the good: ‘Fahrenheit’ turns on box office heat
Director Michael Moore’s controversial documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11″ turned on the box office heat in its first day in theaters breaking single-day records at the two New York City theaters where it played.
the bad:
Senate OKs Higher Fines for Indecency
“the Senate overwhelmingly agreed on Tuesday to fine radio and television broadcasters and personalities as much as $3 million a day for airing indecent entertainment.”…the House also approved a similar bill. “the bill wound up on a fast track to passage after the Feb. 1 Super Bowl halftime show that ended with Timberlake partially exposing Jackson’s breast for an instant to 90 million viewers.” this is another example of the Bush regime making a knee-jerk reaction to an event to further their agenda (like using 9-11 as an excuse to invade Iraq). and let’s not forget that these fines from the FCC for “indecency” have no written rules, and are not contestable in court - what’s “indecent” is whatever Michael Powell and the FCC deem it to be.
the ugly:
Senator Brownback Pulls A Fast One
the bill above was written by Senator Brownback of KANSAS. “He snuck in the amendment to the pending indecency bill as part of a larger military spending bill…It’s is absolutely amazing that this guy is using the military bill (at a time of war) to push through his indecency crusade.”
this reminds me of when, in CA, right-wingers snuck in the “rave act” by piggybacking on the Amber Alert bill (a completely unrelated bill about child abduction notifications that they knew would pass). it makes venue owners and party promoters *personally liable* for any illicit drug use at their events. http://www.protectlivemusic.org/
from CNN.com: Survey: Men’s marital hopes and fears
in a survey of men 25-34, 81 percent said they got married “because it was the right time to settle down.” the desire to have children was a major factor for 35 percent; only 15 percent said they married sooner than they wished because of pressure from their partner.
um, is there not even a category for marrying “because they met the right partner”? or for not marrying because they hadn’t? doesn’t it seem a little foolish to choose a partner FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE because they happen to be the person you’re dating at “the right time”?
then again, i can see how the wait for the right person can be too much for some people (especially women) to bear. ain’t life a bitch.
this movie is f’in great. great story, acting, and cinematography. scarface, set in the slums of Rio. it’s gritty, realistic, and doesn’t follow hollywood movie structure at all. and all the actors are unkown kids - amazing how they pulled off making a movie like this. go see it.
i need more discipline to exercise. being left to my own devices at NYSC just isn’t doin it. it’s too easy; i don’t push myself. i think i’m gonna join the wat - a muay thai kickboxing gym. it’s either them or Church St Boxing. the wat seems more authentic and dedicated to true muay thai, but it’s $150/mo. Church St seems to be mostly a boxing gym that happens to offer muay thai classes, and costs $125/mo. i’m gonna try em both out.
it’ll be painful at first…my cardio is pretty lame right now. j-boy says he’s a fat slug and hasn’t been working out since our year of kickboxing in SF ended. but the fact that i’ll be spending lots of money on it will force me to go…and since every class is a really intense ass-whooping, it’s guaranteed to whip me into shape.
in the news this week…
1. THERE WAS *NO* LINK BETWEEN IRAQ & AL QAEDA
In a direct challenge to recent assertions by both President George W Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, the special bipartisan commission investigating the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against New York and the Pentagon has found ”no credible evidence” of any operational link between Iraq and al-Qaeda. whole article
2. OUR ECONOMY IS GOIN TO SHIT
Swelling US trade deficit hits record high
The US trade deficit widened to a record $48.3bn in April, putting a bigger drag on economic growth than expected and further damping down hopes that the trade gap is soon set to narrow.
whole article
3. OUR FOREIGN POLICY IS CONDEMNED BY OUR OWN EXPERTS
Former US diplomats and military leaders have written a letter strongly condemning President George W Bush’s foreign policy, arguing he has damaged US national security and urging Americans to vote against him, according to newspaper reports.
The letter - an unusually strident public critique signed by 26 former military and foreign service officials - says Bush’s policies have proved ineffective and left the United States isolated internationally, according to the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.
The signatories include officials appointed by presidents of both parties who have served on every continent, including nations such as Israel, the Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia.
“We just felt things were so serious, that America’s leadership role in the world has been attenuated to such a terrible degree by both the style and the substance of the administration’s approach,” William C Harrop, ambassador to Israel under Bush’s father, told the LA Times. whole article
