Thursday, September 08, 2011

2011 NFL Fearless Predictions

First of all, here's a sneak peak at the final standings:

AFC East
Patriots
Jets
Dolphins
Bills

AFC North
Ravens
Browns
Steelers
Bengals

AFC South
Texans
Colts
Jaguars
Titans

AFC West
Chargers
Raiders
Chiefs
Broncos

NFC East
Eagles
Cowboys
Redskins
Giants

NFC North
Packers
Lions
Vikings
Bears

NFC South
Falcons
Saints
Buccaneers
Panthers

NFC West
Seahawks
Rams
Cardinals
49'ers

Eagles over Patriots in the Superbowl

Other fearless predictions:

Besides Peyton Manning, another top tier quarterback will miss much of the season due to injury.

Of the teams that are expected to be improved (Lions, Rams, Buccaneers), one will fall flat and finish last.

Of the teams that are expected to be elite (Patriots, Steelers, Chargers, Eagles, Packers, Saints, Falcons), one will greatly disappoint and struggle most of the season.

There will be one team that will come out of nowhere and do extremely well, defying all the odds with players experts thought to be inferior.

One and only one rookie quarterback will have a successful season.

Scoring will be down this year.  The new kickoff rule and the short preseason will be the reason.

There will be a renewed emphasis of the running game for many teams in the middle of the season as many complex passing schemes fail.

At the end of the season, I'll go over these and see how I did.

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Show Me the Racism!

“...as long as I’m concerned, the Tea Party can go straight to hell!” -Rep. Maxine Waters

"Let us all remember who the real enemy is. The real enemy is the Tea Party -- the Tea Party holds the Congress hostage. They have one goal in mind, and that's to make President Obama a one-term President." -Rep. Frederica Wilson

"The Tea Party is so obviously racist." -Janeane Garofalo

"Let’s take these sons of bitches out and give America back to America where we belong.” -Jimmy Hoffa Jr.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Let's forget about the whole "call for the end of vitriolic rhetoric" and consider the above statements.
 
There's a lot of harsh speech against a group of Americans who recently began calling for a smaller federal government and lower taxes.  It's obvious that those on the political left (those who call for higher taxes and larger government) don't like them.  Many publicly call them "racists".  Other than the fact the the President of the United States is half-black, what's the justification?
 
The Tea Party seems to protest Congress as much as Obama.  This makes sense since Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government, the part that actually approves budgets, tax breaks, and tax increases.  Congress is mostly white so what are these accusations of racism based on?
 
The Tea Party is also accused of being "the enemy".  What is this all about?  Lower taxes and more personal responsibility is a threat?  To whom is this a threat?
 
Let's look at the charter of the Tea Party (http://www.teaparty.org/). 
 
1. Illegal Aliens Are Here Illegally.

2. Pro-Domestic Employment Is Indispensable.

3. Stronger Military Is Essential.

4. Special Interests Eliminated.

5. Gun Ownership Is Sacred.

6. Government Must Be Downsized.

7. National Budget Must Be Balanced.

8. Deficit Spending Will End.

9. Bail-Out And Stimulus Plans Are Illegal.

10. Reduce Personal Income Taxes A Must.

11. Reduce Business Income Taxes Are Mandatory.

12. Political Offices Available To Average Citizens.

13. Intrusive Government Stopped.

14. English As Core Language Is Required.

15. Traditional Family Values Are Encouraged.

If any of the above items are racism or in some way, a threat to you.  I'd certainly like to know why.  I don't personally believe in every single item here, but this stuff hardly seems worthy of any of the harsh rhetoric.

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Have You Met the Poor?

There's a great scene in the movie Time Bandits where John Cleese, as Robin Hood asks "Have you met the poor?".  He then points to a group of people behind a rope.  The "poor" might as well have been Jews, Eskimos, or Lithuanians.  They were portrayed satirically as a fixed group of people who are in some way different.  However, what seems funny to me is becoming the state of mind of many people, namely Democrats. 

Democrats like to talk about "the poor".  They project how they know their pain and show pity to them for being in such a sorry situation.  They see themselves as the party that cares about "the poor" as opposed to those evil Republicans who support the wealthy.  So I have to ask the question; Does the Democrat Party really care about "the poor"?

The answer is "Yes, they do".

Of course they do.  After all, the majority of poor people are Democrats.  "The poor" represent a win-win for Democrats.  "The poor" are dependent on government for sustenance and this dependence creates more poor people - thus, more Democrats.

If you look at Democrat beliefs -- tax the job-providers to create more unemployment, create more public services, take away guns, government control what we are allowed to eat, how to get medical care, what we are allowed to drive, and how we get our news, they are out to create more poor people dependent on government to run their lives.

Democrats in general (along with some Republicans), give less of their income to charities, make it difficult for employers to hire people, and don't want to punish criminals if they are poor.  In other words, they have no interest in giving opportunities to "the poor" to move out of poverty.  Their wet dream is to have a society of "the poor" that they can service and therefore control.

Have you met "the poor"?  Watch out!  There are those that want you on the other side of that rope.  They're the smiling faces that support "the poor".

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Liberal Math

(Revenue X Tax Rate Increase) = New Tax Revenue for State/Federal Government

Does the above equation make sense to you?  To most Democrats (President Barack Obama and Governor Jerry Brown, for instance), it makes perfect sense.  It states that if a corporation takes in a certain amount of revenue, increasing their tax rate will equate into increased government tax intake.  This will fix deficits, allow more spending on education, fix infrastructure, and generally make everyone a whole lot happier.

Wrong!

If you ever took an algebra class, you learn that there are constants and there are variables.  The mistakes the Democrats make is they assume corporate revenue is a constant.  As any person who has run a business knows, it is a variable.  Company revenue is a complex variable at that.  It is dependent on many factors, one of them being the tax rate.

Why do so many people not understand that when tax rates increase, it forces companies to adjust other factors in their business to account for that?  These factors can include laying off workers, lessening worker's hours or pay rates, increasing prices of their products and/or services creating a burden on the consumers, or just simply going out of business which would create more unemployment.

It creates a vicious cycle.  Any increased revenue from the higher taxes would end up being needed to aid the new group of unemployed people at best, and it wouldn't be enough anyways.  So politicians would want to raise taxes again to cover this additional expense.  Sound familiar?  This is exactly what is happening.  Higher taxes is self-serving.  In other words, raising taxes actually creates more reasons to raise taxes.

Franklin Roosevelt raised taxes.  Result: The depression got worse.
John F. Kennedy lowered taxes.  Result: The economy grew.
Richard Nixon raised taxes.  Result: A major economic downturn from the mid-70's to the mid-80's.
Ronald Reagan lowered taxes.  Result: The economy performed well from the mid-80's to the early 90's.
George HW Bush raised taxes.  Result: The economy went down.
George W Bush lowered taxes.  Result: The economy boomed.
Barack Obama is finding ways to raise taxes.  Result: What do you think?

Sunday, April 03, 2011

Losing My Soul: Joe vs. The Volcano Film Analysis

(Here is my first attempt at a video film analysis.  Joe vs. The Volcano has fascinated me for years.  There's a lot more to it than what appears on the surface.)  The video is in three parts.  I've also included a written version of the analysis below.)


(Youtube embedded files don't always seem to work so here's the link to the actual Youtube page.)


Losing My Soul: Joe vs. The Volcano Film Analysis



Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


When you consider the movie, Joe vs. the Volcano, you must remember that it was released in 1990. This was before Philadelphia or Forrest Gump. Tom Hanks, at this time, was mostly considered to be a physical comic actor. Audiences were used to seeing Hanks in rather buffoonish roles in movies like Bachelor Party, Volunteers, and Dragnet. Joe vs. the Volcano seems to be a rather silly title, so it was natural for audiences to expect to see a screwball comedy.








Audiences and critics didn’t seem to think too highly of the movie. It was generally panned and it did not stay in theaters for very long. It seemed to come across as a weak screwball comedy that had only occasional funny moments and nothing truly memorable.

Yet for some, the movie’s bizarreness seemed to linger in their minds and in subsequent viewings, most likely from their homes, many started to detect that there was something more to Joe vs. the Volcano than what they saw in their first viewing.

Let’s take a close look and explore some of the hidden themes.

The very first thing we see is a placard. The words “Once upon a time” are a clue that this is a fairy tale. The characters, places, and events are mostly made up. Fairy tales also often have elements of magic or the supernatural so this simple placard is a clue to what follows. Also notice the nursery rhyme music indicating something child-like.


Joe Banks, played by Tom Hanks is going to work. We are hearing a song with the words “I owe my soul to the company store” Joe, as well as a mass of people, apparently in a dazed state, are walking like zombies to a factory. This is an everyday ritual of getting up early and going to work that many of us can relate to.

The song “Sixteen Tons” reveals the slightly hidden story within the story. Joe vs. the Volcano is basically the classic story of making a deal with the Devil and losing your soul. There is also a theme of personal redemption.

Joe is among the myriad of people who have no meaning in their lives other than going to their job every morning. Their dazed state and dreary surroundings hint they are in some kind of limbo – between awake and asleep. They are barely aware of the awfulness of their situation and they seemed to have stopped caring long ago. These people are unaware that they have traded their souls for a dull, meaningless life.


The sign of the Devil is a crooked line and we see it as the logo of the company Joe works for. We soon see it again as the camera moves upwards revealing that the path the workers are taking is the same crooked line. This scene will be played out again. In fact, the whole movie is essentially a crooked and wide path to redemption that Joe takes. This contradicts the traditional dogma that redemption is found by walking a straight and narrow path.




Joe walks in to the advertising department. It features poor lighting, drab colors, a broken hat rack, and an annoying buzzing sound from the fluorescent lighting. The employees are in their own little worlds – oblivious to anything around them. This is particularly true with Mr. Waturi. Mr. Waturi is on the phone engaged in a pointless, seemingly endless argument. The prosthetic testicles on his desk reflect his lack of manhood. These people have horribly mundane jobs and lives. They dress in dark colored clothes and appear half-dead. They are soulless.

Only Joe seems a bit different. While he has the same deadpan look as everybody else, he seems a bit more active and aware of his surroundings. Once he gets to his desk, he pulls out a child’s reading lamp. The lamp is colorful and contrasts everything else in the office. This is an indication that though Joe is in limbo like everybody else, he doesn’t seem as far gone and the lamp symbolizes that he has hope. When he turns on the lamp, a tropical island with a volcano appears on it. This is also symbolic as this forebears Joe’s destiny with a volcano. While the red and orange image of the volcano contrasts the drabness of the office, it also indicates danger. Indeed, the volcano represents hell itself. The nursery-rhyme music; however reflect Joe’s child-like demeanor. It’s the same music we heard when the “Once upon a time…” text appeared earlier.


In case the hidden story is too hidden, Joe brings it out in an obvious way when he tells Deedee, played by Meg Ryan, “I’m losing my sole.” Deedee, whom we’ll see more of later, comes across as totally non-assuming, too accepting, and very dull.
Even worse though, is Joe’s boss, Mr. Waturi. He obviously lives to work. It is all he is about. To him, there is nothing beyond the office. He can’t comprehend why Joe doesn’t share the same dedication to his job. Mr. Waturi can’t stand Joe’s lamp and makes him put it away.

Joe seems to deal with his co-workers like a child dealing with his parents, perpetuating the notion that Joe is basically, a child. Mr. Waturi has no childishness left in him and resents it in Joe.


We see Joe in a Doctor’s waiting room. He is shielding his eyes as if he is hiding from something. He is hiding from the real world. Part of Joe wants to die and this has made him a hypochondriac. He is secretly hoping he will be afflicted with some deadly disease so that his horrible life will soon be over.


Note that the waiting room is plain and dull – as is the nurse. She is just like everybody else just living a lousy, meaningless life. Contrast this with the Doctor’s office. It features warm colors. The fire in the fireplace gives it life. Here, we discover that Joe used to be a fireman. He saved people from fire. In the soul-selling allegory, this makes Joe a fallen angel as he is no longer saving others from hell. He has allowed himself to become a victim instead.

Notice how the Doctor doesn’t seem to even know what a fireman is. He asks “What did you do in the fire department?” and “Was it dangerous?” Allegorically, the Doctor is not human. He is in league with the Devil. We’ll see that he is setting Joe up to sell his soul. The fire behind Joe and the redness in the room are evidence of this.


The Doctor informs Joe that he has a terminal condition called a “brain-cloud”. This is fitting since Joe’s mind is definitely in a fog, as it has been since he left the fire department. Joe anxiously asks if it is incurable as if he wants the answer to be “yes”. Notice also how Joe shows no disappointment, despair, or any negative emotion over finding out he is going to die within six months.

Finding out he has only six months to live seems to flip a switch in Joe. He starts acting like the proverbial man who had a brush with death and now appreciates life so much more. This is of course, the opposite of this situation. Back at work, things are just the way he left them. Mr. Waturi is in another pointless conversation and everybody else is minding their own business. Joe stirs things up. He briefly interacts with Deedee and with Frank. He mocks Waturi with a prosthetic arm, again suggesting Waturi’s lack of humanity.


Joe’s closing the valve suggests he is regaining his bravery and is going to try new things. It scares the hell out of soulless Mr. Waturi. In a sudden inspiration, Joe quits his job. The three books – Robinson Crusoe, Romeo & Juliet, and The Odyssey foretell his upcoming adventures. He leaves the lamp with Deedee. He is passing the torch in hope that Deedee can find her childlike wonder in the lamp. In his speech to Mr. Waturi, Joe no longer behaves like a frightened child, but a giant compared to the others in the room. Joe suddenly realizes the ridiculousness of his whole situation


We now see Joe and Deedee on a date. Joe is doing all the talking. Note how he is focused on only himself and Deedee – as if they are the only two people who matter. Joe is full of energy but he lacks direction. Like the Doctor’s office, the restaurant is colorful and features a lot of red. This again, hints that the Devil is near and Joe is ripe for the taking.

Deedee, with her brown hair, acts as the goddess of the Earth. She is nature and Joe is reaching into the supernatural which is beyond her reasoning. Deedee is overwhelmed. She can’t understand Joe’s change. It enchants her but it also frightens her. It’s unclear here as to which side will win out.


As they leave the restaurant, we see that a volcano is visible on a poster titled “Fire in Paradise”. Joe seems to be in paradise, but it is a false one. Joe is celebrating his upcoming death when he should be celebrating his life. An erupting volcano on a welcoming tropical island reflects this paradox.


At his apartment, Joe tells Deedee his bad news. This is the final straw for Deedee. She is not ready to deal with something like this. She leaves Joe forever.

Samuel Graynamore enters Joe’s apartment the next morning and now we see a large scar on Joe’s wall. It’s the same crooked line that represents his former company and, as we know, the Devil. Mr. Graynamore is no one else but the Devil himself. Here, Joe is given the Faustian bargain – that is for Joe to get all his heart’s desires and pay the price later. Specifically, Joe is given carte blanche to spend huge sums of money, live like a king, be treated as a hero, and then finally jump into a volcano. Joe doesn’t even think about it very long before agreeing to the deal. This just shows how lost Joe really is.



Joe is ready to go on a Manhattan shopping spree and satisfy every materialistic lust he has. This fits exactly into the Devil’s plan as Joe will lose what’s left of his soul with his greed. However, help is on the way – in the form of the limousine driver Marshall. Marshall is basically Joe’s guardian angel and subtly tries to steer him right. Joe doesn’t know where to go or what to buy – again indicating how directionless he is.

But Marshall won’t directly tell him either. He wants Joe to make these decisions. Marshall says “clothes make the man” and later tells Joe he has no clothes hinting that Joe isn’t a man, but a child. As a guardian angel, Marshall is constantly giving Joe advice. Later, Marshall later tells Joe he is “coming into focus” once Joe has new clothes and a new haircut.


Joe encounters the luggage man. Here is a real lost soul. All he seems to think about or talk about is luggage. He reminds us of Joe’s former co-workers who live meaningless, petty lives. Notice however, the blue sky covering the door to the steamer trunk. This, the star on the floor, and the choir that chants are indications of heaven. The trunks represent a gift from heaven.


Marshall’s mentoring puts Joe on the correct path of life. When Joe tells Marshall “There are certain doors you got to go through alone.” Marshall smiles, as this confirms that Joe is finding direction and himself.

Upon reaching Los Angeles, Joe remarks “It looks fake. I like it.” Joe prefers living in a fairy tale world. Earlier, the hairdresser said he looks “like a prince in a fairy tale”.

Angelica, also played by Ryan, is very different than Deedee. She is weird and moody. She is also utterly self-absorbed and likes to talk about herself. When the subject is something other than about her, her favorite response is “I have no response to that.” Angelica, with her fiery-colored hair, clothes, and car, represents the goddess of the sun. Note how depressed she suddenly gets at night and she talks of killing herself.

Joe soon recognizes her as a fellow lost soul – more lost than he is. Joe asks her if, instead of killing herself, do what you’re afraid of doing, wouldn’t it be worth the risk? Joe had tried to help Deedee by giving her the child’s lamp. Now Joe is trying to put Angelica on the right path. Joe’s growth is evident here. He is selflessly trying to help a fellow human being. Note how, unlike with Deedee, he chooses not to bring Angelica to his hotel room. He also never tells Angelica about his situation.


Knowing what we know about the two previous Meg Ryan characters, it’s easy to deduce that Patricia is the Moon goddess. She remarks that the sunshine gets her down. It’s clear that she and Angelica the Sun, don’t get along.

Patricia is another lost soul. She is ashamed at herself for performing a service for her father in exchange for a boat. To her, it is a compromise of principle so she, like Joe, took the Faustian bargain. Joe begins to bond with Patricia, something he couldn’t do with Deedee or Angelica. They are all lost souls but Patricia seems a kindred spirit. Like Joe, she is aware of what she has done and is rediscovering herself.

The crew are enjoying themselves fishing the next day. However, the shark, like the “Fire in Paradise” poster, is an omen. It forebodes that not all is well and there is danger ahead.


Joe and Patricia bond further that night. Joe asks Patricia if she believes in God and Patricia answers “I believe in myself.” After all, she is a god in the underlying story. It’s interesting how Joe seems to see no difference between a tropical island he is going to and Staten Island where he is coming from. We already know Staten Island is full of lost souls and we’ll soon see the Waponi Wu is no different. Patricia remarks that her father told her that most of the world is asleep and the few who aren’t live in a state of constant, total amazement. We already know this to be true and who better to make this observation than the devil himself, who preys upon those who choose to sleep through life.

Joe looks back at his life and realizes how different both he and his life are now as to when he was working in the factory – more indications that Joe is growing as a person.

When Joe told Deedee about his predicament, she was overwhelmed and refused to deal with it. Joe had the good sense to not even bother to tell the self-absorbed Angelica. Joe does decide to explain it all to Patricia. Patricia is a bit shocked, but seems to accept it. This is more evidence of her similarities with Joe.




Note how there are candles and sunflowers behind Joe. The candles remind us of the candlelight dinner with Deedee while the sunflowers represent Angelica. Twice in the movie, Joe tells one of the women that he felt he had seen her before. Deedee, Angelica, and Patricia represent different parts of the same woman – which is why Meg Ryan plays all three parts. So Joe is basically addressing all three of them as the symbols in the background suggest.


Joe may have sold his soul, but he now seems to be re-claiming it. He has full self-awareness and a true love of life. He has also met the women he was meant to be with. For Joe to fully claim his soul back, he will have to be severely tested. A one-time firefighter, Joe bravely rescues Patricia when she is knocked overboard. Here we see the storm was brought on by the devil as we see the lightning bolt in the shape of the crooked path strike and destroy the boat.


Not all is hopeless, though. The trunks he had bought come to the surface. These trunks represent Joe’s guardian angel Marshall as Joe had purchased them with Marshall’s assistance. He is being looked after.

Joe sacrifices himself to try to save the now unconscious Patricia. He doesn’t drink any water. Joe spends days and nights in solitude with only the music from the radio and his ukulele to keep him company. Joe seems to maintain good spirits. Joe is going through the type of fast associated with Jesus. Fasts in religions have a cleansing effect and Joe is being rid of the pettiness he once had. If Joe survives the fast, he’ll emerge as something greater than a mere man.


The rising giant Moon serves as a signal that Patricia, who represents the Moon, is coming back. Keep in mind that the other nights shown were Moonless so a sudden full Moon is a magical event. It also symbolizes that Joe’s personal growth is complete. Where earlier, it was uncertain of whether or not he believed in God, he now thanks God for his life. Joe is now the man he was meant to be, not the cowering child he was at the beginning of the movie, but a selfless, heroic, leader.


The Waponis are lost souls. They traded their souls for orange soda. They traded their God-fearing culture into one of western decadence. No one of the tribe is willing to sacrifice himself or herself for the good of the tribe. Enter Joe, the savior and that is how he is treated. As Jesus was welcomed into the temple in a celebration of palms, Joe is given similar treatment. Note the Jewish song being sung here.


At the feast, we see a Waponi wearing a very strange, yet familiar mask.  It's familiar because it is a mock up of the factory Joe used to work in.  Notice also, that a Waponi appears to have a pyramid painted on one hand and an eye on another - a masonic symbol.  These images reinforce the idea that Waponi Wu is really no different than Staten Island, or Manhattan Island.  They're all full of lost souls.



Once again, we see the crooked path symbol, this time, as an actual crooked path up the way to hell. Joe is perfectly willing to sacrifice himself for these soulless people. He accepts it as his duty and is willing to forsake his newly found love to do what he feels is right. Patricia, in finding Joe, has found herself as well and realizes her place is with him no matter what. So she and Joe leap into the volcano to destroy themselves by descending into hell to save the Waponis.


But… an unexpected thing happens. Hell rejects the two who have proven themselves so worthy and instead, consumes the Waponis. This contradicts the Christian story as the soulless are not saved.


Joe and Patricia are once again saved by the trunks and are now Gods themselves and will live “away from the things of Man and happily ever after”.

Or will they? Going back on board the Tweedle Dee – Patricia’s boat, Patricia told Joe about how sleeping on a boat affects your dreams What if the whole part of the movie that followed was just a dream through Wonderland?

Monday, January 24, 2011

It's All Global Warming

From ABC News on Jan 21, 2011:

(Linsey Davis)
"If this winter seems especially brutal, scientists say you're right. ABC News contacted 10 climate scientists to ask their take, if an extreme winter like the one we're having is the way of the future. The consensus? Global warming is playing a role by shifting weather patterns in unpredictable ways. Many say the forecast for the future calls for record-breaking precipitation and extreme temperatures year round. And that means winters with more snow."

(Diane Sawyer)
"...millions of people across the East saying enough already with the snow and ice and cold. Another winter storm roared through today. More records were toppled, and it heightened that question: Do the leading scientists now agree that this is global warming? "

Wait a minute!!!  Al Gore and others specifically told us that global warming will cause warmer winters and less precipitation.  I read a lot about global warming and its effects and if I put all the claims stated by "scientists" from various media, I can draw the following conclusions:

  • Warmer than normal temperatures are due to global warming.
  • Colder than normal temperatures are due to global warming.
  • Temperatures that are approximately average for a given area for a given time is proof of global warming.
  • Dry conditions and droughts will be common due to global warming.
  • Heavy precipitation is due to global warming.
  • Places reporting average amounts of precipitation indicate global warming.
  • Ice melting in the Arctic is due to global warming.
  • Ice sheets increasing in size in the Antarctic is proof of global warming.
  • The imminent rise of ocean levels will be an indication of global warming.
  • The ACTUAL non-significant rise of ocean levels is due to global warming.
  • An expected increase in the number of hurricanes and typhoons and the expected increase in their intensity will be proof of global warming.
  • The reality of six consecutive years of a normal or less than normal frequency of hurricanes and typhoons is also a strong indication of global warming.
  • Recent earthquakes in Haiti and Pakistan are due to global warming.
The real question is:  Why are so many trying to convince us that disaster is imminent and no matter what the data is, it gets twisted into the same conclusion?

This is something I am exploring this year.  Think about an answer to the question above.  It's not really that hard to find the basic answer.