kimmy

Anyone who was reading that thread after about 10pm Pacific time yesterday can vouch for the reason it was deleted. I (and others too, I imagine) reported the thread due to comments being made that were at the very least extremely inappropriate, and quite likely actionable by law enforcement as well. The comments had nothing to do with the topic, and were entirely a matter of a personal issue involving a forum member. I hope I haven't overstepped my bounds here, but I think it is important that people understand that the thread was not taken away due to the topic, but because of off-topic nonsense that was extremely inappropriate (to say the least.) -k

I'm familiar with a lot of his work, and I know what he looked like back when he was popular, but I certainly wouldn't recognize him as a 68 year old... -k

Seems odd to me that the police would roll up on somebody and demand ID for just walking down the street. Aren't they supposed to have "probable cause" to stop someone? In the Gates case, an eyewitness report of someone trying to break into a home is certainly probable cause... in Dylan's case, I'm not sure what reason they would have to stop him, unless "looking like a hobo" or "singing through your nose" are now misdemeanors. By any chance, was he walking down Desolation Row? -k

Yes, I realize how they added it up to 200 years. 10 years per picture, and keep adding until he's guaranteed to never get out. Clear as day. The question I asked was, does that sentence seem appropriate in comparison to the other sentences I described? If somebody has 1 child porn image on his computer, he's apparently committed a crime comparable to rapist (presumptive sentence, 7 years, as outlined above.) If somebody had a 2 porn images, he's apparently twice as bad as somebody who just has 1 child porn image, and he's committed a crime comparable to statutory rape of a 12 year old, or someone on a 2nd rape conviction. If somebody else has 3 child porn images, he's apparently three times as bad as the first guy. He's become worse than a murderer or a serial rapist. If somebody has 10 child porn images, he's 10 times worse than the guy who just has one child porn image. He is now comparable to someone who rapes an infant, or a remorseless killer. Does this kind of math really make sense? -k

I don't agree with Argus that Canada (or Australia) are much different from the United States, as demonstrated by some of the reactions in this thread and by the Australian "Simpsons" case. In Arizona, had he had sex with a real, actual 12 year old he'd have received a 20 year sentence. In Arizona, a first-time rapist gets a maximum sentence of 14 years, a 2nd conviction, a maximum of 21 years, and a third conviction, a maximum of 28 years. In Arizona, murder is 25 years to life, with a possibility of execution for aggravated circumstances. They locked him up for his entire life? They offered to "let him off easy" with a 15 year sentence? Does that seem right when having sex with an actual 12 year old victim would have gotten him 20? When the *maximum* punishment for a rape would have been 14 years? When a serial rapist will be out in 28 years or less? When a murderer might be out in 25? Does having a stash of kiddie porn really rate in the same league as that stuff? -k

You've come too late to the party... the claim that cultural standards of beauty are biased towards European features has been completely refuted. Contact Morris Dancer for details. -k

Thanks, this seems interesting. I will read more! -k

I realized that "Wardrobe" was a Christian allegory (and not a particularly subtle one...) and was unaware of a connection between Oz and the gold standard. In comparing the three films, I wasn't referring to any deeper meaning. I was just referring to the general premise: children transported to different worlds where they are somehow far more important than they are in real life, perform brave deeds, learn valuable lessons, and return to their ordinary lives with greater appreciation of themselves and the people around them. -k

So can smaller ones (most car alternators use electromagnets, I believe.) The challenge isn't complexity, it's efficiency. A basic design (older car alternator, for instance, doesn't use complex control circuitry at all.) With the low cost and easy implementation of modern microcontrollers, some highly sophisticated control would be in reach of even home experimenter types. But tapping off some of the power to feed electromagnets would by definition reduce the efficiency of the system. Acceptable and unavoidable for a massive windfarm project, probably... but a real buzz-kill if you're trying to power your RV with a single windmill. -k

I think Argus is trying to highlight that hysteria and outrage have eclipsed sound judgment when it comes to sentencing these crimes. The guy sentenced to 200 years for possessing pictures of child pornography is absurd. You can't even get 200 years in prison for molesting REAL CHILDREN! I'm all for stamping out child abuse, but that is absurdly out of proportion to the crime. That's simply not consistent with principles of law and order that are shared in Canada, the United States, England, and Australia. That's hardly the only example of outrage bypassing reason on this issue. We had a thread earlier where a guy was tried and convicted of child pornography charges for having "Simpsons porn" on his computer. -k

Craig1 has been wrong about just about everything he's written since he's arrived on MLW... but he's not wrong about this one. Wind-powered electrical generators are a proven technology that's been in use for a very long time. Somewhere around 80 years ago, distant relations of mine powered electrical lights in their home using lead-acid batteries charged by a generator mounted on a "windmill" on their farm. (this was of course, back in a day when lights were about the only thing they used electricity for.) Currently, relatives of mine live "off the grid" in the far north of Alberta and run both solar and wind power; they've purchased commercially-built wind generators. Of course, the principles of generating electricity using magnets and coils of copper are so widely understood that one needn't buy commercial products to make it happen, provided one has some ingenuity and some skill at building things. There are some enthusiastic do-it-yourself types who've made a hobby of generating electricity using wind power. One site providing a resource and meeting-place for hobbyists in the field: http://www.otherpower.com/ Unlike the Bendini motor websites, this one contains stuff that actually works, based on real physics that any high-school graduate should be aware of. Lots of other stuff there, too. -k

If you suggest that black people should return to Africa or middle eastern people should return to the Middle East, you're the worst kind of racist. But if you suggest that white people should return to Europe, you're a progressive. Par for the course. -k

While reading about Reese Witherspoon's wonderful performance in Election, I read many reviewers remark on her performance in Freeway. While reading about Ellen Page's compelling performance in Juno, I read many reviewers remark on her performance in Hard Candy. I recently saw both movies, and since they're similar in many ways, I thought I'd write about both of them. Freeway is a modern-day retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood." The "deep dark woods" is a freeway through Los Angeles, the big bad wolf is Bob Wolverton, an initially charming sexual predator played by Keifer Sutherland. Grandma's house is located in a trailer-park near Stockton, and the helpful woodsman is a pair of LAPD detectives who aren't actually all that helpful at all. And "Red", portrayed by Reese Witherspoon, is Vanessa Lutz, the illiterate child of a prostitute mother and a career-criminal step-father. Vanessa's life pretty much sucks. After the police round up two of the worst parents ever put on film, Vanessa decides that she's not going back to foster care and escapes from the child welfare official. She hatches a plan to live with her grandmother, and sets out, little red basket and all, for Stockton. The dilapidated family car breaks down on the freeway, but she's picked up by Bob Wolverton, a helpful guidance counselor. She spills her heart to Bob, but soon discovers that Bob is actually the prostitute-killng predator she's heard about on the news. Things fall apart in a hurry. Vanessa is about as smart as a piece of toast, but she has an innate cunning. She also has serious anger management issues, a real gift for physical violence, and a strangely noble morality. Reese Witherspoon here is truly brilliant, creating a character who feels completely convincing, despite the absurdly over the top story. Nine years after Vanessa Lutz and Bob Wolverton clashed in Freeway, another girl clashes with a sexual predator in Hard Candy. Jeff Kohlver (portrayed by Patrick Wilson, recently seen as Dan Dreiberg in The Watchmen) is a smooth-talking, sophisticated photographer who seems to be awfully interested in adolescent girls. Hayley Stark, as portrayed by Ellen Page, is a 14 year old he's met in an internet chat room. Jeff is a sexual predator who might just be a murderer too. Hayley is a precocious child who might just be a complete psychopath. Ellen Page is amazing in this movie. She goes from quirky Juno McGuff charm all the way to being such a monster that she might actually be more evil than Jeff. She makes her lovable bundle of adolescent angst into a pure terror, as scary a movie monster as I've seen. Witherspoon was just 20 when she starred in Freeway, Page just 17 when she appeared in Hard Candy. Both deliver performances that make their immense talents undeniable. The similar subject matter and the awesome starring performances of the young actresses make some sort of comparison appropriate, but they differ completely in where they take the viewer. Freeway is, essentially, a comedy. One can't help being charmed by Vanessa, for all her warts. One can't help being entertained by the over-the-top antics. There's nothing overly challenging here... it's kind of an urban adventure story, following the misadventures of a unique character portrayed by a terrific actress. Hard Candy is, essentially, a horror movie. It's a one hour and forty minute experiment in finding out how far you're willing to go, how far you're willing to allow your strings to be pulled and how hard you're willing to have your buttons pressed. This movie will pull your strings and press your buttons awfully hard. It's probably the most upsetting and unsettling thing I've ever seen. Sitting here days later, I can say I have tremendous respect for the calibre of the performances, and the skill in creating the atmosphere and tension, and in creating the moral dilemna that the viewer experiences as they watch this. It's a brilliant piece of work. But for all that, it's also a horrid little movie and I wish I hadn't seen it. -k

This is simply not true. There are rules. Mixed martial arts matches are conducted under the supervision of relevant authorities (the Nevada State Athletics Commission being prominent, as many of the events are in Las Vegas.) The matches are overseen by doctors, and supervised by experienced referees. Mixed martial arts events follow rules governing combat sports that have actually existed for a long time. Combatants may not close their hand about the neck or collarbone, strike at the neck or spine, strike at the groin, strike the back of the head, butt heads, knee a grounded opponent in the head, make a downward-striking motion with the point of the elbow... I'm sure there's more.) They do not fight until someone is unconscious (though, that certainly happens from time to time.) Many fights go the time limit and are decided by judges. Many fights end when a fighter verbally submits due to being caught in a joint lock or choke hold that he can't escape. Many fights are ended by the referee when he decides that one fighter is simply not able to defend himself effectively. The referees in mixed martial arts exercise a high level of care in protecting the fighters from harm. Critics of mixed martial arts will say things like "well, I saw a fight where one guy was on top of the other guy and was just punching on him!" Well, in situations where the guy on top does gain a position where he's able to land punches unopposed, the match is stopped immediately. If a guy on top is punching but the match is still going on, it's because the guy underneath is still protecting himself from punches and still working to advance his position. It is surprising how often the guy on top makes a mistake and winds up caught in a choke hold or a joint lock. I have seen boxing matches where one fighter takes a barrage of punches to the head, and eventually falls down. The referee steps in, gives the fallen fighter time to recover, and lets the fight resume until the wobbly legged boxer takes another barrage of punches and falls down again, and maybe even a third time before the fight is over. In the mixed martial arts, that fight would have been stopped before the fighter fell the first time. In mixed martial arts, the referee would see the fighter is not able to avoid the punches to the head, and he would stop the fight right then. Which sport is really the savage one? Mixed martial arts tries very hard to protect the fighters' safety, and they do a good job of it. The trend in mixed martial arts is not to increasing savagery, it is to the opposite. The first UFC events truly were "no rules", which resulted in some rather shocking results. However, they have conformed to regulation by athletics commissions in an effort to make their sport commercially viable. They realize that the belief that it's lawless savagery is what is holding their sport back and keeping them from receiving legal sanction in many jurisdictions, and they work to maintain a level of safety and sportsmanship to try to combat that impression. -k

The author is projecting. He suggests that Harper's failure to go to bat for various accused terrorists in foreign lands is as upsetting to people in countries around the world as it is to him personally. I suspect he is very wrong. I suspect that few people outside Canada's border give a hoot about Omar Khadr or Mahktal or Abdelrazik. (Ironically, the lefties here were embarrassed when Harper DID speak up publicly for Husein Celil, now they are embarrassed that his cause is no longer in the headlines.) Generally, I think the greater embarrassment to Canada would not be in allowing nations to conduct their own legal affairs. I think the greater embarrassment is if our Prime Minister were to stick his neck out to advocate on behalf of some imprisoned Canadian and have it blow up in our faces afterward, as was the case with Omar's papa Ahmed. That's embarrassing. -k

I certainly can't claim to know anything about rap music, and I have no plan to learn anything about it either. I can't really say if the violence and misogyny in rap music that's often talked about is real or is sensationalized. However, listen to the lyrics of "Hey Joe", made classic by Jimi Hendrix... or "Brown Sugar" and "Under My Thumb" by the Rolling Stones... -k

I don't find any of the author's reasons to be very compelling. -k

I thought this was the "post your favorite lyrics" thread. Neil Young and Simon and Garfunkle are writers that I think stand out as among the very best. As for the other thing, no, I can't be bothered. It's only been a couple of weeks since the last "summit of the generations" thread. If you're actually interested in new music, Youtube is a great place to start... go nuts. If this is another one of those "things were better in the good old days" threads, I'm sure I won't be able to convince you otherwise. I mean, I've gone on at great length in threads about TV, and movies, and music. I've explained that the good old days just weren't as good as you remember, because you've forgotten the dog-crap that made up 95% of everything that was on TV and in theatres and on the radio. I'll stand pat; there's nothing more for me to add. -k {"...I never watch TV anymore, but it seems to me like it sucks. Back in my day, we were breaking new ground, like the time they flushed a toilet on Archie Bunker. Who's taking that kind of risk nowadays?"...}

(was this supposed to be the part where I, in my recurring role as the only person here under 40 years old, try to extol the virtues of new music to people who haven't bought a record since 1978? I've done that often enough already, I'll pass.) -k

They were hiding behind hay bales, They were planting in the full moon They had given all they had for something new But the light of day was on them, They could see the thrashers coming And the water shone like diamonds in the dew. And I was just getting up, hit the road before it's light Trying to catch an hour on the sun When I saw those thrashers rolling by, Looking more than two lanes wide I was feelin' like my day had just begun. Where the eagle glides ascending There's an ancient river bending Down the timeless gorge of changes Where sleeplessness awaits I searched out my companions, Who were lost in crystal canyons When the aimless blade of science Slashed the pearly gates. It was then I knew I'd had enough, Burned my credit card for fuel Headed out to where the pavement turns to sand With a one-way ticket to the land of truth And my suitcase in my hand How I lost my friends I still don't understand. They had the best selection, They were poisoned with protection There was nothing that they needed, Nothing left to find They were lost in rock formations Or became park bench mutations On the sidewalks and in the stations They were waiting, waiting. So I got bored and left them there, They were just deadweight to me Better down the road without that load Brings back the time when I was eight or nine I was watchin' my mama's T.V., It was that great Grand Canyon rescue episode. Where the vulture glides descending On an asphalt highway bending Thru libraries and museums, galaxies and stars Down the windy halls of friendship To the rose clipped by the bullwhip The motel of lost companions Waits with heated pool and bar. But me I'm not stopping there, Got my own row left to hoe Just another line in the field of time When the thrashers comes, I'll be stuck in the sun Like the dinosaurs in shrines But I'll know the time has come To give what's mine. -k

I am just a poor boy, though my story's seldom told. I have squandered my resistance, For a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises. All lies and jest, Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. When I left my home and my family I was no more than a boy, In the company of strangers, In the quiet of the railway station, runnin' scared. Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters, Where the ragged people go. Lookin' for the places only they would know. Asking only workman's wages I come lookin' for a job, But I get no offers, Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue. I do declare there were times when I was so lonesome, I took some comfort there. And I’m laying out my winter clothes, and wishing I was gone, goin’ home Where the new york city winters aren’t bleedin’ me, leadin’ me goin' home. In the clearing stands a boxer and a fighter by his trade, And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down, Or cut him 'til he cried out in his anger and his shame, "I am leaving, I am leaving." But the fighter still remains. -k

What did the New York State police and universities put out there that I've discounted? -k

They might be a small minority. However, they are committed enough to fight and kill for their beliefs, able to recruit funds and followers, and organized enough to be effective and dangerous. I really don't know what portion of the population of, say, Nigeria is comprised of fanatical, violent Islamists. However, I do know that however many there are have been able to create a tremendous amount of death and damage in that country in attempts to impose their beliefs on others. btw, I've worked with a number of Muslims in some of the jobs I've had, and I've never had any difficulty with any of them. On the whole I have to agree that Muslims I've met have been very decent and pleasant people. -k

I've worked in bars and nightclubs for 8 years, I've seen enough to know what I'm talking about. I recall reading statistics on "PlentyOfFish" that men make first contact over 80% of the time, and they have a pretty huge sample size to work from. Sure, it's a whole new ball game out there... in theory... but in practice, men still make the first move most of the time. Perhaps you live in the same town as Dancer... a town where women approach men as frequently as men approach women, a town where white men date black women as often as black men date white women, a town where black models are on the cover of "Cosmo" and "Playboy" and featured in beauty-product ad campaigns just as often as white models. It sounds like a fascinating place; I may have to visit some day. It certainly bears no resemblance to any place I've ever lived, and I've lived in quite a few cities. -k

Date rape is the most common sort of rape (and for semantics buffs, I expect the same applies to sexual assault in general.) You really can't see why who's dating who might be relevant in a discussion of who's sexually assaulting who? I am beginning to detect a pattern here. -k