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Category: Commentary

Barenaked Lady Arrested, News Media fails again

Published by NiteMayr on July 16, 2008

I looked over the accounts of the arrest and found this article at the Globe and Mail

Barenaked Ladies singer facing drug charges in New York state

Captain Bill Bleyle of the Manlius Police Department said yesterday that Mr. Page was arrested Friday along with two women in Fayetteville, N.Y., after officers observed a “suspicious” vehicle parked outside an apartment just after 2 a.m. When the two officers investigated, they found Mr. Page and Stephanie Ford of Fayetteville seated at the kitchen table, Capt. Bleyle said.

“Things seemed out of sorts,” the officer said. “And [police] determined that on the table they had what appeared to be powdered cocaine,” a fact, the police said, they later confirmed with a field test.

Note the lack of details about knocking on the door, making themselves known?  No notes about, “an obviously innebriated or under the influence person answering the door” anywhere in the account.  It’s almost like the police decided to just wander into his house to look for drugs on the basis that there was a shady looking car outside.  Man, I’m sorry if my car is shady looking officer, but doesn’t give you the right to just wander in.  This HAS to fail to meet the reasonable suspicion requirement of the 4th, right?

Then the following paragraph appears in the article:

Mr. Page, who has previously battled depression, has also been involved with several political movements, perhaps most notably as a vocal supporter of the federal New Democratic Party and as a board member of World Wildlife Fund Canada. In 2005, the Barenaked Ladies also wrote the musical score for the Stratford Festival production of As You Like It.

I can’t decide if the writer is trying to draw a line between supporting the NDP and doing Cocaine.  It seems like they are, but maybe they are saying that there is a connection between hard drugs and Shakespeare?

Here is a slightly different account:

Bleyle said the arrest occurred at about 2 a.m. Friday after patrolling police noticed a suspicious car with its driver’s side door left open and found a man and woman in a nearby apartment with a white capsule in front of them. Bleyle said the pair were later found to be in possession of cocaine.

Again it’s the National Post that fills in the details that make the whole thing less shady (in terms of what the Police did):

“As [the officers] approached the apartment they saw people in the window sitting at a table and it looked like they were engaged in something. There was a white capsule and a white powdery substance that later tested positive for cocaine.” said Capt. Bill Bleyle with the Manlius Police Department in New York State.

See?  Details that clarify WHY it was suspicious and a legitimate reason for them to enter the apartment, they observed possible criminal behavior through the window.  It SEEMS legit, based upon this account.

Well, Mr. Page.  The Ball is in your court, if you were snorting the Marching Powder, I’d plead out and do some time in Rehab if I were you.  If you weren’t or the account by the police is false, fight it ’till your last eight-ball.

Mike Meehan, I saw your articles on the Vanguard News Network

Published by NiteMayr on July 15, 2008

Mike Meehan of “The Republican song” fame is a proud Republican.  He’s also a Canadian.  Expect A floppy head appolexy when it comes out that the billboard that misidentifies The World Trade Center being destroyed as a Democrat failure was sponsored by the same guy that wrote:

Why is so healthy, rational, and enlightened an outlook as racism smeared as “hate”? To prefer one’s family to the neighbors is not hate. To prefer one’s friends to strangers is not hate. To prefer Ireland to France is not hate. I prefer Whites to other races, but that fact alone does not mean that I hate other races.

or some gems like

If, however, the Catholic Church, the federal government, or the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society established a colony of Papuans, Aborigines, Pygmies, Bushmen, or Martians on my block, and I had to live in close proximity with them and, worse yet, subsidize them with my tax dollar then I probably would start hating them.

From another paper:

If there were a New Israel on the North American continent (no doubt on the East Coast), it would lessen direct Jewish power over Whites, but it would not stop the Jews from broadcasting filth and promoting decadence among us. Furthermore, why provide the Jews with another sovereign territory from which they can plot their global swindles and to which they can flee when their victims rise up against them?

Now, here’s the thing; I don’t know for sure that this is the same “Mike Meehan” so I issue this challenge.  Would the Mike Meehan behind these posts on the Vanguard News Network step up and make themselves known?

Defending Eddie Murphy

Published by NiteMayr on July 15, 2008

“Coming from ‘Saturday Night Live’ and doing stand-up, I’ve always done multiple characters,” he tells Thea. “I’ve always mixed it up at the movies; it’s kind of what I do.”

“I really like it when you don’t know who it is,” he beams. “Like if I do something and you watch the movie, and afterwards you’re like, ‘Hey, you know that old lady was him’ — and they’re like, ‘What?!!!'”

Eddie says the new movie, also starring Gabrielle Union and Elizabeth Banks, is very “sweet and funny” and kid-friendly.

–Eddie Murphy: Inside the head of ‘Meet Dave’

That last quote contains the death knell that tolled for Eddie Murphy “Kid-friendly”  now, that death-knell sounded out its dull “Bong” years ago.  It was heard right in the middle of “Doctor Dolittle 2” for me, it may have been around the time “Beverly Hills Cop 3” came out I’m not sure.  Yes, “Pluto Nash” was crap on film.  Let me say that again, “Pluto Nash” was so bad it might have actually killed Randy Quaids career altogether.  That movie was a horrible pox on the movie industry.  “Norbit” was better than “Pluto Nash” do you know why?  Eddie Murphy could curse in it.

I can sum up what makes Eddie Murphy funny by quoting Eddie Murphy in “The Absent Minded Professor”: “Shit Locks!”

The whole Dave Chappelle sequence was AWESOME!  Larry miller coming down on him in outrageous terms was great!

Eddie Murphy is failing the exact opposite reason Mike Myers if failing.  Mike Myers is being bounced because he is still falling back on his punny, schticky humor and Eddie Murphy is failing because he stopped being filthy and started being startlingly kid focused.  Even “Norbit” was all about kids, in a way.

In a word of advice to Mr. Murphy, no one under the age of 30 really remebers “Raw” or “Delirious”.  If you don’t get out there and remind us of the filthy but genius Eddie Murphy we loved, you are going to be box office poison from now on.

You'll have to excuse my lack of posts

Published by NiteMayr on July 15, 2008

I’ve been short on ideas and energy these past couple of days.  I thought I had a winning idea for a short story this morning, but I’ve forgotten it between the shower and coming into the shack this morning.

Speaking of this morning, we tried to fix an impact printer today.  I was difficult, mostly due to the lack of instantaneous feedback and access to print queues.  Even though we performed the physical repair of the unit, I don’t think we actually fixed it.  Which doesn’t do much for my customer’s confidence in us nor own own sense of self-worth.

In terms of disclosure; here are some ideas that I didn’t write about over the past couple of days:

  • Since I defended Mike Myers, why don’t I defend Edie Murphy too?
  • Why I liked the US version of “Pulse”
  • Post-Armageddon Kids and the death of Reason (Short Story idea that just came back to me)
  • GM and Canada, why does corporate investment by a government not come with strings like “you have to keep these jobs in the country”?
  • My Parking Ticket.

So, yeah, ideas I have now.  The will to put finger to key on all of them?  I have to form the ideas around them first.

Oh, yeah (the revisions feature of 2.6 is Boss)

Ed Kruk Loves America Like Hong Kong Loves tibet

Published by NiteMayr on July 14, 2008

My name is Ed Kuck and I am the web master of this website that has received so much attention in recent days. I am 70 years old and a veteran with more than 20 years of service in the United States Air Force. I have been married to my lovely wife, Rumpa, for 35 years. Rumpa was born and raised in Thailand and became a United States citizen after we were married. Together we have two bi-racial children of which we are very proud. One is honorably serving our country while our youngest is still in high school.
Hey Ed,  from my count, you married Rumpa when you were 35.  From age 18-35 you had ever opportunity to marry an American Woman!  What was wrong with America then?  Huh?  35 years ago, A Thai woman?  Probably met during that long forgotten conflict in Asia?  Why were you in Thailand?  And why did she leave when democracy came to Thailand?  Don’t you love Democracy?  Ed?  Do you REALLY love America, or do you just live there for tax purposes?

According you Ed, this isn’t Racist: “Obama loves America like O.J. loved Nicole”
When I put up the controversial slogan on my website, it didn’t even dawn on me that the comment could be perceived as racist. When I first saw the slogan, the thought that immediately came to mind was that this was a statement about love and hate. I found that icon during a time when I was watching Reverend “God Damn America” Wright on television. I was angry that a Presidential candidate who professes his love for America had been sitting through 20 years of sermons by a man who said, “the United States brought on the 9-11 attacks with its own terrorism,” “America’s chickens have come home to roost,” and “the government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color.” How could you love America and sit through that garbage? I love America, and darn it, I would have stood up and walked out! Obama refused to denounce his Pastor until his polling numbers started to take a nose-dive.

So, something some Pastor said justifies your attack on Obama, not anything Obama said or did.  Just something his Pastor said.  I imagine that your friends in the Republicans should be expected to expel you from the group now?  I mean, you said bad stuff and married a foreigner, clearly they should publicly denounce you!

I have always had a diverse group of friends over the years and have never looked at them as black, white, red, yellow, green or any color of the rainbow. I have a good friend named Tom Inge. Tom is an African-American and a Pemberton Twp. Republican Councilman. Tom can’t get his restaurant open in our town because the Democratic Planning Board members are prejudiced against him. I don’t know whether it is because of his race or because he is a Republican, but I do know that he is both, and he is being screwed. Why doesn’t the press cover this story? Probably because he is a Republican.

Ah, the good old, “I have a black friend” defense.  The corollary to “I’m friends with lots of black people” as if any of that proves that you are no racist.  Why not be honest and sa:

“I thought it was funny, they are both black and I don’t like either of them and I wanted to associate Obama with a murderer in the sense that I think he would murder america”

Instead we’re treated to this shameful song and dance where you use your kids, your wife and your friend Tom as a kind of shield from criticism.  You Coward.  You weak 70-year-old coward.  You weren’t even infantry, you killed people from the sky.  Now you’re old and weak and looking for an out when you are caught making a shameful joke on behalf of your organization.  Man up and admit to what you intended.

So while I do apologize for offending anyone by the icon, I am more sorry that my family and friends had to endure such a traumatic experience because the PC police assumed that I was a racist. This is why I thought it was best to call my Municipal Chairwoman yesterday and resign my post as a committee-member. I think too much of the good people in the GOP to let the Democrats smear them because of my mistake.

This website always was and will continue to remain my own personal website, and I will put on it whatever I please!

If you don’t think your family and friends can take the heat, don’t make inflammatory statements on their behalf.  On that note, let me state that I am sure that I speak only for myself and not anyone else on this Blog.  Unless otherwise noted, I’m the person in charge of the keyboard.

Who knows if this will remain up, but if it does here is the link to the Eds website:

http://homewebs.net/pem/

The Nerd Frog March

Published by NiteMayr on July 11, 2008

I know that Karl Rove is kind of the Nerd Ascendant, a nerd who overcame Nerd Rage, got the Jock Assholes on his side and rose to a position of nearly untouchable privilege.  It still kinds wanna see him go down though.  He always comes off like he’s really ahead of the game, when all he really is doing is hiding behind his Jock Asshole friend and calling the other kids names.  In any other situation he’d be doing 3-10 in the Pen and we’d all be talking about the Political Machievelli of Wormsuch or something.

He (Karl Rove) is just riding the wave of his friend’s popularity to the end, using all of his hard won Jock contacts to the very end.  For that, I kind of admire him, he overcame his Nerd impulses and got in good with the Frat-Boys and the Jock Assholes.   That’s something that most Nerds will never manage, the real crossing of the aisles from Nerd Nobody to Jock’s Friend.

But, Yes SUH, I want to see him Frog Marched in front of the Congress and forced to, under oath, lie to the whole world about what he has done in office.   You think he’ll tell the truth?  This is all theatre so he can say, “I don’t recall” over and over.

You’d think the American Public would wake up and start voting with their heads some day and finally elect a third party in serious numbers.

Anyway, Go Karl.  Prove your innocence by running from testimony and acting like anything you have to say bears any value to the security of the US of A.

The Ret-Con Continues

Published by NiteMayr on July 11, 2008

Another Kiss of Life from Spider-Man, originally uploaded by NiteMayr.

While Spidey is giving Jameson the Kiss of Life, the Spider-Man comics still continue their mad dash for crap-tacular!

I’m just not digging on the curent plot lines, it IS a nice change from Spidey seeing his wife banging Lobster man on the side, but only in as much as it isn’t as horrifying. I’m not enjoying seeing 20-something Peter Parker waffle from place to place with no real anchor or center to work around. It’s just not as much fun without a home life for him, you know?

The Unlimited Spider-Man should be the proving ground for Single Spider, not the mainline stories. It seems, however, that the Ultimate universe is mired in “here’s what’s happened already, compressed into a few years” so that newer readers come into line with long term readers.

Add to all of this the “Villain of the Week” line of rogues that have been popping up and Spider-Man has undergone a pointless reboot with no end in sight. Hurry up and undo this stupid reboot and get things back on track Marvel, please?

My Friend ruined "The Big Toy"

Published by NiteMayr on July 10, 2008

This used to be my playground

The liability panic is adult nuttiness except when it’s not. It’s a fairly raw issue in Greenwich, where, for instance, a doctor was awarded $6.3 million a few years back when he broke his leg in two places while sledding with his 4-year-old son.

Build a Wiffle Ball Field and Lawyers Will Come

My friend Bryan Solgoode ruined the Big Toy for us all.

It feels good to say it out loud.

He was my friend and all, but only after the fact.  He wasn’t my friend when he did it.  It was his fault though, or more correctly, it was his mother’s fault for raising him as a crybaby.  Bryan could probably crush your dreams of fatherhood with a stern look these days, but when he was young you could bring him to tears with a strong word.  Thus Bryan destroyed the fun of childhood by being a giant slobbering wimp.

In the picture linked to this story, you see an open, vacant lot where a gigantic three tier, rope bridged behemoth of awesome once stood.  It had swings, and ladders and sand and tire swings and a tower.  Three stories tall!  An amazing “Big Toy” by any accounting.  I wish I had a picture of it to show you, but the fun police tore it down after Bryan “Big Baby” Solgoode fell off of it and hurt himself (through his own misadventure).

This was one of those Big Toys that would be called an attractive nuisance these days and be shut down so as to avoid lawsuits from crazed parents.  I mean, they didn’t even have to pay for medical bills, he didn’t die!  Years later, when involved in fights that cost a kid the use of his kidneys, Bryan didn’t have his legs cut off, did he? Nope, but because Bryan fell off of the biggest and best big toy in Kincardine, we all lose out.  We keep losing out when something cool or fun is closed to avoid lawsuits.

Where does it all end?

Note:  Bryan Solgoode is not his name, I changed it, for FEAR OF BEING SUED.

Review: Wanted (the movie) Vs Wanted (the comic)

Published by NiteMayr on July 10, 2008

Disclaimer: I am a fan of comics, a serious fan of comics and overall a fan of the WANTED comic.  My opinions are going to be skewed and should not be taken as the sanction or prohibition of a sane reviewer.

EDIT: Check out a graphic representation of why The Comic is Superior

Let me first state three impressions I got from this film overall, the director loves slow motion, Glass breaks into little squares when people run through it and script consistency was not job #1 when the final shooting script was used.

For example, we are treated to a superhuman display of speed and agility by someone who were are initially led to believe is one of only two people with said magical skills in the movie.  However, later in the film it is revealed that this person is not one of the two.  While it is demonstrated that “Sloan” has some skills, only James McAvoy’s character is supposed to be in possesion of said magical killing abilities.  Why then in the twist do we find out that the character of the dead man is not whom we are told he is, thereby negating the “only two people” line from earlier?  Perhaps I misheard it?

Angelina Jolie can look as if she wants to eat children if she holds her head a certain way, in the first scene with Angelina Jolie she makes a kind of concerned/concentration face that lets me fully believe that she is a hardened comic villain.  It’s too bad the story strays so far from the comic, as her character is totally wasted. (literally)

I am aware that Mark Millar was enthusiastic about the film; but this is one of those situations where the creator and the fans might have to disagree.  “Wanted” the film is a great ation film, but the loss of the “evil” parts of Wesley’s training and the total loss of the wanton violence and wonder of the Super Villains makes the movie less entertaining than the book.  I like the movie, but loved the book.

I didn’t think “Wanted” was horrible, and enjoyed the action, but won’t recommend it over the book.    If you are in the mood for a hard action movie with a great deal of visual flair, by all means, check it out.  If you are a fan of the book, don’t go into it expecting too much.

When someone says "The Man" do they Mean Theodore Bilbo?

Published by NiteMayr on July 8, 2008

From Wikipedia

Theodore Gilmore Bilbo (October 13, 1877–August 21, 1947) was an American politician. Bilbo, a Democrat, twice served as governor of Mississippi (1916–20, 1928–32) and later became a U.S. Senator (1935–47). A master of scathing filibuster and a “rough and tumble” fighter in debate, Bilbo became a synonym for white supremacy. He held unapologetic “anti-Negro” views and was a fiery defender of segregation. He was noted for his short stature (5’2″ or 157 cm), wore flashy clothing, and was nicknamed, “The Man” because he tended to refer to himself in the third person [1]

I’ve often wondered about “The Man” and his world.  Does “The Man” stride amongst us, haughty and cruel?  Does “The Man” have children?  Do you need to be rich to be “The Man”?  Can “The Man” be something other than a white conservative? All that said, who is “The Man”?  Is it simply someone if control of your life who is not a benevolent family member?  Is “The Man” simple a malevolent force for that removes control from your life?  Is it a series of unfair laws and social norms?  Does “The Man” work to keep people down, or is it simply a confluence of circumstances that allows “The Man” to remain a figure of menace?

How does one throw off the chains of “The Man”?