Today's game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens was the epitome of Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton's season. There was bad Andy Dalton. Four interceptions. Not all were his fault. There's the good Andy Dalton. Two touchdown passes and he ran one in. By doing so, he holds the team record for throwing touchdown passes in a season. Can Andy Dalton lead the Bengals to victory in the Super Bowl? Yes. He's not the A Plus Tom Brady type of quarterback. But I would grade him at B Plus.
And speaking of championships, defense wins championships. Today the Bengals defense was all over Ravens quarterback Joe Flaccid, er... Joe Flacco. He threw three interceptions including one pick six. The Bengals have an A Plus defense. They kept the team in the game until the Bengals offense recovered and overcame its errors.
The result of the Bengals defense and good offensive plays led the Bengals to a big victory. Bengals win 34-17. Here's the story from the Bengals with video. Bengals go 8 and 0 at home. The finish at 11-5. It's on to the playoffs and a world championship at the Super Bowl. I dream big, guys.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Sunday, December 29, 2013
House Republicans look for alien life
Hey, this is cool. The House Republicans look for intelligent life in their party. I keeed. I keeed the Republicans. Seriously, the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology had a hearing on December 4 to investigate what scientific measures we have to find extraterrestrial life. And I finally agree that the House of Representatives did something positive and worthwhile. It looks hopeful that we will find planets that can support life.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
A & E defends biogotry
Yesterday's news from A & E would prompt a sarcastic Gomer Pyle to say, " Surprise, surprise, surprise." The cable network has quickly removed the suspension of Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty. The network announced the news yesterday on a Friday afternoon. Hmmm. I wonder why they did it yesterday. Could it be it would get buried in the slow news cycle? Is the Pope Catholic?
If you recall, Robertson likened homosexuality to bestiality and said blacks were happier before the Civil Rights movement. Two comments that were ignorant, and prejudicial. The comment about African Americans was particularly racist. As it yearns for a South when blacks were openly discriminated against and treated as second class citizens.
A & E by officially bringing back Robertson has made a statement. TV ratings matter more than racial tolerance. By bringing him back, the network has now given a forum for hatred. Young Americans will see that a racist can be successful. There will be no moral consequence for hatred. What next? The KKK Hour on A & E because it brings TV ratings?
I believe in free speech. Robertson has spoken. Now, it's time for you to speak. I've already said I will boycott the show and the network. I ask if you believe in tolerance, should you be supporting Duck Dynasty and giving a reward for hatred?
If you recall, Robertson likened homosexuality to bestiality and said blacks were happier before the Civil Rights movement. Two comments that were ignorant, and prejudicial. The comment about African Americans was particularly racist. As it yearns for a South when blacks were openly discriminated against and treated as second class citizens.
A & E by officially bringing back Robertson has made a statement. TV ratings matter more than racial tolerance. By bringing him back, the network has now given a forum for hatred. Young Americans will see that a racist can be successful. There will be no moral consequence for hatred. What next? The KKK Hour on A & E because it brings TV ratings?
I believe in free speech. Robertson has spoken. Now, it's time for you to speak. I've already said I will boycott the show and the network. I ask if you believe in tolerance, should you be supporting Duck Dynasty and giving a reward for hatred?
Salon: "How the GOP became the "White Man's Party"
From Salon and Ian Haney- Lopez, here is the excellent article, "How the GOP became the "White Man's Party.". I ask my conservative friends to read it. I think you will find the factual comments to be true even if you disagree with the opinion
Sarah Palin shoots from the hip
As Louis would say in Casablanca, "I'm shocked. Shocked." Shocked that conservative Republican Sarah Palin would mouth off her opinion on a topic without knowing anything about it. Palin defended Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson comments that compared homosexuality to bestiality and blacks were happier before the civil rights movement. Now we find out Palin didn't read them before she defended Robertson. Ignorant? You betcha.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas everyone! Here's your Christmas gift. From season one of the classic Mary Tyler Moore show, it's "Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid."
Sunday, December 22, 2013
What?!! The Cincinnati Bengals make the playoffs three years in a row
With today's victory by the Cincinnati Bengals over the Minnesota Vikings, the Bengals have made the playoffs for three years in a row. The question would become would they go in as a Wild Card or AFC North Division champs. That question was answered when the Baltimore Ravens lost to the New England Patriots. The Bengals are AFC North Division champs.
Today's game was not close. The Bengals offense could do anything they wanted against the Vikings. The defense was stellar too. The score? The Bengals walloped the Vikings 42-14. Here is the story from the Cincinnati Bengals with video.
Now the Bengals need to win in the playoffs. And ... win the Super Bowl.
Today's game was not close. The Bengals offense could do anything they wanted against the Vikings. The defense was stellar too. The score? The Bengals walloped the Vikings 42-14. Here is the story from the Cincinnati Bengals with video.
Now the Bengals need to win in the playoffs. And ... win the Super Bowl.
Stephen Colbert on Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson
Here's Stephen Colbert with his take on Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson and his bigoted comments to GQ.
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More of Stephen Colbert on the Fox News insistence that Santa Claus was white
Here's Stephen Colbert with more of his take on Fox News' insistence that Santa Claus was white. Now, he takes on Germany's view that Santa Claus was actually German or Father Christmas. He also gets to use Hans Beinholtz for more hilarious German expressionist humor.
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Jon Stewart on Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson
Here's Jon Stewart of The Daily Show taking on Ducky Dynasty's Phil Robertson and his bigoted comments.
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I'm going to boycott "Duck Dynasty."
I guess it's too much to ask a redneck to not be a bigot. Duck Dynasty's patriarch Phil Robertson let us see the real redneck. And guess what? He thinks homosexuality is like bestiality and that blacks were happier before civil rights legislation. Let's take a look at his comments to GQ. And I'll tell you why I plan to boycott Duck Dynasty.
1. The Anti-Gay Comments.
Here's what he said about gay men as reported by the Huffington Post.
“It seems like, to me, a vagina -- as a man -- would be more desirable than a man’s anus," Robertson told GQ. "That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”
Okay, not so bad. It's kind of funny. But then he shows his true nature and it ain't a lovin' Christian.
“Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong. Sin becomes fine," he later added. “Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers -- they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”
Okay, the stuff about comparing homosexuality to bestiality ain't about loving your fellow man. It's hatred. Because homosexuality is not a deviant sexual practice. If Phil had remembered his high school education, he would know that gay men have helped build our western civilization. See the Greeks.
2. The Racial Comments.
Here's what Robertson had to say about blacks in the pre-civil-rights-era. From E Online.
"I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person," Robertson claims. "Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotten with them. I'm with the blacks, because we're white trash. ... They're singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, 'I tell you what: These doggone white people'—not a word!... Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues."
This is either brain dead or the sign of a bigot. Blacks suffered under Jim Crow laws which disenfranchised them from being heard in the democratic process. So which is it Phil? Ignorance of black suffering or are you a real life Archie Bunker?
3. Free Speech and Sarah Palin
My muse, Sarah Palin defended Robertson and so did Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. They used the First Amendment's Right of Free Speech as the basis. That's just ignorant. The First Amendment protects speech from government censorship. Robertson got to spew his prejudicial remarks freely. If Duck Dynasty's network A & E doesn't like it, they can act by suspending Robertson. And also defending Robertson was the Duck Dynasty clan. This went along the lines of saying Robertson was expressing his religious views. Well, if that's your view of Christianity, I'm not going to your church. We also find out that A & E doesn't really care about his comments since they're going to air new shows with Robertson this January.
4. The Boycott. Okay, now I'm going to exercise my First Amendment Rights. I'm not gong to watch Duck Dynasty again. And I'm going to avoid A & E's other programming to protest. I'm not going to support a bigot or the network that supports him.
1. The Anti-Gay Comments.
Here's what he said about gay men as reported by the Huffington Post.
“It seems like, to me, a vagina -- as a man -- would be more desirable than a man’s anus," Robertson told GQ. "That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”
Okay, not so bad. It's kind of funny. But then he shows his true nature and it ain't a lovin' Christian.
“Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong. Sin becomes fine," he later added. “Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers -- they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”
Okay, the stuff about comparing homosexuality to bestiality ain't about loving your fellow man. It's hatred. Because homosexuality is not a deviant sexual practice. If Phil had remembered his high school education, he would know that gay men have helped build our western civilization. See the Greeks.
2. The Racial Comments.
Here's what Robertson had to say about blacks in the pre-civil-rights-era. From E Online.
"I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person," Robertson claims. "Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotten with them. I'm with the blacks, because we're white trash. ... They're singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, 'I tell you what: These doggone white people'—not a word!... Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues."
This is either brain dead or the sign of a bigot. Blacks suffered under Jim Crow laws which disenfranchised them from being heard in the democratic process. So which is it Phil? Ignorance of black suffering or are you a real life Archie Bunker?
3. Free Speech and Sarah Palin
My muse, Sarah Palin defended Robertson and so did Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. They used the First Amendment's Right of Free Speech as the basis. That's just ignorant. The First Amendment protects speech from government censorship. Robertson got to spew his prejudicial remarks freely. If Duck Dynasty's network A & E doesn't like it, they can act by suspending Robertson. And also defending Robertson was the Duck Dynasty clan. This went along the lines of saying Robertson was expressing his religious views. Well, if that's your view of Christianity, I'm not going to your church. We also find out that A & E doesn't really care about his comments since they're going to air new shows with Robertson this January.
4. The Boycott. Okay, now I'm going to exercise my First Amendment Rights. I'm not gong to watch Duck Dynasty again. And I'm going to avoid A & E's other programming to protest. I'm not going to support a bigot or the network that supports him.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Stephen Colbert pokes fun at the NSA spying on gamers
Earlier this month I wrote about the NSA spying on video game players using The World of Warcraft, Second Life and XBOX. Here's a very funny video piece by Stephen Colbert on the subject.
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Stephen Colbert on Google's acquisition of Boston Dynamics
If you've seen any videos of Boston Dynamic's robots, you realize how scary these things are. I mean they look like stuff from a Terminator movie. Couple that with the mysterious Google barges, and I think there might be an insidious plan by Google to take over the world. I keeed our robot Google masters. Thank goodness for Stephen Colbert. Here's his very funny piece.
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Stephen Colbert rips Fox News' Megyn Kelly's Jesus was white comments
Hooray for Stephen Colbert! In the video below in his own sarcastic way, Colbert rips Fox News Megyn Kelly's comments that Santa and Jesus were white. Funny stuff from Stephen Colbert.
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Steelers humiliate Bengals on national TV
I was going to watch the Cincinnati Bengals battle the Pittsburgh Steelers at a pub the other night. But i was delayed by playing Grand Theft Auto V. As I was ready to leave, our men in stripes were down 21-0. So I decided to stay and play move Grand Theft Auto. That turned out to be a good choice.
The Steelers beat the Bengals in all phases of the game. And to make matters worse, a Steeler broke the jaw of another Bengal. Remember Keith Rivers broken jaw? This time it was a vicious hit on Bengals punter Kevin Huber who was defenseless. He is also suffering from a cracked vertebrae. Folks, that's Steelers football. Dirty. Think I'm being a homer? Remember Kimo Von Oelhoffen rolling his shoulder into Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer's knee?
Bengals lose 30-20. Anyway here's the story from the Bengals. And with last night's Baltimore Ravens win, the Bengals now lead the division by only one game.
The Steelers beat the Bengals in all phases of the game. And to make matters worse, a Steeler broke the jaw of another Bengal. Remember Keith Rivers broken jaw? This time it was a vicious hit on Bengals punter Kevin Huber who was defenseless. He is also suffering from a cracked vertebrae. Folks, that's Steelers football. Dirty. Think I'm being a homer? Remember Kimo Von Oelhoffen rolling his shoulder into Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer's knee?
Bengals lose 30-20. Anyway here's the story from the Bengals. And with last night's Baltimore Ravens win, the Bengals now lead the division by only one game.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Lewis Black is disappointed with the future
Here's Lewis Black from The Daily Show with his Back in Black feature. His gripe this time? The future he was promised is disappointing. Funny stuff.
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Jon Stewart destroys Megyn Kelly and Fox News
As you have heard, Megyn Kelly of Fox News declared that Santa Claus and Jesus were white. And then a Fox News pundit said that facts should not be changed to fit a political agenda. Oh, the irony! Great stuff for Jon Stewart and Jessica Williams of The Daily Show. By the way, Santa Claus or St. Nicholas was a Greek man, probably dark skinned. And Jesus was not born in northern Europe. Try the Middle East, you right-wingers. Anyway great comic stuff from The Daily Show.
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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug HFR 3D Review
It might make financial sense to make three movies out of J.R. Tolkien's children's novel The Hobbit, it probably wasn't a good idea from a narrative sense. To stretch out the book into three movies, Director-writer Peter Jackson, and writers Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Guilermo Del Toro used the appendices from Tolkien's The Return of the King to add to The Hobbit. What it did was to turn a tale of adventurous quest into a complex fantasy epic.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug starts where the first Hobbit movie ended i.e. after an ill advised flashback scene. Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) leads the Dwarves to the precipice of The Lonely Mountain. In the mountain is the Dwarf kingdom which Thorin, (Richard Armitage)grandson of the king of the Dwarves, wishes to take back. However, it's guarded by Smaug, (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) your classic dragon who can roast our little hero into a hobbit shish kabob. The Dwarves send Bilbo since he's supposed to be a burglar to steal the jewel called the Arkenstone which will united the dwarf kingdoms.
Okay, what I've described sounds pretty simple. But the writers have fleshed out Tolkien's children's novel to produce side quests. We follow Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) on a side quest that frankly should have been shortened. And while a trip to the village of Esgaroth is probably necessary for the plot, it's here among the humans that the film grinds to a halt. I'm not sure it was necessary to detail all the politics of the people in the village. These and other side tales drain the film of energy. And it's interesting that in this return to Middle Earth that there seems to be a lack of urgency unlike The Lord of the Rings films. The parts of the film that save it are the giant spiders, the elegance of the elves and the frightening Smaug.
Martin Freeman is once again good as the humble Hobbit, Bilbo. But there are times his performance is lazy. However, Cumberbatch's Smaug is remarkable. He's full of menace, arrogance and anger. Special effects are inconsistent. There's an over reliance on the CGI which at times makes movie feel fake. That's more laziness. Maybe Jackson is getting tired of Middle Earth. Perhaps, there should be more live action shot with real actors. Whereas some CGI feels fake, that can't be said for everything. The giant spiders and the dragon Smaug are unbelievable. Jackson who hates spiders really outdoes the big one in Return of the King. And Smaug really had me ducking in my seat.
I'm a proponent of HFR (high frame rate) 3D. After seeing last year's Hobbit, I'm convinced this is the best way to see 3D. Scenes for The Desolation of Smaug have pop. There's depth. Every object looks and feels like a three dimensional diorama not a pop up book. Of course, there's the clarity of the picture. Go see this movie in HFR 3D.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ends abruptly with a cliff hanger. And I get it, that it's part two of a trilogy. But even part two of a three year trilogy must have an ending. The ending here feels like it was cut from the middle of a scene. It is a metaphor for the whole movie. The great parts of the movie are off set by the mediocre parts. The grade is B.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug starts where the first Hobbit movie ended i.e. after an ill advised flashback scene. Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) leads the Dwarves to the precipice of The Lonely Mountain. In the mountain is the Dwarf kingdom which Thorin, (Richard Armitage)grandson of the king of the Dwarves, wishes to take back. However, it's guarded by Smaug, (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) your classic dragon who can roast our little hero into a hobbit shish kabob. The Dwarves send Bilbo since he's supposed to be a burglar to steal the jewel called the Arkenstone which will united the dwarf kingdoms.
Okay, what I've described sounds pretty simple. But the writers have fleshed out Tolkien's children's novel to produce side quests. We follow Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) on a side quest that frankly should have been shortened. And while a trip to the village of Esgaroth is probably necessary for the plot, it's here among the humans that the film grinds to a halt. I'm not sure it was necessary to detail all the politics of the people in the village. These and other side tales drain the film of energy. And it's interesting that in this return to Middle Earth that there seems to be a lack of urgency unlike The Lord of the Rings films. The parts of the film that save it are the giant spiders, the elegance of the elves and the frightening Smaug.
Martin Freeman is once again good as the humble Hobbit, Bilbo. But there are times his performance is lazy. However, Cumberbatch's Smaug is remarkable. He's full of menace, arrogance and anger. Special effects are inconsistent. There's an over reliance on the CGI which at times makes movie feel fake. That's more laziness. Maybe Jackson is getting tired of Middle Earth. Perhaps, there should be more live action shot with real actors. Whereas some CGI feels fake, that can't be said for everything. The giant spiders and the dragon Smaug are unbelievable. Jackson who hates spiders really outdoes the big one in Return of the King. And Smaug really had me ducking in my seat.
I'm a proponent of HFR (high frame rate) 3D. After seeing last year's Hobbit, I'm convinced this is the best way to see 3D. Scenes for The Desolation of Smaug have pop. There's depth. Every object looks and feels like a three dimensional diorama not a pop up book. Of course, there's the clarity of the picture. Go see this movie in HFR 3D.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ends abruptly with a cliff hanger. And I get it, that it's part two of a trilogy. But even part two of a three year trilogy must have an ending. The ending here feels like it was cut from the middle of a scene. It is a metaphor for the whole movie. The great parts of the movie are off set by the mediocre parts. The grade is B.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Obamacare is not Apartheid
Crazy right-wingers bashed Nelson Mandela on Newt Gingrich's Facebook page. Then there was former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum indicating that Obamacare was like Apartheid. Here's Jon Stewart of the Daily Show and his take on the Republican insanity.
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Fox News' Megyn Kelly says Jesus was white
Last night on her Fox News show, Megyn Kelly says this about Jesus Christ. "“I mean, Jesus was a white man too. He was a historical figure, that’s a verifiable fact, as is Santa — I just want the kids watching to know that.” Video clip below. Sorry, Megyn. I don't think so. Since Jesus was a Jew of Mediterranean descent and not some white Anglo-Saxon man. But I guess white racists are pleased with Megyn's brain dead assertion.
Stephen Colbert lampoons Fox News Gretchen Carlson's outrage over Festivus Pole
Is this a great country or what? Upset with a nativity scene at the Florida capital, Chaz Stevens puts up a Festivus Pole inspired by the Seinfeld TV show. It's a fake holiday. Of course, this outrages Fox News Gretchen Carlson. Hey Gretchen what about freedom? Her outrage is great comic fodder for Stephen Colbert.
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Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Jon Stewart pokes fun at NSA spying
Yesterday, I wrote about the American government spying online on video game players in such games as Second Life, XBOX and World of Warcraft. Well, Jon Stewart of the Daily Show did a very funny piece on NSA spying. Check it out.
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Monday, December 9, 2013
Jon Stewart talks about conservative hypocrisy over the raising the minimum wage
As a Christian, can I say this? Thank God for Jon Stewart who is Jewish and The Daily Show. As fast food workers demand a raise in the minimum wage, conservative commentators are coming out of the penthouses to oppose a living wage for poor people. It's particularly ridiculous to see Fox News Stuart Varney argue somehow it's moral to oppose a living wage. Merry Christmas! Yep, I agree with Jon Stewart. Stuart, you're beginning to look like Scrooge. So, Jon Stewart destroys Varney and all the conservatives by telling us what Jesus would do. Hilarious stuff from Jon.
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Goddess, American intelligence spies on video game players
The New York Times is reporting that American and British intelligence agencies have infiltrated online video gaming. The primary games affected are Second Life and The World of Warcraft. According to the article, spies created fictional personas who in turn engaged with other gamers to collect data and recruit informers. The linked article says a top secret NSA report states video games, " had the potential to be a “target-rich communication network” allowing intelligence suspects “a way to hide in plain sight.” So how common was this spying. So many CIA, FBI and Pentagon spies were in the Second Life universe, that a "deconfliction" group was needed. The surveillance also included XBOX Live. And where did this information come from? NSA leaker Edward Snowden.
So let me get this straight. As person who plays multiplayer Mass Effect 3, is defeating Reapers, Cerberus, Collectors and the Geth somehow a threat to our national security? Okay I get it. The government agencies think that terrorists are somehow online communicating through the virtual worlds of slaying dragons. Really? Has any terrorist been thwarted by killing trolls? And I would like to meet the radical, fundamentalist Islamic terrorist who plays Grand Theft Auto V with its strippers and prostitutes. As the Asari of Mass Effect like to say, "Goddess."
So let me get this straight. As person who plays multiplayer Mass Effect 3, is defeating Reapers, Cerberus, Collectors and the Geth somehow a threat to our national security? Okay I get it. The government agencies think that terrorists are somehow online communicating through the virtual worlds of slaying dragons. Really? Has any terrorist been thwarted by killing trolls? And I would like to meet the radical, fundamentalist Islamic terrorist who plays Grand Theft Auto V with its strippers and prostitutes. As the Asari of Mass Effect like to say, "Goddess."
Stephen Colbert rips the do nothing Congress
Stephen Colbert takes on the least productive Congress in American history. Let me see who I would blame here. Who's the group that shut down the country over Obamacare? And who won't do anything about immigration reform? Hmmm. House Republicans. At least they can agree on taking care of government monkeys. Anyway funny stuff from Colbert.
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Sunday, December 8, 2013
Bill Maher: "Ronald Reagan was no Jack Kennedy."
During the commemoration of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Bill Maher noted that Republicans often say that President Ronald Reagan was their John Kennedy. Here's Bill Maher in a New Rule, destroying the Reagan myth, courtesy of Mediaite and HBO.
Bill Maher rips cheap conservative Christians
Here's Bill Maher destroying cheap conservative Christians who tip waiters with phony ten dollar bills. The waiters need money to pay bills and you know, buy food. Bill Maher shows the conservative Christian hypocrisy. We all must ask what would Jesus do. From Mediaite and HBO, here's his funny New Rule.
The Cincinnati Bengals freeze the Indianapolis Colts
In Cincinnati, cold weather and Bengals football go together like chili and spaghetti. So when the Indianapolis Colts (8-4) came to town to play the Bengals, I was hopeful. You see the Colts play inside a dome during the winter months. And the Bengals play outside the way football is meant to be played. Maybe the Colts would have trouble adjusting.
Today, the Bengals offense took over while the defense had some trouble tackling. The result was a solid Cincinnati Bengals win over the playoff bound Colts, 42-28. The Bengals offense was working in all phases; running and passing. Solid victory for our men in stripes. Here's the story from the Cincinnati Bengals with video.
Today, the Bengals offense took over while the defense had some trouble tackling. The result was a solid Cincinnati Bengals win over the playoff bound Colts, 42-28. The Bengals offense was working in all phases; running and passing. Solid victory for our men in stripes. Here's the story from the Cincinnati Bengals with video.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Stephen Colbert on Amazon's Drones
I love it when Stephen Colbert discusses the use of drones in delivering products. Here's his funny take on Amazon's idea to use them.
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Bengals beat the Chargers
Let's see if I can describe the Cincinnati Bengals defeat of the San Diego Chargers in one sentence. The Bengals' defense hold off the Chargers until the rushing attack takes control. Anyway, the Bengals won 17-10 at Sand Diego. Here's the story.
Grand Theft Auto V Single Player and Multiplayer Review
THE GOOD.
The Story.
Grand Theft Auto V is a visit back to the fictional state of San Andreas which is based on California. San Andreas was the basis of game maker Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Of course, the major city in California is Los Angeles. And in the Grand Theft Auto World it's Los Santos.
Grand Theft Auto V starts out with a flashback. It's here we meet two of the story's protagonists. Michael and Trevor. They're part of a three man crew that's robbing a bank in a cold northern state. It goes bad. And the player is immediately thrust into a violent and exciting gun battle with the police. One of the crew dies. We then flash forward to Los Santos where Michael is a middle age wealthy man who has a family with a wife and two teenage children. He leaves a session with his psychiatrist when he accidentally runs into a young African American man named Franklin. He is currently working for a crooked car dealer by repossessing vehicles. Franklin's a guy who's a small time crook who lives in the hood and wants to make bigger scores. Michael can't stay away from the only thing he knows how to do. Robbery. Fate would later bring the two together as a de facto father and son criminal team. Meanwhile in the San Andreas desert, Trevor is living the life of a meth manufacturer, and arms dealer. Trevor was under the impression that it was Michael that died. He finds out that he did not and travels to Los Santos to find out the truth.
In any Grand Theft Auto game there's going to be a degree or hyper realism. So once you get by that, Grand Theft Auto V has a compelling story. The three characters all have interesting lives albeit criminal ones. And it's not easy making three murdering thieves appealing. But writers Dan Houser, Rupert Humphries and Micheal Unsworth have done so. Director Dan Houser also does a fine job getting genuine performances from the voice actors and the computer animation. One wants to know what the future will hold for Franklin, what trouble Trevor will get into and about the family life of Michael. As for Michael, I can't recall a video game where a main protagonist is a middle age man with a family.
There is a slight story for the online multiplayer. You create your own character based on the grand parents and parents of your character. You then become an upcoming criminal new to San Andreas months before the events of the three main character. You are assigned missions by some of the characters in the single player game. But the twist is you are the criminal. It's a cool RPG idea in an action open world game.
I also appreciate the social satire. On the radio and television stations, the writers go after conservative politics here as they have done in the other games. Other targets are celebrities, and reality television. It's funny stuff.
The gameplay.
In every recent Grand Theft Auto game there's going to be a Heat like bit gun fight. Grand Theft Auto V starts out with a thrilling one. And that's just the first one. There are multiple big gun battles in GTA V. They're fun and exciting. You are often given the ability to switch between the three main characters. If enemies are flanking Michael, you can switch to Trevor or Franklin. If you want big explosions, GTA V doesn't disappoint. You can acquire heavy weapons early on, so later missions are a literal blast. Another cool Grand Theft Auto thing repeats here. You can complete many missions in various ways. Have to get off a building with enemies? You could take the elevator. But how about jumping off it with a parachute?
The controls are basically good. The auto aim works smoothly and is needed as you usually engage in combat in the third person view. Driving cars will take some getting used to but also works well. If you have trouble driving a car, I suggest the first person mode.
As with any Grand Theft Auto game, But there's more to do than just combat. There are races. Car, water ski and athletic triathlons. Parachuting contests make a comeback here. In one mission you operate heavy machinery. It doesn't sound like fun but trust me it is. An enjoyable tennis game is here. And there's a real golf game that is relaxing diversion away from all of the murder. There's also a mission replay feature that will allow you to instantly relive any great moment in the game rather than having to play it from the beginning. This allows you to go flaror the Gold Medal achievements on multiple attempts. It makes those achievements doable. Kudos to game designers Leslie Benzies, and Imran Sarwar.
If you just want to explore the world, you can do that too. San Andreas is huge, maybe too large. There's the city of Los Santos. Then there's the desert. Mountains. Small towns. And don't forget the ocean. You can dive underwater here. All of this is rendered beautifully. You'll find yourself taking many pictures of this world.
As for multiplayer, it's full of great ideas. There might more to do here than single player. Car races. Ski boat races. Death match. Parachute jumping. Mass Effect 3 like Survival games. Missions for your character. Customize your character. Buy cool sports cars. Have material wealth that one could only dream about. It's a cross between MMORPG, and a video game sandbox. I would call it brilliant except for some major technical flaws that I will cover later.
THE BAD.
I'm a guy who hates some political correctness. There's one word I want removed from the American language. N... ger. It's racist. Yeah, I know black people use it. But even the late great comedian Richard Pryor stopped using it. But in GTA V, the African American characters constantly use it. And it's all over the rap "music" in the game.
The music is nondescript. In past Grand Theft Auto games you had some classic music. I mean in Grand Theft Auto IV, you had a jazz station that played John Coltrane, Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker! In GTA V, there are three rap stations. And I'm sorry, it's not music because there's no melody. The country station plays old time country but there's no new country. And the funk station plays comedian Eddie Murphy's "Party All the Time." This is an example of good funk? Really?
Is this good funk?
GTA V brings back flying airplanes from San Andreas. Bad idea. In that game, the controls were miserable. There's not much improvement in GTA V. It may even be worse. Sometimes when you are trying to slow down your chopper, it will continue to accelerate, the same with fixed wing craft. And trying to land a plane is no fun. It's hard to gauge distance, and alignment in a third person video game, and that exists in GTA V. Then there's the real world physics imposed on unreal situations. One mission asks you to land your plane in the cargo hold of another plane. Unreal. But the game throws in real world turbulence. Ugh. Tough.
You can expect controversy in a GTA game but Rockstar goes a little too far with one mission. In it, you have to torture a terror suspect. That's after you rescue him from American intelligence for the FBI er... FIB. They turn the torture intoa minigame. You get your choices of torture. Pull a tooth with the sickening graphic of seeing the tooth wiggle until you remove it. Electrocution. Beating the poor guy in the groin with a wrench. And of course, there's waterboarding. What next? Taking poor hitchikers to a cannibal cult as the next meal? Um, sorry that's also in the game.
The technical problems with the online portion of the game are an unmitigated disaster. Problems I've encountered are constant lagging out or being thrown out of a game. There's difficulty connecting with other players. GTA V Online is the Obamacare of video games. Great ideas but horrible execution. It got so bad that during the first online special event for the game, Rockstar had to cancel it early for the technical glitches. During that weekend, I couldn't access any of the special jobs. Mass Effect 3 this ain't. I do note that Rockstar is working on the problems so in the future, the online multiplayer will get better.
THE UGLY.
Trevor. Physically, he's not pretty to look at. But it's his actions. Has there ever been a video game protagonist more revolting than Trevor? You might catch him murdering someone. Or puking. Taking people to be eaten by cannibals which by the way you don't have to do. Finishing up a session of masterbation. Drunk on the street. In his underwear or wearing a dress. Okay, that last one is funny.
That being said, Trevor does have a sense of honor. Hey, even thieves have rules. And he does have a sensitive side. There's a touching romance between him and his kidnap victim.
CONCLUSION.
Grand Theft Auto V is an epic action RPG. There are hundreds of hours of gameplay. More importantly, it'great fun. The grade is A.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving from Cincinnati
Happy Thanksgiving. Here's the classic Thanksgiving WKRP in Cincinnati episode from season one, "Turkeys Away." Enjoy and God bless.
Thor: The Dark World 3D review
I usually don't start a movie review with a tip about the end credits. But I feel it's important if you see Thor: The Dark World. There are two scenes in the closing credits. One comes midway in the credits. The other is at the very end of the credits of the movie. It's this one that I strongly urge you to stay for. This end credit scene should have been in the main part of the film. I'm guessing that maybe Marvel Studios thought it was too annoying for pre-teenage boys.
Thor: The Dark World starts out with a flashback. Evil elf Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) wants to unleash the Aether. From what I can tell the Aether will destroy the universe and replace it with a dark world. Oh, why couldn't this elf be one of Santa's. Bor, the father of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), Thor's father, defeats Malekith. But the Aether is trapped in another universe and the evil elves escape.
In the present day, Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) who's a little crazy and very funny, discovers that the nine Realms are aligning allowing passages between them. Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is accidentally sucked into one and comes into contact with the Aether. Thor (Chris Hemsworth)returns to earth to find Foster. In the first Thor movie, they had a romance. Anyway, Foster tells Thor not to do remakes of silly right-wing fantasies like Red Dawn. Okay, that's not what happened. Thor takes Foster to Asgard to find a way to remove the Aether from her. You see Obamacare doens't cover this type of sickness. Anyway, Malekith is still looking for the Aether and Thor must enlist the help of Loki (Tim Hiddleston) to find Malekith's dark world.
Thor: The Dark World delivers the goods even with this strange and confusing plot. There are nice touches of humor. And director Alan Taylor doesn't let his camera get in the way of the sincere performances of he actors. The film is touching at times, and features entertaining action scenes. One complaint. There are times that the action is too frantic and there's confusion. The score by Brian Tyler is magnificent. It's heroic and the bold main theme should be used for all future Thor movies.
As for the 3D version of this movie, I recommend you see it in 2D. Like its predecessor, Thor: The Dark World is a 3D conversion Unlike the first one, this movie is well lit. I'm not sure if the filmmakers knew it was going to be released in 3D and adjusted. But you can see most of the picture. Unfortunately, like almost all 2D conversions to 3D, this movie lacked pop and depth. Nothing to see here.
Thor: The Dark World is a worthy successor to the first Thor movie. Fun, humorous and romantic. And remember don't leave until you see the last scene after the credits. The grade is B+.
Thor: The Dark World starts out with a flashback. Evil elf Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) wants to unleash the Aether. From what I can tell the Aether will destroy the universe and replace it with a dark world. Oh, why couldn't this elf be one of Santa's. Bor, the father of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), Thor's father, defeats Malekith. But the Aether is trapped in another universe and the evil elves escape.
In the present day, Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) who's a little crazy and very funny, discovers that the nine Realms are aligning allowing passages between them. Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is accidentally sucked into one and comes into contact with the Aether. Thor (Chris Hemsworth)returns to earth to find Foster. In the first Thor movie, they had a romance. Anyway, Foster tells Thor not to do remakes of silly right-wing fantasies like Red Dawn. Okay, that's not what happened. Thor takes Foster to Asgard to find a way to remove the Aether from her. You see Obamacare doens't cover this type of sickness. Anyway, Malekith is still looking for the Aether and Thor must enlist the help of Loki (Tim Hiddleston) to find Malekith's dark world.
Thor: The Dark World delivers the goods even with this strange and confusing plot. There are nice touches of humor. And director Alan Taylor doesn't let his camera get in the way of the sincere performances of he actors. The film is touching at times, and features entertaining action scenes. One complaint. There are times that the action is too frantic and there's confusion. The score by Brian Tyler is magnificent. It's heroic and the bold main theme should be used for all future Thor movies.
As for the 3D version of this movie, I recommend you see it in 2D. Like its predecessor, Thor: The Dark World is a 3D conversion Unlike the first one, this movie is well lit. I'm not sure if the filmmakers knew it was going to be released in 3D and adjusted. But you can see most of the picture. Unfortunately, like almost all 2D conversions to 3D, this movie lacked pop and depth. Nothing to see here.
Thor: The Dark World is a worthy successor to the first Thor movie. Fun, humorous and romantic. And remember don't leave until you see the last scene after the credits. The grade is B+.
Grand Theft Auto V: Knife Flight tips
If you want to get the one hundred percent achievement (Career Criminal) for Grand Theft Auto V, you're going to have to complete eight knife flights. And if you want the achievement Close Shave you will have to do all fifteen knife flights. Just in case you don't know, a knife flight is done with a fixed wing aircraft, i.e. airplane or jet plane. To complete one, you must fly sideways between two buildings or structures.
Sounds easy? In case you forgot, this is flying planes in a Grand Theft Auto game. And if you played GTA: San Andreas, you remember it sucked. The game mechanics for flying planes in a GTA game stink. You're asked to fly a plane with overly sensitive controls with real world physics and turbulence. The knife flights must be done within a certain zone. And to make matters worse, many of them are low to the ground. Oh, I forgot. Knife flights are not marked and some of the angles taken require sharp turns. Yep, knife flights are painful.
So here are some tips. I got all fifteen. I'm not the greatest GTA player. And if I can do it, you can do it.
1. Get the right aircraft. There are three aircraft you should consider. Generally, don't use jets except for one. Jets are too fast and lack maneuverability. You see you will have to make sharp turns with accuracy. The two airplanes I recommend are the Mallard and the biplane Duster,
There is one exception to the no jet rule. It's the Lazer, the fighter jet. You can get one at Fort Zancudo. Below I've posted a video of the locations of the knife flights and note it shows how to get the Lazer. Thanks to Next Segment. Now the fighter jet is good for a couple of reasons. It's more maneuverable than most jets. And it has more power than an airplane allowing you to stay in the air longer during the low altitude knife flight attempt. It also goes through the area quicker which may save your life.
2. Quick save while in the air. You can quick save after a successful Knife flight or you can save before you attempt one.
3. You can complete a knife flight even if you died in the attempt. Many times I died in the knife flight attempt but still got credit for completing the flight. You will either see the graphic of completion or after you get out of the hospital, the program will ask you to autosave which means you got it. Regardless, check your stats to confirm it.
4. Use landmarks to set up the knife flight. There's a knife flight north of the movie studio. I used a triangular building to help me to line up the knife flight.
5. PATIENCE. If you're not lined up right, circle around. Look it's less annoying than reloading a saved game after dying so take your time.
I hope this helps. It took my an evening to get all of them. And again, if I can do it, you can.
Sounds easy? In case you forgot, this is flying planes in a Grand Theft Auto game. And if you played GTA: San Andreas, you remember it sucked. The game mechanics for flying planes in a GTA game stink. You're asked to fly a plane with overly sensitive controls with real world physics and turbulence. The knife flights must be done within a certain zone. And to make matters worse, many of them are low to the ground. Oh, I forgot. Knife flights are not marked and some of the angles taken require sharp turns. Yep, knife flights are painful.
So here are some tips. I got all fifteen. I'm not the greatest GTA player. And if I can do it, you can do it.
1. Get the right aircraft. There are three aircraft you should consider. Generally, don't use jets except for one. Jets are too fast and lack maneuverability. You see you will have to make sharp turns with accuracy. The two airplanes I recommend are the Mallard and the biplane Duster,
There is one exception to the no jet rule. It's the Lazer, the fighter jet. You can get one at Fort Zancudo. Below I've posted a video of the locations of the knife flights and note it shows how to get the Lazer. Thanks to Next Segment. Now the fighter jet is good for a couple of reasons. It's more maneuverable than most jets. And it has more power than an airplane allowing you to stay in the air longer during the low altitude knife flight attempt. It also goes through the area quicker which may save your life.
2. Quick save while in the air. You can quick save after a successful Knife flight or you can save before you attempt one.
3. You can complete a knife flight even if you died in the attempt. Many times I died in the knife flight attempt but still got credit for completing the flight. You will either see the graphic of completion or after you get out of the hospital, the program will ask you to autosave which means you got it. Regardless, check your stats to confirm it.
4. Use landmarks to set up the knife flight. There's a knife flight north of the movie studio. I used a triangular building to help me to line up the knife flight.
5. PATIENCE. If you're not lined up right, circle around. Look it's less annoying than reloading a saved game after dying so take your time.
I hope this helps. It took my an evening to get all of them. And again, if I can do it, you can.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Ghost in the machine : Mass Effect 3 Retaliation DLC crashed my XBOX
So I try to play Mass Effect 3 multiplayer when it freezes at the loading menu. That's the menu which looks like couple of PCs and features your galaxy at war report. It also tells you that your XBOX is connecting with EA's servers. Now this happened after I lost the Internet connection. I reconnect easily and every device that is attached works. I call EA support on a Friday. We delete everything including all the DLC and reload it. Well, it looks like it worked since I could immediately play the game starting from the menu. But the next day, I started the game back up again and it froze. My XBOX crashed.
I call EA support again. This time we did a route trace. (Don't ask me what that means. I think it has to do with looking at the Internet signal to my XBOX.) EA tells me i'ts my ISP. I call Cincinnati Bell. We do a route trace there. They analyze and say since I can play Grand Theft Auto, it ain't us. They tell me to call EA again. I call EA again. They think it's a particular DLC. I'm told to delete each DLC and reinstall to see which one. Oh and before that we created another profile to test my XBOX. On that one, the test profile ran and it worked. That means whatever is wrong is attached to my profile. Which stinks since my multiplayer profile has all the weapons maxed out. Hey I play a lot of Mass Effect. Goddess. Well, I test each DLC. Voila. It's the DLC Retaliation that is crashing.
EA moves me up past Tier 2 support. I'm now discussing my case with senior tech support. This nice gentleman tells me to take my XBOX to another network. Now I've already done everything in support protocol. Disconnect my modem. Take the XBOX off the Internet and reconnect. I literally took my XBOX and directly connected it to the Internet connection. And I had said before, created a test profile to test whether it was my XBOX or my profile. Loaded each DLC separately and found it was Retaliation. So I'm a little skeptical. He said something about re-synchronizing my profile and XBOX.
The Happy Ending.
Well, I take my XBOX to another network. And it worked. What the ? Then I took it home. It took a little bit of coaxing because I couldn't connect. I ran the connection tests and got the XBOX to go online. And it started to work! I have no idea why Retaliation crashed on my profile. All I can say is that taking it to another network may have reset everything. One more strange thing. When downloading the single player DLC again, I would lose connection to EA's servers. Not a real problem since I just would reconnect. The bottom line is that I got Mass Effect to work again. Thank the goddess.
I call EA support again. This time we did a route trace. (Don't ask me what that means. I think it has to do with looking at the Internet signal to my XBOX.) EA tells me i'ts my ISP. I call Cincinnati Bell. We do a route trace there. They analyze and say since I can play Grand Theft Auto, it ain't us. They tell me to call EA again. I call EA again. They think it's a particular DLC. I'm told to delete each DLC and reinstall to see which one. Oh and before that we created another profile to test my XBOX. On that one, the test profile ran and it worked. That means whatever is wrong is attached to my profile. Which stinks since my multiplayer profile has all the weapons maxed out. Hey I play a lot of Mass Effect. Goddess. Well, I test each DLC. Voila. It's the DLC Retaliation that is crashing.
EA moves me up past Tier 2 support. I'm now discussing my case with senior tech support. This nice gentleman tells me to take my XBOX to another network. Now I've already done everything in support protocol. Disconnect my modem. Take the XBOX off the Internet and reconnect. I literally took my XBOX and directly connected it to the Internet connection. And I had said before, created a test profile to test whether it was my XBOX or my profile. Loaded each DLC separately and found it was Retaliation. So I'm a little skeptical. He said something about re-synchronizing my profile and XBOX.
The Happy Ending.
Well, I take my XBOX to another network. And it worked. What the ? Then I took it home. It took a little bit of coaxing because I couldn't connect. I ran the connection tests and got the XBOX to go online. And it started to work! I have no idea why Retaliation crashed on my profile. All I can say is that taking it to another network may have reset everything. One more strange thing. When downloading the single player DLC again, I would lose connection to EA's servers. Not a real problem since I just would reconnect. The bottom line is that I got Mass Effect to work again. Thank the goddess.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Bengals choke in second straight overtime loss
For the second straight time the Cincinnati Bengals lost in overtime. This time it was to the Baltimore Ravens, 20-17. The Bengals offense was putrid. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is beginning to remind me of Jon Kitna. He threw three picks. I gave up on the the third one. Here's the story from the Cincinnati Bengals. Here's Lance McAlister's point of view.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Colbert creates a service to "praise" Fox News
Stephen Colbert reported that Fox News would have staffers watch the Internet for negative comments and they would rebut them. Well, now Colbert's show has created a bot that takes positive reviews from Rotten Tomatoes and stick Fox News shows into them. Brilliantly funny.
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Grand Theft Auto V: "Legal Trouble" Gold Medal Tips
In Grand Theft Auto V, there are two tough requirements for the Gold Medal for the mission "Legal Trouble." They are the time limit of five minutes, thirty seconds and losing the wanted level in two minutes. There's also a tricky requirement of having the Weazel helicopter film the chase for fifteen seconds.
First, let's discuss completing the mission under five minute thirty seconds. The guys at Grand Theft Auto Series Videos show you how. When you reach the Maze Arena, take the road in front of it. Don't follow the yellow recommended route to the left. Now, watch the video below at the three minute forty second mark. You need to cut across the highway by the arena and go through the gap before the railing. That's a short cut that will save you time. Then when you get on the jet, don't worry about taxing on the runway. Just start her up and take off. Second, I fly west and high to elude the police. All of this should get you under the time limit and also cause you to elude the police by two minutes.
One more thing. I had trouble accessing the Weazel News helicopter camera. That's because I was driving in the first person view. You need to drive in the third person view to access the camera. Easy.
First, let's discuss completing the mission under five minute thirty seconds. The guys at Grand Theft Auto Series Videos show you how. When you reach the Maze Arena, take the road in front of it. Don't follow the yellow recommended route to the left. Now, watch the video below at the three minute forty second mark. You need to cut across the highway by the arena and go through the gap before the railing. That's a short cut that will save you time. Then when you get on the jet, don't worry about taxing on the runway. Just start her up and take off. Second, I fly west and high to elude the police. All of this should get you under the time limit and also cause you to elude the police by two minutes.
One more thing. I had trouble accessing the Weazel News helicopter camera. That's because I was driving in the first person view. You need to drive in the third person view to access the camera. Easy.
Grand Theft Auto V: " Repossession" Gold Medal tips
Here are tips for getting the Gold Medal for Franklin's "Repossession" mission. I got it with a couple of attempts. Now remember you can get all the requirements in multiple attempts by replaying a mission. IF you're great, you might get it in one try, like the guys that do Grand Theft Series videos.
The hardest part of this mission is the getting under the time limit. It's under six minutes and thirty seconds. First, you have to skip the cutscenes. Now once you get to the alleyway where the bike you have to repossess, go to the single garage on the right. That starts the fire fight with the gang.
Now I replayed this mission with better weapons and laid waste to the gang members. The guy below is unbelievably good. It took me a couple of attempts to get all the requirements especially the time limit requirement.
Once you destroy the car driving away and kill all the gang members, Lamar will ask you how you are doing. That's the cue for you to look for the appearance of a gang member getting on the bike outside of the fence. Shoot him. Hopefully, you have an automatic weapon if you've already got the accuracy requirement. Aim to the right of the bike and at him. If you're good try to make it a head shot. If you miss and have to chase him you will run out of time for the Gold Medal requirement. If you're good or lucky, you will nail him. Once you kill him, hop on the bike and easily take it back. Skip the cutscenes at the end.
The hardest part of this mission is the getting under the time limit. It's under six minutes and thirty seconds. First, you have to skip the cutscenes. Now once you get to the alleyway where the bike you have to repossess, go to the single garage on the right. That starts the fire fight with the gang.
Now I replayed this mission with better weapons and laid waste to the gang members. The guy below is unbelievably good. It took me a couple of attempts to get all the requirements especially the time limit requirement.
Once you destroy the car driving away and kill all the gang members, Lamar will ask you how you are doing. That's the cue for you to look for the appearance of a gang member getting on the bike outside of the fence. Shoot him. Hopefully, you have an automatic weapon if you've already got the accuracy requirement. Aim to the right of the bike and at him. If you're good try to make it a head shot. If you miss and have to chase him you will run out of time for the Gold Medal requirement. If you're good or lucky, you will nail him. Once you kill him, hop on the bike and easily take it back. Skip the cutscenes at the end.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Bengals bungle in Miami
Thursday night, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton learned what it feels like to be a Bengal. Against the Miami Dolphins, he threw three interceptions. Doh. Sacked in his endzone for a game winning safety in overtime. Doh. Bengals lose 22-20. This is how the old Bengals lose.
And to add insult to injury, Bengals superstar defensive tackle Geno Atkins tore his ACL in his knee. Out for the season. Classic Cincinnati Bengals heartbreaking moment. Doh, doh. Here's the story from the Bengals.
And to add insult to injury, Bengals superstar defensive tackle Geno Atkins tore his ACL in his knee. Out for the season. Classic Cincinnati Bengals heartbreaking moment. Doh, doh. Here's the story from the Bengals.
Grand Theft Aiuto V Golf tips
Having trouble getting the 100 percent requirement in Grand Theft Auto V's with the Golf game? As you know you must score par or under to get it. Here are some tips on how I got it.
Some basics.
I'm not going to go into detail about the game of golf. But here are the basic rules. The less strokes it takes to get the ball in the hole, the better your score. The 100 percent requirement requires you to get par or the exact number of shots in the game or lower. I've noticed that some of you on the Internet are having difficulties. I had trouble for a few hours until I figured out how to play the game.
Before you start swinging your golf club, scout the circumstances of the hole. On the XBOX, the left trigger previews the hole. The right trigger previews the shot. Note if you preview the shot, it tells you the trajectory and where the ball is going to land. The right trigger and right stick can also direct where the ball will land pursuant to your wishes. On the right upper corner is information about the club you are using, wind direction, and spin on the ball. There are four types of shots. Approach, normal, power and punch. Approach shots are accurate but have less power. I didn't use power much. Normal shots are just that. Punch shots put less trajectory on a shot.
Swinging is important. I'm talking about swinging your golf club so get your minds out of the gutter. On the XBOX, you start your swing by pulling back on the left stick. The power meter on the right shows a cross heading toward a yellow area. Push or shove forward on the same stick to hit the ball. Now this is most important. PUSH STRAIGHT. If you push off to the left or right, you will shank the shot. So think hit the ball straight through. You want the cross to hit the yellow area when you swing.
Now I've added a video below from Witness Gaming. It's a good video that will help you see what I'm talking about. The narrator tells you that putting spin on is an advanced technique. But I'm going to tell you that putting spin on the ball will help you immensely. If you see the ball is going to overshoot the hole then you might want to add backspin to cause the ball to roll backwards. When the ball is in the air, hold left stick back, tap the A button to cause the ball to roll back when it hits the green. If you need the ball to roll right push the stick right and tap A. And for the left, vice versa.
Basic strategy.
Like real golf, you need to get to the green with as little shots as possible. Where you are going to have trouble with GTA V Golf is the putting. For the right club, I use the recommendations from the program for shots. They are good. Remember what I said about hitting the ball.
Second, I basically use the program's recommendations for the first two shots of any hole. Now if I think the wind is going to be significant, I will compensate very slightly. That's about four to five miles an hour. IF the wind is blowing hard from the right, I will use the right trigger and stick to move the direction slightly right into the wind. But the program will do a very good job of direction for the first two shots.
The shot that you take to get the ball on the green is where you want to adjust slightly from the program's recommendations. You may need to adjust where the ball will land. Get as close to the hole as possible or even see if you can sink it. I never did but frankly, all I was concerned about was getting the requirement. Remember what I said about spin. If you land in the rough just outside of the green, I use a punch shot since it has a lower trajectory.
Putting is where you will lose on strokes. The reason is that GTA does a bad job of giving you touch to hit the ball with your putter. Once you are on the green, note the grid placed. Yellow areas are areas higher than the ball. Red areas are lower than the ball. The same philosophy for hitting the ball applies as above without the wind considerations. But if you need to adjust the direction of the ball, use the right stick ever so slightly to adjust the direction. With the loss of strokes on the green, this is why you need to get the ball to the hole with as few strokes as possible and as close as possible.
After a few hours, I finally got par or less. I got a couple of birdies. My score was two under par. If I can do it you can do it. And golf is a relaxing game. Hilarious too with Trevor. I played with Trevor in his underwear.
Some basics.
I'm not going to go into detail about the game of golf. But here are the basic rules. The less strokes it takes to get the ball in the hole, the better your score. The 100 percent requirement requires you to get par or the exact number of shots in the game or lower. I've noticed that some of you on the Internet are having difficulties. I had trouble for a few hours until I figured out how to play the game.
Before you start swinging your golf club, scout the circumstances of the hole. On the XBOX, the left trigger previews the hole. The right trigger previews the shot. Note if you preview the shot, it tells you the trajectory and where the ball is going to land. The right trigger and right stick can also direct where the ball will land pursuant to your wishes. On the right upper corner is information about the club you are using, wind direction, and spin on the ball. There are four types of shots. Approach, normal, power and punch. Approach shots are accurate but have less power. I didn't use power much. Normal shots are just that. Punch shots put less trajectory on a shot.
Swinging is important. I'm talking about swinging your golf club so get your minds out of the gutter. On the XBOX, you start your swing by pulling back on the left stick. The power meter on the right shows a cross heading toward a yellow area. Push or shove forward on the same stick to hit the ball. Now this is most important. PUSH STRAIGHT. If you push off to the left or right, you will shank the shot. So think hit the ball straight through. You want the cross to hit the yellow area when you swing.
Now I've added a video below from Witness Gaming. It's a good video that will help you see what I'm talking about. The narrator tells you that putting spin on is an advanced technique. But I'm going to tell you that putting spin on the ball will help you immensely. If you see the ball is going to overshoot the hole then you might want to add backspin to cause the ball to roll backwards. When the ball is in the air, hold left stick back, tap the A button to cause the ball to roll back when it hits the green. If you need the ball to roll right push the stick right and tap A. And for the left, vice versa.
Basic strategy.
Like real golf, you need to get to the green with as little shots as possible. Where you are going to have trouble with GTA V Golf is the putting. For the right club, I use the recommendations from the program for shots. They are good. Remember what I said about hitting the ball.
Second, I basically use the program's recommendations for the first two shots of any hole. Now if I think the wind is going to be significant, I will compensate very slightly. That's about four to five miles an hour. IF the wind is blowing hard from the right, I will use the right trigger and stick to move the direction slightly right into the wind. But the program will do a very good job of direction for the first two shots.
The shot that you take to get the ball on the green is where you want to adjust slightly from the program's recommendations. You may need to adjust where the ball will land. Get as close to the hole as possible or even see if you can sink it. I never did but frankly, all I was concerned about was getting the requirement. Remember what I said about spin. If you land in the rough just outside of the green, I use a punch shot since it has a lower trajectory.
Putting is where you will lose on strokes. The reason is that GTA does a bad job of giving you touch to hit the ball with your putter. Once you are on the green, note the grid placed. Yellow areas are areas higher than the ball. Red areas are lower than the ball. The same philosophy for hitting the ball applies as above without the wind considerations. But if you need to adjust the direction of the ball, use the right stick ever so slightly to adjust the direction. With the loss of strokes on the green, this is why you need to get the ball to the hole with as few strokes as possible and as close as possible.
After a few hours, I finally got par or less. I got a couple of birdies. My score was two under par. If I can do it you can do it. And golf is a relaxing game. Hilarious too with Trevor. I played with Trevor in his underwear.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Send your stuffed animal on vacation
There's a company which will send your toy stuffed animal on vacation. It's an inane idea and delightful comic fodder for Stephen Colbert. Check out his piece.
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Stephen Colbert's interview of poet Billy Collins
Here's Stephen Colbert interviewing Poet Laureate of the United States, Billy Collins. Colbert is probably the only pop culture icon that reads poetry on his show. Here he reads a poem from Collins' book of poetry, "Aimless Love."
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Stephen Colbert on Rand Paul's plagiarism
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow caught Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky) plagiarizing Wikipedia. Great comic fodder for Stephen Colbert.
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Sunday, October 27, 2013
Bengals shoot down Jets
To win in the NFL, you must have good play in the trenches from the offensive and defensive line. Today against the New York Jets, the Cincinnati Bengals dominated in both areas. And that was a very good Jets defense that the Bengals offensive line manhandled. The result? The Bengals ground the Jets, and destroy them, 49-9.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton threw five touchdown passes. Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones caught four. Folks, the Bengals drafted Jones in the fifth round!. How's that for finding football talent. The defense kept the pressure on Jets quarterback Geno Smith and picked him off twice for touchdowns. One of them came from wise veteran Chris Crocker who just keeps on coming back to the team after being cut. Great guy.
As Allen Cutler would say. It's a great day to be a Bengals fan. Here's the story of the game from Bengals.com.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton threw five touchdown passes. Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones caught four. Folks, the Bengals drafted Jones in the fifth round!. How's that for finding football talent. The defense kept the pressure on Jets quarterback Geno Smith and picked him off twice for touchdowns. One of them came from wise veteran Chris Crocker who just keeps on coming back to the team after being cut. Great guy.
As Allen Cutler would say. It's a great day to be a Bengals fan. Here's the story of the game from Bengals.com.
Stephen Colbert rips Dallas Safari Club
This idea can only come from right-wing America. In order to save the endangered black rhino, the Dallas Safari Club wants to auction off a chance to kill one on what I guess is a safari. Thank goodness for Stephen Colbert who with scathing sarcasm, destroys the Club.
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Thursday, October 24, 2013
A racist Republican reveals real motive for voter ID laws
I'm very happy that young people get their news from The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert. Yeah, some of its' fake. But it's satire. And they comment on real actual news. That's the real part of the show. Anyway, The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi got to interview North Carolina Republican leader Don Yelton. (North Carolina Republican Executive Committee Memeber) He admits that his state voter ID law is designed to suppress Democratic votes. And yeah, he did use racist terms too, like "lazy blacks." Please young people of America, vote out these racist dinosaurs from your state governments.
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Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Stephen Colbert takes on dinosaur erotica
In this Stephen Colbert's Tip of the Hat/Wag of the Finger video, he takes on Newark mayor and Senate elect Cory Booker presiding over gay marraiges, computers grading essays, and crazy novels published for the Amazon Kindle. There's actually a genre about dinosaur erotica. What the ....?! Riotous stuff.
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The Fifth Estate review
The term "fifth estate" stands for a group outside of the mainstream news media which is considered the fourth estate. This fifth estate is an independent form of news media. In this day and age, the fifth estate would constitute blogs and those individuals not associated with mainstream journalists. So it's appropriate when a movie was made about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange that it be called "The Fifth Estate."
The Fifth Estate starts with a montage of how man reported the news. We went from handwriting to newspapers to television and finally to the Internet. It then starts as a flashback to 2007 when Julian Assange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) whistle blowing website WikiLeaks started to rev up. He meets and enlists the help of a young computer expert, Daniel Berg. (Daniel Bruhl) At the time, Assange is directly involved with confidential sources in Kenya who are disclosing wrongdoing within the national government. Later he and Berg start work on disclosing corruption in a Swiss bank. The WikiLeaks story leads to prosecutions. Wikileaks and Assange's reputation are solidified. But Assange has a fundamental rule. He refuses to redact sensitive information that could disclose informants leaked to him since it's editing and he would lose his objectivity. It's that idea that comes into conflict when Assange receives a ton of classified information from United States Army private Bradley Manning.
Director Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Kinsey) and screenwriter Josh Singer (The West Wing) have created a visually imaginative techno thriller. At times, The Fifth Estate features scenes of surrealism. The movie does lose some of its drive when it focuses on Berg's private life. That time could have been spent on better defining WikiLeaks triumph over the Swiss bank. That would have given the audience a more balanced view of Assange. Still, the film takes off once WikiLeaks publishes disturbing video of an Army helicopter attack that killed civilians. It hits its stride when Assange realizes that American intelligence is physically following him. While the film explores the good things that release of secret government information has such as exposing corruption and attrocites, it also shows that Assange's quest is blind when he exposes American informants whose lives could be put in danger.
As he was in Star Trek Into Darkness, Benedict Cumberbatch is simply brilliant. He's arrogant, egotistical and is righteous at the same time. Daniel Berg is also very good as the conflicted assistant. Laura Linney does a fine job conveying the American position as State Department official Sarah Shaw. And Alexder Siddig (Star Trek Deep Space 9's Dr. Bashir) realistically portrays fear as the exposed informant.
The Fifth Estate is not a perfect movie. It's much like Julian Assange himself. Only history will be able to cast the final judgment. My judgment is that The Fifth Estate is a thought provoking, well made film. The grade is A.
The Fifth Estate starts with a montage of how man reported the news. We went from handwriting to newspapers to television and finally to the Internet. It then starts as a flashback to 2007 when Julian Assange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) whistle blowing website WikiLeaks started to rev up. He meets and enlists the help of a young computer expert, Daniel Berg. (Daniel Bruhl) At the time, Assange is directly involved with confidential sources in Kenya who are disclosing wrongdoing within the national government. Later he and Berg start work on disclosing corruption in a Swiss bank. The WikiLeaks story leads to prosecutions. Wikileaks and Assange's reputation are solidified. But Assange has a fundamental rule. He refuses to redact sensitive information that could disclose informants leaked to him since it's editing and he would lose his objectivity. It's that idea that comes into conflict when Assange receives a ton of classified information from United States Army private Bradley Manning.
Director Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Kinsey) and screenwriter Josh Singer (The West Wing) have created a visually imaginative techno thriller. At times, The Fifth Estate features scenes of surrealism. The movie does lose some of its drive when it focuses on Berg's private life. That time could have been spent on better defining WikiLeaks triumph over the Swiss bank. That would have given the audience a more balanced view of Assange. Still, the film takes off once WikiLeaks publishes disturbing video of an Army helicopter attack that killed civilians. It hits its stride when Assange realizes that American intelligence is physically following him. While the film explores the good things that release of secret government information has such as exposing corruption and attrocites, it also shows that Assange's quest is blind when he exposes American informants whose lives could be put in danger.
As he was in Star Trek Into Darkness, Benedict Cumberbatch is simply brilliant. He's arrogant, egotistical and is righteous at the same time. Daniel Berg is also very good as the conflicted assistant. Laura Linney does a fine job conveying the American position as State Department official Sarah Shaw. And Alexder Siddig (Star Trek Deep Space 9's Dr. Bashir) realistically portrays fear as the exposed informant.
The Fifth Estate is not a perfect movie. It's much like Julian Assange himself. Only history will be able to cast the final judgment. My judgment is that The Fifth Estate is a thought provoking, well made film. The grade is A.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Stephen Colbert rips Fox News shrink Dr. Keith Ablow
Look, I like psychiatry but it's not an exact science. One can't label a person as something without a thorough examination. Well Fox News shrink Dr. Keith Ablow made a bs analysis of President Obama on Fox News from afar. Thank goodness for Stephen Colbert. He destroys Ablow in the funny video below.
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Ann Coulter proud of Republicans for shutting down the American government
Tung N. Cheek reporting.
Last night on the Fox News program Hannity, conservative author Ann Coulter said she was proud of the Republicans for shutting down the United States government. Here's what she said.
"The shutdown was so magnificent, run beautifully. I'm so proud of these Republicans, and that is because they have branded the Republican party as the anti-Obamacare party."
She also dismissed polls which show an overwhelming amount of Americans disaproving and blaming Republicans for the shutdown.
I caught up with Ann Coulter and asked her for other examples in history where other anti-liberals made a principled stance.
Coulter said, " I'm also proud of the way Hitler ran World War II."
Last night on the Fox News program Hannity, conservative author Ann Coulter said she was proud of the Republicans for shutting down the United States government. Here's what she said.
"The shutdown was so magnificent, run beautifully. I'm so proud of these Republicans, and that is because they have branded the Republican party as the anti-Obamacare party."
She also dismissed polls which show an overwhelming amount of Americans disaproving and blaming Republicans for the shutdown.
I caught up with Ann Coulter and asked her for other examples in history where other anti-liberals made a principled stance.
Coulter said, " I'm also proud of the way Hitler ran World War II."
Jon Stewart rips Obamacare's glitches
Who says Jon Stewart of The Daily Show can't be fair and balanced. Major glitches with the Affordable Care Act's (Obamacare) provide Jon Stewart with comic fodder in these funny video pieces from The Daily Show.
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Monday, October 21, 2013
Saving Mr. Banks trailer
This Christmas, Disney is coming out with a movie about how Walt Disney got British author P.L. Travers to give him the film rights to "Mary Poppins." The trailer below looks interesting. The movie just had its world premiere at the London Film Festival. Slash Film has some of the first reviews. The reviews look somewhat positive, I'll wait for Rotten Tomatoes to compile a more complete report for critical consensus.
Democrats could take back House in 2014
According to a survey by Public Policy Polling, Republican support is beginning to wane in some congressional districts. Now to be fair PPP is liberal leaning. But it is logical. The Republicans tried to shut down the United States over the Affordable Care Act and they took a beating for it. Makes sense, a great majority of Americans didn't want these right-wingers to shut down America over the ACA. As a consequence, Democrats may gain seats in the House. Let's hope they get the majority back and end the conservative Republican reign of terror. Here's the story from The Huffington Post.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Gresham's bungles can't stop Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham had a couple of old loser Bengals moments in today's game between them and the Detroit Lions. First in the second quarter, he loses his cool with a Lions player then makes contact with an official. The Bengals are pushed back for unsportsmanlike conduct. That was a fifteen yard penalty. Doh. They miss the field goal. Then in fourth quarter, he moves prematurely for five yard penalty. Doh. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is sacked on the next play. The Bengals are pushed out of field goal range. This led to the drama of the last minute and forty seconds.
Three things stopped the Bengals from losing the game. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, quarterback Andy Dalton and the special teams. First, Bengals punter Kevin Huber kicked a beauty of a punt to trap the Lions on their six yard line. Then after the Lions ran the ball, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis called for a timeout. At this point I was screaming at the TV. Play for overtime. But Lewis had faith in his defense that they would somehow stop the Lions and the Bengals would get the ball back. The defense did stop the Lions and they had a terrible punt. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton took care of the ball and drove the offense to set up the winning field goal. For the day, he had three touchdowns and no interceptions. Previously, the special teams' Carlos Dunlap who plays stellar defensive end blocked a Lions field goal. Now was the time for the Bengals field goal unit. Kudos to Bengals kicker Mike "I'm not Ted" Nugent. He drilled a fifty four yard filed goal with four seconds left to win the game. Bengals come out on top, 27-24. Jermaine Gresham should buy a steak dinner for kicker Nugent. Here's the story with video.
Three things stopped the Bengals from losing the game. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, quarterback Andy Dalton and the special teams. First, Bengals punter Kevin Huber kicked a beauty of a punt to trap the Lions on their six yard line. Then after the Lions ran the ball, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis called for a timeout. At this point I was screaming at the TV. Play for overtime. But Lewis had faith in his defense that they would somehow stop the Lions and the Bengals would get the ball back. The defense did stop the Lions and they had a terrible punt. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton took care of the ball and drove the offense to set up the winning field goal. For the day, he had three touchdowns and no interceptions. Previously, the special teams' Carlos Dunlap who plays stellar defensive end blocked a Lions field goal. Now was the time for the Bengals field goal unit. Kudos to Bengals kicker Mike "I'm not Ted" Nugent. He drilled a fifty four yard filed goal with four seconds left to win the game. Bengals come out on top, 27-24. Jermaine Gresham should buy a steak dinner for kicker Nugent. Here's the story with video.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Twerking Robot
Why make a robot twerk? Like climbing Mt. Everest or going to the moon, it's a challenge that man must undertake. Here from Bloomberg news is the twerking robot.
Republicans release hostage and get nothing
The whole government shutdown started with defunding Obamacare. And what did the Republicans get? Nothing. Folks, this is no way to govern. You see House Republicans want to repeal Obamacare aka the Affordable Care Act. But they can't get the Senate and President to go along. So, the law is challenged. The United States Supreme Court has ruled it to be constitutional. It's the law of the land. Last tactic for the Republicans is to hold the U.S. government hostage by refusing to pass a budget. Republican speaker House Speaker John Boehner (R-Oh) refused to allow a vote. Finally on the brink of defaulting on our debts, Boehner allowed a vote on the Senate budget. It passes. How much did this cost the economy? According to Standards and Poors, about twenty four billion dollars.
Did the Republicans get anything from this? Nope. Last night on The Rachel Maddow Show, host Maddow went over all the Republican demands. And they got nothing. I'll say this over and over again. If you want to change a law, create law or implement policy, do it legally. Don't hold the country hostage. It's time for all voters to kick out he right-wing Republicans out of Congress. Here's a chart that Rachel had on her show demonstrating how bad he Republicans lost in getting their demands. And below is her video piece.
Did the Republicans get anything from this? Nope. Last night on The Rachel Maddow Show, host Maddow went over all the Republican demands. And they got nothing. I'll say this over and over again. If you want to change a law, create law or implement policy, do it legally. Don't hold the country hostage. It's time for all voters to kick out he right-wing Republicans out of Congress. Here's a chart that Rachel had on her show demonstrating how bad he Republicans lost in getting their demands. And below is her video piece.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Republicans take America to economic Armageddon
Well, it looks like the Republicans will allow the United States to default as they refuse to raise the debt ceiling without defunding Obamacare. Economic Armageddon is coming. Meanwhile Cong. Steve Southerland (R-Fla.) led the House Republicans in the singing of "Amazing Grace." I believe in God but I'm thinking the moment calls for two classic moments from movies. First, up is the end of Planet of the Apes (1968) where astronaut Talyor realizes man has destroyed his civilization with nuclear war. "We finally really did it. You maniacs!" Second, is the end to Dr. Stangelove (1964) where the world ends in nuclear war and we hear Vera Lynn sing, "We'll Meet Again." Come Republicans, sing with me. "We'll meet again... don't know where, don't know when..."
Bengals get lucky
So, I'm watching the Cincinnati Bengals-Buffalo Bills game, and between the second quarters and third quarters, I'm thinking the Bengals win easily. They go up by fourteen points. But these are the Bengals. And as Benagls fan will tell you, you wait for Homer Simpson moment where they blow the lead. Yep, the Bengals miss a field goal. Gamble with a blitz that led to a Bills touchdown. End of regular time, the game is tied, 24-24.
Thank God for the Bengals defense. Because in overtime, the Bengals defense forced the Bills to punt. The Bengals punt returner Brandon Tate took the ball back for twenty nine yards to the Bills thirty three yard line. A couple plays later, Bengals kicker Ted... er, Mike Nugent kicks the game winning field goal. Bengals win, 27-24. Hey, a win is a a win is a win. Here's the story from the Cincinnati Bengals website.
Thank God for the Bengals defense. Because in overtime, the Bengals defense forced the Bills to punt. The Bengals punt returner Brandon Tate took the ball back for twenty nine yards to the Bills thirty three yard line. A couple plays later, Bengals kicker Ted... er, Mike Nugent kicks the game winning field goal. Bengals win, 27-24. Hey, a win is a a win is a win. Here's the story from the Cincinnati Bengals website.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Stephen Colbert lampoons Fox News' News Deck
You want to know why Stephen Colbert wins Emmys and Peabodys, it's because of his mix of comedy, satire and news commentary. Yesterday, Colbert covered Fox News's News Deck. This studio has producers working on gigantic computer screens. I guess so Fox News' old audience can see the screens. Anyway, Colbert lampoons Fox News' News Deck with his own. He also makes some nice Star Trek references. Stephen Colbert often cites Star Trek. I nominate him for Star Trek's favorite satirist. Here are the hilarious videos.
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Thursday, October 10, 2013
Stephen Colbert takes on "Angry truckers going to Washington to remove President Obama"
Angry truckers are driving to Washington D.C. They are part of a group called Ride for the Constitution. What do these "geniuses" want? They want to remove President Barack Obama. That's what leader Zeeda Andrews says in the video clip from Stephen Colbert. But to avoid trouble they say on the website Obama must "leave office voluntarily and immediately." They also say that conservative Senators John McCain (R-Arizona) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have "betrayed" the country in supporting Al Qaeda. That's in their first demand. McCain supporting Al Qaeda? WTF. Okay, we got some crazy people in this country.
So just how smart are these "genius" truckers? They feature a painting of satirist Stephen Colbert on top of an American eagle. Um... guys you do know Colbert mocks right-wing conservatives like you? He's like Archie Bunker in All in the Family. You do realize that Bunker was made to espouse conservative nonsense and looked like an idiot for a purpose? Well, anyway Stephen Colbert has fun with them. Yeah, a "genius" trucker claims they are going to put 100 million around Washington.
So just how smart are these "genius" truckers? They feature a painting of satirist Stephen Colbert on top of an American eagle. Um... guys you do know Colbert mocks right-wing conservatives like you? He's like Archie Bunker in All in the Family. You do realize that Bunker was made to espouse conservative nonsense and looked like an idiot for a purpose? Well, anyway Stephen Colbert has fun with them. Yeah, a "genius" trucker claims they are going to put 100 million around Washington.
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Don't confuse i Yogi with Norton Customer Support
I bought Norton 360 Internet antivirus software and had trouble installing it. I Google this term "Norton 360 can't install." And this is the website that came up. Now note. The url has Norton 360 in it. So, I thought it was Norton. Big mistake.
The company is called iYogi not Norton. When I called the number, a person with an Indian accent immediately answered. It's an Indian company. I told him my problem. He asked for the product key number from my Norton 360. I gave it to him. I let him take over my computer. He ran a "diagnostic" and said I had major problems. He insisted I regularly needed to maintain my computer. He showed me prices of Best Buy and Staples computer maintenance prices and said theirs would cost $169.00. I hesitated. Something smelled bad. I asked if they were Norton. He said they did tech support for Norton and Apple products. Note he never said we are not Norton. I asked him if I could just pull up the old Norton app and type in the key product number. He said it wouldn't work due to my registry problems. So I said to him, "I'm not going to send you or anybody else money through the Internet." He insisted it was safe. I said, "The price is almost the value of my computer. I should consider buying a new computer at that price. Let me think about it or buy another antivirus." At that moment, he said, "Talk to my supervisor." Same hard sell. I said the same thing. I demanded they release my computer. I then started the disconnection process. Get this. I get a call from another supervisor at iYogi arguing with me about the same issues.
Afterwards, I did some online research for iYogi. And I found similar complaints. Here's a similar story. Here's Dan Tynan of IT World with another similar story. According to Wikipedia, the antivirus company Avast terminated its contract with iYogi over similar issues.
The Happy Ending. I found Norton Customer service. I just doubled check with the URL on the product box. They took over my computer and installed Norton 360 instantly.
The company is called iYogi not Norton. When I called the number, a person with an Indian accent immediately answered. It's an Indian company. I told him my problem. He asked for the product key number from my Norton 360. I gave it to him. I let him take over my computer. He ran a "diagnostic" and said I had major problems. He insisted I regularly needed to maintain my computer. He showed me prices of Best Buy and Staples computer maintenance prices and said theirs would cost $169.00. I hesitated. Something smelled bad. I asked if they were Norton. He said they did tech support for Norton and Apple products. Note he never said we are not Norton. I asked him if I could just pull up the old Norton app and type in the key product number. He said it wouldn't work due to my registry problems. So I said to him, "I'm not going to send you or anybody else money through the Internet." He insisted it was safe. I said, "The price is almost the value of my computer. I should consider buying a new computer at that price. Let me think about it or buy another antivirus." At that moment, he said, "Talk to my supervisor." Same hard sell. I said the same thing. I demanded they release my computer. I then started the disconnection process. Get this. I get a call from another supervisor at iYogi arguing with me about the same issues.
Afterwards, I did some online research for iYogi. And I found similar complaints. Here's a similar story. Here's Dan Tynan of IT World with another similar story. According to Wikipedia, the antivirus company Avast terminated its contract with iYogi over similar issues.
The Happy Ending. I found Norton Customer service. I just doubled check with the URL on the product box. They took over my computer and installed Norton 360 instantly.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
The Daily Show: Republicans own the shutdown
I'll say this objectively again. The Republicans are behind the shutdown. It's all about Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act. And they admit it. If Obamacare were de-funded or delayed you would have a budget to run government today. The debt ceiling would not be an issue. But here's the facts, conservative Republicans. Obamacare is the law. You won't get it repealed at this moment since you don't control the Senate or the Presidency. It passed constitutional muster as the United Supreme Court has ruled it to be constitutional.
What drives Jon Stewart and me nuts is that some Republicans are blaming the Democrats for the government shutdown. Stewart uses prior video from Republican Speaker John Boehner to debunk this as he clearly wanted to shutdown the government over Obamacare. I've also added a video where Republican strategist Noelle Nikpour admits to this much to the agony of The Daily Show's Jason Jones. At least we can laugh at them because the Republicans are full of it.
What drives Jon Stewart and me nuts is that some Republicans are blaming the Democrats for the government shutdown. Stewart uses prior video from Republican Speaker John Boehner to debunk this as he clearly wanted to shutdown the government over Obamacare. I've also added a video where Republican strategist Noelle Nikpour admits to this much to the agony of The Daily Show's Jason Jones. At least we can laugh at them because the Republicans are full of it.
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Monday, October 7, 2013
Bengals outlast Patriots
Before yesterday's Cincinnati Bengals-New England Patriots game, I thought the Bengals could beat the Patriots. The Bengals do have the talent to defeat them. But if you're a Bengals fan, you know that they'll find a way to lose. And there were times in yesterday's game, when the Bengals showed you what I just said. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton throws an interception in the red zone. Running back Giovani Bernard fumbles the ball in the fourth quarter to give Patriots Hall of Famer quarterback Tom Brady a chance to tie the game.
But the major strength of the Bengals is their defense. And it all starts with the defensive line. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins set the tone by sacking Brady on the second play of the game. They pressured Brady all day long. He was never comfortable. The result? Brady did not throw a touchdown pass. That ended a streak of 52 games of touchdown passes. Kudos to other Bengals, the veteran Chris Crocker and defensive end Wallace Gilberry. The football gods also smiled on the Bengals. The clouds opened up and the rain poured down on the Patriots the last couple of minutes in the game. That gave the Patriots passing game problems as Brady had trouble throwing the wet football. His final pass was an interception by cornerback Adam Jones. Game over. Bengals stun the undefeated Patriots and gave them their first loss of the season. The score was Bengals 13, Patriots 6. Here's the story with video highlights.
But the major strength of the Bengals is their defense. And it all starts with the defensive line. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins set the tone by sacking Brady on the second play of the game. They pressured Brady all day long. He was never comfortable. The result? Brady did not throw a touchdown pass. That ended a streak of 52 games of touchdown passes. Kudos to other Bengals, the veteran Chris Crocker and defensive end Wallace Gilberry. The football gods also smiled on the Bengals. The clouds opened up and the rain poured down on the Patriots the last couple of minutes in the game. That gave the Patriots passing game problems as Brady had trouble throwing the wet football. His final pass was an interception by cornerback Adam Jones. Game over. Bengals stun the undefeated Patriots and gave them their first loss of the season. The score was Bengals 13, Patriots 6. Here's the story with video highlights.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Bill Maher boils Republican Party down to four types of people
Last night on Real Time with Bill Maher, Cong. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) made an observation on who populates the Republican Party. He said corporate shills, religious fanatics, and the freedom fiends are those that populate the Repbulcian party. Bill Maher had a similar list. Jesus freaks, gun nuts, generic obese suburbanites and the super rich. Video courtesy of Mediaite and HBO. I say the Republican Party consists of Gun nuts, far right fundamentalist Christians, the super rich and angry white men who support the previous three philosophically.
Republicans are the cause of the government shutdown; Jon Stewart blasts Fox News
I'll try to be as objective as possible. It's the Republicans that are responsible for the Federal government shutdown. You see, they won't agree to funding the government until the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare is de-funded or delayed. Period.
But those facts get in the way of Fox News' mission to support conservative Republicans. Thank goodness for The Daily Show and Jon Stewart. He blasts Fox News or what he likes to call "Bulls#t Mountain" for its biased coverage. Here's his funny and smart piece. There's also a guest appearance from Smokey the Bear.
But those facts get in the way of Fox News' mission to support conservative Republicans. Thank goodness for The Daily Show and Jon Stewart. He blasts Fox News or what he likes to call "Bulls#t Mountain" for its biased coverage. Here's his funny and smart piece. There's also a guest appearance from Smokey the Bear.
Reds make the right decision in firing Dusty Baker
Yesterday, the Cincinnati Reds fired manager Dusty Baker. Now, I'm not one of those guys who bash Dusty Baker. I think he's a good manager. He knows baseball. He's a fine teacher. He's a good man. According to CBSSports.com, Baker stood up for batting coach Brook Jacoby when Reds GM Walt Jocketty wanted to fire him. Allegedly, Baker said, "If you want to fire someone, fire me." And maybe that gave Jocketty cover to fire Baker. According to the story, It certainly didn't sound like Jocketty was happy with Baker at the end of this year.
But was it the right decision? Yes. The Reds didn't hit with runners in scoring position. So dumping Jacoby was correct. However, some of the Reds offensive woes belong to Dusty Baker. The Reds played like him. Laid back. In 2010, the Reds had a leader in third baseman Scott Rolen. But since then, there were no leaders in the clubhouse. If there's no leader in the clubhouse, then the manager must lead the team. After being swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the last three games of the season, I had no faith they would win a one game playoff. The team looked lifeless. Someone needed to fire them up. And without leaders, the spark must come from the manager. Dusty should have thrown some tables, do what the manager in the movie Bull Durham did. Throw the team in the showers, and read them the riot act.
Dusty Baker is a good manager. He deserves better. But he's not the right man for the Reds at this juncture. He would be great for a Reds team that had a leader like the 1999 Reds. I hope he and the Reds find a happier future.
But was it the right decision? Yes. The Reds didn't hit with runners in scoring position. So dumping Jacoby was correct. However, some of the Reds offensive woes belong to Dusty Baker. The Reds played like him. Laid back. In 2010, the Reds had a leader in third baseman Scott Rolen. But since then, there were no leaders in the clubhouse. If there's no leader in the clubhouse, then the manager must lead the team. After being swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the last three games of the season, I had no faith they would win a one game playoff. The team looked lifeless. Someone needed to fire them up. And without leaders, the spark must come from the manager. Dusty should have thrown some tables, do what the manager in the movie Bull Durham did. Throw the team in the showers, and read them the riot act.
Dusty Baker is a good manager. He deserves better. But he's not the right man for the Reds at this juncture. He would be great for a Reds team that had a leader like the 1999 Reds. I hope he and the Reds find a happier future.
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