In dishonor of Michael Moore’s continued assault on the documentary, I present you with a crap load of quotes about his new film, Fahrenheit 9/11.
Jeff Jarvis "I don't buy Moore's Bush. To say that he's the dark force of the universe only leads to simple-minded over-generalizations and bilious caricatures."
Christopher Hitchen, Slate "To describe this film as dishonest and demagogic would almost be to promote those terms to the level of respectability. To describe this film as a piece of crap would be to run the risk of a discourse that would never again rise above the excremental. To describe it as an exercise in facile crowd-pleasing would be too obvious. Fahrenheit 9/11 is a sinister exercise in moral frivolity, crudely disguised as an exercise in seriousness. It is also a spectacle of abject political cowardice masking itself as a demonstration of "dissenting" bravery. "
A. O. Scott, NY Times "Mixing sober outrage with mischievous humor and blithely trampling the boundary between documentary and demagoguery."
Jason Kottke "Fahrenheit 9/11 is so much about Michael Moore's opinion that it's difficult to go through that process of finding the truth. The frustrating thing is that Moore has a point, but he's unable to get himself out of the way enough to tell us the story so we can make up our own minds about it"
Ty Burr, Boston Globe ""Fahrenheit 9/11" is many things, but for pity's sake let's not call it a documentary. To do so abuses the word and shames the good and balanced work done by filmmakers"
Andrew Sullivan "I will generally go see anything. I even sat through "The Passion of the Christ." But I cannot bring myself to go to this piece of vile, hateful propaganda."
Jay Reding "Moore’s film clearly is the basest of propaganda, a shamefully manipulative piece that presents only one side of the story. The way in which Moore portrays pre-war Baghdad as being some kind of idyllic setting - no mass graves, no tortures, no rapes, is simply disgusting. Moore isn’t anti-war he’s cheerleading for the other side."
Byron York, National Review "Fahrenheit 9/11 devotes a significant amount of time to a fantastical theory that the war in Afghanistan was not part of a wide-ranging U.S. retaliation for the terrorist attacks of September 11, but was in fact undertaken for the financial benefit of Texas oil interests"
Kevin Mori "I just can’t support a movie that passes itself off as documentary while deliberately spreads falsehoods and lies, no matter how good the cause or how much I agree with a filmmaker’s personal politics."
I could go on, but what's the point?
As a general rule, I'm willing hear out anybody's opinion, but I absolutely will not pay to see this movie. I fear that Moore will point to his box office numbers and gloat about how great a documentarian he is. I fear he'll make public proclamation about how many people support his point of view because they went to see his movie. I won't do it because I will, in no way shape or form, give even the slightest illusion of support to such a man.
Give me a bootleg copy off the internet, invite me over to your house for a Michael Moore rental film fest that your friends are throwing. I'll watch, but I won't pay.
KU's SAE Heavy Lift Team placed 4th overall at the west competition. Lifting 27lbs or weight with a 12 lb airplane. This official starts my reign as evil underlord of the KU team for next year.
Sorry about all y'all getting 404'd for the last week. I had set my web hosting service to automatically renew while I was in Texas, and remarkably it didn't. So I spent the last week trying to recover all the website as well as restore service. But alas, my will be done, and TOG is back for another year!
I'm taking off for Fort Worth in about an hour for another shot at engineering immortality. I'll be back late Sunday, so until then, I hope all goes well for you and yours.
Well, I prophezied it though I didn't think it would be Ralph Wiley. I've been reading his stuff from ESPN for a few years, it was good stuff.
TOG will pour out a cold one for you Ralph. You the man dog, you the man.
UPDATE: ESPN's Page 2 has a fitting remembrance on the front page. Check it out.
Dana's bun in the oven is about done, and we here at TOG's thoughts wish her a healthy and happy baby boy. If you haven't already, enjoy her daily dose good times at Note-It Posts
The first being a distinct lack of people saying nice things to me through my Gmail account.
The second being the few invitations to get a Gmail account that I just can't seem to get rid of.
hmmm...whatever shall I do?
Since we all know the famous people die in threes, I'm going to go ahead an lay out some official TOG odds.
Over/Under on the the next Famous death: June 17th
Odds on Next Famous Person to Die:
The Pope: 5:3 Sorry Kristi
Elizabeth Taylor: 6:1
Abe Vigoda: 4:1
Fidel Castro: 8:1
Ozzy Osborne: 18:1
Marlon Brando: 24:1
Courtney Love: 12:1
I'm open to other suggestions as well.
Well, its official...sort of
SOECS is taking over something, but nobody knows what yet, not even them.
Nobody knows, because nobody has decided yet. Which sort of seems bass-ackwards to me. Logic dictates that you should have defined and understood responsibilities before you accept a job, not after. But now that SOECS has unveiled their plain to take over the world my job, they are dangerously exposed. And this makes me happy.
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Someone is likely taking over my job and I'm happy?
Damn right I am. And there are three good reasons for me to be
1.) I have a department promise that I will still have a job of some sorts next year, whether it be lab stuff or legitimate research.
2.) I'm getting real tired of the IT world anyway. Professor and Students alike are dumb. Educated they may be, but when mere concept of causality escapes your grasp, your are dumb. There is to much whining and complaining for me to put up with any more. The computers are fun to deal with, but I don't get paid nearly enough to deal with the people.
3.) I have a full two months to sabotage an entire network of computers. And there is nobody capable of stopping me.
So there you have it, I have 2 months batten down the hatches and make these IT conquistadors' lives harder. They have no earthly idea what they are getting into. I am therefore officially opening the floor for suggestions of subversion and other general mayhem.
Let the games begin
You will ALWAYS spend 3 times as much time explaining what you fixed and how you fixed it than you actually spent fixing it. Never fails...ever.
1st corollary to the 82nd rule: You will at least once during each explanation, contemplate bludgeoning yourself to death with the nearest heavy object.
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived."
-George Patton
I feel like beating the ever-loving crap out of something or someone right now.
-More later-
I've got GMail, I've got GMail, I've got GMail, Yea!
That's right loosers, I have a gmail account and YOU don't. If you don't like it you can kiss my flabby behind at
kyle DOT hunt AT gmail DOT com
Uber Ultra Super Mega Props go out to Sarah and all her magnificent magnificence for giving me the invite.
June 21.
I would pay 200 dollars to see this happen live on television, and I'm a cheap SOB.
Would somebody please be excited with me!?!
Yesterday was my first day back at work, after post-junior week off. Plenty of things to talk about transpired last week, but that's not why I'm here.
I'm here to introduce you to an absolutely amazing feat of human instinct! For I, the humble TOG, have discovered a new sub-species of human.
I present to you Jimmeus Johnous:
These gentle giants can be found inside the offical gourmet sandwich shop of TOG, and are identified by glazed over eyeballs, friendly half-assed 'how's it going' communication they exhibit when their natural prey, the ever elusive 'customer', strolls into the den.
In most situations, Jimmeus Johnous acts similar to his food service brethren. That is of course until they have you alone, in their fortress of solitude. Only then, will they show off there two abilities. You see fellow travelers; Jimmeus Johnous has a near perfect ability to sense its prey.
Allow me to explain:
Yesterday, whilst enjoying a delicious #2 Big John at the offical gourmet sandwich shop of TOG the local population of Jimmeus Johnous decided to take a break and prepared some yummy goodness for themselves. Which, considering that I was to only other person present did not seem that unusual. So the two, a male and a female (thou at this point we cannot be sure that they are mating partners), leisured their way into the dining area and began to feed.
At this point I feel the need to describe the surroundings and location of the den, for reason that will be apparent later of course. This particular den, or "sandwich shop" as they prefer it to be called, is located in a pseudo strip mall on 23rd street here in Lawrence. You're familiar with the type of surrounding, pizza place, copy center, party outlet store, and vacuum cleaner shop (no kidding). The important thing is that there is communal parking for all the stores. So keep this in mind.
now, back to the show
The afore mentioned specimens were performing the aforementioned feeding rituals in the aforementioned dining area when another unsuspecting prey fell victim to the allure of their well priced gourmet sandwiches, and came driving up in an overpriced luxury SUV, a JoCoMoFo to be sure. Instantly the feedings ceased as the young Jimmeus Johnous scurried behind the counter just in time to great the pretentious young stalwart.
After said stalwart had completed his transaction and gone home to have nastily unprotected sex with some young JoCoHo, who is most certainly the most beautiful yet shallowest person in the greater Kansas City area. The aforementioned Jimmeus Johnous went back to doing whatever the hell it was they were doing before I wrote that line about nastily unprotected sex.
You're distracted by that phrase weren't you?
Admit it, you were!
...me too
Pardon me while I go back and reread what I just wrote so that I can re-rail this thought train and get to the conclusion of this distastely long post.
ahh yes...the feeding time
Anyway, they went back to feeding until another car pulled up. Quickly they scrambled back to service position, greeting the guy whom had just walked it. He, by the way, was decidedly not a JoCoMoFo, and thus did not warrant me having any thoughts about nastily unprotected sex.
Damnit! I did it again!
Quickly let us proceed, lest we get bogged down in thoughts of sin!
So the feeding/scrambling routine happened once more, with both the male and female sensing the impending arrival or prey the near second the prey’s transmission was shifted into park. This struck me as odd, as the prey could have been visiting anyone of the way aforementioned business establishments, excepting of course the vacuum cleaner shop, which isn’t open at 7:15 pm. So I rationalized to myself that Jimmeus Johnous must be a jumpy species. But I was not ready for the events that would soon transpire.
Scarcely three minutes after the old prey had left the den, a new car rolls into the lot and parks right in front of the sandwich shop. Slowly I hunker down waiting for the impending scramble. The car stopped, but they did not move. The car door opened but they did not move. They prey walked straight down the sidewalk, directly toward the entrance to the den, and yet they did not move. They’ll be slaughtered I propose to myself, what could possibly have caused this gross negligence in reaction time. Quickly the prey approached the entrance. 10 feet, 7 feet, 5...3…1
And then the oddest thing happened, the lady whom I though was surely headed for the den, continued on her way down the row of stores, past the den, and into the copy center.
How did they know? What other worldly powers do they possess that would allow them to understand this lady’s intentions? How is this possible? I am so enormously hung up on this that I’ve been walking around in a daze ever since. I fear the very foundations of the earth are in jeopardy if we cannot discover the Jimmeus Johnous’ source of power.