I don't get it

I love checking out imdb.com for what is the latest and bestest (yes, that is a word. i heard it on Buffy) movie releases. I've noticed in the last couple of years that Torture Porn is almost always number one at the box office.

Torture Porn: It is a genre of film that revels in torture.It uses torture
sequences in the same manner as pornography films use sex.

Now i like pretty weird things. i like some genres of horror. i like suspense. i like drama but i always HATE gore. I see no reason to revel in torture or deaths. It turns me off faster than you can say "please refund my ticket".

I realise that my tastes don't (or maybe shouldn't) be enforced on the rest of the world, but why in the world would movies like this be so popular?

I've suggested before that the reason could be the strange power struggle in people right now. They feel powerless and thus enjoy entertainment where they can be submerged in that feeling yet finally overcome at the end. Thus giving some form of relief to their fears.

Andre Mayer from cbc.ca wrote an article about the use of torture in mainstream
entertainment. Mayer has some very interesting insights that might be worth
checking out. (this is also where the picture came from)

It scares me that many governments around the world are implementing torture. It scares me more that the average person seems to be thinking it is more and more acceptable.Is it because of these movies? or are these movies around because the subject is less unappealing than it was 10 years ago?

I suppose in the end it doesn't really matter why these movies are popular. It really only matter what we're willing to put into our brains and why. But I still don't get the need for Torture Porn.

Top Five Reasons

Top five reasons why its better to have illegially downloaded entertainment than legally bought stuff.

5. You are not forced to watch only things available to you locally. Online you
can watch movies from a variety of different places. Thus enhancing your world
and personal views.

4. You are not suckered into watching an entire
crappy movie just because their preview advertisement was well funded. You can
always decide you don't like something and turn it off without feeling that your
waisting your money.

3. You are able to give a clear indication to the
entertainment industry about what you want them to produce because you can
download it, then only buy the stuff you actually like. They are able to tell
which productions are good...not just which previews.

2. It is easier to
get a full album in the format you want it online, than it is to buy it in
stores.

1. The downloaded movies, shows, etc are all region free. you
don't have to spend extra money buying more changes to your region on your
computer.

Comics

This week's comic is brought to you by Sinfest.net.



and by Cyanide & Happiness


Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

World President Job Application

Presidential Job Application

Take this political survey

Full Name (minimum of 3 names required for the job) Kristin Outa-me-Mind Teel
Age definately old enough to know better than the other guy
Gender The ablity to lead a people has nothing to do with my genitals
Party affiliation My party
Have you ever been arrested? not for anything serious
What for? see above
Served jail time? nope. i'm too ugly for them to want to keep me
Have you ever used drugs? only the natural kind
What drugs? the natural kind...weren't you paying attention?
Been convicted of drug possession? nope
Have you ever smuggled something illegal into the country? Yes, but the country needed it there
Do you have a scandalous past? only if you're facinated by the boring
Please explain My life is hardly tabloidishous

Personality/Beliefs/Values

What are your views on world domination? I should definately dominate. i could get the cute leather whip out. put on my plether pants and knee high black boots...
Do you have any religious ideologies? yes
How do you feel about trampling the rights of states within the US? mahahahhahahaha
What about trampling the rights of other countries? lets not talk about rights...instead lets talk about me
Do you think any drugs should be legalized? of course. then they could be taxed and then i could be richer...
Do you believe that you are always right? of course not. But you better say i am anyway
Do you value the opinions of others? yep. they remind me to clean the dungeon out.
Are you able to admit when you are wrong? wrong?? what is this word you speak of?
Do you believe that it is ok to go on vacation during a crisis? no. especially if i'm at the centre of it.
Do you believe in the philosophy of screw the little guy? how little is he?
Do you believe it is the governments responsibility to take care of people? of course. and if you willingly submit to me, i'll take great care of you.
What are your views on the current state of the wellfare system? there are so many welfare systems. maybe we should pick one
How do you feel about the current state of Social Security? i don't believe there is any social security anymore
Do you believe that when you are old enough to collect you will be able to? only if i put my money in stuff that actually returns
What would you do to ease/solve the oil crisis? start making cars that don't need oil!
Would you protect the environment? OF COURSE! you can call me auntie nature (avoiding the mother stuff still)
Would you go to war with countries unprovoked? of course not. i'd find a way to provoke them into provoking me.
Would you make your own decisions or what your parents wanted you to do? I'm the new world dominatrix. of course i'm not taking orders from daddy...thats just too discustin!
Would you travel in the black limos or incognito? oooo! incognito! i love dress up!

Now, on to your experience and qualifications

Have you ever declared war? Why? only against the neighbour and his silly fence offensive.
Have you ever used nuclear force? Why? no... have not had access to nuclear force
Have you had an affair with your intern? no. the intern is too creepy and my hubby is WAY more sexy
Do you have friends in low places to hide your secrets? they don't need to be low places to hide my secrets.
Do you have friends in high places to give you lots of money? once i am the world dominatrix, i'm sure i'll have plenty of money...mahahahaha!
Are you able to have a conversation without sounding like an idiot? Sometimes...[ackward silence]
Do you stutter? nnn no.
Do you use insensitive words in public like crusade and savage? hehehe...savage
Do you have an IQ score about 25? WHAT??? i have to have an IQ!? i'm not sure i want this job anymore
Can you say the alphabet backwards? zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba
Have you ever been caught in a compromising situation? i was on top
Can you count with your shoes on and your hands in your pockets? eeep! more hard questions!
Have you ever had someone taken care of? yes. it was beautiful. gramma was in hospital and i payed the nurse and extra 50 to clean her up and make sure the other patients didn't pick on her.
Did you only marry your spouse because one of you was knocked up? yes. He was definately knocked up.
Do you have grey hair yet? i decline to answer...mainly due to my fashion sense.
Do you wear cowboy boots to work? yuck! no cowboy boots for me. its ug boots all the way baby!
Can you sign your name quickly? yep...watch...kristin
Can you spell your name correctly? um...usually. sometime i type too fast and get the s and t mixed up
Are you able to sit in front of a phone and not push all the buttons? more hard questions!
Do you know how to read? yes...i just finished "see jane run"
Are you capable of having any independent thoughts? yep
Do you know what those are? nope
Do you believe in the freedom of speech? yes...as long as they only say what is good for the country
Do you just want to take a huge crap on individuals civil rights? no. i do that in the toilet...
Would you put your own picture on a new form of money? yes. it would be the thiele currency. it would be stronger than the greenback...although most things are starting to look stronger than the greenback right now so...
Would you attack Canada for the fun of it? no. canada is great at following directions. i'd keep them to set an example for the rest of the world
Would you deport all the illegals? to where?? mars?? that just is silly
Would you institute mandatory sterilization for stupid people? yes. and i'd determine who was stupid
Do you make babies cry? usually
Do you make old ladies cry? not so far

Expanding Religion

If you live in a western country, chances are you've been raised in a Christian environment. (if by nothing else but name) You may not realise the extent of religion in your area, or where it came from and how it got to your country.

This link will take you to a site that uses images and colour to give an example of where various religions started from and where they expanded to. Its very interesting if your interested in a historical approach to religion.

viva la cake day!

Today is the day to celebrate revolution. "A day when we remember that Marie Anne-Toinette was exectuted by the leaders of the French Revolution 214 years ago and we celebrate by following her dying wishes (i.e. the wishes that caused her to die) and we eat cake!!!" (thanks to founder, Andrew Talor for that quote)

So in honour of Cake day, i thought i'd blog about revolution.

Revolution is a profoundly subjective word and event. A revolution changes the status 'norm'.

While most revolutions come with blood running in the streets, there have been examples of bloodless revolutions. The most recient being the 1986 EDSA Revolution where the phrase "people power" was coined.

Today there is increasing signs of revolution sparking on various harizons. No one is certain if this will actually lead to anything, but many people around the world are holding their breath in expectation.

What will these changes lead to? No one can be completely certain, but every one is hoping for something better. But as a friend once said, if bringing change is brought by blood flow in the streets, it is the not sort of change we should want.

On this day when revolution is wanted and a new form of community, politics, and values are desired let us remember to DO JUSTLY, LOVE MERCY AND WALK HUMBLY WITH OUR GOD.

Top Five movies

So in my bordom, i found five new films i'm very interested to see. They are all wierd, which mades me happy

5.Why Did i Get Married?
This is a story about four married couples who re-discover their reasons for being married to the person they are married to. Sounds sappy and lovely.

4. Igor
An animated story about monsters...how i could i resist?

3 Wristcutters: A love story
After you kill yourself, apparently you go to a place you can't smile. Three
people meet up in this place, all looking for something...most likely they find
something they weren't expecting. Again sappy, but done in a way i haven't seen
before...so i'm interested.

2. War Inc
I want to see this film because it reminds me of one of my favourite films, "Grosse Pointe Blank". Not a huge fan of Hiliary Duff, but i'm willing to put up with her if John Cusack has written the script.

1. Martian Child
I saw the trailer and fell in love with the story immidiately. A boy who believes he's a martian is adopted by a writer who writes fiction about Mars. Not only is it a story you normally don't hear about, its has the potential to be very funny. If you'd like
to see what i mean, a clip of the trailer is below.

Ode to the old days when sibling fights reined supreme

Siblings are known to fight. Occasionally even draw blood. My sister and i rarely took it that far. Today i am reminded of those days when her and i were forced to share a room. So in ode of this tragic memory, i bring The Boondocks:

Another Shooting in the USA..

It seems like every week we get a new story about a shooting in the states. Last week it was a part-time police officer who went crazy over an ex-girlfriend and shot several people. This week it was a boy who took a gun to school and wounded teachers and classmates before killing himself. Later in the week we heard of a boy who was planning another school attack!

Its strange that these stories of tragedy should become so common place in America. With all the hype of security, it seems that people are feeling less secure. If there was a better way for the gunmen to get what they wanted, do you think they'd have been gunmen?

We can easily push this off as crazy people acting out...but crazy people do not just reside in America (contrary to popular belief and most evidence). There are crazy people all over the world, yet for whatever reason there are fewer shootings coming from the UK, the EU, and Australia.

I personally believe that the reason shootings are less frequent in these countries is because the citizens feel more secure. Its not about the security measures that the governments are taking. Its about people feeling like they have control over their life.

Whatever it takes to get a solution, it needs to happen soon. i don't think the country needs any more death by guns next week.

Tips for the new season of televison

Television bugs me. Its not the advertisements, although i find them extremely annoying. Its the lack of interesting plots.

Almost every season of television that i truly enjoy, inevitably is cancelled after one or two seasons. (or in the middle of a season if i'm especially unlucky) There are of course exceptions to this rule, but they seem to be few and far between. Thus, i've made a list of things to do and not do in television series. Hopefully some hot producer will read this and take notes.

1. Hire Joss Whedon for your writer and director

2. A female lead character is NOT a bad idea. In fact its brilliant! but don't treat them like a slut. Allow them to be powerful in their own right. Don't make them beg for men's attentions...that is sad, pathetic and a huge turn off! (as in, i will TURN OFF the TV if i see that) Women are about a lot more than sex object. USE THAT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!

3. Don't be afraid to actually say something in your series. Create television that will activate their brain. If you activate the brain, you'll activate the mouth, and before you know it, you'll have lots of people talking about your show.

4. Special effects are great, but don't try to sell a whole show on special effects. Hire a script writer...in fact, Hire Joss Whedon! (did i already mention this?)

5. Don't be afraid to make fun of yourself. After all, we all know we are watching a tv series. Don't try to act like its more than that.

This great tips are brought to you by the letters T and V and by the number 5.

i believe

The statement is often used when referring to faith. (It can also be over used by politicians who believe as long as the voters do.)

"I believe" is more than a statement about belief, however. It is a statement about who you are.

By stating a belief with the preface of "i believe" you are placing your worth on the line. On some level you're making a statement about what you're willing to be ridiculed or congratulated for. You are now invested in the statement. It is more than just a few words.

When channel 10 began their "i believe" campaign, i immediately saw the value in promoting a TV station in such a way. They were telling their viewers that they were more than just entertainment. Of course, if you listen to what the people said, you'd soon realise that they were saying that they are just entertainment. But it was a very clever illusion of depth.

Sometimes i wonder if ordinary people do this too. They make the "I believe" statement without actually saying that they believe in much at all. It is very scary idea to put yourself on the line for a belief. Especially if you are unsure where it will lead. But not having a statement of belief can make you appear shallow.

(damn, somewhere around here i'm supposed to have a point...aw, well. soldier on. i'm sure something will come to us)

My point is that stating your belief is much more scary than actually having a belief. By merely having a belief, you can keep it to yourself and never have to defend it. If you state it out loud, you are allowing a feedback (of a sort) to happen that potentially will change what you believe.

In a since, unless you state a belief it can never mature. If you do state a belief it is likely to grow and change on you (in a since, leaving you).

So in a absurd sort of way...you can never hold onto belief.

(hey look! a point!)

So in the end it is the process of belief (self belief, statement of belief, follow by a maturing of belief) that is important. Not the belief itself.

Sorry Channel 10. Your statements of belief are again proved to be nothing more than shallow echoes in the tube.

hope

We've had some high winds here recently. That probably explains why it happened.

This morning as i walked onto the campus, i found small baby bird on the ground. Every little while, a mother or father bird would come and feed it some food, but the baby obviously couldn't yet fly.

All day long, as i rushed from one meeting to another, i kept finding that the baby was still being protected and cared for by his parents. It was quite sweet.

He may not live through tonight, but he is definitely something i will be looking for tomorrow when i head back to work.

I hope he makes it.

Inside or Out?

Growing up, i was pretty sure i was a liberal Christian. I believed in Jesus, a correct and healthy way to live, and i BELIEVED that i was in the right.

After leaving home and changing country, i found that what i BELIEVED was a lot more shaky. When a faith leaves the context of culture, you can suddenly find yourself in unfamiliar territory. Without the framework of culture, many of the things i had understood as 'faith' were quite clearly not.

sexual sin, alcohol, drugs, and eating dos and don't were all up in the air.

I'm sure that some people would say that my faith was being tested. I saw it as my faith being matured.

All my life i'd been trying to live a Christian life without much practical living thrown in. I didn't have to think about issues except to apply a Bible verse to them. It didn't much matter of the Bible verse and the practical application were ridiculous, I knew i'd done everything i was suppose to. But as my faith matured, i began to see that the brain i was given was not there for decoration. Turns out that my belief system should be practical as well as God-centred.

But practical faith is a lot more difficult to practice than simple Bible faith. For one thing, you've got a lot more thinking to do.

because i couldn't think of anything better

SCATTEGORIES

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following:

You're: kristin

Famous Music artist or group: kiss

3 letter word: kit

Street name: Klach st

Color:khaki

Gift or present: Kite

Vehicle: i'm not sure they make vehicles starting with a k...or at least, i can't think of any at 3 am.

TV Show: Kath and Kim

Country: Korea

Boy Name: Kevin

Girl Name: Katrina

Drink: Kiwi-strawberry juice

Occupation: Kitchen staff

Flower: Kniphofia (i cheated and searched google)

Celebrity: Kristen Bell

Food: kabab

Something found in a kitchen: knife

Reason for Being Late: kissing husband

Something You Shout: Kick it!