

so, with the "july-factor" in mind, i decided that reliving my recent travels might help lift my spirits a bit.  and just maybe for a minute i'll stop whining and feel thankful for the wonderful places i've been to see this year.

'07-'08 was a blessed year for me regarding travel, and '08-'09 is already shaping up to be exponentially better. 

i guess dallas is where it all begins and ends for me right now.  and though i'm not so fond of her, dallas has enough work to allow me to travel more than most.  so i'll think kindly of her for the moment...

austin is kind of my secret girlfriend.  we courted for over 5 years, but i had to leave her for a more practical lover.  so sad.  i do sneak around from time to time though... just to see her pretty face, and hear her alluring voice.

brazos bend, texas.  my favorite place to play with alligators in texas!!  if you want to see some prehistoric monsters, i highly recommend this park.  it's just a short drive southwest of houston.

cabo san lucas, mexico!  my friends joe and erin got married there last summer, and guess who was able to go for free in exchange for a little wedding photography.  well worth it...

not too far from the city, somewhere out in east texas, is a private getaway, known only as "timado" to the few elites who know of it.  i was let in to the inner-circle last fall when i was invited to a double bachelor party extravaganza.  well, okay, so it's not very elite, more like a good place to drink beer, go fishing, and grow out your mullet.  but it's really fun.  and a great place to catch snakes and shoot fireworks.

big bend national park, texas.  ah, the big bend of the rio grande.  one of my classic favorites.  this trip was the first of two for the year, but it ended in tragedy.  my truck somehow found its way to the bottom of a four-foot-deep washout.  at least i only had to hike 18 miles through the desert before i saw someone to get help - hahaha!  what a great trip!

another friend of mine, adam, got married in wonderful savannah, georgia.  what a great place.  i had been once before, but rest assured that i could never get sick of savannah.

so, yet another friend, anna, got married in her home town of philadelphia, pa.  big year for marriage apparently.  and no offense to my other friends, but this was the best one yet.  i'd never been to philly, but it quickly became one of my favorite cities.  partially because two of my favorite people were there - anna and elaine.

another first-time favorite city, san francisco!  i lucked out with this one because of some awesome friends of mine, john and bd.  the brothers had an extra ticket to the 2007 baseball all-star game, and i got the invite.  we had a fantastic time at the weekend's festivities, and we even made our way out to napa for a day.  amazing trip!

i lived in pinedale, wyoming a few years ago when i worked for a small newspaper.  it's a tiny town just south of jackson (or to you tourists, jackson hole... hahaha!).  consequently, it is also very close to grand teton and yellowstone national parks.  doesn't get much better than that.  so, since i reluctantly moved back to texas in 2006, i've made the pilgrimage back at least twice a year.  this was my first trip of the year, in the autumn.  and it was breathtaking - just the way i remembered it.  i hope to someday move back...

yee haw, boy howdy!  ARKANSAS |ˈär,kanzəs|!!  the white river in arkansas is incredibly beautiful, no doubt.  i went on a weekend trip up to northwest ar with some friends last fall to do a little fly fishing, and enjoy the scenery.  i don't know how to fly fish, so i just enjoyed the eye candy, and made photos all weekend.  i think we'll try to go again this fall.

oklahoma city, oklahoma.  we have tons of family in oklahoma - our rival state to the north.  and in all honesty, i don't visit enough.  it's really a great state.  though the university by the same name will always be my arch enemy.

the okc bombing memorial is stunning... a quiet experience... completely heartbreaking.

big bend, part deux.  i took my new ride to experience the land that claimed my previous truck's life only months before.  wow, i really like my new car.  especially with gas prices the way they are.  i was able to do the entire 5 day trip for under $250!!  that includes 1500 miles of driving, four days of bland camp food, and priceless nights under a clear desert sky.  it was a really rejuvenating experience.  i needed it.

the quintessential western road trip, executed at the worst time of year.  my friend, bd, got a wild hair in early november, and decided to plan one of the most classic of american road trips, down the 101.  it was originally planned for the next spring, but neither of us could wait that long...

we set off just a few days after thanksgiving.  we left dallas, and spend the first night in denver.  then from denver, we made our way through blizzards, over togwotee pass to jackson, wyoming.  we had the privilege meeting up with my old roommate, emily, and previous editor, noah.  we had way too much fun.

the next day in spite of splitting headaches, we were off to boise, idaho and then to portland, oregon.  portland may be my new favorite city (i know... i say that a lot).  it reminds me so much of austin, but even prettier.  we spent a few days there, and then made our way up to seattle.  another great city.  somehow, we ended up at a seedy bar called "shorty's" that night.  it was clown-themed, which made it creepy to begin with, but it also happened to be in, what i found out later to be, seattle's "crack district".  that was the first, and hopefully last time i've ever seen someone smoking crack.  right outside the bar, in the rain!?  interesting.

so we were ready to get back on the road after that night.  from seattle, we drove back to portland, then on down to eugene...  go ducks!!!  from eugene, we headed over to the coast, and that's where we hooked up with the legendary highway 101, which we followed the rest of the way down to los angeles.  the scenery was absolutely amazing from the oregon coast all the way to big sur.  and even south of big sur to monterey was quite nice.  really, the trip down the 1 was so overwhelming in its grandeur and raw beauty, that for me (someone who is already a painfully bad writer), is too hard to put in to words.  plus, i'm a photographer anyway.  so i hope the images speak for themselves.

in spite of taking this trip in the most off part of the off season, it was incredible.  i can only hope that i have the opportunity to do this trip again at some point in my life.  i should be so lucky.

my virgin voyage to chitown.  seriously though, i was such a nerd on the flight there, and in my rent car.  the only two albums i listened to the whole weekend were sufjan stevens' come on feel the illinoise, and greetings from michigan, the great lake state.  but they fit so well!  and they are two of the best albums of all time.  so at least they had that going for them.  

chicago is certainly a cool town.  i need to spend more time there.  also, it was december, sooooooo, just a little cold.  maybe i'll see what it's like in spring...

ah, spring in wyoming... what a segue - damn, i'm good!!  so this was the second (well, technically third, if you count the short drive thru on the road trip in november) time for me to visit my old haunt in about six months.  what a treat!

yet another friend, kim, was getting married in pinedale, so it was as good an excuse as any to go visit one of my favorite places in all the world.  and it certainly did not disappoint.  i camped for the first time in single digit weather on eight feet of snow pack too.  so that was cool.  but i learned a valuable lesson:  don't ever do that again!!

in all seriousness, there is something about western wyoming.  a special quality that lacks clear explanation.  ask anyone that has spent any time there, and they'll tell you...  it's a deeply spiritual experience.  and there's something about the winter (which is much of spring as well).  it is what quiet looks like... if that makes any sense.

anyway, if you're still reading, i feel sorry for you because you may have severe mental problems.  or into s&m or something.  but i promise that i'm almost done.

there are two innocence mission songs that always make me nostalgic about my travels, so i'll end with some lyrics.  if you're unfamiliar with the innocence mission, i would highly recommend you give them a good listen.  the first song is called, song about traveling.  really... go figure!?  and the second is the brotherhood of man.  

"a man said, 'why?'  why does traveling, in cars and in trains, make him feel sad?  a beautiful sadness, i've felt this before.  it's the people in the city, you'll never know.  it is everything you pass by, wondering will you ever... return."

"waiting at the airport on my suitcase, a girl traveling from spain became my sudden friend.  though i did not learn her name.  and when the subway dimmed... a stranger lit my way.  this is the brotherhood of man."

"i never can say what i mean... but you will understand... coming through clouds on the way.  this is the brotherhood of man.  this is the brotherhood of man."

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2008

And what a cause it is. Since "Idol" is a defiantly non-union show, the producers routinely break California and Federal labor laws by forcing many of their workers to pull 36 hour shifts with no breaks, no overtime and worst of all, no health benefits or residuals for the work they do on the show.

One former "Idol" production assistant revealed to the crowd on Wednesday that after factoring in all his time spent working on the show, he averaged about $4 an hour. That's less than half the California minimum wage!

And as several of the Teamsters in the crowd pointed out, "Idol" is also one of the only shows in Hollywood to use non-union drivers. I think WGA Vice President David Weiss said it best when he scolded Fremantle for preying on the starry-eyed new-to-Hollywood crowd when hiring and then systematically using these people up and spitting them out at the end of each season.

Not only is this practice morally wrong, but it's also illegal and with scores of pending lawsuits and labor board cases against Fremantle and several other producers of so-called "reality shows", the heat in this kitchen is about to get pretty damn unbearable.

I guess the thing that really galls me -- and I am a huge "Idol" fan by the way -- is the fact that Fox and Fremantle spend so much time and money touting their massive "Idol Gives Back" charity each year, while at the same time denying their own workers the most basic of benefits. It's just kind of mind-boggling that the same people that raise millions of dollars every year for charity could be so goddamn greedy when it comes to paying their own workers. Insanity!

So, though I did not get my act together in time to get on the Truth Tour bus to San Francisco -- the site of this year's first round of "Idol" auditions -- my friend Patty and I did attend the early-morning press conference on Wednesday to show our support for our WGA brethren.

And I mean to tell ya, that crowd was fired up, baby! Slipping on our new Truth Tour t-shirts, swapping war stories with my fellow WGA strike veterans...man, it was like old home week at the WGA. And even though I didn't bring much more than a camera with me to the press conference, I have to admit, I was pretty tempted to jump on that bus at the last minute and call it a day.

But to the hardy souls who did get on the bus and staged a rowdy protest at the "Idol" auditions yesterday at the Cow Palace, I say, rock on, writerly soldiers! Here's to showing the world what really happens behind the scenes at the top-rated show in America!

All we can hope for now is that the press actually covers the Truth Tour events -- stories about the press conference were virtually non-existent on the local news last night -- and that maybe, just maybe, the soulless bastards at Fremantle will do the right thing and go union.

I know it's a tall order, but hey, sometimes a little bad publicity is all it takes to make these corporate robots quake in their boots...so, for now, que viva la WGA Truth Tour!

Wanted tells the story of the chain of events that lead accountant manager Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) to join a centuries-old band of assassins called "The Fraternity" who maintain world balance by simply doing what they do best: killing persons. In the band, Wesley encounters Fox (Angelina Jolie) who serves as his training supervisor and partner in their operations. Everything goes out smoothly, until his fated face-off with Cross (Thomas Kretchmann) who killed his father. But in their ensuing battle (which takes place inside a train), a plot twist occurs that changes what the audience was thought to believe.

Overall, the movie was a great cinematic action ride filled with screen close-ups that only modern film-making technology could bring. This action flick came up with some fresh effects for the main weapon (guns/bullets) that appeal to the viewer: firing a bullet that could make a curve mid-trajectory (if you saw the trailer, it by-passed Jolie), the bullets slamming against each other (both in straight and curved paths), and a single bullet capable of killing a group of people in a circular formation.

What I find interesting in this film is how The Fraternity choose their targets. You see, their headquarters is in a textile factory where they work as textile laborers by day (assassins by night). In the heart of their headquarters is a weaving machine from which a continuous cloth is formed. within it are binary codes, formed from the overlapping and inconsistencies of stitches made by the machine. From this binary code, the names of their targets emerge, said to be a code set by fate. Good or bad, the person has to be eliminated, for according to their code or motto (and to quote): "Take one life, save a thousand."

I don't usually watch action movies, well, at least not usually on the big screen and unless its trailer could convince me; but this did justice to my expectations. This movie just supplemented my belief that an assassin leads a very melodramatic life. You know, like in those Japanese shows where the protagonist thought he does good to society by eliminating evil entities but later finds out that he has to kill his loved one or a family member who, out of his knowledge is also a bad person. Those sort of stuff. If you'll see the movie (including the plot twist), you'll understand what I'm talking about. It can be heart-breaking.

Now, a website, LiebermanMustGo.com, is asking people to sign a petition for Lieberman to lose his chairmanship and be kicked out of the caucus after the November elections, when the Democrats are expected to pick up more seats, so they won't need him anymore.  The petition has now gathered over 48,000 signatures.  Robert Greenwald, who helped design the site, said, "Given that Lieberman is actively and aggressively attacking the candidate for presidency of his party, it seems pretty clear he should not be given any of the perks that come with being a member of the Democratic Party."

The whole thing started when Lieberman agreed to address the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Lieberman told reporters that he left the weekly lunch of the Senate Democrats on Tuesday when criticisms of McCain's energy policies came up, saying, "I just didn't feel it was appropriate for me to be there."  Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) said that a Senator came up to him to complain about Lieberman.  Durbin told reporters, "It was the right thing to do.  This is a delicate situation."  Sorry, Mr. Durbin, but that's not being a very good party whip right there.  Good for Lieberman, bad for you and the party.

Asked about crossing a point of no return, Lieberman told reporters, "I don't have any line that I have in my mind.  If it happened, I'd know it when I saw it."  He, however, said that he doesn't expect to leave the Democratic caucus any time soon: "Senator Reid has been easy to work with.  I have a lot of good friends in the caucus, and I don't have any intention of doing that before the end of this session of Congress."

And Lieberman isn't worried about getting kicked out of his position, saying, "That decision is up to my colleagues in the Democratic caucus next year.  I'm going to do what I think is right now and not worry about what the political consequences may be for me.  I strongly support John McCain.  I believe in him, his strength, his principle, his effectiveness, so if he thought that I could help him by speaking at the Republican convention, I would do that.  And I would do it really not to go and attack anybody but to explain why I as a Democrat have crossed party lines to support John McCain and why I hope a lot of other Democrats and independents will do the same."

Lately, Lieberman has been critical of Barack Obama; on a CNN interview he called him "naïve" on Iran, and said, The fact that the spokesperson for Hamas would say they would welcome the election of Senator Obama really does raise the question, 'Why?'"

He criticized Obama's lack of a consistent stance on issues during a FOX interview, saying, "Senator Obama has really moved.  Since he clinched the nomination a month ago, he has altered and nuanced more big positions more quickly than I can remember any other presidential nominee."

Here are some reactions from Senators:

• Dianne Feinstein (D-CA): "I very much regret what he's doing, candidly, but there isn't anything I can do about it, and that's really all I want to say."
• Chris Dodd (D-CT): "I think they're heading in the wrong direction.  And I see Joe as an ally on most matters and a person who's been supportive of Democrats here on most issues."
• Susan Collins (R-ME) (Lieberman has donated to her campaign): "My hope is that he will not be punished for doing what he thinks is right."
• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV): "Anytime we have a problem here, with the exception of Iraq, Joe Lieberman's with us.  So I wish people would leave him alone.  We'll get to next year when we get there."

I say he should just stand up one day, give 'em the finger and move to the other side of the aisle.  That's some C-SPAN daytime drama for ya!

If I were him, I would not let them use me, just to kick me to the side of the road when they don't want me anymore.  Show them that they can't just use you and then dump you.

Now, I say all of this, but I should note that I disagree with Lieberman on most issues.  If McCain were to pick him as his VP (which Lieberman said he does not want, nor expect), it'd be stupid of McCain.  You don't pick a VP because you agree with them on one main issue.

I like Lieberman, but he's a liberal - but the Democrats would be stupid to do this to him.  It could come to haunt them.

Done Ranting,

Ranting Republican
:: :: :: :: ::

Well, at least you can go and download the SYTYCD Top 10 Elimination music. Gev's elimination music made him cry so feel free to let a few tears go if you must too.

     Since 1996 Fox Broadcasting Company, known more commonly as just 'FOX,' has been supplying millions of families with up to date news, suspenseful TV series and humorous animated shows. As a TV network, they're basically doing their job well by supplying us with information (news and such) and entertainment (TV series, game shows etc.)  But what exactly is the Fox network really telling us? As a member of society with a political opinion and as a consumer I feel it's time for the public to start reading between the lines and really scrutinize the content they normally don't think twice about whenever they decide to tune in to their local Fox channel, open a newspaper, read a magazine or even peel open a banana. 

     I'm sure you're well aware that there are ads everywhere...but to what extent do you really think into just how many there are? Sure there are the obvious ones...billboards, commercials, magazine ads, newspaper ads...but have you realized just how much product placement there is on TV...in movies..even slips of brand name goods on the radio are product placement! (1) Once you start looking for ads...you'll realize they're absolutely everywhere. I myself didn't believe there were as many as my mass media and society book was telling me there are all around so a few months ago I decided to really look at my environment for the entire day. It didn't take long before I realized the book was absolutely right...actually it didn't take long at all. I had a banana for breakfast and while I was peeling the second leaf of skin off I noticed a fairly innocent looking, green sticker reading 'The Jungle Book Re-Mastered!' So okay, it's pretty easy to be convinced that there really are ads everywhere...but have you ever realized that for certain TV channels, certain newspapers even certain websites it seems like you're seeing the same advertisements running over and over? Well, probably because you are. Today there are two little things called convergence and conglomeration...which both basically add up to another little thing described as concentration of ownership. Text book definitions for these terms read as follows: "Convergence: The erosion of traditional distinctions among media," "Conglomeration: The increase in the ownership of media outlets by non-media companies," and "Concentration of Ownership: Ownership of different and numerous media companies concentrated in fewer and fewer hands (1.)" Now you may be wondering, "So how exactly, I mean, in more detail, does that explain why I'm seeing the same dang commercials on every channel I watch, ever newspaper I read and every website I go to?...And furthermore, why does should I care? " Well to explain this using the Fox Broadcasting Network as an example, i'll start with giving you some information on News Corps. 

     Now you're probably thinking, "News Corps,...hmm that sounds vaguely familiar.." but you probably can't put your finger on what exactly it is or where you've heard it. Perhaps you'd procure a clearer vision if I said the National Geographic Channel or the New York Post or DirecTV or maybe even the ever popular social networking site MySpace (4 and 5.) I mention these sites because they're all owned by News Corps. Crazy huh? One company that owns a television channel, a newspaper, an entire digital satellite network and one of the worlds most popular websites. Not to mention the fact that the National Geographic Channel (the popular, informative channel that usually attracts a well educated audience) and Fuel TV (the action sports channel full of skateboarding, dirt biking and kids hurting themselves doing crazy, mindless activities) are under the same random umbrella (5.) Well, that's just the tip of the iceberg. News Corporation (aka News Corps) owns 11 motion picture operations (i.e. 20th century fox), 6 television operations (i.e. Fox Broadcasting Company), 16 cable programs (i.e. Fuel TV, FX, Speed, National Geographic Channel Worldwide etc.), 3 direct broadcast satellite television companies (i.e. DirecTV) , 8 magazine and insert operations (i.e Vogue, Gemstar- TV Guide International Inc.), 28 newspapers (i.e. the New York Post), 7 book publishing operations (i.e. HarperCollins) and that doesn't even get into websites and other assets (a few of which are: MySpace, AmericanIdol.com, WhatIfSports, CARSguide.com.au, the National Rugby League, a few online dating websites and more.) (4 and 5) Just think! The influence this one company has on millions of people is tremendous! It covers every form of media, every social aspect regarding demographics AND most of it's operations are run all over the world (SKY Italia, a direct satellite broadcast operation is the most popular pay-TV company in Italy...not to mention the fact that News Corps holds several papers in the US, UK, Asia AND Australia.) (5) Especially toda y with the advent of technology like people being able to watch the news on their cell phones-another area FOX has contributed whole-heartedly to-...the possibilities of societal impact are rather intimidating. The reason you see the same ads..the same stories..the same generic styles (as pertaining to the targeted demographic of the medium) is because they're all run by one massive mother company. This is the epidamy of all examples of convergence, conglomeration and concentration of ownership at work. The Fox Broadcasting Network has converged media by, for example, making the National Geographic Channel, a concept that was originally a magazine or by making it possible to watch an episode of the Simpsons on your iPod or phone. The Fox Broadcasting Network is part of a conglomeration evident by the fact News Corps. owns an incredibly diverse ball of media outlets. The Fox Broadcasting Network and particularilly News Corporation are the best examples for concentration of ownership because in reality...News Corps really doesn't have much competition when it comes down to owning the most concentrated blob of media (3.)

     So what does this say? Why does it matter? Well the first thought that comes to my mind is subliminal messaging. Not specifically real subliminal messaging i.e. the kind where images and or words flicker in and out of content at about 1/3000th of a second to get you to unconciously think about it and as a result desire the said image/word (6); but just a kind of subliminal messaging resulting from repeated exposure to the same material. There's no doubt that when one sees and or hears the same thing over and over and over he/she will eventually remember it and associate it with other things (1.) Because of this, combined with the fact that when people see the same thing from a variety of sources they eventually regard it as factual truth, the people inevitably end up being easily influenced and manipulated (7.) Of course this isn't to say that there aren't people out there who understand the concept of concentration of ownership and the corrupt intentions of some profit driven media outlets out there, however with the majority of media organizations conglomerating and converging, it's really hard for anyone to tell exactly where information is coming from and with what intentions it serves.  Technically, (especially regarding print publication and it's rights in the first amendment regarding the press) media should be produced to inform and entertain us. Unfortunately, the majority of owners of media companies would rather see rising profits than happy people (although they usually find a good medium because one satisfies the other.) (1) With things like magalogues, consumer digest and TV shows like Pokemon which is basically a 30 minutes long commercial (1), what average person isn't fooled at least once in awhile if not often? If you think about it...concentration of ownership is much like a censored system of oligarchy. A small family (the upper representatives of a massive media organization: such as News Corps) owns the majority of all media related companies in an entire nation (and a portion of the world); since media are where people turn to when looking for information and entertainment, exactly how much could that family influence us? Well, regardless of whether we're looking for information OR entertainment...we'll find what we're looking for in the commercials, the magalogue-like 'news coverage' (yes it's true...haven't you ever noticed when reports cover specific illnesses that they review certain products and usually the well rated products have commercials on right after the broadcast? Think about it...), all of the product placement in TV series'....all of this information being fed to us through various sources that we un-conciously think are separate, but are really coming from one family and what they think we should have. This is basically how conglomerated media works and unfortunately, it's even more corrupt that the scenario seems because the 'family' aka mother company would be driven by greedy profit rather than societal well being. 

     Now that you understand why big media industries have such an affect on us, i'll begin to explain specifically why it's good to be an informed, analytical viewer. First of all, I would like to quote Rupert Murdoch (owner of News Corps) in saying, 

"I challenge anybody to show me an example of bias in Fox News Channel." (2)

Can you think of any examples of political bias from any of the numerous companies owned by News Corps? It's been long argued that Fox Broadcasting Network and it's affiliates hold very right winged conservative, republican views and reflect that stance in their news coverage and basically all forms of publication and broadcasting (2 and 8.) If you look at for example the Simpsons and King of the Hill airing on FOX...it's quite evident that the characters are conservative republicans or they're criticized for not being so. Although the humor is generally light toned, the point FOX producers is trying to make is pretty obvious..that conservative republican is the way to be. Through everything News Corps is involved with whether it be FOX or it's other affiliates, there are subtle messages supporting republican conservatism and over a period of time statistical studies have shown that it influences people's beliefs, voting habits and personal morality (8.) You may look at this two ways...it may be a good thing and it may be a bad thing...it really depends on your personal political opinion...but if you try and think beyond that..even if your beliefs are parallel with what News Corps and FOX pushes on it's viewers...what if they weren't? What if they happened to be liberal democrats? Then perhaps you may become defensive toward the fact that everything around you is trying to push you in the opposite direction. The point I'm trying to make here is that corporations such as News Corps and Fox Broadcasting Network are very powerful organizations due to their potential influence on the opinions of millions of people and that we as the people should realize this and be sure to be responsible consumers and approach media with a watchful, critical mind.

     In conclusion, although the media industry is full of useful information and entertainment, it's best to be wise about what one takes as the immediate truth...be a responsible consumer and acknowledge media with an analytical eye...or else who knows what obscenities the next piece of fruit you go to eat will be offering to you in the form of a little, green, seemingly innocent sticker. 

References

1. Baran, Stanley J. Introduction to Mass Communication, Media Literacy and Culture. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008.

2. Ackerman, Seth. "The Most Biased Name in the News." FAIR: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. Aug. 2001. 11 Oct. 2007 <http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1067>.

3. Bramhall, Joe. "Fox Entertainment Group, Inc." Hoovers: a D&B Company. 11 Oct. 2007 <http://www.hoovers.com/fox-entertainment/--ID__58035--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml?cm_ven=PAID&cm_cat=BUS&cm_pla=CO1&cm_ite=Fox_Entertainment_Group_Inc>.

4. "Other Assets." News Corporation. 2007. 11 Oct. 2007 <http://www.newscorp.com/operations/other.html#>.

5. "Cable." News Corporation. 2007. 11 Oct. 2007 <http://www.newscorp.com/operations/cable.html>

6. Feunsner, Matt, and Brad Griffith. "Subliminal Messages." ThinkQuest. 16 Aug. 1999. 11 Oct. 2007 <http://library.thinkquest.org/28162/ads.html>.

7. Moskowitz, Gordon B. Cognitive Social Psychology: the Princeton Symposium on the Legacy and Future of Social Cognition. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2001.

8. Dellavigna, Stefano, and Ethan Kaplan, comps. The Fox News Effect: Media Bias and Voting. 30 Mar. 2006. Berkeley and Stockholm. 11 Oct. 2007 <http://www.freepress.net/docs/foxvote06-03-30.pdf>.

“ROME” (2x10- Final da Série) na RTP2 às 00:30

Conheça as sugestões televisivas, em mais um Daily Hotvnews (TV), para o dia 18 de Julho de 2008.

A RTP2 exibe “The Big Bang Theory”, às 20:40. A série relata a vida de dois nerds que nada conseguem do sexo oposto, e é a nova aposta do canal público para o inicio da noite. Às 22:45 chega ao canal público a segunda temporada da série “Men in Trees”. “Read Between the Minds” é, segundo a contagem de episódios americana, o décimo segundo episódio desta última temporada de “O Amor no Alasca”. A RTP2 destaca-se como o canal das séries ao ainda exibir a série “Rome”, a partir da 00:30. Hoje, é repetido o último episódio da segunda e última temporada desta excelente série de época.

Algumas das propostas dos canais cabo, são as seguintes:

“Journeyman” (01x13- ÚLTIMO) no Fox às 18:27

O canal MOV exibe agora a série “The Wire” (com a possibilidade de ver em HD se tiver a Zon Box), em Portugal conhecida como “Sob Escuta”. Na sua terceira temporada, o décimo episódio é exibido às 21:00. A seguir, a partir das 22:00, é repetida a série “Tell me You Love Me”, sendo exibido novamente o piloto.

O AXN dá-lhe a conhecer uma emergência dum hospital de Chicago em “ER”, “Serviço de Urgência” às 21:30. Para hoje está agendado o oitavo episódio da décima segunda temporada.

O canal Fox já se encontra a exibir a série “Journeyman”. O último episódio desta série é exibido às 18:27.

O sexto episódio da série “Cane” é repetido na Fox Life a partir das 23:30. De seguida, a partir da 00:20, é exibido mais o décimo segundoo episódio da quinta temporada de “Nip/Tuck”.

O primeiro episódio da série “Veronica Mars” vai para o ar às 20:45 no canal Fox Crime.

O destaque no canal FX vai para o piloto da série “Unhitched”, que começa às 19:00. De seguida, às 19:25, é exibido o oitavo episódio da série “Dexter”.