McShoarma?
This is WAAAY too funny. Especially if you are a huge fan of Pulp Fiction.
The video plays kinda choppy at first, but let it run through once and then play it back.
In the movie, Pulp Fiction, there's a scene in which the John Travolta character asks the Samuel L. Jackson character, "You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?" In this Israeli ad for McDonald's, two actors, who are dead ringers for Travolta and Jackson, re-enact the same scene talking about McDonald's new Pita bread turkey sandwich, the McShwarma. The spot ends with a bit of Israeli cultural humor (not known for their politeness) with the Jackson character asking, "So a guy just walks into a McDonalds and says, "Can I have a McShwarma please"? To which the Travolta character replies, "Yeah, except they don't say 'please' in Israel."
The script of the commercial is here . Quite funny.
We Know Where The Summer Goes....
Hahahaha. Okay, for those of you who were totally sick of:
A) Political campaign ad bombardment on television and radio through the past summer and fall (like Mr. Perry who's lyrics I quote)
B) If you've heard one campaign speech, you've heard them all
C) Feeling disenfranchised from any of the candidates you have to "choose" from...
Well, you could live in Iraq. The country is about to hold it's first democratic (?) elections. Evidently this is how they go about it...
In another piece lacking journalistic rigor, the Post's off-lead asks a few guys in a Baghdad cafe to give their opinions on the upcoming elections. The article's best moment is a nice description of democracy in Iraq-tion: "Candidates' names are not published, for fear of assassination. Rallies are few, posters are often torn down, and hardly anyone can describe a party's platform, much less its nominees." But almost everyone the reporter interviews supports the elections--a pattern the reported makes no attempt to explain (it's not mentioned, for instance, whether the men are Sunni or Shiite)--so we're left wondering why a half-dozen men in Baghdad should be representative of 23 million Iraqis.
(From SLATE1/14/2005)
No Child Left Behind?
Check it out- it's you or your child's education I'm writing about....
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was introduced by President Bush to help improve all public schools. The Act- receiving bi-partisan support- hoped to create a level playing field in the public school systems by ensuring that all children receive a quality public education. Unfortunately many of the promises made by Bush have fallen short- or been just plain neglected. Instead of pumping the money promised into public schools, Bush, has been pushing for school vouchers. This basically means that if a child cannot afford to go to a private school that funds will go to send that child to a private or parochial school. This is CRAP. The money is supposed to be spent for PUBLIC education.
Here are a few stats:
NCLB Funding – FY 2002-2007 (in billions of dollars)
............FY 2002....FY 2003.... FY 2004.... FY 2005
Auth1....26.4..............29.2.............. 32 ..................34.3
Appro...22.2..............23.8.............24.5..................request: 24.9
Shortfall - 4.2...........- 5.4............- 7.5.................- 9.4
Authorization 1= Amount to be spent
Appropriations= What they actually requested
Shrtfall= how short they fell of the original funding promise
This makes the shortfall to date nearly $27 Billion dollars.
Bush has already cut $27 Billion from No Child Left Behind programs. For 2005, there will be $9.4 billion less than promised.
Okay, for you younger folks these stats are probably boring the bejeezus out of you. How about something you can relate to, you say?
How about this:
Bush added a part to the law that requires schools funded by the NCLB to give military recruiters a directory of students. He did this without your permission.....
The Law
SEC. 9528. ARMED FORCES RECRUITER ACCESS TO STUDENTS AND STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION.
(1) ACCESS TO STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION- Notwithstanding section 444(a)(5)(B) of the General Education Provisions Act and except as provided in paragraph (2), each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide, on a request made by military recruiters or an institution of higher education, access to secondary school students names, addresses, and telephone listings.
Look, I could go on and on about my opinions of fucking evil school vouchers. I could rant 'til I was hoarse or my fingers were numb on the fact that the majority of Springfield isn't willing to pay another penny in property taxes to improve education and public schools (or to give teachers much needed raises) here. But I won't because that would be another Blog in and of itself. What I will do is give you a link to investigate this stuff for yourself. The sit listed below tells you all about what NCLB should be doing, what it is doing, and how to get your kid off that military recruiters list- if it's not too late.
http://www.nochild.info
Dumbmocracy
Well, those of you who know me, know that I have issues with the current state of affairs in the White House. I realize that there has never been anyone to hold the office of President other than a Jesus lover. Hey, don't get me wrong, Christ seems like he was a cool guy and all. I'm a pagan, but I respect folks considered to be prophets in other faiths and religions. Generally these types had something to say that can better us a human beings in our very short existence here on earth.
My issue is that if America is a melting pot of cultures and faiths, it's not quite fair that one religion dictates the Presidents choices on how to run our lovely country. That's how Holy Wars get started. And Theocracies. FUCK THAT.
Sooo, until the religious right can come down from the clouds and recognize that there are a whole litany of other faiths that believe in Love, Compassion, and doing right by humanity I am absolutely against any kind of religion in the White House.
In the meantime, I found a site that carries T-shirts that express my opinion rather well- DUMBMOCRACY . Maybe I should suggest a "No Holy War For Oil" shirt...
I Heart Colin Farrell....
Wild Man Colin Farrell~ Unapologetic, Beligerent, Beer-In- Hand , Chain-Smoking, (Did I mention beautiful?), - is always on the list of celebrities I adore. How I'd love to go on a pub crawl with this man. Here's his honest take on "the world's oldest profession" ... Heehee.
From MSNBC...
"Sex and the single pizza?"
Colin Farrell says that paying for sex is like having food delivered. And he means it in a positive way.
“It’s like ordering a pizza. Someone comes around, you spend an hour, you have a smoke with them afterwards,” the Irish bad boy star told Britain’s B Magazine. “I’ve never been with a prostitute I haven’t been completely polite to and treated like a human being.”
Farrell, it would seem, has a bit of a problem with commitment. “Girl trouble for me is when you fall in love — that’s [bleeping] girl trouble,” he said. “If you have a bad lay, that’s not girl trouble.”
* Is the U.S. Organizing Salvador-Style Death Squads?
Audio link below to an interesting piece from Democracy Now!
According to Newsweek, the U.S. government isconsidering "The Salvador Option" - setting up assassination squads to target leaders of the Iraqi resistance. We speak with journalist and activist Allan Nairn whose 1984 article in The Progressive Magazine titled "Behind the Death Squads" exposed the CIA's backing of El Salvador death squads and led to an investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Listen/Watch/Read HERE
Billboard Vandalism?
Or creative advertising?
This is kinda cool. Commando-art...
A recent billboard campaign placed by Champaign, Illinois hip hop record label Up A Notch Records apparently encouraged local student organization UC Hip Hop to "vandalize" it's billboards to achieve more publicity. The boards, with the headline, "Hip Hop Rots Your Brain," were accompanied by a logo for the fictitious Coalition of Responsible and Attentive Parents whose acronym is- CRAP. Heehee.
Check out the photos:
before
after
