Doubt - Movie Review

So earlier today we finally made it, out of our busy schedule, to the movie theater and got to watch "Doubt" with Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Meryl Streep. So I know in my pre-review that I posted earlier, I mentioned how I was sure there was going to be racial notes in it, but not as many as I thought. I had also read earlier that the movie had put too much faith in the two main actors to really carry this on their back, but I believe this statement to be wrong. I surprisingly liked the movie. I had to keep on bugging Zack about some of the terms or traditions that the catholic church does, during ceremony. A quick synopsis, Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Steep) accuses Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of "favoring" a young black school/ altar boy a bit too much!

So this movie was very entertaining, a bit slow in a few parts (as you should expect), but all in all it was a very good movie and kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting to find out what the sisters were going to do about the whole issue. The three main actors did a very good job with their roles, and made things very moving and believable. I would have to say though that there is an actor who did an excellent small part, and a very emotional dialoge that deserves credit where credit is due.
Viola Davis plays the role of Mrs. Miller, the mother of a student at the catholic school. Davis' dialogue was so moving and believable, I would say that for a small role, she did an excellent job and deserves to get at least nominated for something.

I give this movie an A-. This was a slow movie, yet still all in all entertaining. I am still actually wondering where the truth lies in the whole movie. The movie was worth seeing because of the pure acting in it. There are no explosions or spectacular filmography in this to take you away from a good natural story that can stand up to any other movie out right now, as far as entertainment value goes.

I suggest that you check out this movie if you have an interest in religion, the catholic church, and shall I say, doubt.

Grade: A-

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The Last Five Years - In Austin for a limited time!

So I wanted to post this as quick as I found out that "The Last Five Years" was in Austin right now. This is a wonderful musical by Jason Robert Brown. It's a newer musically, premiered in 2001, about a couple meeting, marrying, then divorcing. It is done so well, and simple, I have yet to meet someone who did not enjoy it. We have been following this musical for sometime now, since 2003, when we saw it in Laguna Beach, California. This was the first musical that Zack took me to and we enjoyed together. It has now been around 6 years since then. We loved it right off the bat and had to purchase the CD. Well...

I wanted to share with you that this wonderful musical is in the local area of Austin, Texas. It is showing January 10th at 8pm, 11th at 5pm, 14th - 17th at 8pm, and 18th at 5pm. Yesterday I looked up and found that it was only scheduled to be in Austin til the 18th of January. Today I am looking at them extending it, I guess they added three more shows, January 24th at 2pm and 10:30pm, and 25th at 8pm. If you get the chance please check it out. If your not in Austin, look up at your local theaters and see if maybe a local theater is showing it, or find the CD online!

If you are in Austin and are catching this blog soon enough, go to these links to see the show and purchase tickets!

Get Tickets here!

Austin Playhouse

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! One of my favorite songs is "The Schmuel Song".
Please share whether you liked it or not. Give me a review!

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Waltz With Bashir - June 12, 2008

Waltz with Bashir is a movie that was recommened by Tony LeTigre, reader of Boi In Austin and contributer for "Just Out", a gay newspaper in Portland, OR. Tony has seen this movie, but I have not yet seen this and I will plan on seeing this probably soon. Just need to find a way to rent the movie, so I can see it, since Netflix does not have it in their queue. From the trailers and clips that I have seen though, this movie looks phenominal.

Here is a really good synopsis that I pulled from Blockbuster.com:

Director Ari Folman's animated, quasi-documentary Waltz With Bashir follows the filmmaker's emotional attempt to decipher the horrors that unfolded one night in September of 1982, when Christian militia members massacred more than 3,000 Palestinian refugees in the heart of Beirut as Israeli soldiers surrounded the area. Folman was one of those soldiers, but nearly 20 years after the fact, his memories of that night remain particularly hazy. After hearing an old friend recall a vivid nightmare in which he is pursued by 26 ferocious dogs, Folman and his friend conclude that the dream must somehow relate to that fateful mission during the first Lebanon War. When Folman realizes that his recollections regarding that period in his life seem to have somehow been wiped clean, he travels the world to interview old friends and fellow soldiers from the war. Later, as Folman's memory begins to emerge in a series of surreal images, he begins to uncover a truth about himself that will haunt him for the rest of his days. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

With myself knowing what war is like, and get the idea of how you tend to forget what you have seen and done, I would really like to see this, not for just the story of the war, but also for the memory block and how he overcomes it.

I would really like to check this movie out, if anyone knows of any ways that I can, please email me or comment here about it.

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Year 2009, is finally here!

Well, I know I am about seven days too late to be the first to wish you a Happy New Year, but oh well, I have been busy, as you can probably see! So I am really excited about this new year. This is a clean slate for everyone to start things a new. My New Years Eve was spent working, driving a Hummer Stretch Limo for a group of 12 people that went to a masquerade. My night was still good though, got to spend time with my family, while my love was working about 100 miles away. Thank god for cellphones and their ability to make us seem closer. A lot happened on New Years Eve though.

I am not sure if you have ever heard of Robbie Maddison, but he did something that was completely amazing. Now before I continue, I can't decide if he is hot or not, what do you think?

Any rate Robbie Maddison did a stunt in Las Vegas to bring in the New Year. He didn't do just a safe and cheesy stunt, like Robbie Knievel has been doing lately. Maddison broke records with this jump. With aide of a ramp he jumped just around 100 feet up to the roof of a hotel, and then completed the jump by returning back down. The problem with the return was that he completely over shot the ramp and went directly to the ground, around 90+ feet down. Maddison did this all successfully for the first time in history and I must say, "Robbie Maddison you are the man!"

I myself enjoy adrenalin, and I would say that I would be one to try something like this, as long as I received some proper training. Maybe I am a little crazy. I think we should always push ourselves to become better. We should all strive to be a better individual, and a better civilization. That is what the New Year is really about, setting a goal and striving to hit it dead center. What's your goal this year? Whats your New Year resolution?

Set a resolution and a goal, write it down and strive to hit it! Happy New Year and may this year be better than our previous, for all of us!

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Vulgar - 2000 / 2002 - Movie Review

So first off, this is a dark movie that is really hard to swallow at points. This movie is to make you uncomfortable in your seat. Vulgar came out in 2000 or 2002, unsure because it is reported differently everywhere. I loved this movie because it was so original and done in such a dark way. Yes, it is a low-budget film and yes the acting is not something to send to the Oscars. The director, Bryan Johnson, does deserve a standing ovation, in my opinion, for making us laugh and cringe within minutes of each other.

The movie is about a "loser" kid's clown struggling to make a living, while his mother is just "wonderful" (sarcasm). Basically he has a pretty disappointing life. He finally decides to try something new for business and to do an introductory act for bachelor parties as a goof on the guest of honor. So summing it up, things don't go the way he hoped. Brian O'Halloran does an excellent job portraying "Flappy" for the kids, and "Vulgar" for the adults.

I went into this movie, not knowing what to expect, or anything. I was extremly happy that I stuck through the movie to come to a decent ending. This is a Kevin Smith crew, with Kevin Smith making an appearance and even Jason Mewes showing up in a small part, but IT IS NOT A "Jay and Silent Bob", "Clerks" kind of film. Also, please don't let the kids watch it. This is one out of few that I would not let the kid's ever watch.

Let me know what you think.
You can get this movie through Netflix, and highly suggest that you do!

Anote about this trailer. This is not a good trailer for the film, this trailer makes it seem like this is a light movie, kinda funny. It is not though. This movie is much darker than trailer.

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How was your Christmas? A look back at the past couple days for me.

So the past holiday weekend+ was pretty crazy. The in-law family was in from out-of-state, had some great times. We went shopping just about everyday and I kept my spending down pretty good. In the shopping I ended up getting a "Pin Head - 3-Dimensional Pin Sculpture" that is a neon green color for less than $3.00. It's amazing how the simple toys are so fun! I found some other cool things, but really this has been the best find for the household.

For Christmas I finally got an iPhone, which I have been trying to get for sometime now. A quick review on it. I don't like how it does not allow for you to customize the colors (software, theme wise) and icons, unless you hack it a bit. This is something I will be doing too, found a site that tells you how to change the icons and the colors on the SMS application. The last thing that I have found, that I don't like is that it does not do MMS. I love sending and receiving pictures, sounds, and contacts. None of these things are currently available, what was Apple thinking? What I love is the ease to install applications, and the ability to stream music, or listen to my Itunes. All in all, I am extremely pleased with it! I look forward to seeing if Apple can release an OS that allows us to customize and send MMS. You would think that with most of Apple's customers being people that love to express themselves and be different, how do they do that with an iPhone? Seems like Apple has set us all to be sheep, BAHHHH.

What else did we get for Christmas? Well, we got a Playstation 3, which is awesome! We also got a cool TV cabinet that allows for the TV to be mechanically lowered into the cabinet or lifted for viewing.

The PS3, Playstation 3, is better than what we thought. We still have some learning to do, but one of the reasons for going with PS3 instead of XBox was because of the Blue-ray. Also we already had a PS2, and many games that we wanted to be able to continue to play on our new console. The Blue-ray is excellent quality, for viewing movies and also has some added features to make the movie experience more special, with bonus material. I also like the fact that the PS3 does a lot of stuff through the network, like a media player and it seems to also see our DirecTv DVR, but we have yet to figure out how that works with it, yet. We are also increasing our usage because we added Blue-ray to our Netflix account and we also got a new subscription to GameFly. I highly suggest this to everyone, it will cut down on costs and increase your fun meter!

The TV cabinet was definitely not a need, but once we saw it, for about 50% less than retail, we talked ourselves into getting it. It does not fit all of our electronics in it properly, but that just means that we are probably going to get a separate shelf in the future to set next to it. The idea is to make everything nicer, and more hidden. The up and down function on the cabinet is nice, slow, but still cool, kind of a bit noisy motor, but for the price, we are happy! As one friend said, "Your turning into Scarface!" Maybe that's because of our limo in the driveway though, not too sure.

How was your Christmas? Did you have fun?

Please share your thoughts.

Are you ready for the New Years?

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Merry Christmas!

So I have yet to go to the movies or even get out of my pajamas, but with family here we are about to sit down for dinner. First though, I wanted to send out a little cheer. Here are some hot pictures of Santa, thanks to the following blogs and YouTube.

Hope you all got what you wished for! Merry Christmas!

Trey Cruz
More About Male

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Coming Soon to a Theater Near You!

Ok, So these are all movies that I am curious about. No sure if they are going to be good or bad or what. Most of these have been pretty low on the radar too! I guess we shall see!

So the first one I will point out, "While She Was Out", which had a premier release to LA, NY, and Austin on Dec. 12th, 2008. Seems to be pretty interesting and dark for a Christmas movie. I'm sure it ends with Dela, Kim Basinger, winning in the long run.

"Seven Pounds" has Will Smith playing an interesting role, where I guess he is doing some kind of "Pay It Forward" role. Looks interesting, just not sure if I will go see it in the theater or choose to Netflix it. Release date was December 19, 2008.


So "The Tale of Despereaux" looks really cute. Looks like it will be the younger kids choice for a movie this Christmas. This movie seems to be a mixture of the Fievel Mousekewitz movies and "Ratatouille", I may not see it in the theater, but it is a maybe. Release date was December 19, 2008.


As far as "Yes Man", with Jim Carrey, I am going to wait for that to come to DVD. I liked "Liar Liar" and the Ace Ventura movies, but I think doing the same formula is getting to be, NOT FUNNY! Honestly I am surprised that Tom Cruise isn't the movitavional speaker for the YES MAN! group. May of been better. Release date was December 19, 2008.


Walt Disney's "Bedtime Stories", with Adam Sandler, looks cute because of the kids, but other than that it looks pretty bad. Adam Sandler was funny, and good in "Big Daddy" but is starting to get too old to do the stupid noises. The story line is good though, not really unique, but different, maybe they could of gotten another under-used actor to play the father. Release date is December 25, 2008.


I have already done a review, or at least my opinion on "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", with Brad Pitt. Please see my blog post about that! Release date is December 25, 2008.


So I love dogs, I am a dog person. So that could be why I would see this movie, "Marley & Me", with Owen Wilson. I think what sells me on this movie is a quote from Owen Wilson's character, "A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor. Give him your heart and he will give you his." This looks like a good family movie, specially if you like dogs. Even just watching this trailer reminds me of the things we have been going through with raising Juneau. I would love to see this in the theater. I also heard that this was an awesome book. Release date is December 25, 2008.


Frank Miller's "The Spirit" has been surprisingly getting bad reviews. I basically heard that the story sucks, and is corney, but I could only imagine that the artistic side of it is just awesome. I will wait for this on DVD. I still need to see "Sin City". Release date is Decemebr 25, 2008.


"Valkyrie", with Tom Cruise, has been on my mind since I saw the trailer. The movie looks interesting from the trailer. I have heard that this was filmed 2 years ago, but they tried a couple things that in the end didn't work. Things that I heard, were an issue, were "bad German accents" and "a Colonel Klink problem".(Here is a Batman and Colonel Klink reference.) Most of these were issues with Tom Cruise, so you will notice that no one in the movie is trying to act German or speak German. I am thinking that is going to piss me off, since it should be done in German and with accents, my opinion, but I heard that it is still fantastic without all of that. I will try to go see it in theater. Release date is December 25, 2008.


"Doubt", with Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, is one that I won't be doubting to turn our heads. These two actors I always love, especially when they play sinister roles like this. I look forward to seeing this in theater and I am sure I will not be disappointed. This is one movie I am sure that some catholics may not like, since it questions and tackles religion, morality and authority, not to mention probably child abuse, and racism. Release date is December 25, 2008.


So these are the movies that are taking out of 2008 and into 2009. I am still really excited about the year 2009. I am just interested to see if this year will be better than the last. As far as movies go, I think it will be a pretty big year for some pretty big movies!

Let me know what you think! PLEASE COMMENT OFTEN!

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Good Grief, Christmas Classics

Charlie Brown is one of the classic Christmas Traditions. Charlie Brown has internal conflict trying to figure out what the "true" meaning of Christmas is. Yes, its not about hot boys, it's not about drinking, or presents, or decorations. All of that, we just added on and piled it so hi that we can't tell what Christmas is.

This next video has Linus telling us what Christmas is about. What it really boils down to is that Christmas is about being thankful and loving one another.


Even in the end of the movie, Home Alone, Kevin had figured out that the meaning of Christmas was about being with family, and being loved.


And who could ever forget about "A Christmas Story", about a kid in an American Family where all he wants is a Red Ryder Ranger Model Air Rifle, but of course he might "shoot his eye out"! In the end though it was about being with family. No matter how difficult your family may be, during the holidays, please enjoy your time with them, and make new memories this holiday season. Merry Christmas!

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Christmastime: Special Edition

So another favorite Christmas Song of mine is Smashing Pumpkins' "Christmastime". I love the bells in it. It also brings back memories of Christmas my sophomore year!


What's you favorite, non-christmas carol, Christmas song? Let me know.





Also, what do you think about this video? This is a weird video, very depressing and sad, but still interesting.

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Band Aid 1, 2, and 20

So I love Christmas and the meaning of giving love, shelter, and so on to those you love the most, and to the rest of the world. I also believe that it should not be just at Christmas time. Yes, it is true. I don't give to every homeless person on the street, nor do I give money away, all the time. Let's just say that I am generous, randomly. In my past, I have done a lot of charity, and have been a part of a lot of projects. With all that said, I kind of have a problem with "Band Aid", also known as "Live Aid". Honestly, I think a lot of these performers get sucked into this release of an album, which lines other people's pockets more than those that they are trying to help out. Mind you I know that, even on a small scale, it is hard to make sure every dollar goes to where it is intended. My suggestion is to give to those in need yourself. There are plenty of people hurting this Christmas, and more pain is to come. Give what you can, that is all I say. If you don't know where to donate to, or who to give to, you can give to me, and I will see that it does good. You will also receive pictures, and stories from those that benefit, if you wish! Better yet though, just email/comment and I can make some suggestions! Merry Christmas and Have a Happy New Year!

Now, here are the three versions of "Do they know it's Christmas Time at All?" This is my favorite Christmas song this year, for some reason. Mind you, I know that it is the climate in Africa that does not let it snow, or rain. Do they celebrate Christmas in Africa? Yes, they probably do, but just like everyone in the U.S. does it differently, so do they. Either way, this is still a decent song , musically, to listen to. All three of them!

May I also suggest to take a look at the Wikipedia site, talking about Band Aid. Interesting stuff, and also shows who took a part in it all.

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A movie for the Holiday's - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" - Dec 25, 2008

So Gene Shalit gives a wonderful review on the Christmas release movie, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”.

This movie looks heartbreaking and wonderful for the holiday season. I think it will be similar to “Meet Joe Black” or maybe even “Titanic”, with a bit of “The Green Mile” with its magical story of love.

I hope I can make it to the theater with in the first few days that it is out, so I can get a fresh look at it, before someone bashs it and ruins it for me.

I would suggest you do the same, and have a wonderful holiday! Merry Christmas All!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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While At BNAT X

So while I was at Harry Knowle's Butt-Numb-A-Thon 10, okay so I was standing outside, I had someone randomly walk up to me and sit next to me.

So the full story is simply this, I was waiting for McG to finish up with his presentation of Terminator: Salvation, and drinking a sprite, outside the Alamo Drafthouse - South Lamar, when people started to come out of the theater for a cigarette. Mind you this is like 8:00 AM on a Sunday morning. These people coming outside had been at the theater since Noon the previous day, watching movies and drinking alcohol. So there I was just sitting at a picnic table, when next thing I know, Elijah Wood is standing next to me. I was in a suit with a tie and here he is with his cute messenger bag and smoking a cigarette. I just about fell out of my seat, in which case I probably would of smacked him with my hand, he was that close, but in the end, I didn't fall. I ended up just quietly and slowly moving away and giving him room. I should of asked for a handshake or a picture or something, but really I was just thinking in my head, "God, he is so cute!" I have never really liked Elijah or found him attractive until then, now I see it.

His eyes in person are just so beautiful, he is just so small and cute too. I noticed too that he seemed very nice and down to earth, he was interacting with everyone as if he was just a regular guy and not a guy that makes over $200,000 per year. I would love to get to know Elijah more, maybe sit, smoke, and just lounge and chat, seems like a really cool guy!

Elijah if your listening, hit me up.

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Terminator: Salavation - May 22, 2009

The new Terminator addition is on it's way. Yes I know that it is a ways away, but the BUZZ is starting on it. Shall I mention that I recently had a conversation with McG himself. So here it is, in my spare time, I do chauffering for a limo company here in Austin, TX. McG came into Austin to attend Harry Knowles Birthday Butt-Numb-A-Thon, where McG made a small apperance to promote Terminator: Salvation and gave Harry some birthday gifts in hope for a good review, it happens in Hollywood all the time. I drove McG and the Warner Bros crew around Austin from their private jet and hotel.

As for what I learned about the movie that made me excited was this. Christian Bale is obviously the playing John Conner, but Christian is not just an actor in this movie, he is also taking a large part in making the movie, much like he did with Batman Begins and Dark Knight. This tells me that we should be just excited for Salavation as we were for Dark Knight and Begins.

McG has said that we should be excited, especially the die hard fans, because of the referenceing it does and the questions it answers for us. This movie has the support of James Cameron, and with that said, we should all support this movie and be extremly excited.

Check out the new trailer for the movie. Read up on it yourself. Make your own decision, but me, I am supporting it 100%. Get ready for Salvation! The End Begins!

Stay Tuned for more updates here! Oh and yes, McG did promise to stay in contact with me, we really got along great and had a blast!

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Meet A Member of The Family

So last year we had a tragic Christmas with having to put our Golden-Lab (Baxter) to sleep due to cancer.

Earlier this year, we made the trip to Kyle Animal Shelter, after hearing that they had a huskey puppy there at the shelter. So moments after meeting Juneau, we were signing papers and adopting him.

He is a beautiful Siberian-Huskey, now about 2 years old, with blue/white eyes. Yes he would be a hot boy if he was human!

So Juneau likes to speak, play rough, and be chased!

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Changing Things Up

Hey All,

That is right, I am back and I have new mission. Recently I learned about a movie reviewer named Harry Knowles, and his blogging site http://www.aintitcoolnews.com/. My goal is to create a better blog and more informational reviews about movies. This is my goal, question is can I do it. I think I can, even with my busy schedule.

Some of the niche things that I do want to bring to my blog though is hot boys and shirtless scenes.

I will try to watch different movies, as much as possible, and give the best review about it as much as I can. If you want me to check out a movie, feel free to email me what you want me to check out and review. May even help to donate a little so I can help me go and see it, but not necessary.

BTW, the picture I am including is Harry Knowles, so you can see what a big guy HJK is. Am I better looking? I know I know, this is not about who is cuter or hotter, but then again, it is Hollywood that we are getting into now.

Let me know what you think!

Chad, the Boi in Austin

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Nappy-******* **** what?

God Bless Don Imus. Today Don Imus returned, if you have no idea what he said and why he is returning, then you must be really out of it or have been living on the dark side of the moon. I know that everyone has an opinion about Don Imus and most probably think that he is a raciest. My opinion is that he is nowhere near being a raciest. He is a white man, that made a really stupid, ugly joke. Point is that if you are not white, then you can say whatever you want. As soon as it is a white guy, saying the exact same thing, then there is a lawsuit and apologies to all follow. Don Imus was stupid for saying what he said, but he was also stupid for apologizing and doing the whole dog and pony show with Al Sharpton.



This inicident should of woken up America and allowed us to realize that no matter what the situation is, we do not have freedom of speech. This is not what the constitution was meant for, to support the loudest wheel like Al Sharpton. Does anyone find that it is wrong what Al Sharpton does to make money? Also, during the Imus apology tour, Sharpton had stated that he was going to change the Rap and Hip-Hop industry by holding the artists that use this language accountable as well. The day Imus got in trouble, should have been the same day that the CD’s , DVD’s, and games using this kind of language be pulled off the shelf. Mind you, I don’t want this to happen, I don’t like listening to that music, I don’t like hearing about “hanging with my homies” and “slapping the slut I’m with”. I don’t care for that, so I don’t listen to it and I don’t buy it. If everyone was disgusted with Imus then the only reason why he should have been fired or let go was because his ratings had dropped, and not ever because of the pressure that Al Sharpton put on NBC. I think Al Sharpton needs to apologize to Jews and white people in America for the things he has said in the past. I think he should also apologize to his fellow clerical members for the disgrace he puts on the position of being a Reverend. “Thou shall not judge”, right Al?

Please voice your opinion, I did.

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Ken Burn's and "The War"

This morning on my way to work, I was listening to Opie and Anthony and their guest Ken Burns. Ken Burns does some documentaries, which his latest is called, “The War”. There was some interesting discussions with O&A about what people know about the wars, and what they don’t know.

Just this weekend, we had a guest over at our house and I got in a discussion with him about WWII, and Afghanistan, and in the discussion Russia was brought into the discussion. My friend insisted that Russia had sided with Nazi Germany, and that Russia and Nazi’s had fought together and not against each other. Now, I don’t like arguments, and I am not a history buff, and if I am not 100% I tell people that I am not. In this case I was not 100% but I did say that I was 80% sure that Russia and Germany fought each other. I even brought up the movie “Enemy at the Gates” and said that it was a movie specifically about the two powers fighting. I also mentioned how Germany was split up with the Berlin Wall, and how Russia felt they were owed East Germany because of what happened to Russia during this war. Ken Burns mentioned this exact thing as well, talking about how most high school students have no idea about World History and U.S. History. Jay Leno’s “Jay walking” on the Tonight Show has also hit on this subject of how stupid our fellow countrymen can be. They also touched on the war today, and how few people know anyone that is in Iraq today, unless it is specifically a military town or community. Here I am, a U.S. Marine, and I know plenty of people in Iraq, not to mention, plenty who have come back. This really did make me think this morning about my most recent Marine Corps Birthday Ball where I just about cried. The Birthday Ball was in San Antonio, and was actually on November 10th. San Antonio has several different hospitals, not to mention one of the biggest military hospitals, with one of the biggest military burn units in it, BAMC (Brooks Army Medical Center). Some of the guests at the Ball were Marine and Navy personnel who had returned from Iraq with a little less than what they went with. I shook and hugged my heros, my brothers, my friends. Some with mental instabilities, others with missing limbs, or sever burn marks, each and every one of them had their uniform on and stood proud with it on. I know that most people do not want to see these men, in fear that they would become depressed, but the fact is most of these men are not depressed, but they are happy to be alive, and to have given as much as they did. My unit in the Marines, has some fellow brothers with purple hearts all over the place. It’s nothing to brag about, but most of the guys I work with in my unit have a purple heart. Some, you can tell who has it, and others you would of never guessed. Each time I see one now, I ask them about the story, some will talk about it and others won’t. For the most part, they want to talk about it though. My suggestion is for everyone to start asking their neighbors and friends about these things, find out who they know who has served in this war, find out who has come back on their feet or in a box. Whether you agree with the war or not, we should still talk about it. During WWII it was shocking to people if you didn’t know someone that was in the war. During WWII, everyone gave something, everyone was involved. Please get involved with the military members in this war, during this holiday season ship something to a stranger overseas, donate money to reputable organizations, have a military member that is away from home over for dinner.

I suggest that you should surprise yourself and do something that you would normally not do.

Visit your local military community website to get more information of events going on around you!

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Lower 9th Ward to start rebuilding?

So the summary is that Brad Pitt is working with this organization, that it seems like he founded, and is trying to restore the Lower 9^th Ward.

The houses are green, meaning they are good for the environment, using solar panels, tank-less water heaters, non-toxic paint, low flow water fixtures, and energy saving fans. The houses are $150,000 and are built to be 8 to 9 feet off the ground. They also have a generator built infor emergency power use. First I wanted to start by saying I am glad to hear that someone has thought of something, I too would l9ove to see the 9^th Ward restored to something better than what it was. Problem is, do the people in the 9^th Ward really want our help? Not to mention, should we be rebuilding in the 9^th Ward with the condition of the levees? I know that Brad Pitt and all others, to include yourself, have read and heard just as much as I have that the major issue is the levees. The levees have yet to be restored to the original state, prior to Katrina. I would think that Brad Pitt and his team of superhero actors would want to raise money to hire the Dutch company to come and fix the levees with the awesome guarantee that they have given us. My theory on this though is it will not be addressed and it will not be fixed. Why? The only answer I have is, the fixing of the levees does not give a physical home to people, it is not very glamorous and fascinating. People don’t walk up and look at a levee and ohh and ahhh about it. Actually, maybe some people would. I would think that we would hear ohhs and ahhs from the families who lost everything during Katrina, they would be excited to get the levees fixed so they can feel safer living at home. So I say to Brad Pitt and the other superhero actors, YOU ARE NOT DOING ENOUGH! Imagine that, maybe they should stop spending their money on traveling and give fabulous homes, and instead use their own personal money for something that would make a difference. Just imagine this, one day on the news you hear, “Well Brad Pitt’s Levee was hit yesterday with a Category 6 hurricane and saved over half a million people today, thanks Brad!... In other news…” Talk about making history huh, talk about fame!

What are some other problems that our Superhero Actors should fix next?

Here is some articles that I read to help me write this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/arts/design/03pitt.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

http://chibloggo.blogspot.com/2007/07/infamous-lower-9th-ward.html

http://www.makeitrightnola.org/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/30/AR2006033001912.html

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0902_050902_katrina_levees.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/05/AR2006030500976_pf.html

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Sagger Ban

While looking at the Drudge Report this morning, I found it very interesting that the NAACP finds this to be a horrible, by banning the saggy pants. I agree that this is a “freedom” issue. Can the government tell us how to dress and look? This ban does bring an image of “high school hall monitors” armed with rulers and a ticket book manning the streets look for dress code violations. The fact is that those who are pushing in favor of the ban, are looking to bring value back to their community. The NAACP should not be fighting this, they should be helping and supporting the changing of this community. Does the NAACP want “their people” to look like gangsters, and jailed hip-hop thugs? Honestly, I think a community that is trying to show their youth the proper way to present themselves, and the proper professional look in this world, is a caring community. If the ban doesn’t get passed, then the community should just start a marketing ad that says, “If you don’t like looking at our thuggish kids, don’t live here.”

On the other side, if the ban does get passed, how far can this go, where are the constraints to the ban? I would figure that the ban should be issued for a time period. Something like, no sagging of the pants from 8am-5pm M-F. This way the community gains a little, and the children will eventually get tired of looking at their watches, trying to see when they can/can’t sag their pants. Here in Austin, we have Leslie Cochran the half-him/half her person. If this ban were to be issued in Austin, would that mean that people like Leslie would be banned from expressing themselves and presenting their piece of art? I have to say, as a gay man, I kind of enjoy looking at the saggers. Some of these guys are really cute and hot. Let me tell you though, it is not just black guys, and it is definitely not a poverty thing. Saggers can be found in all communities, just look around. My question is, if the gay community was to come out and support the saggers, would we see a rapid decrease in the number of saggers? I propose a campaign, “Support Our Sagger’s: We want to see your ass and balls!” Oh wow, even has a cool catchy abbreviation, SOS. Now that is fitting, just as fitting as saggers’ jeans.

Would you vote for the ban in your city of not?

Check out the articles that go with this post:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071203/D8T9UQH01.html http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/08/can_dallas_ban_.html http://www.npr.org/blogs/newsandviews/2007/08/atlanta_considers_saggy_pants_1.html

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