Thank You Mr. President, May I Please Have Some More?

This is not directed solely at Mr. Obama, but to everyone in Washington now or in history that worked to make government bigger. This is also dedicated to all individuals who think that the government should hold my hand through my life and make my decisions for me. This is for all the teachers, principals, and jackasses in city hall who claimed they knew what scientific theories and concepts were better for me than I did. This also goes out to all the police officers who decide what I should be able put in my own body. I would also like to dedicate this to the lawmakers who determined the point (to the day) that I was smart enough to decide who to share my body with. Finally, I would like to send this out to all who decided my personal views of the cosmos before I was about to understand science or philosophy.

SCREW YOU!!!

Are You Kidding Me?

A "cult" in Maryland did something terrible.

"they denied a 16-month-old boy food and water because he did not say "Amen" at mealtimes"

Sounds pretty bad....but it gets worse

"After he died, they prayed over his body for days, expecting a resurrection, then packed it into a suitcase with mothballs. They left it in a shed in Philadelphia, where it remained for a year before detectives found it last spring."

Five members are on trial for murder-including his mother (who goes by the name Princess Marie). The mother claims she is willing to plead guilty to the crime....under one condition. That condition is that all charges must be dropped if the boy is raised from the dead!

The court better not grant her request....not that I think little Javon is going to rise from his grave or anything...

The Funny Thing About Flowers

Do you love it when your husband/boyfriend gives you flowers?

I'm not sure when or where this idea of gifting flowers came from, but there is definitely some interesting irony/symbolism involved in this practice.

Not many people realize exactly what flowers are. Flowers are the reproductive organs of a plant. Flowers contain both the male and female genitalia of angiosperms. So by giving flowers to your loved one, you are giving them a bundle of reproductive organs.

This definitely has some sexual implications, but most people never make this connection.

But perhaps people like to give and recieve flowers because they are beautiful and aromatic...I think that is probably more accurate. I think I'm just completely wrong on this one

The World's Most Terrifying Penis

See the Leopard Slugs in Action

The Monte Carlo Fallacy

If you are getting on a commercial airliner, for safety's sake, take a bomb with you....because the overwhelming odds are that there won't be two guys on the same plane with a bomb.

Why I Like Magic

I am a very skeptical person. I apply reason to my entire life. I could never accept psychic powers or faith healers. When a case of the "supernatural" is presented I immediately look for the trick behind it. I never even consider the possibility of a miracle.

But magic is very different. The magician and the audience both know that this person has no real magical ability. Some magicians claim legitimate powers during their act, but backstage they will be honest and tell you that it is all part of the performance. Because of this, there is a box placed around a magic show that doesn't exist anywhere else (for me at least). When entering a magic show I know it is fake, but for an hour and a half I am able to escape into a world where magic is real and the supernatural is natural. To leave reason behind for just a short time can be an exhilarating experience. It is an escape away from the boring day-to-day and a chance to divulge into a world without limits, a world of endless possibilities.

And after the show one can discuss how the tricks were done and the methods that were used in the performance, but how a trick is done is not the important part of magic. The tricks aren't even the important part of magic. What's important about magic is the falling into a world of possibility and the intellectual revelation that brings one back out.

Woody Allen's Intro Title Sequences

A movie's title sequence seems insignificant, but it is the first introduction a film makes to its audience. It is kind of like a first impression. An intro title sequence can create an emotion in the audience that puts them in the right frame of mind for the particular film.

I don't think anyone can forget the title sequence before Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It tells the audience that this movie is going to be silly and that it's okay to relax, smile and laugh. On the other end of the spectrum we have a movie like A Nightmare on Elm Street. With a little suspenseful music and a cheesy font the viewer is ready to be scared.

My personal two favorite Intro sequences:

1) Citizen Kane
One of the most memorable opening sequence of all time (behind scrolling letters of Star Wars). With his final breath of air, Charles Foster Kane speaks the word "Rosebud." The entire movie is an unforgettable quest to find its significance.




2) Post Annie Hall Woody Allen Films
Allen's simple black and white intros seem to have a power behind them. There is something mystical in the background jazz music, the simple "Windsor" font, and the displaying of the actors in alphabetical order (not in their star power of the current time).