Crazy Pugilist Action

I've just watched a 1993 kung fu action flick titled White Lotus Cult. The movie has some crazy wicked martial arts action as well as some interesting cultural undertones. The White Lotus Cult is an evil organization designed to keep foreigners out of nineteenth century China. The White Lotus don white robes that are extrordinarily reminiscent of the American Ku Klux Klan and participate in berzerk ceremonies that are complete with martial arts sparring filmed with Hong Kong high wire and feats of strength. In one memorable scene the cult leader, played by Chun Hua Ji, emerges and lights his fists on fire and commences summoning spirit Gods.
I don't want to give the story away, but it is packed with action. Scenes in the movie include assassination attempts, platform fight scenes, and a graphic death by impaling. There are elements in this movie that would not make it into American cinema, but looking at the racial, protectionist undertones in this film will reveal that Americans and Asians both possess the same concerns about creating a harmonious society and love a good action sequence.
On the DVD that I watched the audio was available only in Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Mandarin. If you are a monocultured American like me you will have to suffer with reading subtitled text. Watch for some awkward English translation in this "pugilist" film.

False Advertising

Greetings to all blog fanatics meaninglessly meandering around the blog-o-sphere.
Well, my site description says updated daily, but I've pretty much taken the holidays off.
Merry Christmas Everyone! Check back for more after New Year's Day.

Effects of Social Computing

Oliver Wrede is a scientist and educator in Cologne, Germany who runs several blogs. One of his most interesting blogs is focused on social computing. To learn more about this interesting subject- Click This!
http://wrede.interfacedesign.org/categories/socialcomputing.html

Help a Soldier Reach Out and Touch Someone

A thirteen year old named Brittany Berquist and her younger brother Robbie started a new charity called Cell Phones for Soldiers. The charity allows people to donate their old cell phones so that the phones can be traded in and exchanged for calling card minutes that are given to soldiers. This allows soldiers to be able to call their loved ones for free when they are overseas.

To read more you can visit the site.
Click This!
www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com

Sacred Cow Burgers: "ACLU Alert System" by Jay D. Dyson (12/10/2004)

I know my posts have been getting a little preachy lately. This ACLU alert system made me laugh out loud when I read it. The picture is from sacredcowburgers.com. The site is pretty funny. Their motto is taken from Thomas Paine- "He who dares not offend cannot be honest."

Click This!

Sacred Cow Burgers: "ACLU Alert System" by Jay D. Dyson (12/10/2004)

Google Hack

In Kevin Rose's popular weblog he posted one of the handiest search tips for using Google. If you use the correct modifiers you can use Google to search directories and find things that people have posted on their servers, but might not neccessarily have linked to on their web pages. You can use this special way of searching to find e-texts, songs, games, multimedia and more. Technically, I'm not sure this is a "hack," but if Kevin Rose can call it that then it is good enough for me.

Click This!
Kevinrose.com

What are your favorite Google tricks? Post them in the comments section.

Cneil's Bookclub: Seeing is Believing By Peter Biskind

Reading Peter Biskind's book Seeing is Believing: How Hollywood Taught Us to Stop Worrying and Love the Fifties radically changed the way that I viewed moves, especially older features. Peter Biskind systematically looks at movies and analyses the way that cultural messages are carefully coded into popular entertainment. The first movie that Biskind discusses is Twelve Angry Men and he explains how the movie's main character, played by Henry Fonda, "constructs and alliance of moderates" that mirrors the "corporate liberal ideology" that predominated politics of the time period. Another movie that is closely scrutinized is George Steven's Giant. Biskind explains how the movie's subtle undetones illustrate a fear of the "decay of patriarchy" that was present in the fifties. The most insightful chapter is titled "The Enemy Within" and explains how movies to the fifties' greatest perceived threats- Communism and African American civil rights. Biskind's critiques a wide variety of movies from John Wayne's The Searchers, to The Blackboard Jungle. Of course, the book contains an obligatory chapter titled "Us and Them" that critiques those campy science fiction films, the kind that got shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000, such as Them, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

The great thing is that you can use the same critical lenses that Bismkind uses to analyse fifties movies to analyse the movies of today. Movies of today subtly contain hidden messages expressing society's anxiety about a wide variety of issues. The issues are what have changed since the fifties. Look closely and you'll see hidden patterns show our collective concern about immigration, homosexuality, terrorism, diversity, abortion, drug control and politics.

Please post a comment if you have seen these hidden signs in movies.

If you are interested in reading this book you can buy it from Amazon.com.
Click This!

Seeing Is Believing : How Hollywood Taught Us to Stop Worrying and Love the Fifties

Listen to Mick Byrd

Award winning singer-songwriter Mick Byrd has newly released an intensely personal album titled A Few Good Tunes. Mick possesses the remarkable ability to switch between the sentimental, the serious, and the lighthearted in his songs and lyrics. One of the most easy to overlook songs on the album is titled "Airplan Man" and it is about imaginitive games his kids played while growing up. In "This Old Truck" Mick sings a light hearted song about how he trolls around in his rusted out, seventies era farm pickup. The chorus plainly states "This old truck's been good to me/ Don't want no fancy cars or SUVs."

If you ever see Mick in concert, you might hear him sing his earlier songs that focus on justice, social equity, and recognizing the plight of the poor. On Mick's first album, No Frills, Mick opens the CD with a track titled "Where You Goin' Bobby." The song is an account set in gritty and desolate East St. Louis and it is about a boy who contemplates using violence to solve his problems. In the third verse of the song, Mick sings reveals a scene of the struggle singing, "Mama presses her face up to the glass/ Bobby's gone again into the nighttime/ She's got a feeling this might be the last."

Despite the sometimes grave subject matter, Mick's music is usually lively and catchy. Mick performs with a talented group known as Bonus Track. The band uses a wide variety of instruments including banjos, mandolins, harmonicas, and fiddles.

If you want to learn more- Click This!
www.mickbyrd.com

Begging and Info

I hope you enjoy this site. Bookmark, make a comment, have fun! I hope you enjoy it! The URL for this website is http://cneil.blogspot.com !
If you like it and want to help me out please click on one of the sponsored links! Just clicking and checking it out earns me a little cash.

Just What You Needed??! Get Adbusters!

If you have a television and you've turned it on in the past month I'm sure you've seen the ominous red dot hovering over a low, low price. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. The Cars are rockin' in the background and usually some anonymous white guy and his wife are happy because their malleable wills have been convinced that they must choose between a $2000 HDTV or EDTV or else suffer from NO TV. As the gay and indebted couple walk to their cars with their new acquisition, the familiar eighties chorus blairs "JUST WHAT I NEEDED!" Ching, Ching, for Circuit City!
The sad irony about this commercial is that, truthfully, Circuit City doesn't really sell ANYTHING that you need. It might be appropriate if Aldi, the Salvation Army, or even Wal-Green's Pharmacy adopted this slogan, but not Circuit City. I do like Circuit City. Their deals are generally better than what Best Buy has to offer and their staff is more helpful and intelligent. Why can't they think of a less abrasive, more intelligent ad campaign?
If you want to find more about groups that support truth in advertising I strongly recommend reading Adbusters magazine.
For More Information About the Store- Click This!
Circuit City
For More Information About Propaganda and Advertising- Click This!
Adbusters.org

Amused by Latin? Check out Non Sequitor

Do you sometimes make conclusions that don't follow logical premises? The Non Sequitor strip is currently following the misadventures of a little girl trying to creater her own holiday. It is not quite Festivus, but it is worth a look. Check out the "Wiley" comic Non Sequitor.

Blackface on TV

After I got home from work today I flipped on Larry Rice's religious broadcasting channel and saw that they were airing the 1944 Joseph H. Lewis directed movie The Minstrel Man. The fact that the channel is showing an old movie isn't anything shocking, but what is shocking is that the movie features a main character in black face. The character's name is "Dixie" Boy John and he is a white guy who puts on the burnt cork and performs an assortment of ballads and catchy turnes. While black face is considered an art form by some, I believe it is a dehumanizing monstrosity. Why is it entertaining to see gross charicatures of white people"acting" like blacks?
Larry Rice and the New Life Evangelistic Center do excellent work for the communities that they serve, but if they are going to operate a broadcast channel they need to be careful that the cultural message that they show and reinforce aren't doing more harm than good. Just like we wouldn't expect to see any overt, lewd, or even implied lust or sexuality on a Christian channel, I wouldn't expect to see overt or implied racism. Is this Christlike? Could you imagine a scene in Bethlehem where our Lord and Messiah Jesus leaves his Jewish roots behind and does a funny song and dance, slapping on some paleface and acting like a Roman jester? Shame on you Larry!

Big Smith is a Hillbilly Band

Founded by a family of extremely talented musicians from the Ozarks, Big Smith is a band that will have you clapping your hands and stomping your feet. The group named themselves after the popular overall brand of the same name. Their musical repertoire includes songs from genres of bluegrass, rock, blues, country, and gospel.
On rare occasions they have traveled outside of the Ozarks and shown off their particular brand of downhome musical genius, but most of the time they stick close to home. Their most played gigs are at local bars, community festivals, and universities. The largest performance ever done by Big Smith was when they performed a football halftime game with the University of Arkansas marching band. Big Smith has also been featured on NPR's "All Song's Considered."
Click This!
www.bigsmithband.com
Big Smith is also a bootleg friendly band, so if you've got a broadband connection download their songs from the Live Music Archive. In my opinion the best concert you can download was performed at the Bottleneck in Lawrence, KS in 2003.

Goodbye Booknotes on C-SPAN

Brian Lamb, C-SPAN CEO, has decided to end the Sunday program Booknotes on C-SPAN. The press release says he want to spend less of his time preparing to interview authors. I personally have spent many Sunday afternoon listening to the interviews features on Booknotes and I know I will miss the program. The good news is the block of programming on C-SPAN 2 titled BookTV and dedicated to non-fiction will still exist. Post your comments and write any memories that you have of the program.
Check out the press release and read the official statement.
Click This!
BookTv.org

The Superior Intellect of Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky's ideas run counter to nearly every major premise and idea the fuels the large conglomerate media machines that provide the information and entertainment for most of today's society. Most news and entertainment is filtered through the biases and agendas of multi-national corporations out to get a buck and limit your way of thinking. If you've never read any of Chomsky's social analysis it is time to check it out.
Click this!
www.chomsky.info

Ethan Daniel Davidson

One of the most ephemeral artists out there is a little known folk singer named Ethan Daniel Davidson. He is a man that knows his musical roots and has been inspired by everyone from Leadbelly, to Eddie Vetter, to Jesus.
Ethan is an enigma, constantly traveling the glove to make his songs and message known. He has toured Europe and Eurasia, and he has also been to almost every state. He sings Irish ballads, he sang at unlikely venues in Missippi and Alaska, and he when he is with his band he plays with a punk edge.
Offering his CDs for free, Ethan considers himself a musical Robin Hood by shunning normal album distribution models.
Lean about Ethan Daniel Davidson.
Click This!
www.ethandanieldavidson.com

Canned Meat Hall of Fame

This website is dedicated to the delicious delectables known as canned meat.
Click This!
The Canned Meat Hall of Fame

Happy Weasel's Dylan Post

Bob Dylan is going to give his first television interview in nineteen years on this Sunday's installment of Sixty Minutes. Click on HappyWeasel's link to see a picture of the artist and read his post.
Click This!
HappyWeasel

Time Traveler: Hologram

Today I was reading an article on Slate about holograms and it mentioned a game I used to play in elementary school titled Time Traveler: Hologram. They had is at the local skateland right next to Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles the Arcade Game. The game lacked much dynamic game play because it was mainled loaded from a laserdisc, but it had increadible graphics. It was a goofy story about a cowboy who would travels from primitive caveman times to the robot driven future in order to fight the forces of evil.

Was is a real Hologram? No, but the game used a parabolic mirror create a hologram effect when you looked at it from certain angles. Also, even though the graphcs were tinny stereo, it sure beat the lame New Kids, Vanilla Ice, and Paula Abdul that the skating rink played while I was growing up.

To learn more about the game- Click This!
Coin-Op Museum: Time Traveler

To Read the Slate Article- Click This!
O Hologram, Where art Thou?

Watch "A Tale of Two John's" on DVD

They Might be Giants is one the most underappreciated bands. I highly recommend their DVD, titled A Tale of Two Johns. The best part about the DVD is all of the bonus footage. There is easily four hours worth of material on the DVD. It was published by Plexifilm and costs about twenty-eight bucks. I watched it using my Netflix account.

If you would like to read a longer review go to www.dvdtalk.com.

"Weird Al" Onion Editorial

I'm sure the intention of one of the Onion's latest editorials was meant to be ironic, but in reality it is only too true. The Wikipedia entry on "Weird Al" is too short and Larry Groznic's not gonna take it anymore. Sometime you've just gotta "grab life by the lips and yank as hard as you can" if the real truth will be know and credit is given where credit was due. Enough with the cliches and on with the link!
Click This!
I Must Take Issue With the Wikipedia Entry for "Weird Al" Yankovic by Larry Groznic.

If you want to learn more about the comedic megastar in question, check out WeirdAl.com.

Warrior from Shaolin

I just finished watching the movie The Warrior from Shaolin. This Liu Brothers kung-fu movie successfully delivers a wallopping punch of both humor and action. Alternately titled Carry on Wise Guy, movie is set in China during the beginning of World War II. The Japanese are beginning to invade the mainland and the communist government is cracking down on the Buddhist monks.

Enter two goofball apprentices played by Eric Tsang and Liu Chia-yung. They find an on the run Buddhist monk (named Master Killer), played by Gordon Liu, and become absolutely fixated with what he has in his box. Hilarity and kung fu ensues. The two goofballs create scenarios featuring Chinese vampires and urination, a brothel, a little law enforcement satire, and several street fights- all in an attempt to find out what's in the box. (Trust me- the contents of the box are far more important than what Kuni offers in Weird Al's UHF.) The two apprentices realize the gravity of their errors when the Master Killer reveals the true contents of the box are revealed.

If you want to find out more about this movie you can go to can click on this link to RareKungFuMovies.com.

Check out the Kevin Rose Site

If you want to check out a great site go to www.kevinrose.com. He's the host of the Screen Savers on G4TechTV. Ever since Comcast bought out TechTV and has been slowly attempting to meld it with the "all games all the time channel" G4, Kevin Rose and Sarah Lane have been the only shining lights on the slowly going defunct network. Support his work and maybe they'll keep him around. To weigh in on the controversy go sign the petition and make yourself heard. Read more about it in this article from Wired.