Shouting Grounds

So we’re less than a week past our five year anniversary of the current Iraq war and the death toll of U.S. troops and personnel has officially hit 4,000. At least those are the numbers the government is fronting us. Yeah I say fronting because at this point does anyone seriously trust anything that our countries representatives tell us anymore?

In any event, the article I linked above also cites the number the Iraqi deaths as anywhere between 80,000 to hundreds of thousands. Okay WTF!!?? We invaded the country right? I assume that means we have people in most major cities and outlying areas. Even in the areas of conflict we obviously have a presence actively hunting insurgents. Now my question is when an Iraqi dies, does it not count? It seems so because I find it hard to believe that after 5 years over there we can’t come up with a more concrete number than “80,000 to hundreds of thousands”.

Our government likes to bombard us with information right? Everyday we hear about how they infiltrated this insurgency or took out that terrorist cell or how things are getting better in Iraq, yet we don’t yet have the capability to count dead people? Was there some sort of system in place that accounted for dead people before we arrived? Possibly not since I’m sure Saddam didn’t want his actions in that arena cataloged in too much detail. Yet and still I can’t help but think how re-goddamn-diculous it is that we can’t track how many Iraqi’s have died over there.

Also I’d like draw your attention to the following statement from the article:

“This is global terrorism hitting everywhere, and they have chosen Iraq to be a battlefield. And we have to take them on,” Mowaffak al-Rubaie said Sunday on CNN’s “Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer.”

Now this is coming from an Iraqi politician yet I find myself wondering exactly who he means by “they”. See, I think of “they” as these two guys. The two gay lords who got us into this whole fucking mess. They’re the ones who “chose” Iraq to be a battlefield. Anyway, as usual, I find myself digressing.

Let’s just figure out a way to get a better count on these bodies guys. I suppose, of course, that would require the will to want to do so.

From CNN. (link)

Author Arthur C. Clarke, whose science fiction and non-fiction works ranged from the script for “2001: A Space Odyssey” to an early proposal for communications satellites, has died at age 90, associates have said.

He died early Wednesday — Tuesday afternoon ET — at a hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he had lived since the 1950s, Chase said.

His best-known works, such as “2001″ or the 1953 novel “Childhood’s End,” combined the hard science he learned studying physics and mathematics with insights into how future discoveries would change humanity.

Clarke and director Stanley Kubrick shared an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay for “2001.” The film grew out of Clarke’s 1951 short story, “The Sentinel,” about an alien transmitter left on the moon that ceases broadcasting when humans arrive.

As a Royal Air Force officer during World War II, Clarke took part in the early development of radar. In a paper written for the radio journal “Wireless World” in 1945, he suggested that artificial satellites hovering in a fixed spot above Earth could be used to relay telecommunications signals across the globe.

He is widely credited with introducing the idea of the communications satellite, the first of which were launched in the early 1960s. But he never patented the idea, prompting a 1965 essay that he subtitled, “How I Lost a Billion Dollars in My Spare Time.”

Clarke was knighted in 1998. He wrote dozens of novels and collections of short stories and more than 30 nonfiction works during his career, and served as a television commentator during several of the Apollo moon missions.

Though humans have not returned to the moon since 1972, Clarke said he was confident that a “Golden Age” of space travel was just beginning.

Beyond 2001 and a few short stories I’ve never really delved into his works. Any fan of Science Fiction, however, knew Arthur C. Clarke by name and the tremendous contributions he made to the genre. I also never knew that “fun fact” about the role he played in the history of the communications satellite.

Rest In Peace Arthur. You will be missed.

Ya Boi Redscape here with a new edition of Shotgun Theatre for our loyal and devoted masses (all 3 of you). I’m firing both barrels this time around with two reviews: There Will Be Blood and Awake. So without further ado…

There Will Be Blood

Paul Thomas Andersons “There Will Be Blood” is at its heart a character study. And oh what a character it gives us in Daniel Day Lewis’s portrayal of Daniel Plainview, a pioneering oil driller and eventual tycoon. Anyone familiar with Lewis’s work behind the camera knows that his performances instantly command respect. His Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York still gives me shivers when I watch it. To say his performance this time around was astonishing would be downplaying it. I honestly can’t think of any other actor in today’s Hollywood that could have pulled it off. After seeing the film I can honestly say I’m in full support of his recent Oscar win.
One of the things I liked most about the movie was how it effectively captured the look and feel of the time. Rarely have I found myself so drawn in and transfixed by the settings of a film. The bulk of the action takes place in the American southwest during the early 20th century and Anderson effectively uses the quiet and desolate nature of the land to accentuate and lend power to the characters performances. The brutal nature and hardships of the mining and drilling are also captured and conveyed very well.
While we’re on the subject of Anderson it should be said his directing here is superb. He moves the film at a slow pace which allows the viewer to become fully engrossed in the richness and complexities of the characters. The first few minutes of the movie, during which there is no dialogue just action underscored by tense chords of music, are a perfect example of how well Anderson is in control of his craft.
Kudos also to the supporting cast, especially relative newcomer Paul Dano who turns in a particularly noteworthy performance as a corrupt and attention seeking preacher.
Overall I give the film top marks in nearly every category. A definite must see as well as must have for anyone’s collection.
Arousal Scale – Redscape for There Will Be Blood: Platinum Dipped and Diamond Tipped

Awake

I have to say I didn’t like Awake at first and it wasn’t until about half an hour into the film that I really began to get into it. Looking back on it now I realize I was trying to make the movie, in my mind, into something it is not. I was looking for the film to be fairly black and white in it’s portrayal of events and wasn’t expecting the moral complexities it presented me with instead. With that said, let me also state if metaphysics isn’t you particular cup of tea it may be best if you stay away from this one.
On the surface the film is about a young man who has inherited both his late fathers vast wealth and responsibility. The rub is he’s got a bum ticker that could go at any moment. Add to this a sexy fiancé, a disapproving and controlling mother, and a heart surgeon who’s up to his elbows in malpractice suits and you have the makings of a fairly cleaver thriller. On a deeper level the movie deals with issues of betrayal, morality, and second chances.
The twist in the plot is provided by a phenomenon known as Anesthesia Awareness. As you can probably guess the net result of this experience is being fully conscience, yet paralyzed during surgery. In this case heart transplant surgery. Not a fun time. The scenes involving the surgery were particularly terrifying. The rest of the movie involves a literal out of body experience as our protagonist races around the hospital and city trying to piece together clues and uncover an apparent plot against his life.
Now a few words on acting. Hayden Christensen, a.k.a. “Mannequin Skywalker”, turns in a fairly well performance, but he’s still plagued by a “woodenness” in his delivery at times. I still think he has what it takes to become a high caliber actor; I just think his technique needs some refining. Jessica Alba character was functional at best and it honestly felt like she phoned it in. Terrence Howard I’m convinced at this point could effortlessly play any role.
The real surprise for me however was how tender and touching the film turned out to be. It was almost as if midway through it transformed into a totally different movie.
Bottom line: Rent this movie or catch it on cable, not worth buying.
Arousal Scale – Redscape for Awake: Steamed Asparagus

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry…Now listen to this timeless Clapton tune and tell me there aren’t some shenanigans going on.

Here’s one for all you lovers of secret government funded research projects that seek to turn the American citizens into heavy sweating, foul breath, pedophile, nymphomaniac, homosexuals.

I proudly present  The Gay Bomb!

Excerpt:

“Moreover, for many decades now, rumors of proposals to manipulate the sexual orientation of the targeted individuals, were for the first time substantiated by the admission of US warfare research program. One proposal theorized that remote inducement of artificial homosexual tendencies as well as the possibility of developing pedophile, nymphomaniac and other abnormal compulsive behaviors with the remote control of dedicated part of the nervous system and of the genitalia, in association with repeated “downloads” of vivid dreams, systematic disruption of sleep patternREM periods over months and years. Supposedly, remote stimuli could also be frequently broadcasted with visual sequences to achieve a Pavlovian conditioning purpose.”

Enjoy!

I’m one the brave few who actually laughed my ass off the first time I saw the Fucking Matt Damon video. I’m not particularly a fan of Sarah Silverman (she is pretty darn cute) but I thought it was clever, original, and just good fun. If you know about the running Matt Damon “we’re out of time” jokes that Kimmel does at the end of every show then it makes it even funnier. For those who don’t, the jist of it is at the end of the show Kimmel will say how they’ve unfortunately run out of time and as a result they have to bump their next guest. The guest is always Matt Damon. There was even a segment where Damon finally does come out but at that point he’s so pissed all he can do is yell and swear, effectively rendering the interview useless anyway. LOL. See I love shit like that.

Anyway in response Kimmel has fired back with both barrels and the shit is even more hilarious. On a side note while I’m on the subject I will say I’ve always liked Kimmel better than Conan O., and I think Kimmel should have gotten the Late Show instead.

Anyway here are both vids for whoever cares.

Part I:

Part II:

George Bush really does care about black people!!

A small sampling…

Bravo I say! Braaaavo!

I would like everyone to join me in wishing our esteemed webmaster and site designer a happy birthday on this most joyous of days!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FUCKER!!!!

Fuck! Yes!

CNN featured an article today titled Suit: Airport searches of laptops, other devices intrusive part of which told the plight of Pakistani-born U.S. citizen Amir Khan, and the various difficulties he’s gone through at the hands of custom officials while crossing the border into the U.S.. In fact according to Khan some customs officials have even gone so far as forcing him to reveal password protected and confidential information from both his bank as well as the company he works for.

Embedded ever so snuggly into the succulent meat of the article is the following quote made by one Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.

“You forgo your right to privacy when you are seeking admission into the country. This is the kind of scrutiny the American public expects.”

STOP!! REWIND!! PLAY AGAIN!!

“You forgo your right to privacy when you are seeking admission into the country. This is the kind of scrutiny the American public expects.”

Okay anyone not catch that? You want to come to America? Fine, all you have to do is give up your right to privacy! Done and done!

What disturbs me the most is not so much the absurdity of the statement (Neocon’s have been spouting horseshit like that for years) but the fact he claims all Americans expect this and thereby embrace it!

What’s even more appalling is when you consider that statement in the context of Amir Khans situation. Amir Khan is a U.S. citizen. Born in Pakistan yes, but a citizen of America none the less.

So what’s the moral Mr. Knocke wants us to learn children? Now repaeat after me:

When crossing the border back into the country of his/her citizenship, said citizen is expected to not only surrender his/her right to privacy but on top of that should fully embrace such a surrender.

According to Mr. Knocke it’s the American thing to do!

!!!BULL FUCKING SHIT!!!

Discuss.

People have been saying hip-hop is dead for years and up until recently I’ve been more or less inclined to agree with them. Starting in the early part of the current century and continuing up until the present the entire landscape of the genre has been littered with little-to-no-talent acts who couldn’t string a decent rhyme together if their over-priced and uncreative lives depended on it.

To be certain, since the early 2000’s we’ve had some bonafide talent, most notably with the likes of Kanye West and T.I., but by and large the music coming from the new crowd has been, to put it bluntly, complete and total crap. Occasionally something will hit with a catchy rhythm or hook that you can snap your neck to for a week or two but even then it’s just a slick beat with no substantial lyrical content behind it. As a direct result hip-hop has now entered the realm of the Super-Producer giving us such names as Swizz Beats, Scott Storch and Manny Fresh. You’ll notice I didn’t include The Neptunes in that list and that’s solely because I consider them to be the only new school producing group worth their salt and truly pushing the limits.

This all leads me to what I like to think of as hip-hop’s second coming. Yes, we’ve still got a solid stable of heavy hitters that continue to make semi-decent to good tracks, but in my opinion what the genre needs right now is some good, fresh talent. We need a knight in shining armor to liberate us from today’s over-played and underwhelming noise and whisk us back to those glory days of yesteryear.

Enter Lupe Fiasco! Hailing from my home city of Chi-Town, I first heard him on a Kanye West track (Touch the Sky) and I’ll admit wasn’t terribly impressed off the bat. However once his first big single hit (Kick Push) I found myself instantly digging his style and delivery. Thanks in large to Pharrell and Co. his beats are always top-notch but where he really shines are his lyrics, variable speed flow, and thickly layered content. When listening you can pick out his influences and it instantly becomes clear he’s a student of such greats as Nas, Common, and Q-Tip. He blends it all together, along with a portion of his own custom swagger, to produce a highly lyrically charged and versatile flow, that while not as smooth or honed as Eminem, T.I., or the king himself Biggie, is very distinctive in itself. His effectiveness is in his ability to have you instantly memorizing every line due to his dynamic and distinctive delivery. He infuses every syllable, word and sentence with a purpose and his lyrics are some of the most well constructed I’ve heard since perhaps Nas. While he doesn’t carry the word-smithing skills of Eminem or Kanye he more than makes up for it with the attention to detail he lavishes on his lyrics and content. And the music is fun! At times I find myself laughing out loud as he effortlessly uses his skills to lace his rhymes with double and sometimes even TRIPLE meanings! His flow is at all times saturated with a certain cockiness that distinguishes itself from Kanye’s “The world owes me” and T.I.’s “This is too easy”, but instead says something to effect of “I’m here to make my mark and won’t stop or drop off until the job is done”.

To date he’s released two mainstream albums: Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor and Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool and if you’re a serious hip-hop fan you need to own both! If this is the first you’ve heard of him and you’re interested in checking him out I would suggest starting with his mainstream hits like Kick Push and Superstar then move into some of the deeper stuff like Dumb it Down (currently my favorite song), Hurt Me Soul, Put You On Game, and Gotta Eat. Also if you wanna hear him give Twista and Bone Thugs a run for their money as the fastest flows in hip-hop give Go Go Gadget Flow a listen. While he may not be able to flow quite as fast for quite as long as the others I just mentioned the kid soundly holds his own and there’s no doubt he commands respect while doing it.

I can easily see a Grammy in Lupe’s future and I’m looking forward to many more albums from his camp. While not the best in the game his efforts thus far have already propelled him into classic status which is more than can be said for many of his fellow contemporaries.

So is he really the savior of hip-hop? Who knows for certain. I do believe, however, if not its savior then most certainly a prophet here to herald forth a new era in the game.

From time to time I’ve heard various rumblings about Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Recently, however, Vanity Fair has published an very informative Article detailing many more specifics regarding the game.

I have to admit reading the article got me excited about the game and I can honestly say if this game turns out as good as they say, it will be the sole reason behind me purchasing an XBOX 360.

In any event check out the article as well as the trailer in the links I posted above.

Also, apparently they forwent using James Earl Jones as the voice of Vader in the game an instead went with some bloke named Matt Sloan who made a YouTube video called Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager. The video, in itself, is fairly lame but I will say this guy has Vader’s voice and inflections down pretty fucking good. It’s not as good as the real deal, but I’ve heard worse.

Anyway, enjoy today’s daily geek fix.