News Worth Knowing

A couple of interesting things have happened in the past few weeks, lets review:

The first topic is our inconsistent judicial system. I've mentioned it before in my Michael Vick article and the last couple of weeks affirms my beliefs. The people who we elect to uphold the law are not consistent in their rulings. Two cases come to mind.

• Donte Stallworth, hits and kills a pedestrian while intoxicated and receives 30 days in jail, 10 yeas probation(2 years house arrest), and 1000 hours community service. This can be heavy sentence but remember, he killed a guy. Inconsistency comes in the form of another disgraced NFL'er who didn't kill anybody but killed animals and has just finished serving a 2 year prison sentence. Everybody, that officially means that you can kill someone in Florida and get a slap on the wrist but kill a dog in Virginia and you get 2 years in prison. That or Vick should have bought of somebody, anybody. I know these are different states with different laws and court systems, but it all boils down to the fact that the United States should be more consistent as a judicial system as a whole, not vary from state to state.
• Chris Brown viciously beats his then girlfriend, Rihanna, and gets 180 days community service and 5 years probation. Domestic violence isn't something prosecutors want people to be taking lightly, so why did they agree to a light sentence with Brown's plea deal. I guarantee if it were any regular person, a plea deal like that would never have existed.

Money screams louder than the law, and if you have it you might be the loudest person in the room. I hate to sound like a person that complains that the rich get off easy, but in most cases they do.

Another topic that I found worth mentioning is how an organization like PETA continues to use scare tactics and shock value to gets it's points across. They even called out President Obama on killing a fly. A FLY! It's just a fly, I'm pretty sure even Michael Vick can still kill flies and not be labeled the devil again. J.P. Goodman, founder of The Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade has openly criticized PETA for using what he calls silly claims and goofy stunts. Goodman believes that PETA should stop spreading horrible messages that make them look like extremists and get back to the basics, a voice for the animals. In the end that's what PETA looks like, extremists. Any pamphlet that you get from PETA is all about shaking your core and making you cringe. The same way violence isn't the answer to our worlds problems, neither is graphic imagery. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, I prefer to call them People Effectively Terrorizing America.

News worth Knowing brought to you by MME. I love me some MME.

Three To Watch

I've taken the liberty of watching a couple of movies and grouping them in their appropriate category.

First up, I Love You, Man. This movie is not what one might expect out of a typical guy movie like Old School or BeerFest. The movie chronicles the road it takes to go from stranger to best man at a wedding all without a single homophobic remark about two guys being good friends. Jason Segal and Paul Rudd star in what I'll categorize as a Romantic Comedy.

Next up, The Hangover. Doug is about to get married and what a better place for his two closest friends and his oddball brother-in-law to host a bachelor party than Las Vegas. After a night of partying they wake up not remembering a thing and with the groom missing. The guys must piece together a puzzle of a night that includes a baby, a hospital, Mike Tyson, a tiger, a stripper, and of course a conflicted Chinese gang leader. A bunch of guys who's names I could type here and nobody would probably know any of them star in what I'll categorize as a Mystery.

And last up is, Up. Disney and Pixar team up for another hit with this animated film about an man's promise he intends to keep to his wife. The score and style of Up is unlike any other D/P film in the way that the first 15 minutes of the movie has very little dialogue and revolves more around a montage time sequence. This film can satisfy a kid with the computer animation and humorous storyline, while capture emotions in adults with the love story that lies underneath the whole plot. If anything this movie makes you appreciate the time you have with the one you love. Because this film covers so much I think I can categorize it as one phrase and most people would understand: Disney/Pixar.

Three Movies, three reviews, now go watch.

Signs Of the Times

A collection of headlines that I've read through out the month, in my perspective:

• A suburban Pennsylvania woman lies to police when she falsely reports that two black men have abducted her and her daughter. She was apprehended in Orlando, Florida enjoying a day at Disney World with her daughter. Have we not learned anything from real life runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks. Black men, Puerto Rican men, or any other type of men don't like abducting depressed suburban women.
• Great news for all the baseball purist because LA's Manny Ramirez was not taking steroids. Woman's fertility drugs maybe, but not steroids. Ramirez is currently serving his 50 game suspension, or as one Sports Illustrated writer calls it, 'maternity leave'.
• The vehicle make I drive is officially 60% owned by the U.S. government. Sorry GM, or should I say Government Motors.
• Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor gets no love from Republicans, citing reasons like 'She's Racist' and 'a radical'. Because the last thing we need in this country is a group of racist that make radical statements like 'the terrorists want to kill your babies'. Either that or they feel like they might be pushed out from that pantheon.
• Spencer and Heidi are still famous.
• A judge in Saudi Arabia ruled that it is legal to slap your wife for spending to much money.
• And finally, an Ohio high school cancels graduation after learning of a cheating scandal that an estimated 60 graduating seniors were involved in. Said one parent of the cancellation, "the school district is treating them like a bunch of criminals". Don't worry no jail time was involved but, I would say the school treated them like a bunch of cheaters would be more of an appropriate statement.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, these are the times we live in.

Sounds Delicious

Every once in a generation there comes a person so sarcastic and mean spirited that you just have to stop and pay attention. I've met that person and he's a 17 year old college student. I've been trying to figure out how to plug this site without it sounding better than mine. 

http://www.scrumptiouscereal.blogspot.com

Written and drawn, by Chris W. Adame, all the comic strips are based on actual thoughts and inspired by real life. The site is updated Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so you get input from someone who, to put it in his own words, has an 'alternative undertaking'.

Saved!

Not Saved! with Mandy Moore, but saved from the likes of the Governator. Terminator Salvation was so intense that I don’t even trust my own refrigerator. I was at work and I noticed the machines I refill with medications have a red eye on it. I pulled out a gun and asked it ‘What are you?’ and ‘Who made you?’ I stared at the blank screen. No answers. After further questioning I came back down to earth and moved on to the next floors.

 

The fourth movie in the franchise explosion that has become the Terminator answered many questions and opened up many others. I’ve been known to spoil movies but I won’t this time.  I screamed ‘Jack dies’ in Titanic at the opening credits. I walked out of Cloverfield telling everyone that was in line to see it next, ‘It’s an alien that looks like Godzilla on all fours’.But I’ll hold off this time. The movie takes place in 2018 and the war between man and machine is looking grim. A man on death row donates his body to Skynet in 2003. It turns out the one person who can help out the resistance isn’t a person at all.... I don’t want to completely ruin the movie, so I’ll stop there. Christian Bale plays a great John Conner and the 10 story high robot that kills humans will definitely give me nightmares for the days to come. This movie is sure to satisfy Terminator lovers and could probably bring in people to the franchise that have never seen a single movie.

 

The film receives 4 and a half stars on my scale with no merit once so ever.  And remember, the machines will rise up against us, it’s just a matter of when.

Quit being a hater and learn to love the T.O.

The media frenzy that is T.O. is back with an all new reality show on VH1 and a brand new team to terrorize. Yes I am a fan of T.O., I don't think I left the honeymoon phase and if he came back to the Cowboys I'd get my popcorn ready. Why such a fascination with T.O. It all has to do with two letter nicknames. Sorry Ocho Cinco, but my money is on LT and TO. Like Us Weekly loves Brangelina. The same exact way OK! Magazine loves Speidi, and the same nauseating way Entertainment Tonight likes TomKat, I love two letter nicknames.

I take a look at my track record and I see the evidence piles up against me. I perfer MJ of Pippen, JT over Fatone, M&M's over Twix. Even the person that brought it up to my attention has been shortened to 2 simple letters, JV. My wife, LA. Biggest city ever visted, NY. My favorite writer even shortens his name out to BS. It's something I've learned to except. I grew up in the texting age so TS.

Who knows maybe one day I'll live in DC, driving my VW, listening to my XM, but in the middle of a TI song, I switch over to the SI channel because MJ is on. Then I'll admit i have a problem, but in the mean time I can only be JA that lives in BS.

The Verdict On Vick

I'll start this off with a bold statement: What Michael Vick did was not wrong.

With that being said I should explain myself to the masses. Vick is a victim to an inconsistent judicial system, bad media, and himself.

First off, the judicial system that sentenced him to 2 years in prison was obviously on a power trip. They wanted to make an example of a superstar that in their minds was thinking he was above the law. Vick wasn't above the law and he didn't think so, but that's how it played out for him. The district attorney struck deals with the other defendants so that it looked like Vick was the only one that had anything to do with Bad Newz Kennelz. I know it, you know it and deep down inside everyone else knows it, Vick was the guy who supplied the money. No matter how many dogs he killed or trained he didn't have all the time in the world to fully comitt to running a dog fighting ring; apparently he was a stud quarterback in Atlanta, and that took up most of his time. I never once read a report that sounded like this: Vick Takes Time Off To Go Back To Virgina, Midway Through Season. A 2 year prison sentence was harsh and if I were the judge that allowed it I would be ashamed of the position I held.

Once it was known that Vick was involved in animal crimes, the media including ESPN and SI both dragged Vick's name though the dirt. Then through mud. Then through manure. It wasn't enough for them. They needed to make sure everyone knew how awful of a human being Vick was. I personally couldn't stand any of the stories. Sports Illustrated I'd expect it from you, but ESPN? ESPN, you failed me. ESPN compassionately reports on the hardships Donte Stallworth has faced since... GET THIS.... KILLING A PERSON! Yes that's right. Where is the media on that one. Who in their right minds is drunk at 7AM? Donte. Who kills a Cuban crossing the street? Donte. Who gets called 'vile human being' by reporters? Vick. I don't understand this one. Many media outlets say it was the man who Stallworth killed is at fault because he was jaywalking. Never mind the blood alcohol level of 0.12. Stallworth gets compassion and practice time with his squad in Cleveland. Vick? Well Vick gets 1 year and a half of prison served and home confinement with a $10 an hour construction job.

But in the end, Vick can only blame himself. In his mind dog fighting wasn't bad. Just like in the mind of McDonald's, slaughter houses aren't horrible, and in the mind of KCF, a 1'x2' cage isn't bad for 12 chickens. It's normal. Completely fine for cows to be rounded up and shot in the head with a 12 inch spike, picked up by the hind legs skinned all at once and processed for human and dog consumption. But some may argue that at least that's for eating, and that can't be bad because it feeds people and it's not for entertainment. Ok good point, but what about hunting, isn't that a game? For entertainment? So naturally the next argument would be, but that is for food consumption too. Ok then, how about this, Vick should have just eaten the dogs he killed. Problem solved.

Probation and an 8 game suspension would have served Vick justice he deserved. Why not. He didn't beat a stripper up(Larry Johnson), he didn't run over a Cuban, he didn't shoot anyone outside a night club(Adam 'Pacman' Jones), and he definitely didn't shoot himself in the leg('Cheddar' Plaxico Burress*) So why is everyone coming down so hard on a guy who payed his debt to society. Michael Vick: Not Guilty**.


*If you don't know why I call him 'Cheddar' watch 8 Mile and remember Cheddar Bob

** Ok maybe a little guilty