Your Interview has been cancelled

Did Sony do the right thing in cancelling 'The Interview'?

Yes they did. If only from a liability standpoint. All it would take is one 'self radicalized' goofball shooting at theatregoers to bring out the Monday morning pundits saying "I told you so" and lawyers saying "you were warned".
Although I defend their right to make and distribute it, a bit of a line was crossed by using a living world leader. Even Charlie Chaplin , Team America World Police and Borat vaguely disguised the bad guy in their satire. Rogan poked the bear in the eye. I'm surprised that the script passed first draft without an eyebrow being raised.
That and, have you seen a Seth Rogan movie lately? Not very good.
It probably would've left them in the hole anyway, like Disney and the Lone Ranger.

At least now they have a controversy to gain sales as a cult film.

The Social Contract of 20th Century Halloween

What bugs me about Halloween today is households that don't hand out candy and parents who drive their kids out of their own neighborhoods. 

Halloween used to be a social contract. Even homes with no kids would hand out treats, in EVERY neighborhood. It was one day a year when everyone had to put pants and the porch light on and participate. A chance to get to know your own neighbors.

If you didn't, the other part of the social contract was that kids might toilet paper your yard or egg your house...it simply wasn't worth taking the chance of not handing out treats. After all, it's only once a year.

That was the social contract of Halloween when I was a kid.

Even the guy with no lawn, just potatoes in his front yard...the Bermuda yard where if, during the rest of the year, your ball or frisbee was considered lost forever if it went in there because no one, and I mean NO ONE DARED GO IN THAT YARD. 

Even he opened his gate, turned on the light and handed out candy. Halloween wasn't a pagan celebration, it was a time when the whole community got together and had a light hearted, boo-fully scary good time.

Imagine the potential for neighborhood improvement if parents and kids were to, en masse, take back their own neighborhoods.

That is, for the parents that care.

Gentitlement

Where does the 'Entitled' generation come from?

Take the case of two kids, one of them a three year old and his five year old sister. Both in the most impressionable and formative time of their lives. The time when they are setting their social interaction patterns for life.

Mom is a huge fan of 'Big Brother' and 'Survivor', she's watched every prime time episode of every season. It's mom's quiet time.

For that hour each week she watches while the kids play.

The only adult voices and conversation in the room come from the TV.

The kids are absorbing it by osmosis. It's just sinking in. All of the backstabbing, deceit and buggery that goes into the reality TV game. Everyone out for themselves, forming dubious alliances and making shady deals with one goal in mind. 

Winning.

Say and do anything to get what you want.

Winning.

Do everything for yourself with that one goal in mind.

Don't get voted out. Screw someone else.

These two shows have been on the air for fifteen years now. Those kids are eighteen and twenty now.

There's your problem. Generation Entitlement.

Good

ALS research got $14 million more on donations this August than last.
Good.
It's largely due to the 'ice bucket challenge' where Oprah, Steve Balmer, Justin Bieber and a laundry list of celebrities dump ice on themselves to avoid donating $100 while challenging others to do the same. Sure, it raises awareness, but the bulk of the money raised comes from the middle class.
Between the first three celebs mentioned above, $15 mil would be pretty easy to raise from just running around money.

The Real Danger of Internet Hoaxes

There is a story, made up by the 'National Report', making the rounds on the internet about a  NYPD cop killing a baby.

It didn't happen, it's fake, even it's author admits it.

This FAKE story was originally contrived by the 'National Report'.
To call it satire does a disservice to real satirical writers everywhere. It is a HOAX and a bad one at that.  'The Onion', 'SNL',  'This Hour' ...these are satire . The 'National Report' isn't satire, it's inflammatory bullshit.

It takes a sick mind to think that the subject of baby killing should be the subject of a joke.
HOAX stories like this are repugnant. They promote fear and hatred.
This HOAX promotes fear and hatred of police and needs to be stopped.
Sharing it needs to be stopped, because the more it is shared, the more people will believe it without checking its accuracy.

Stop it. Please.
I, like many of you, have family and friends in law enforcement that we pray for every day to come home at the end of their shift.

Why is this story, and hoaxes like it, dangerous?


This 'baby killer' story is FAKE and DID NOT HAPPEN.
Sharing it gives it tacit veracity and simply feeds the anti authority, cop hating psychosis of people like the Nova Scotia shooter.

Debunking this BULLSHIT and even removing this post might even save a cop's life from being taken by a simple minded Wing-nut with a closet full of guns.

Rant over.

Here is the scoop on the source, the So called satirical rag called the 'National Report'

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Report

And here is the bullshit story itself. It only took a couple of taps of the thumbs to determine it is not true.

http://www.politicalears.com/blog/baby-girl-killed-by-nypd-cop-after-illegally-ordering-mom-to-stop-breastfeeding/

Marijuana Legalization. You're doing it wrong.

I support the legalization of marijuana.
But you're doing it wrong.
Controlling and taxing the production and sale of it simply puts money in the pocket of government and a few select individuals who can afford the infrastructure and security.
Trusting the government with that much cash? What could go wrong?
The way to legalize it is just like carrots are legal. Let everybody grow it.
Let everybody sell it.
Some people would be too lazy to grow their own and would buy it.
Just like carrots.
Small local producers would them be able to compete with big business.
Just like carrots.
Some people would buy at 7-11 or superstore for the convenience, some would buy at the farmers market.
Just like carrots.
If the government wanted to compete on this level playing field they could.
Just like carrots. (Notice I didn't use potatoes as an example. See: Spudco)
Organized crime could even compete, although with increased supply probably wouldn't want to due to lowered margins.
Just like carrots.
It's been proven that the plant itself can't kill you, and could even be good for you.
Just like carrots.
A wider base of growers will speed the development of new and existing uses for the whole plant.
Just like carrots.
Using it to nourish, power, heal and make our world better.
Just like carrots.

Go ahead and treat impairment as impairment.