Inappropriate Crush: Kristen Stewart

Ah yes, unapologetic pot smoking on the stoop, well played Kristen

Answer to trouble in Africa: Catholicism. Wait a minute…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though I try, I believe I will never understand Catholics. Besides the recent verbal stumble of the ever irritating Pope Benedict XVI, what else has this fellow really accomplished? He pardoned some “shamed” i.e. CRAZY Bishops, including whatisface who committed the ultimate catholic no no these days by refuting the Holocaust. Idiot. But apparently Pope Benny, felt after a sharp crack on the wrist the boys had learned their lesson/he forgot to google them before making his decision.  But I suppose if you have already repremanded aid workers abroad for their very dangerous dallying with relativism,  what’s a man to do?  His idea of Christian charity seems to end with vague proclamations of peace and friendly waving.

Canadians “against genocide”, but not on a Monday

Well no doubt many had a frustrating afternoon getting home today.  But all the hoing and humming over this has made it apparent that what really erks Canadians (yes, more than oppression and genocide) is inconvenience.  The Tamil/government conflict is far enough away from our city and even further from our thoughts until it is staring us in the windshield and slowing down the commute. We can hide behind the broad and consistently inaccurate term “terrorist” and the scary flag, but after taking a moment to think about it, we all know nothing is ever that simple.  Yes the Tamils are a controversial topic, and certainly it is difficult to see through the blurry outline painted by the national and international media.  But sheesh, I couldn’t believe the hostile reactions to this cry for help and understanding. Thanks to The Star’s decision to open each article up for discussion (another example of a good idea gone bad), we can snatch a glimpse at the indifference of its informed readers. 

Amazing. So much intelligence gets road blocked behind uninformed rationalizations and convenient snap  judgments.  Our international consciousness seems to endlessly teeter between callous conservatism and liberal self righteousness which inevitably ends up with increased apathy and nothing getting done. It’s embarrassing that some Torontonians feel it acceptable to post comments expressing irritation at these “immigrants” who are rerouting their commute instead of thanking them for admittance to the Canadian club. These protesters ARE Canadians and they are trying to tell us that people are in trouble and we can do something about it.  You don’t have to agree with the actions of a rebel group, but you do have to consider what the label “terrorist” allows us to do, which is look the other way.

What?

Yes, o.b. as in tampons.

Inappropriate crush: Kristen Schaal

Study shows religious people remain calmer in face of own errors, no one is surprised

The Star printed an article a few days back entitled “Stressed out? Have a little faith”:

” ‘The more religious they were, the less brain activity they showed in response to their own errors,” says University of Toronto assistant psychology professor Michael Inzlicht, lead author of the study in Psychological Science. “They are calmer when they make errors.’ “

Is The Star aware of its own genius? Probably.

Original post: http://www.thestar.com/article/596890

Is rape horror deal braker?

Last House on the Left 2009

Today there was a posting on Jezebel concerning the latest 70’s horror regurgitation Last House on the Left.  It was entitled  Horrifying Last House On The Left Rape Scene Merits Only R Rating, which sums up the topic and overall theme of the post. 

The original film was similarly received upon its release, having crossed the elusive line of human sensibilities.  It was deemed too twisted (which I suppose means too many young girls are needlessly degraded. Fine.) and promptly forgotten in the shadow of its equally gory, but perhaps more gender neutral, offspring, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the Thirteenth(though this is debatable). Or perhaps it was the film’s lack of sequel exploiting possibilities – any and all interesting characters having been killed off by the end of the movie. Wait…

But what, I wonder, made audiences shield their moral eye from this film in particular. The critics have all gotten stuck on the inclusion of a very graphic and allegedly “excruciating to watch” rape scene (which, I admit, I have not seen) – a gritty cinematic re-creation that seems to pose an irritating obstacle for many silver screen button-pushers.  To some, it may seem like an ignorant question (and certainly an offensive one to many), but why does the unconsentual plunging of a penis into the body pose more of a moral threat than the same intrusion with a knife or an ax or a hook (without getting into any symbolic comparisons please)?  Is it the element of sexual deviance that remains so unwaveringly taboo, while senseless, gruesome, as-much-of-the-inside-outside-as-possible murder has become somehow unshocking and more often than not hailed by the wide-eyed horror buffs (my being one of them). The idea that one person is fulfilled in some twisted sense and the other has been irrevocably robbed is true of both.   Perhaps it is the topic of male/female power dynamics, the act and all it encompasses standing as an eternal reminder of the subordination we can’t seem to shake. But many would find the same act performed on a man just as horrific, if not more.  So what then?  Is it the ability to bring a person to such a degree of degradation and humiliation that so offends? Of course. But a person can be degraded to this extent in more ways than one. I admit that all of the arguments under the sun including the latter are valid. No matter the reason, one topic has emerged as an infinite source of entertainment while the other remains with the morally unspeakable.  In response to some of the film’s criticisms, it has been suggested that the only difference is simply the audience’s lack of desensitization to the “realities” of rape due to its limited graphic portrayal.  If this is the case, is this another line we will inevitably cross? Geez. I may be merely pointing out the obvious, but the whole thing left me spinning in circles.

Original post: http://jezebel.com/5169334/horrifying-last-house-on-the-left-rape-scene-merits-only-r-rating

Wuthering Heights on TCM

Don’t miss Wuthering Heights (the best version) on TCM April 14th 10:15pm, it will change your life.

Joel Plaskett Emergency – Come On Teacher

This video is so Canadian, it makes me want to speak franglais.

Telescope

I first heard this band on a trailer for upcoming movies on amc.  I would always get it stuck in my head and searched endlessly on the internet to try and get it out.  It turns out amc features a different band every month, using their music during ads and trailers (which is AWESOME) and that particular month they were using Wilco.  I guess the two bands know each other and some how shared the spotlight (heartwarming, isn’t it?).  Anyhow this band is impossible to find but since the amc spot it has gotten easier, apparently there are many people with as much time on their hands as I.  Anyways, Telescope was started in 2004 by a drummer from NYC who calls himself Greg Wiz (and is probably very well known by people more savvy than I so I appologize) and a musician from New Orleans, Dave Rosser.

You can buy the cd at cdbaby.com