What's Wrong with the Oscars?

American idol

i know i've said some of these before but they deserve to be thrown out there in a gasp of breath against the big wind of the Oscars: 

• many yearly  awards (this goes for many different awards) go to lifetime achievements: they;ll ignore an actor, director etc for their entire achievement filled career (Scorsese, Paul Newman) and finally give her/him a consolation prize some day, for something not nearly on their  level of achievement from years ago
• segregation now, today, forever: there are no differences in skills between actors, actresses etc. notice there's not best female director, best male costumer etc? 
• hype rules: rarely does the less hyped person, film etc lose much. they'll win other awards first, have their "Oscar buzz", win again.. i couldn't believe when Brokeback Mountain lost, one of the few examples to go against the usual rule
• impressionists have won recently a lot. you do a good impression, you get an award. ask Jamie Fox. past trends: whores for women, retarded folk for men, sick folk for women. Holocaust films used to score well too. 
• how many of these 'artists' looking forward to these awards ignore these obvious points which shoot down so much of their (them, the awards, art's)  integrity? 

February

leaves of winter frost

since i was young i always kind of liked Feb. 


it's a time that we're past the coldest days on average, contrary to many beliefs. 


as an adult i learned that a Celtic Pagan holiday, Imbolc,  is  around half way between Solstice and Equinox, signifying that the darkest days were over, we're moving towards more Sun light. 


but a nice frosty month which i like, believe it or not. of some cold, snow. 


I have to admit, when i was younger, Valentine's was part of it. the possibility of romance i suppose (which i was into back then believe it or not), also shows like Be My Valentine Charlie Brown etc. candy. flores (para los muertos haha). queer but kind of fun i guess. 


a short but sweet month i suppose. 


Dar Williams made a good song about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy-v-UgNhuI.

The Weakness of Violence

stand up for peace

a government shows weakness by doing violence. this shows that it cannot stand up to  words, rhetoric, arguments, and acts.  instead it acts as a bully with a bigger rock to throw at the more intelligent. we can see this in Libya now. Iran in past. many dictatorships that crack down with the military. freedoms of speech, assembly, media etc are threatening to those in power and brings out  simple, mindless, blind force. 


though i still believe that it is similar with the death penalty. that rehabilitation or the possibility  of innocence  is out of the question so we simply kill the offender. again a government overstepping its rights. 

Peaceful Action in the Mid East

non violent street fighting men

notice that these  actions are  being done by Middle Easterners themselves, people stereotyped to be setting bombs off left and right. 


a lot of that stereotype comes from Americans, the people who usually overwhelmingly support military force upon innocent people like so many that were killed in Iraq. 


but in Egypt for example,  instead of using overwhelming force to push change in their home, they are using peaceful means: communicating, protest, the non violent action of people. not bombs, assassinations, diplomacy with dictators. 


. they do not have to be invaded by a larger more armed power to do it. 


how many innocents were killed to remove Saddam Hussein from power? how much money did it cost, how many Americans were killed, how much damage was done etc? now compare those numbers to the Egyptian removal of Mubarak. 

Biggest Bullshit Holiday

not to seem super bitter (wink), but Valentine's wins. at least Mother and Father's day are based on real people, deeds etc. Valentine's ain't. there were a couple of St Valentines but neither had anything to do with romance, love etc. that story about one of them getting the first Valentine's card is just that. 


astronomically same deal: nothing. some bs that birds start courting is just that. 


where it's real? as usual with holidays, commercialism, like greeting cards, gifts etc. guilt. chicks expecting more rings things blings etc. the capitalism of love (redundant). 

Calendar Revision, February 13, 14

fertility symbol maimed 

since calendars are very much man made (31/30 days, the "new year" starting in Jan), i think that we should alter the calendar so that every Feb, there's a fri the 13th, so that Valentine's then falls the day after. it's the way it should be: the unluckiest day falling right after what's ostensibly  the unluckiest day (haha). you can even add in there Lincoln's birthday Feb 12, our first president  to be killed in office unfortunately. 


not that im bitter about a fabricated holiday (wink). 

Democracy and Egypt

yes we should all be pressing for regime change in Egypt from that dictator. however regime change at the hands of crowds is actually mob rule. 


now if elections were to happen soon, fair ones that are approved internationally, great. democracy. 


and whoever is elected, including a Muslim, should be welcomed internationally.  s/he shouldn't   have flags of caution thrown in her/his  face from nations like the US. we were thrilled with the Tunisian uprising. very cautious in Egypt. couldn't be because there are so many Muslims in Egypt, could it? 

Half way Between Solstice and Equinox

great light and heat

is around this time now. so holidays have popped up thru human history, starting with Pagan ones of course like Imbolc, a time of the Sun returning more and purification. again we're half way between the Solstice, longest night oaf the year, and Equinox, equal light and dark. 


of course the Christians had to have a holiday to "replace"  the Pagan one, hence Candlemass. don't know where Groundhog day came from, don't care really. 


but obviously it's a time of strengthening of the SUn and light, coming back, warming, lightening the world etc. Northern hemisphere of course.

Super Bowl Predictions

half time music: "Let's get it started" "Tonight's gonna be a good night", 'The time" "Boom boom pow" "Yeah" (Usher), "Welcome to the Jungle".  i always predict half time songs, usually right about at least some of them 


Pitt will cover the spread


my friend's friend Gwen will yap the most about her Super bowl pool (always lots of competition with  that one)


a Bud lite  commercial will elicit the most forced/bad taste  laughter of the nite


i will eat a humongous amount of food (easy pick) 

The Older Pot Calling the YOung Kettle Black

Hugh Gass

older folk are known to complain about "those crazy kids", with their pants hanging low, driving around their crazy cars, listening to that loud rock and roll music. yet: 

• how many of them will pull their pants down in front of anyone just to tuck in their shirts
• how many of them drive the biggest, most powerful old time gas guzzling cars in the world
• when they watch tv how friggin loud is it most of the time (even with those that don't have hearing loss)
• when you go to a casino, how high a percentage of people there are elderly? 

Real Deal: Coldest Month

ice ice baby

a lot of folks think that Feb is the coldest. for the most part this is bullshit in the Northern hemisphere. on average, most years, Jan is the coldest. 


what happens is the shortest days (least Sun light) are in Dec (like the Winter Solstice). it takes some time for the Earth to cool down. about a month. so a month after the shortest days are the coldest days. the real dead of winter. of course it's  opposite in the southern hemisphere. 


as far as snow goes that's a different ball game, changes year to year with La Nina etc. not sure of that phenomenon.