I love tormenting (e:jim)

subtitles in movies have this hypnotic effect which just puts him to sleep. At least when I get a Russian film the guttural sounds of that language keep him awake, not conscious but not asleep either. But every once in a while I go through an Ingrmar Bergman kick. God I love that man.

He hasn't really directed a film since 1984 (the year, not the Orwell) and I assumed it was because he was dead. Not so! Just really, really old.

I had been gracefully accepting his mortality and an old age fraught, with complication, with dignity from the beginning. Whether it was the Knight buying a few more minutes from death in the Seventh Seal or the reflections of an old professor in Wild Strawberries. These seemed like the films of a man who has reflected on the long years of his own life. Though he was nearly 40 when he directed these movies in 1956-57.

Even through his later films, like Autumn Sonata, his characters have a depth that one wouldn't expect from a young director. This depth does not seem richer with time, but more explored, each a little more from film to film.

Well, thinking him dead for many years I was surprised and saddened to learn of his death earlier today. I have seen perhaps a dozen of his films and found each of them moving and unique. It is a giant film catalogue and great body of work to go through.

Since we have been on a Scientology streak with (e:libertad) [inlink]libertad,40256[/inlink] and (e:paul) [inlink]paul,40252][/inlink] here is a bit of fun

So, there was some mild hubbub about a creative up and coming artist couple; one of whom killed themselves and the other disappeared. I ignored the story because... well... I just don't care. But then, THE LINK!

Here is the juicy quote

"Many were shocked by the turn of events while others noted that the couple had acted strangely in their final months together.

According to several friends and art world peers, the two believed they were being stalked and harassed by Scientologists, an abiding fear that soured old friendships and made some of their respective working relationships difficult."

Stalked and harassed by Scientologists! It is by some grace that the entire staff of Roswell as well as members of the Buddhist center have not plastered their brains to a ceiling.

Did the couple kill themselves to avoid Scientologists? Or was the trigger pulled by the spectral hand of L Ron Hubbard himself? I can't say, but I will caution all to wear aluminum hats when walking past that nefarious building.

Be vigilant, be safe.

Being a frothy atheist I sometimes feel the need to remind the religious that I have no problem with their personal spirituality. Their institutions sometimes make me vomit a little, but those are exceptions.

With that out of the way, James Dobson is a jack ass.

If you are not familiar with the baboon head of Focus on the Family, let me give you a little taste. If you are familiar, here is another Homer Simpson forehead slap to stamp on his fuselage.

The Beast Speaks! Finally on the scourge that is Harry Potter.

Dobson doesn't like Potter. He corrupts Christian youth turning them towards Wicca and New Age. You can almost hear the word gay in there somewhere. Here are his complaints with my own anotation.

FOTF objects to the presence of magical creatures in the story, such as hipogrifs, goblins, ans such. Because
"given the trend toward witchcraft and New Age ideology in the larger culture, it's difficult to ignore the effects such stories (albeit imaginary) might have on young, impressionable minds."

Incidentaly, I happen to have instructions on how to summon these beasts (occult history is one of my pet academic projects) and the same spells and incantations used in witchcraft and new age stuff today comes to us directly from Christian magicians. Yup, from John Dee in Renaisance England all the way to today with the Golden Dawn people are using Christian spells. Which is to say nothing of the many demons and spirits which inhabit the bible.

ok, another one.

"The world of Harry Potter is still an elite occult world where secret knowledge is the way to power and success, Order of the Phoenix' tries to mitigate that by saying that anyone can become a great wizard, but once again, that involves learning the secret occult knowledge of how to do witchcraft and how to wave a magic wand properly,"

Shall we ignore the hierarchical nature of Christianity? Where heads of organizing bodies form the top tier. Bishops and preachers forming a second. Congregations providing a base of goodly men and then the other: those not in the church, muggles. Personal and divine revelations provide the occult (meaning hidden) knowledge needed to maintain their authority. Or sometimes it is a pointy, gilded witches hat which gives papal authority to properly interpret divine word for the ignorant masses.


Then it is recommended that people not admire Harry Potter, but rather some lunatic in the old testament who let himself be thrown to lions. And recommends CS Lewis and Tolkein instead because they are constructed in a Christian framework.... *cough*

For a religion that demands so much on the imagination of its followers I find it amusing that it also demands fidelity of that imagination. The fantasy worlds of Harry Potter, Lewis, or Tolkein too much mirror each other, not because of divine inspiration but because each come from our simply human psyche. But this all boils down to a fundamental problem with the bible:

You can't frickin read it. Seriously, I have spent a lot of time reading the bible over the years. But reading the book of Daniel just now required me to go over it several times just to get the basic story let alone the supernatural wonderment explained in non-existent footnotes. That is why Daniel is not a hero and Harry Potter is, because we know what the hell is going on.

eat is Dobson.

I have never read a Harry Potter book. I have seen three of the movies. I don't read about them, or care about them I am sure they are fine and lovely books, blah blah blah. But (e:Jim) just finished the last book and I totally called the ending.

You see, Harry and I have an odd relationship. I worked at a book store for three Harry Potter releases. I have had to deal with the most insufferable people. Mothers who don't want their kids reading the devil worshiping wiccan Potter books but love the Christian CS Lewis books (guh, what?). Kids pestering me about were they are in the store... um... do you see the GIANT mother fucking HARRY POTTER POSTER. Ya, the one right next to the big sign denoting the Harry Potter section. Yes, that unwieldy leviathan constitutes a whole damn section, and that was when there were only four books.

So annoyed with people obsessing over these books was I that I refused to call him by name. He was referred to as Henry Porter. After a time this parody ripe name eventually followed the echo back to the greatest parody engine of all time: pornography. Yes, every movie to be released has an adult film to correspond to it.

Henry Porter and the Sorcerer's Cock
Henry Porter and the chamberbed of secrets
Henry Porter and the Prison Gang-bang in Alcaban
Henry Porter and the Goblet of Fredericho
Henry Porter and the Master Pheonix's Orders
Henry Porter and the Horse-Hung Highness
Henry Porter and the Deathly holy shit this is coming to and end bukkaki Hollow

Well, I don't work in books anymore. So I now find these things amusing rather than irksome and no longer need to inject levity into a dry carcass' cavity.

In other super sexy young adult fiction news. Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is being made into a movie scheduled for release this December. Think Paradise Lost, but anti-deist and with armored bears. It makes me shiver with antici...............pation.

good night.

Sorry about the title, I was on such a roll it just came out.

No, I want to talk about more serious matters: lunch.

I am the only employee of my bosses business. I work in her basement, which isn't as weird as it sounds. But lunch is always interesting.

So I got hungry early because I didn't eat breakfast and I go scouring for lunch stuff. In her basement pantry (which is a shelf placed in the doorway of a bathroom that doesn't work) and I find a can of organic salad beans. The smell coming from this moist, broken bathroom is enough to turn anyone off food for the rest of their whithered days, but I am determined!

I open the sucker up, rinse them off, cut up a little red onion and pour some balsamic on it. But I am feeling a little more haute than that. I look in the fridge and, bingo, capers. I love capers. Salty delicious sacks, yum. So I liberally pile them on, mix it up, and go back to my dungeon to work and eat.

Did you know that they sell green peppercorns bottled in vinegar? Did you know that they look just like capers. Did you know that eating enough peppercorns to buy a dozen slaves (in 1600 money) can make your stomach protest?

I feel like a waiter. After depositing your bibb salad I would offer some fresh ground pepper. With a smile and a nod in the affirmative I would bend over and vomit on that salad. Ah! So savory!

that is all.

Sweet Teets of god!

In the last week the Catholic Church they will be paying $600 million in settlements to over 500 victims of priests who can't keep their hands to themselves in the Los Angeles diocese. Awesome! I like it when they take responsibility for acts committed by members of their organization. Bravo RCC.

and then we heard from the vatican this morning.

Yes, they feel aggrieved for the victims and their families for an unforgivable act (their wording was not as harsh). But they want to remind everyone that mamma church is suffering too!

Yes, to raise the $600 million they had to sell off local property including the headquarters of the diocese....

Oh how they must be suffering! When little billy can't get an erection because of the psychological scars left by monseigneurs slimy, spotted hands he will surly be glad that at least he didn't have to sell some rich boys club/headquarters. I am sure, when she wakes up from another nightmare she will weep thanking god she isn't in the bishop's shoes.

wait, it gets better.

The vatican also cautioned that, while the church is working to snuff out pedophelia, other institutions need to work on it as well. How fucking condescending is that? Pedo-priests have been pulled out of a diocese when things got a little hot and moved to other diocese, or given prominent positions in the vatican. And they have the nerve to tell other organizations to follow their lead just because they paid out a ton of cash to little kids they fucked?

I wonder if Jesus would even recognize this church.

• Edit*****

I was checking out some other videos, and this one is just so fantastic I had to include it. If you could watch only one, make it this one.

"He didn't come like the wise men, bringing gifts of gold, frankensense, and myrh; he came with his dick, his nuts, and himself."

The lady preaches about evil men and anal sex. You know you want to watch.

Well,

I told (e:Joshua) that I would be just as giddy when a democrat got caught in a super awesome homoerotic sex scandal. Of course, I didn't find this one to be as hilarious as the last one, but just sad. Here it goes

Roger Fisher is on the Parke County Council in Indiana and has a decade long career in local politics there. Well, the creepy bastard was caught in a seedy motel room with hydrocordone for which he had no prescription. And what could be hiding in the bathroom as police knocked on his door? Why a naked, sobbing, 15-year old!

How would your 15 year old self like to wake up tied up next to this?




So, take that democrats!

I wonder if he too likes water sports?

From the "You Can't Make This Shit Up" file

Yet another congressman from Florida was caught in a homoerotic sex scandal that will make your eyes water. Granted, it is just a state representative, not a US representative, but still, it is hilarious. It is rep. Bob Allen (R-Merret Island) of Florida... Florida, what do they put in the water down there?

Apparently rep. Allen was in a public bathroom and solicited an undercover cop, offering to give him a blow job for $20. Yup, you folks in Merret Island have rep. who moonlights as a $20 hooker. He is being arraigned sometime tonight.


Allen is married and has a kid and says the whole thing is a big misunderstanding. Hm, he must be refering to his marriage.

Marvelous, couldn't possibly get better than a Republican politician offering a $20 blow job to an undercover cop behind the backs of his wife and kid, right?

Oh, it gets so much better.

Check out his MySpace-esq profile on the Florida House of Representatives page.

Look at his recreational Interests at the bottom of the page. And if you are too lazy to click that link then I wont give you the punch line. It is just too funny of a treasure to give, but to simply point the way.

Good night, and save those pennies for you congressman.

Who is this crazy man?

I was raised a Catholic in as much as a wining, pretentious, sophomoric gasbag of a child can be. But, somewhere in this deeply secular heart (anatomically correct, for science) beats a little boy love for that church. I mean, the pomp, the robes, the half naked savior dangling from the walls; it is a drag queens apartment writ large. There is a bit of comfort in repeating the occult rituals, much like the pleasures of waking up, brushing your teeth, and urinating.

But who the hell is the Ratzinger cat?

I suppose there is something to be said for the workings of the worlds oldest, uninterrupted monarchy. But, being a winning, pretentious, sophomoric gasbag of an adult, I feel damn responsible to do so. So here it goes.

Pope Ratzy has issued a decree on July 7th allowing for much broader use of the traditional Tridentine mass. This isn't just a mass in Latin, it is so much more. You might not be aware of it if, like most sensible people in the world, you are not fluent in Latin. But you and your buddies pray that the Jews may 'crawl out of darkness' and presumably into the incandescent light of the one true momma church.

Why do this? To bring a smattering of super conservative Bishops who reject the Vatican Council II (that council in the early 20th century that gave the church a much needed updating thanks to the complaints of the Protestant Reformation just a few years prior beginning in 1517). Wonderful, nothing like a little anti-semitism to crash through the gates of 21st century ideals (enlightenment ideas more specifically, 1600's-1804).

Ya, but picking on those darkness dwelling Jews is an old routine, a song and dance we are tired of. Can we get back to some more of that hot Christian on Christian violence?

oh yes we can!

In another decree the pope has declared that all Christians who are not catholics are not fully christian. That their Eucharistic celebration is false, and that their church is a fatally flawed and wounded church. I am paraphrasing, but it was pretty strongly worded.

So much for religious toleration. Wait.. this is worse than that, so much for inter-faith dialogue. How do you work with someone who claims such superiority over you? All in a ploy to bring back the middle ages loving Catholics.

I can't wait for a reconstruction religion like Druidism to go back to wicker man burnings. If only we could be so keenly focused on the distant past.

as per (e:libertad)