Normalised relationships

You know, it's not easy always being right... especially when you're letting your cynicism see a tragedy as a precursor for more tragedy. But alas, it seems that the disaster is giving the impetus required for the US to 'normalise' relations with Indonesia. The sheer viciousness and slavish devotion to the profit motive that is required to even contemplate such a monstrous thing makes my blood boil.

Restricted Aceh Aid

Alas, it looks like I was right in thinking Indonesia would use the tsunami crisis as a chance to further crack down on Aceh 'rebels'. On one hand, they are restricting aid worker access in a way that is very similar to the way visitors to East Timor were restricted in their travel. There are also reports from rebels as to how the Indonesian military have continued their assaults after the devastating natural disaster... even after calling for a ceasefire.

Alas, adversity does not always bring out the best in people.

Penny Arcade

Today's Penny Arcade is especially highly-rated on the greatometer. Perhaps it's merely the sniffter of authenticity, but it cracked me up for a good few minutes.

Alexander

So, went to see Alexander last night. I'm a big fan of Oliver Stone, so I was expecting to enjoy it. Instead, I was bored rigid. It's pretty hard, I would think, to make a life as important as Alexander the Great's seem so dull, but this film managed with aplomb.

It wasn't just the film itself... the awful, hammy over-acting of both Colin Farrel (Alexander) and Jessie Kamm (Young Alexander) grated throughout. Angelina Jolie played a very good part though, and Val Kilmer was excellent (albeit limited by his material). Overall though I found it deeply unengaging... worse even than Troy (at least Brad Pitt is very capable of pulling off the 'dark brooding hero' role without behaving like the reject from The Acting School For Melodramatic Dramaqueen Cockheads').

One thing that redeemed it was the way the film refused to downplay Alexander's bisexuality... considering how it was excised so completely from Troy, that was quite refreshing.

Anyway, my capsule review is - don't bother.

On an unrelated note, if I hear that fucking crazy frog ringtone ONE MORE TIME, I swear to Zeus that I am going to kill absolutely everybody in a ten mile radius. On that page, 87% of the people voted for the following option:

I just love that crazy frog ringtone, it truly is the best ringtone in the world and I've got to have it on my phone. If you don't like this then obviously you just don't have a sense of humour.

It amazes me that people can think a frog making WACKY ZANY SOUNDS has any humourous merit, especially when those wacky zany sounds are emitted, SEEMINGLY AT RANDOM, by my browser when I visit every other fucking website. I suppose the old adage that simple things amuse simple minds is true enough.

Moofie Review

I went to see The House Of The Flying Daggers a couple of days ago. It was pretty good - I liked it more than Hero, but much less than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

There's a great scene in it, where a blind girl is trying to escape from the government with the help of a drunken lout who tried to rape her in a brothel. He dresses her up in men's clothing, and then says, effectively, 'The next time I'm in a brothel, I'm going to get all the girls to dress up like you'.

Romance like that just doesn't make it to the screen in the West any more. :-/

Lifetime Detentions

The fifth amendment to the US constitution reads as follows:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Fair trial, due process, and 'innocent until proven guilty' are becoming anachronisms in US and UK law... as is evidenced by this shocking news: Administration officials are preparing long-range plans for indefinitely imprisoning suspected terrorists whom they do not want to set free or turn over to courts in the United States or other countries, according to intelligence, defense and diplomatic officials.

Bear in mind here we're talking about people that the Administration do not want to put to trial because they don't have enough evidence to convict... rather than subject these people to a fair trial by jury, instead they are imprisoned with little access to their families (and their lawyers), and they are reviewed by a military tribunal that decides upon their status. That's why they're held prisoner in Cuba - a very conscious decision to limit the applicability of domestic and international law. Posse Comitatus is dead - an arm of the military is responsible for both domestic and international 'law enforcement' at Guantanamo.

The whole thing is beyond sickening.

Iraq Body Count

I certainly don't want to belittle the tragedy of the tsunami, but we should also get a little perspective and remember that we are directly responsible for an ever rising Iraqi Body Count. This particular site details a 'conservative' estimate of around 15,000 dead civilians. Other institutes have suggested a death toll of over 100,000. The recent outpouring of grief over the devastating natural disaster in SE Asia reflects an important part of our humanity, but why is this an 'acceptable' disaster for public consumption? Why all the media coverage about this, and why so little about the growing death count in Iraq?

I'm in no way saying that we should stop caring about the effects of the tsunami - indeed, we should be making much more of an effort than just setting aside the miserly foreign aid sum that we have. We just shouldn't let the corporate media deceive us into thinking that this is the only gargantuan tragedy that is occurring.

War Profiteers

Once upon a time, companies like this would have been charged with treason.