Catfish 8/10
A sweet but ultimately tragic documentary that follows the relationship between a New York based photographer and a family in Michigan. I won't reveal the twists but suffice to say it's a great story and whilst many people are saying it's fake, I know full well that this thing does happen (thankfully, not to me). The final 40 mins take you on a roller coaster of emotions from fear, to anger, to pity.
Anyone that uses Facebook or other social media will appreciate the film.
Sunday 29 May 2011
Wednesday 18 May 2011
Laugh?
"There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt." - Erma Bombeck
"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die." - Mel Brooks
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Been a few days since I wrote a blog. Apologies, seems that my working life really DOES take up a huge chuck of my time.
I'm writing this today in response to a few people who don't appreciate what I find funny.
Now, I'll admit that my sense of humour isn't exactly the most politically correct. Probably not the most sane either. But it's who I am. And it's actually how most of my family are. My Dad and I shared a very similar 'gallows' sense of humour. In fact, I know for a stone cold fact that if he wasn't dead, he'd be laughing at all my jokes, even the ones at his expense.
(For instance, a friend told me recently that I had my Dad's eyes. So I told her "Well, it's not like he needs them anymore". She began to laugh then stopped to ask if I was being serious. Of course, I wasn't but I know my Dad would have approved regardless).
To me, anything is fair game. The latest tragedy? I'll be getting text jokes within 10 mins. A celebrity dies? Ditto. I truly don't think there's anything that you can't reasonably make fun of. After all, isn't all comedy ultimately borne out of tragedy?
We, as humans need a release valve. Laughter is that valve. Can anyone honestly tell me they've not felt a LOT better after a good laughing fit? No matter how stressed or angry, a damn good belly laugh cures all.
I've been accused of having a sick sense of humour many times. I somewhat agree. But I would like to ask the accusers have they ever laughed at anything they shouldn't? Ever watched someone trip over and stifle a laugh? Ever been told a joke, laugh then go "oooo" because it was a bit below the belt? I bet the answer is YES.
Which is where my problem lies. Who's the one in the wrong? The one that laughs at anything/anyone/any situation or the one who's selective. I can tell you now, my conscience is clear.
I often refer to myself as the perfect example of Equal Opportunities - I discriminate against everyone. Frankie Boyle said it best: "I'm not racist, I haven't finished hating all the white people yet". When you start making caveats, then instantly, you're not playing fair. Why can't I make fun of different religions, the same way I make fun of my own? And similarly, I don't have a problem if you want to make fun of my religion, as long as you don't mind people doing the same to yours.
Another comic I like immensely is Lisa Lampanelli. She participates in a lot of 'Roasts' on US television. Her comedy is based mainly on insults. She has often been criticised for her language, her racial comments, her attacks on minorities. However, she always balances it out with jokes about herself, and 'majorities'. No-one is safe from her scathing humour and in my opinion, she's got it dead right.
To quote Lisa: "If you laugh at all the jokes about others, but none of the ones about yourself, YOU are the racist"
Yes, I will poke fun at the McCann's, at 9/11, at cancer, at pretty much anything. But equally, I will poke fun at myself, at my Dad, my Mum, and everything I love and hold dear, because what makes me laugh might not make YOU laugh, but that's not my problem. And if you don't like my jokes, my comments, my sarcasm... "Talk to my butt coz it's only part of me that gives a crap".
Saturday 7 May 2011
Connie Pietens 1977 - 2010
Just a short one.
Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the death of a good friend. She was 32.
She bravely battled cancer for several months but ultimately succumbed to this vile, indiscriminate disease.
She was an inspiration to me and all that knew her. She was kind, sweet, funny, and daft as a brush. Some of her adventures and mishaps are the stuff of legend.
Rest in peace, Connie. Look down on us from time to time, as we belt out a song at a karaoke. We all miss you.
Until we meet again. x
Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the death of a good friend. She was 32.
She bravely battled cancer for several months but ultimately succumbed to this vile, indiscriminate disease.
She was an inspiration to me and all that knew her. She was kind, sweet, funny, and daft as a brush. Some of her adventures and mishaps are the stuff of legend.
Rest in peace, Connie. Look down on us from time to time, as we belt out a song at a karaoke. We all miss you.
Until we meet again. x
Wednesday 4 May 2011
Nutjobs
"There are none so blind as those who will not see"
While I was writing my previous blog, I was thinking about the ever-present 'conspiracy theorists' that will be jumping up and down insisting on all the evidence you can muster to prove Osama is dead, etc.
Now, I love the X-Files as much as anyone. I've seen ever adventure that Mulder/Scully/Doggett/Reyes had (even both movies) and I have them all on DVD. But the adventures I enjoyed the least were the ones involving government cover-ups, and so on. I'm not naive and saying that there's never a cover up or that governments don't lie. We know they do, and have done in the past. I just can't see how ANY government can cover up anything 'big' for too long.
Think of the moon landings. There's many people that insist it never happened. It was all faked and recorded in a sound stage in Utah (or wherever). Despite all the evidence to the contrary, people STILL say it was a lie and man has never set foot on the moon. Yes, I've looked at both sides of the argument and can honestly say that only one side has holes. But the other side will just claim 'well they've doctored the evidence' or 'well that's what they WOULD say'.
Same with President Kennedy's assassination. Same with Area 51. Same with all of them. There's far more compelling evidence to say the conspiracy theorists are wrong than right, so why can't they admit it?
Paranoia.
They will never believe the truth because they honestly think that everything they've ever been told is wrong.
The main one now will be "Osama bin Laden is alive". I mean, come on. President Obama has come out and said he will not release the pics showing OBL's corpse. I applaud this. There's nothing that will be in those pictures that the more suspicious among us won't write off as "oh it's a photoshop job". So let them think he's alive. There's only one thing that will prove he is, let OBL pop up and say hello.
He won't though, he's deader than flower power.
But I bet those scummy little wikileakers will find and release the pic. Twunts.
While I was writing my previous blog, I was thinking about the ever-present 'conspiracy theorists' that will be jumping up and down insisting on all the evidence you can muster to prove Osama is dead, etc.
Now, I love the X-Files as much as anyone. I've seen ever adventure that Mulder/Scully/Doggett/Reyes had (even both movies) and I have them all on DVD. But the adventures I enjoyed the least were the ones involving government cover-ups, and so on. I'm not naive and saying that there's never a cover up or that governments don't lie. We know they do, and have done in the past. I just can't see how ANY government can cover up anything 'big' for too long.
Think of the moon landings. There's many people that insist it never happened. It was all faked and recorded in a sound stage in Utah (or wherever). Despite all the evidence to the contrary, people STILL say it was a lie and man has never set foot on the moon. Yes, I've looked at both sides of the argument and can honestly say that only one side has holes. But the other side will just claim 'well they've doctored the evidence' or 'well that's what they WOULD say'.
Same with President Kennedy's assassination. Same with Area 51. Same with all of them. There's far more compelling evidence to say the conspiracy theorists are wrong than right, so why can't they admit it?
Paranoia.
They will never believe the truth because they honestly think that everything they've ever been told is wrong.
The main one now will be "Osama bin Laden is alive". I mean, come on. President Obama has come out and said he will not release the pics showing OBL's corpse. I applaud this. There's nothing that will be in those pictures that the more suspicious among us won't write off as "oh it's a photoshop job". So let them think he's alive. There's only one thing that will prove he is, let OBL pop up and say hello.
He won't though, he's deader than flower power.
But I bet those scummy little wikileakers will find and release the pic. Twunts.
Tuesday 3 May 2011
The Osama Blog
Instead of the occasional comment/quip on other peoples Facebook threads, which threaten to derail them and descend into chaos, I decided to sum up my thoughts and opinions in the form of a blog. I've never written a blog before, so bear with me if this rambles on.
I suppose I should start by revealing where I heard the news first. As many of you know, I'm on Twitter as well as Facebook (@totalkhaos if you're so inclined) and I am signed up to get breaking news stories from Sky News, and others. I get the 'tweets' sent via SMS to my mobile. So basically, on Bank Holiday Monday morning, I get woken up by my phone going manic with text message alerts. So I read them, and immediately turned on the news to get the story.
Hardly a memorable moment to tell people when they ask "where were you when..." but it was early and I was tired. That's my excuse.
A story like this will immediately cause debate. Should he have been shot or captured? Is it right to celebrate his death? Will it ultimately matter? What next for the world? How much did Pakistan know? I don't pretend to know the answers, and no-one should. But I can tell you what I think...
1) Should he have been shot or captured?
Tricky one. In an IDEAL world, the US armed forces would have raided his compound, rounded up all the occupants, without a bullet being fired and no death or bloodshed. Then OBL would have been put on trial, found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment or execution (depending on where the trial was).
However, this is NOT an ideal world. Firstly, he was a military target (not just for the US, it should be said) and so to capture him without bloodshed was always going to be unlikely, even impossible, with the arms and protection at his disposal. If he can persuade young men and women to detonate explosives on their body then of course like-minded individuals will be willing to take a bullet for him. Any operation would need to get him and disable him. Which is what happened.
But what if he HAD been captured? Would this have been better? I really don't think so. In fact, I can see how it would be worse. Yes, tell the world you've 'captured' OBL and he will go on trial for his crimes but doesn't that leave it open for his followers/believers to take hostages, and demand his release? I know it didn't happen with Saddam, but he was never a 'figurehead' and was never seen as a 'martyr' for his stance against America/the West. OBL was the Che Guevara of Islamic extremists and I'm sure that there are many of his supporters willing to revenge his death. I would also bet they would revenge his capture. And would avenge anything they felt like because that's how they operate.
In either case, OBL would have been made to be a martyr, whether in death or in prison. And where that prison would have been, who knows...
2) Is it right to celebrate his death?
Hmmm. Have pondered this a lot. Personally, while I'm not comfortable with the "USA! USA!" chants of the crowds you see on TV, I completely understand WHY they feel they need to let out their emotions. And before anyone says "typical Americans" I can also point out how the UK responded to the death of Princess Diana. You can't tell me that we're any better, as a nation. Both examples are 'celebrating' a death, but one was mourning, one was joyous.
While I personally wouldn't be so jubilant and be out waving flags and dancing while my country's worst enemy was killed, I fully understand why some people do feel the need. And I wouldn't dream of asking them not to. Most of the people I've seen cheering and celebrating were probably children when 9/11 happened. They grew up with a good part of their lives under a blanket of fear and OBL was the 'boogeyman' that symbolised that. He's dead, so they're happy. Doesn't make it right, but like I said, I can understand why they're dancing and singing, etc.
Of course, it might easily serve to piss off the extremists even more, but that's for the future to tell...
One thing I said on a friends Facebook thread was that even if OBL was captured alive, we'd still see celebrating in the streets, but without anywhere near the level of controversy. I really think that it's the celebration of 'closure' more than his death that is causing the outpouring of emotions. I hope I'm right.
3) Will it ultimately matter?
No. OBL was only ever a symbol. His ideals and beliefs are very much on the wane (as anyone in Egypt, Syria, Libya, etc will show) see: Arab Spring OBL and his like can no longer say that their way is the way to overthrow a regime. Democracy can and has proven to be more effective.
However, just because OBL and Al-Qaeda are no longer the force they were (in OBL's case, very much so!) doesn't mean that they're a non-issue. Extremists thrive on hatred and will always hate western society. The death of bin Laden will likely focus their hatred, but it was there before his killing and would have been there if OBL had slipped off into history.
4) What next for the world?
Well, not much really. There are still people out that that want to hurt/maim/kill and there always will be. OBL's death will not stop them, unfortunately. The world was forever changed on 9/11 with vigilance replacing complacency as the way of life. I don't expect this will ever change, certainly not in my lifetime.
5) How much did Pakistan know?
This, more than any other question, is the one that's likely to rumble on for longer. How could they NOT know that he was in their midst? Yes, I'm sure that the higher echelons of power probably had no idea, but there HAD to be people that were protecting him and keeping his records from view. And strange how that the US force that 'got him' did so without telling Pakistan intelligence. At best this just smacks of incompetence on Pakistan's part. At worst, it's a vile and despicable cover-up.
So that's my thoughts on the matter. I will be interested to hear/read others.
And I promise my next blog will be a lot more light-hearted (and hopefully shorter!)
I suppose I should start by revealing where I heard the news first. As many of you know, I'm on Twitter as well as Facebook (@totalkhaos if you're so inclined) and I am signed up to get breaking news stories from Sky News, and others. I get the 'tweets' sent via SMS to my mobile. So basically, on Bank Holiday Monday morning, I get woken up by my phone going manic with text message alerts. So I read them, and immediately turned on the news to get the story.
Hardly a memorable moment to tell people when they ask "where were you when..." but it was early and I was tired. That's my excuse.
A story like this will immediately cause debate. Should he have been shot or captured? Is it right to celebrate his death? Will it ultimately matter? What next for the world? How much did Pakistan know? I don't pretend to know the answers, and no-one should. But I can tell you what I think...
1) Should he have been shot or captured?
Tricky one. In an IDEAL world, the US armed forces would have raided his compound, rounded up all the occupants, without a bullet being fired and no death or bloodshed. Then OBL would have been put on trial, found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment or execution (depending on where the trial was).
However, this is NOT an ideal world. Firstly, he was a military target (not just for the US, it should be said) and so to capture him without bloodshed was always going to be unlikely, even impossible, with the arms and protection at his disposal. If he can persuade young men and women to detonate explosives on their body then of course like-minded individuals will be willing to take a bullet for him. Any operation would need to get him and disable him. Which is what happened.
But what if he HAD been captured? Would this have been better? I really don't think so. In fact, I can see how it would be worse. Yes, tell the world you've 'captured' OBL and he will go on trial for his crimes but doesn't that leave it open for his followers/believers to take hostages, and demand his release? I know it didn't happen with Saddam, but he was never a 'figurehead' and was never seen as a 'martyr' for his stance against America/the West. OBL was the Che Guevara of Islamic extremists and I'm sure that there are many of his supporters willing to revenge his death. I would also bet they would revenge his capture. And would avenge anything they felt like because that's how they operate.
In either case, OBL would have been made to be a martyr, whether in death or in prison. And where that prison would have been, who knows...
2) Is it right to celebrate his death?
Hmmm. Have pondered this a lot. Personally, while I'm not comfortable with the "USA! USA!" chants of the crowds you see on TV, I completely understand WHY they feel they need to let out their emotions. And before anyone says "typical Americans" I can also point out how the UK responded to the death of Princess Diana. You can't tell me that we're any better, as a nation. Both examples are 'celebrating' a death, but one was mourning, one was joyous.
While I personally wouldn't be so jubilant and be out waving flags and dancing while my country's worst enemy was killed, I fully understand why some people do feel the need. And I wouldn't dream of asking them not to. Most of the people I've seen cheering and celebrating were probably children when 9/11 happened. They grew up with a good part of their lives under a blanket of fear and OBL was the 'boogeyman' that symbolised that. He's dead, so they're happy. Doesn't make it right, but like I said, I can understand why they're dancing and singing, etc.
Of course, it might easily serve to piss off the extremists even more, but that's for the future to tell...
One thing I said on a friends Facebook thread was that even if OBL was captured alive, we'd still see celebrating in the streets, but without anywhere near the level of controversy. I really think that it's the celebration of 'closure' more than his death that is causing the outpouring of emotions. I hope I'm right.
3) Will it ultimately matter?
No. OBL was only ever a symbol. His ideals and beliefs are very much on the wane (as anyone in Egypt, Syria, Libya, etc will show) see: Arab Spring OBL and his like can no longer say that their way is the way to overthrow a regime. Democracy can and has proven to be more effective.
However, just because OBL and Al-Qaeda are no longer the force they were (in OBL's case, very much so!) doesn't mean that they're a non-issue. Extremists thrive on hatred and will always hate western society. The death of bin Laden will likely focus their hatred, but it was there before his killing and would have been there if OBL had slipped off into history.
4) What next for the world?
Well, not much really. There are still people out that that want to hurt/maim/kill and there always will be. OBL's death will not stop them, unfortunately. The world was forever changed on 9/11 with vigilance replacing complacency as the way of life. I don't expect this will ever change, certainly not in my lifetime.
5) How much did Pakistan know?
This, more than any other question, is the one that's likely to rumble on for longer. How could they NOT know that he was in their midst? Yes, I'm sure that the higher echelons of power probably had no idea, but there HAD to be people that were protecting him and keeping his records from view. And strange how that the US force that 'got him' did so without telling Pakistan intelligence. At best this just smacks of incompetence on Pakistan's part. At worst, it's a vile and despicable cover-up.
So that's my thoughts on the matter. I will be interested to hear/read others.
And I promise my next blog will be a lot more light-hearted (and hopefully shorter!)
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