Running Circles in Circles

Signing in to watch the inauguration a couple of friends noticed me on the Google+ Circle or whatever it's called. The notifications popped up saying they invited me into their circle. Yet there was no accept button. I clicked on an arrow to the right of the notification and got an even smaller, more useless window.

I then went to the profile page of the person who invited me. There was no invite notification. There was no means to accept their invite. There was no button allowing me to invite them to my circle. I then clicked on a Settings link and got this:

Wow. So I went over to Chrome to do things and suddenly... things were working. *sigh* Understandable to my cynical side yet still damn annoying. Oh well. Not like I will use it. Social networking is a plague.

That's Synergy

Making the second term official on MLK Day—pretty exciting, little exploitative. Been trying to watch the YouTube live things but all the streams are slammed. All except Al Jazeera. *lol*

Avatar (2009)

♥♥♥♥♥ • PG-13 • 162m • Netflix • IMDB

A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

Not exactly sure why it took me so long to see this. The title does bother me as it's the moniker of the protagonist in the Ulitma series from the fourth onward. And it conflicts with Nikelodeon's amazing animated series (not Shyamalan's failure). Naming aside, definitely a breathtaking movie.

Could only come up with two issues I had with it. First it was completely transparent. As each character is introduced you know exactly their role and ultimately what they'll do within five minutes of meeting them. The major plot points are known within ten minutes of the film. Meh. And the second was the blatant activism. While I'm sure it grated on any “compassionate conservatives” that watched, which is a plus, the heavy-handed allegory was cloying.

Those two sticking points aside I couldn't deny the full 5 ♥s. The world was richly imagined—from the geography to the flora and fauna to the Omaticaya. The technology was sufficiently advanced/believable but not in the way of the story. Pacing, dialogue, lighting, costume and production elements were all spot-on. And what glorious casting. I mean really…Lt. Ripley mixing it up with aliens again!

“It is hard to fill a cup which is already full.” — Mo'at, 46m

Unhealthy for Some to Worship a Misogynist God

You go, girl
Saturday, January 5, 2013, 4:00 AM

Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai waves as she is discharged from The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Image © DYLAN MARTINEZ/REUTERS.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS : Opinion -- The image of young Malala Yousafzai walking out of a British hospital Thursday was a tonic for the soul.

In October, Taliban thugs in rural Pakistan tried to assassinate Malala, then 14, with gunfire. They loathed her for advocating the right of girls to get an education.

To the retrogrades of the Taliban, the notion of modern women thriving in a modern world is a threat. So they pumped bullets into the girl's head and neck, hoping to put an end to what they called her “obscenity.”

Not only did they fail to kill Malala, the world rallied around her cause, with thousands upon thousands in Pakistan rising in condemnation.

After initial care in Pakistan, where a bullet was removed from her skull, Malala was flown to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

In the beginning, it was touch and go. Now, supported by family, she will be treated as an outpatient — and the world is blessed by the smiling face of an extraordinary young heroine.

This. This is exactly the reason I give credence to the Marxist ideal that “religion is the opiate of the masses”. Yes, it's an extreme case by a group that's gasping for it's survival. Yet it's a quintessential component in any formalized religious structure.

Religious groups require guilt, ignorance, and unthinking obedience. While there are benefits to be found, none can compensate for those three core ingredients.

Baby in Womb Reaches for Doctor's Hand

I'm sure that being there, in the moment, it was all magical and amazing. But seeing this pop up on CNN felt somewhere inbetween creepy and invasive.

Mulligans (2008)

♥♥♥♥ • NR • 92m • Netflix • IMDB

Two college friends take a journey home. One of them makes a mistake that may tear a family apart. Sometimes there are no second chances, sometimes there are no mulligans.

This film really deserves only three ♥'s but I found it more enjoyable than I'd casually admit. The character development and first two-thirds of story were very well done. Unfortunately it devolved quickly after the main confrontation, losing both integrity and verve.

The casting was novel. Not watching TV I'd never seen Charlie David, who apparently wrote and produced this in addition to starring in it. He's damn cute. Reminds me of Seann William Scott with a better body and thicker eye-brows. Was fun to see the chick from Queer as Folk playing the uptight mom, too.

“Mom doesn't like that I've seen a penis so I have to start tennis lessons.” — Birdie, 28m

Onward

So 2012. Survived the Mayans. Kept a Mormon out of the Presidency. Got the hell out of Iraq (sorta). Afghanistan? Syria ... well,yeah. Another iPhone. Red Bull did a space jump. That Carly song was played almost as much as that Psy song. Sandy did a lot more damage than the last one. Tamon Robinson. NRA.

2013?