Is it just me, or does Karen Allen look even more beautiful in this poster than she did in Raiders of the Lost Ark all the way back in 1981? Her face is positively radiant!
What I would give to have this poster on my own wall. Hope they make them available for sale soon!
And... Jenna said "yes"!
No word yet on when exactly the wedding will take place but Jenna says it will likely be before this coming fall.
Congratulations on your engagement, Jenna and Lou! May God bless you and keep you in His care in these no doubt very crazy months leading to your wedding, and all the days that will follow :-)
UPDATE 12:33 a.m. EST 03/10/2008: Jenna has posted on her blog an account of how Lou popped the question on her, told in her own unique and special way.
Congrats again you guys. Lisa and I are so happy for you! :-)
I've voted in every election for as long as I've ever been able to be a registered voter. And more than that, I've gone the extra mile and run for public office. Nobody can ever accuse me of being an apathetic citizen.
But I mean it: as things stand now, I won't be casting a vote for either the Democrat or Republican nominee for President this year. Because none of these people have demonstrated that they sincerely want to serve the American people.
Voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil. There is no excuse for it.
Not once did I vote for Bill Clinton, and not once did I ever vote for George W. Bush. The two worst Presidents in American history can never claim that I cast a ballot for them. I'm proud of that (though I will admit that had I been wiser I would have refrained from voting for President at all in 2004). Why should I cast a vote for President this time, knowing full well that Obama, Clinton or McCain would ruin America even more, no matter which one of them is elected?
I've got a Ron Paul bumper sticker on my car. It's going to stay on there 'til well after this coming November. If I get the chance, I'll write in Ron Paul's name on the ballot come Election Day. But I sure as hell won't vote for any of these three losers.
Time to just say no.
(What I mean by that will be made clear in the very near future.)
A California appeals court has ruled that most homeschooling is illegal. Only parents with the proper teaching credentials are now legally allowed to homeschool their children.
In other words, the vast majority of homeschooling families in California, per the 2nd District Court of Appeals, are now criminals if they continue with teaching their own children.
And according to Justice H. Walter Croskey in his decision, "Parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children."
That this could be said at all by a judge in the United States raises a huge red flag and screams out bigtime how much trouble we are in.
Again, this is just me talking, folks. Not anyone else and not for anyone else.
Every so often, there is a time when we the people have to tell those in government that "to this point and no further."
This is one of those times.
I cannot imagine something worth defying Those In Power more than when it comes to our own children and the love we have for them.
Lisa and I, Lord willing we have children someday, we have every intent to homeschool them. That is certainly our right, and it's going to remain our right, no matter what some black-robed Nazgul in a courtroom somewhere decrees.
The American people have been living in fear of judges and politicians for far too long. We have forgotten what it means to take hold of our own destiny.
Some of my fellow Christians are going to come back and tell me that we should "obey those who are in authority", "those who have the rule over you", as they say it's in the Bible.
If you've been a longtime reader of this blog, you know me. You know that I have to get very darned upset to use language like this. Well, I'm upset, and I don't particularly care for lack of civility right now. Harsh language isn't a sin against God. Sin against polite society, maybe, but God isn't going to condemn me for what I'm about to say. He might even approve heartily of it.
That we must not stand up to the government, on grounds that they are "in authority" over us, is (EDIT 11:53 p.m. EST: Harsh expletive removed upon cooler head prevailing).
And you wanna know why? Because God did not set government over us in America. God established that we the people are the government in America, and we are the ones who have been given the authority. It doesn't belong to someone who's been elected or appointed at all.
And God is going to judge us someday for what we have done with that which He has trusted us with. Indeed, that we are letting this happen among ourselves indicates to me that He's judging us even now.
We are surely falling. But we don't have to fall. It's our choice, if we want it.
So here's what I'm going to suggest to the homeschool families of California, and I am absolutely serious about this...
Keep homeschooling your children. If you love them enough, you will persist in your practice. You are the ones who love your children. The State of California doesn't give a damn about them, and you'd better accept that fact.
If state officials tell you to stop homeschooling, ignore them.
If they send you a threatening letter, tear it up.
If they send some busybody "social worker" to your front door, slam it in his or her face.
If they send a law enforcement officer to your house to take your children away, shoot him. Or her.
I'm serious. If they come for your kids, take them down. However you can. They don't deserve to live, if they consent to following some judge's orders to take your children without question.
Any agent of the government that comes for your children solely on the grounds that the state has decreed that you cannot teach your children as you see fit, in my mind has given up any claim to possessing an individual soul. Your children though have a future that's worth fighting for. It's worth dying for. It's absolutely worth making some heartless automaton of the state die, if they try to come in between your child and that chance.
I am completely beyond patience with some people. The ones who are making life a living Hell for the rest of us. They have only gotten away with it because we've bought into the lie that we can't do anything to stop them.
On anything else, I might feel lenient. But not here. The line is drawn here.
Fight.
In reference to a system encompassing the totality of the physical universe, God is that outside observer which has the unique properties of comprehending the position and momentum of every particle and all energy within the system without violating the observer effect and simultaneously across all points throughout the spacetime of that system.I think that such a definition easily allows for the occurrence of un-scientific phenomenon as "miracles", since if God is comprehending all quantum behavior throughout every point and moment of the universe's existence, that this means He can pretty much do whatever He wants to with the universe. He can manipulate the quantum state of anything, including altering mass and energy so that water turns into wine. What's more, such a definition might not violate the laws of physics at all. It seems to fit comfortably among them, even.
I might and probably will revise this later on, but right now that's the current model that I'm going by.
Words fail. And for once, it's in a good way.
I am fast losing any doubts - and there were many - about the big-screen adaptation of Watchmen. They have nailed the look of the graphic novel so well, that I don't know if it could possibly be improved upon. Here's our first look at the Comedian...
There's plenty more at this link, including pics of Rorschach, Silk Spectre, Ozymandias, and Nite Owl (standing in front of "Archie" the Owlship!).
I only need to wait on Him, and trust that He will deliver in His own time, and know that He will give me exactly what He requires of me.
I do not have to try to fight and win the entire war. I only have to fight the battles closest to me, as best I can with what strength is given me.
This is all that He asks from each of us. If we follow through on that, to the utmost of our ability, then that is enough.
It wasn't enough to stop publication of Dungeons & Dragons but the game has never completely shaken-off the stigma that it is somehow a breeding ground for followers of Satan.
This afternoon I received an e-mail from a reader of this blog, and I learned something quite fascinating: that Gary Gygax, the mind behind Dungeons & Dragons, was a born-again Christian. That link takes you to a discussion that Gygax took part in with the Christian Gamer's Guild in 2007.
And then there is this e-mail that Gygax sent to a fan a month and a half before his passing...
Thank You, Michael,I thought this was worth making a whole separate post about, because Gygax and his work did suffer a lot of unfair criticism over the years. It's said that the Christian army is the only one that shoots its own wounded. Well, looks like that happened here too.All I am is another fellow human that has at last, after many wrong paths and failed attenpts, found Jesus Christ.
Via con dios,
Gary"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16
And so far as some of the more tragic situations involving Dungeons & Dragons that have happened since the game's inception go: yes, this game unfortunately became an idol to some and in their minds more than it was supposed to be. But that same dark potential can be found in practically everything else in life too, whether it be sex or sports or television or whatever. Anything taken to excess becomes a thing that diminishes us and hurts our relationship with God, before it invariably destroys us. In that regard, Gary Gygax certainly did not add anything new to the equation.
And after the past month's sabbatical, some of which I used to study and contemplate what it is to seek after Christ, I now have to wonder if much of the so-called "Christian counter-culture" that I see around us is doing far more damage to the cause of Christ than rolling some dice in a basement ever accomplished. And I'm absolutely serious about that.
But really, this is all still seeing through the glass darkly. The thing that matters most is that yesterday morning, Gary Gygax did "miss his saving throw" as some have joked... but he still won the game before going Home.
It's weird: I was just thinking of Gary Gygax last week, after reading a review of the new 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons. It was back in the early Seventies that Gygax, along with Dave Arneson, created the first Dungeons & Dragons game. Gygax has since been widely hailed as "the father of the role-playing game".Now comes the sad news that Gary Gygax has passed away at the age of 69.
I think it's safe to say that Gygax's influence on popular culture for the better part of the past four decades has been profound, if subtle. Gygax's rules for Dungeons & Dragons became the basis for not only pretty much every role-playing game that followed, but also made an enormous impact on video games and even some real-world simulations and tools for education. Gygax's work had a tremendous effect on many movies and television series... to say nothing of the mammoth library of novels that the Dungeons & Dragons franchise and other role-playing games has spawned over the years.
And let's face it: for those who ever played the original "pen and paper" Dungeons & Dragons, it was - and I've heard still is - a heckuva lot of fun! The first "D&D" game that I ever encountered used one of Gygax's modules (those were pre-packaged "adventures" that you'd buy in a bookstore or wherever). Gygax was not only a brilliant innovator, but he also knew how to be downright lethal: I saw a LOT of characters perish from his traps and monsters. Something about a game like that as opposed to a computer-driven role-playing game: you really did have to use your imagination, and you could do pretty much anything no matter how wild and crazy. We've yet to see a video game that gives you that kind of freedom.
Anyways, part of this blog's purpose is to chronicle and celebrate people who have lived interesting lives, and Gary Gygax certainly had that. Farewell, great Dungeon Master.
So how does the prospect of being in a television commercial that will be broadcast all across the state of North Carolina sound to you? How would you like to earn money from the gig? Well, have we got something for you!As of tonight I'm putting the word out via this blog and a few other places that we are making a wide-spread casting call. There is a very cool project that the KWerky Productions/Knight Vision Media staff is working on right now.
And for it we need actors and actresses of all ages and all physical types. We especially need young children, from ages 5 to 12-ish, who have a bit of patience and aren't easily intimidated especially by loud noises. Good screamers are particularly needed. The child actors will be compensated also for their time.
Interested? Then you need to send me an e-mail at kwerkyproductions@gmail.com and make sure the subject line says "commercial talent" or "actor for commercial" or something like that. If you have a headshot and/or a resume, please send those too.
We are under a bit of a deadline so the sooner you can contact us about this, the better. There is a possibility that this could turn into an extended bit of work, too.
And it was a good break.
Probably won't be posting at the usual frequency for awhile, 'cuz over the past few weeks I've wound up with a lot of stuff on my plate that I'll be needing to tend to in the near future. But yeah, I'm ready to get back into it.
Slashdot has a neat discussion going on, which was inspired by this article at CNET about the most durable gadgets made. And right now wide consensus is that the original Nintendo Game Boy might be the toughest product to ever hit the market. There's one neat story about a Game Boy that was dropped into a lake and was on the bottom for a week before a guy in SCUBA gear recovered it: after drying out for a few days, it worked fine. I personally know of one guy who thought he'd lost his Game Boy after it went flying out of a car window in a minor fender-bender. He found it a few hours later at the bottom of a paved spillway: not a scratch on it! And then there's this Game Boy (pictured at right) which saw hostile conditions in the first Gulf War. It's now on display at at a Nintendo store in New York City and as you can see, it's still playing Tetris.Not bad at all for a product that's almost twenty years old! Now if only iPods and every other popular gadget on the market nowadays had such durability...
George W. Bush, most Christians at this church earnestly believed, is going to be used by God to start off the End Times.
My friend was absolutely serious about that.
When we were told that, my jaw came almost completely unhinged from the roof of my mouth.
It does make sense though: a lot of Christians who have become deluded about how they think the Apocalypse must happen, would be foolish enough to do whatever they thought was "necessary" to "help" God bring it on.
It makes sense. It makes absolutely perfect sense. All these years of trying to warn my fellow believers about this evil man in the White House and all the harm that he's done this country. And when you try to tell them, it's like they "tune out" and look away and go into this state of willful ignorance and shut you out completely. Why do they do that? Because trying to tell them the truth impinges too much on their fantasies about the end of the world.
I have little doubt that a lot of Christians, however sincere they might be in their faith, have been greatly deceived. The fact that they would even begin to believe that Bush is going to help inaugurate their easy way to Heaven, is absolutely mind-boggling.
Just more indication about how screwed-up things are around us, when even a lot of Christianity has gone pure loco.
Yeah, as you can probably tell from some of my posts lately, I'm more than a little bitter about some things. I'm finally realizing how full of crap most things are in this world. That fellow Christians would hold to this insanity, does not help to increase my faith in them the least bit.
To those who think that today's so-called "Super Tuesday" primary elections actually means something: Feh!
American politics is being told to pick between two separate cages of howler monkeys that are throwing handfuls of dung at each other.
Unless you are absolutely, beyond all doubt, convinced of a candidate's worthiness to earnestly serve you in office, do yourself a favor and don't bother to vote today if you're in one of the primary states. Save your gas and money.
Because the fact of the matter is, America is so screwed-up by this point that the outcome of the election won't make any difference.
Almost exactly three years since beating Halo 2 - if it can actually be called "beating" that game - a short while ago I finished playing Halo 3, the final chapter of the saga that started with the original Halo in 2001.
As Lisa put it, it was "beautiful".
After going all the way with Halo 2, I complained about all the threads of the story that had been left dangling. Halo 3 brought everything to a satisfying conclusion, while significantly adding to the depth of the story. It also made up greatly for what I think were some of the weaknesses of Halo 2: getting to play the Arbiter in that game was a neat twist... but I think that Bungie might have overdid that aspect of the game. Fortunately you play Master Chief the whole way through Halo 3, although the Arbiter does have a much-appreciated role to play in this tale. It's hard to tell for sure, but I think the game itself might have been a bit longer than Halo 2 was, too.
Most mind-blowing scene of the entire game: the reveal of the newly-created Halo. If you ever wondered how the heck those massive rings are built, you find out in Halo 3.
Most satisfying moment? When you finally, finally, after three games, get at last to open up a can of whoop-butt on Guilty Spark. Stupid little blue twit: he had it coming for a loooong time.
I can honestly say that the time spent playing it was very enjoyable and perhaps even enlightening a bit. How often can that be said of a video game?
If you play the game and get to the end, make sure to stick around for the final credits. In true Halo tradition, there's one last scene that reveals much about the fate of two major characters (and you can probably guess who they are if you've ever played a Halo game).
So ends the Halo trilogy proper. The war with the Covenant has drawn to a close. So of course, a prequel is in the works: bring on Halo Wars!
To this day, "Fall Out" is considered the most controversial and outright bizarre series finale of a television show ever produced. The episode literally broke ITC's phone system after it was overwhelmed with calls from confused viewers. The Prisoner creator and star Patrick McGoohan had to go into hiding for several weeks after the episode's airing because people kept coming to his house to demand that he explain it to them.
Even forty years later, "Fall Out" is no less startling. The entire episode is indulged - perhaps too indulged - in visual allegory and auditory assault. Taken literally, there's not much in "Fall Out" that makes much sense (along with pretty much every other episode of The Prisoner). But if you're watching this with a decidedly metaphorical mindset, it becomes quite a cerebral parable about the prison of our own modern world.
That still doesn't keep "Fall Out" from being the most whacked-out episode of a TV series in history, though...
The scene where Number 6 (the main character of The Prisoner, played by McGoohan) finally confronts the mysterious Number 1 still evokes considerable debate...
Most of the final third of the episode has no dialogue, only insane action sequences. Like this spectacular machine gun fight toward the end that has everyone shooting at everyone else while "All You Need is Love" by The Beatles (?!) blares loud over the din...
If you want to know more about "Fall Out" (which after watching the episode just about everyone does) here is Dark Childe's review of the episode (the page that these "Fall Out" pics were found on) and here's the episode's entry on Wikipedia.
