Thursday, February 12, 2009

Interesting Bits XI

Everybody been good? Good. Lots of interesting things going about on the interwebs this week. Want to know how I do this real quick? From my Feed Reader I bookmark different stuff. Now, depending on how busy my week is and how quickly I crank this thing out is how full the bookmark folder gets. This week? 76. Heh. I open all tabs, sort and go from there. See? You learned something new and highly inane today.

Women I Love to Love

Tonight is the premier of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. If a resume including: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel & Firefly on TV and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alien Resurrection & Serenity in movies weren't enough for you...ummm..it's got Eliza Dushku in the lead roll.


As my favourite Slayer on BtVS I've watched almost everything Eliza has been in from Bring it On to bad The New Guy to the worse Tru Calling. She's lovely and has a real je ne sais quoi.


I'm troubled that the show is going to be on Fox (I know I'm not the only one who's still bitter about what they did to Firefly) rather then Sci Fi (where it would be given a proper chance), but hope springs eternal when it come to Whedon projects for me. Make sure and check out the pilot tonight at 9 eastern 8 central. If you wish to peruse her entire body of work the Internet Movie Database is always the best place to start.


For some of my favourite galleries with Eliza Dushku please check: here, here, or here.

Heidi (Mrs. Seal aka Ms. Auf Weider Zane) Klum is in this month's GQ from Germany.


Not bad for a 35 year old mother of two, huh?


Also, Megan Fox came to some child's house for the Make-A-Wish Foundation to play video games. I commend the child's choice, but I probably would've picked a hula hoop game or something that involved strenuous movements on Wii.


Lastly, how did I miss this promo shot for the new season of Battlestar Galactica? Katee Sackhoff is just fun to look at for me.


Politicians

A happy 200th birthday to our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. The inventor of the emoticon. You only thought Lincoln was ahead of his time before this, but this document of a speech in 1862 has recently surfaced.


See the lil wink emoticon after his joke?

Greatest politician ever? Nikiski, Alaska has the awesome sense to have an assemblyman named…

Gary Superman.

I dunno about you, but this is easily one of the best things I’ve read this week, just for the name of the headline alone. “Superman Not Pleased With Borough Mayor.” All I can think about is heat-vision or a super-powered flick to the head (promptly causing said mayor to hit escape velocity).


Our Sad World


A recently un-ex-communicated Catholic Bishop has made headlines lately. And boy is he showing how grateful he is to the Pope for bringing him back into the fold. Bishop Richard Williamson has recently denied that the Holocaust ever took place. I shit you not. From Reuters:

"Bishop Richard Williamson is a member of the ultra- conservative Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX). In late January, Pope Benedict XVI decided to lift the excommunications of four members of the SSPX, Bishop Williamson among them. Just days prior to the retraction of his excommunication, Bishop Williamson said on Swedish television that he didn't believe the Holocaust took place and said that between 200,000 and 300,000 Jews died in Nazi concentration camps instead of the commonly accepted 6 million. The resulting scandal has led to doubts about Benedict's leadership of the Catholic Church, though Benedict last week demanded that Williamson recant his statements."

Check out an interview with the Bishop at Spiegel Online.

It's shit like this (and the 500 year too late apology for the Inquisition) that makes me consider myself a recovering Catholic. Sorta like an alcoholic, just because you stop drinking doesn't mean you aren't an alcoholic. Just because I don't go to church anymore doesn't mean I don't want to. I was brought up in the church and childhood teachings (brainwashings) are the hardest to shake.

Also on the sad world front comes this lil jewel:

"Brazil has called in the Swiss envoy to discuss an alleged skinhead attack near Zurich on a pregnant Brazilian woman that caused her to miscarry twins."



Sometimes I really doubt we'll make it as a species, but things like this give me hope...

Greatest Geek Samaritan

From Sir Steve's Guide:

"Josh "Tycho" Weisleberg has been part of the SirStevesGuide.com community for well over a decade, starting not long after I launched the site. Josh was first known for his newsletters regarding the world of Star Wars comics and books (as well as a die-hard toy collector and diorama builder) until an inherited kidney disorder put him in a coma for months and his longterm health took a sharp turn. So he put aside the newsletter to concentrate on dealing with his health, keeping active in the forums, and eventually even writing a book, while waiting on the donor list for a new kidney. It took the generosity of a fellow Star Wars fan, nearly 3 years, dialysis, and one disheartening false start, but as of February 3rd, 2009, his transplant was successful. The donor (or should I say hero) in this is Barry "bobafrett" Benecke. Barry gave the greatest gift one can give: life. Barry, a father, Star Wars collector, and member of the 501st Legion with several costumes, had never met Josh in person before but they were both active in the Forum. The need for donor kidneys is enormous in this country, there is a kidney waiting list of 90,000 people which had greatly limited Josh's chances, and when his health took a fast downturn in 2006, Barry felt compelled to help out a buddy in such dire need and offered to donate his own kidney, and it's simply amazing that everything worked out. I know there had been ups and downs, Barry had to undergo test after test to ensure that he was a good match, take time off from work, his family feared that he might not survive the kidney donation surgery, plus there were several trips from Barry's hometown of Chicago out to San Diego, all to help out a fellow Star Wars fan. Barry, you are truly a special person! "

A special thanks to Topless Robot for bringing this story to my attention. I truly needed it after those last two.

Talent

Having done a slew of book covers, Magic the Gathering cards and various other projects, Dan Dos Santos has truly outdone himself on the new Patricia Briggs, Mercy Thompson novel, Bone Crossed.


Please check out the review at Bitten by Books (cheap pop since I review for them as well and have reviews for her first three Mercy books forthcoming). The saying is, 'Never judge a book by it's cover,' but you can fore go that in this instance. Patty Briggs and Dan Dos Santos together make one excellent book.

News of the Weird

"HONG KONG (AFP) — A Hong Kong filmmaker aims to lure audiences back to the cinema with what what he says is the world's first 3D erotic movie, according to a newspaper report.

Stephen Shiu Jnr., chairman of One Dollar Production, said he would use special effects to make the love scenes in his 30 million-Hong Kong dollar (four million US) "3D Sex and Zen" as realistic as possible."

3-D Porn?!? What I'm wondering is why no one has ever done this before? They would seem to go together like a hand in glove or a condom on a...well, you get the picture. Of course it brings up the question of how inadequate some men will feel when the lead actor's schlong isn't only larger then yours, but it coming straight for you!!!

Geek Apparel

I gotta have it. It's been a personal motto since I first learned it. "Oderint Dum Metuant" was basically the only good thing Emperor Caligula introduced to the world. Translated from the Latin, 'Let Them Hate, Provided They Fear.' Now it's on a shirt I must own from Jinx. Purveyors of fine geek apparel.


Funny Bits


Yet again, Robot Chicken out does itself. From an Italian opera written about Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. You're right, that alone is funny...this however takes it a step further.






Everyone try to have a safe, happy and loving Friday the 13th. Oh yeah, try to make the best out of Valentine's Day too ;)

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