After getting a fossil, Gomer and Brooke run into some familiar faces…
KittyMarie here with another Full House review!
Our Very First Night — Season 1, Episode 2
The insanity of the Tanner family continues!
Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to leave a comment.
– KittyMarie
Hagan watches an infamous piece of 70s sleaze.
Deeper into Mt. Moon!
I have decided to do a Top 5 List. Why favorite movies? Because I just watched one of them and it’s on my mind. So, without further ago, let’s go.
Number 5-
Number 5 is, Star Trek: Generations. I love this movie, and I know it’s considered bad, but I like it. It has Kirk and Picard teaming up! I like it because it was the first TNG movie and I am a TNG fan. The best part of the movie was when Data was using his emotion chip, because it gave Brent Spiner more opportunities to do stuff. He was trapped as Spock, except Spock was allowed to have emotional outbursts. But mainly, I like Kirk and Picard equally and it was great to see them in a movie together.
Number 4-
Number 4, is Back to the Future. I love this franchise but the first movie was the best. I love time travel so, of course I love this. The plot was amazing, and when I first saw the commercial for it, when it was on ABC Family, god knows how long ago, I was instantly intrigued, and then Part II was on, then Part III. That is what solidified my love for the movie. Also, the concept of him having to attempt to preserve time, but ultimately makes it better for his family and Chuck Berry! Also, the parodies that came from it are amazing, like the Robot Chicken “Doc Brown’s Plutonium” Sketch and College Humor’s “Biff is Dead” skit. But mostly, I just love Time Travel.
Number 3-
Number 3, is Toy Story. Why? It was one of the first movies that I ever watched, that I loved. In my opinion, Toy Story is why Pixar still exists. It was the best Pixar movie ever made. It had everything, a great story, engaging characters and fantastic animation. So, overall, it is a fantastic movie.
Number 2-
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Why this one? It’s my favorite, mainly because it was the one I saw first. Saw it at camp when I was a kid and I loved it. The Jabba’s Palace parts I could do without, but the Endor and Death Star stuff is amazing! I mean, need I say more? It’s Star Wars!
Number 1-
The next movie’s title is Forrest, Forrest Gump. I like the movie because I am a fan of history and love the way that Forrest causes half of what happens in US History in the 20th century, even more in the book’s sequel. Oh yeah, it was an adaptation of a book that didn’t suck! How about that? But other than that, it was a fantastic movie, very moving; I highly recommend it to everyone. And that’s all I have to say about that.
So, those were my Top 5 Favorite Movies, (of this week). Also, apology on the second hiatus, I had an AP test that I needed to study for. So, what to do next week… I’ll figure something out. I’m Michael and those were my random thoughts.
The pitch – boy-meets-girl, boy-gives-girl-black-eye, is vintage Disney-fare, as we all know. Okay, maybe more like vintage Nicholas Cage-fare, but I digress. The point is, despite, or perhaps because it strays somewhat from the norm, I really, really like it. Alot of people don’t really “get” Mulan – popular opinion being, that in terms of the Disney-Renaissance, it’s somewhere between that jewel in Disney’s crown, Beauty and the Beast and that shit in a bag on Disney’s doorstep, Home on the Range. I would say this is wholly inaccurate – because whilst Mulan shares too many fairy-tale trappings to not be considered classic Disney, the result is something entirely different and – particularly for young women, quite exciting.
Mulan’s MO, is not to find a man. Neither was Belle’s, to be fair, but she still sings about a Prince Charming that exists between the pages of a novel, with an undisguised thrill of hope. Mulan, during her opening sequence, fumbles her way through preparing for and meeting with the Match-Maker, in a wholly unromantic scene, designed to test her little-wife skills to a finite degree. Which brings me to my next point; When I say Mulan fumbles her way through this, I’m not kidding. She turns up late, with straw in her hair and ala Arnold Rimmer, her arms daubed in her own revision. Mulan is socially awkward and clumsy – Belle may have been lauded for being a free spirit, but her moral compass, poise and intelligence, were of an impossible standard. In Mulan, we finally have a Disney heroine just like us.
When Mulan, in a stunning, calmly defiant sequence, chops off her hair, dons her elderly father’s armour and goes to war in his place, it is to save his life. It is her choice and an entirely selfless act that has nothing to do with any desire for a romantic life. And when she arrives, we have scenes of elation and triumph, such as the final frames of “Be a Man” and refreshingly, scenes were the female ingénue is the centre of the comedy. Okay, she’s surrounded with funny characters, namely her three boorish, but good-hearted best friends, but her desperate and misjudged attempts to hide her femininity are extremely funny and once again, wonderfully, mercifully human.
Given the film’s running time, it’s admirable that Mulan is not a success at the training camp right away, as though in life, having the opportunity to prove yourself you’ve always longed for, always goes the way you expect. And Mulan earns her stripes, and our respect, by trying again and again, despite a number of mishaps, due to her own gaucheness and lack of physical prowess. When she does eventually triumph, first by winning the respect of her fellow soldiers and later the war itself, it feels legit and ultimately, more joyous.
The romance with her captain (remember? That guy that punched her in the face? Though this was during fight training, I hasten to add) could feel perfunctory, but luckily the film is smart enough to stray from melodrama. The two, quite rightly, don’t share much screen time, because this really isn’t his story – and as such, they don’t share a kiss, either. Rather, he quietly matures enough to realise that he’d rather a woman with a bit of bite, than the demure, delicate little thing he’d presumably always thought he wanted. The result is rather sweet and the film ends on a quiet, domestic moment, in contrast to the previous scene, wherein a grateful China bows at a humble and astonished Mulan’s feet. It’s victorious and simple all at once and we leave feeling that we could have that too. That it’s within our reach.
By now, we’ve seen footage of the powerful tornado that ripped through Oklahoma. We’ve seen the aftermath. We’ve witnessed the devastation, from our comfy homes, in front of our computers and televisions. So, what happens next? How can we contribute to the victims of this violent act of nature?
For a lot of people, the answer is to pray for the victims. As always, Facebook groups and pages, as well as images, sprung up with names and messages like, “Pray for Oklahoma!” And of course, the Twitter hashtag, expressing the same sentiment, became a trending topic, in no time. Just as in the past, with other tragedies (Boston bombing, Newtown shooting, etc), my newsfeed was flooded with the word “pray,” and people made me feel like a dick just because I didn’t share them with all my friends. I’m an Atheist, and I tend to not even become hypocritical, even in times of tragedies. But it’s not about me, even. It is, however, about what works, and what doesn’t.
Even when I was a Christian, there at the end, I saw just how little praying affected anything. Of course, I was always told that God had three answers: “Yes,” “no,” or “wait,” and to be patient. And the way I was taught these things, it was to only do something if God willed it. So basically, sit around and let God do all the work. See, to me, that’s just a cop-out, and teaches not be accountable for your own actions, and to rely on someone else to do something. Dependency is bad enough when it’s on another living, breathing human being, but when it’s on some ethereal entity that may or may not exist, it’s just madness.
Actually, going another route: positive energy, well wishes, happy thoughts, and cutesy things like that, also don’t jack. I’m sorry, but I can’t call one “ineffectual,” but not the others. That would be incredibly prejudiced and narrow-minded.
At any rate, if you must pray, then fine. However, don’t just pray (send well wishes, positive energy, happy thoughts, etc). It doesn’t really do anything. This is how you can help: give money to charities that are supporting relief efforts (but research said charities before doing so, as some of them practice shady money handling). Send food and water to shelters that are taking donations. Offer shelter if you are nearby, and you were not affected by the disaster. Go out and help with the cleanup of the aftermath. If you are a doctor, offer your medical services to those who need it. Give blood. If the help involving money is something you cannot do right now, that’s fine. But you can donate your time and your social media reach–boost the signal by re-posting, re-tweeting, re-blogging, etc. the efforts that are taking place, to help people in these situations. These are just a handful of things you can do, instead of just sitting behind your keyboard and quoting Bible verses, and saying you’ll pray for those affected. It’s not about you–it’s about them, and they need more than words.
Lastly, there are, unfortunately, those who lost their loved ones in this terrible disaster (and other disasters). Some of them are Christians, and will be okay with the, “they’re with God, now” condolences. However, some people are not Christians (and hell, this may apply to some Christians who have lost a loved one in tragedies), and don’t want to hear about “the will of God.” Luckily, it was just brought to my attention, that there are groups that offer faith-free support for those grieving the loss of a loved one. The one that was, specifically, brought to my attention, is called Grief Beyond Belief, and they can be found on Facebook. I’m glad that something like this, finally exists.
I know that I said that was my last point, but I have one last thing to say, which I think most religious people, and non-religious people can all agree on: If you’re someone who is saying that this is God’s wrath for the sinfulness of his people, or that it is a “sign of the end times,” go fuck yourselves. You’re morons and we don’t need you to act like a jackasses right now.
This is probably going to be rather short, today, because it’s pretty cut-and-dry. I would like to point out a serious issue that I call “salad bar prejudice.” This is where people think that just because they stand up for the rights and respect of one group of people (such as people in the LGBT community), that they can be afforded the right to be prejudiced against another (let’s say… women). As ignorant and unreal as that sounds, happens.
Recently, I was speaking with an acquaintance/colleague, about a situation that occurred, in our community, where a well-known woman from said community, was instrumental in its causation. Even though the conversation wasn’t directly about her, I went off on a rabbit trail, expressing my opinion of said person, because of the way they kind of flaunt their body, in places that are inappropriate. For the record, I am for free expression, but when it violates the rules or laws of where you’re flaunting your body, there’s a problem. I cited, yesterday, as an example: An “attractive” woman who posts photos, on Facebook, where, basically, only her nipples are covered, being okay, but harmless breastfeeding photos (where more is covered, usually) being taken down, because it’s “perverse.” It makes no damn sense. But I digress. To my opinion of this person, my acquaintance/colleague replied with, “It’s her style.”
Now, usually, I wouldn’t get so irritated with this. Again, I am for free expression. However, I have known this person long enough to know that, “It’s their style,” really means, “Shut up! I like it!” But the root of that, comes down to this person being sexist, which I have bitched at them for, more times than I care to count. Basically, this person has been severely burned by a woman, before, and therefore, he has no regard for them, whatsoever. If something happens between a man and a woman, 9 times out of 10, it’s the woman’s fault. If this person gets denied by a woman, there’s obviously something wrong with them, because it couldn’t possibly be the fault of my acquaintance/colleague. Basically, to this person, the only thing women are good for, is sex, and this person basically goes after it, with a gusto. So far, he’s been unsuccessful, because these women, like myself, are not stupid. Most of us can sense sexism, from a mile away, just because we have to deal with it, day in and day out. And we have to fight for our rights, as women, because people who are sexist, like this, seem to think we deserve none, and that we’re only good for one thing (and maybe a few other “thinglets”). This is just one instance of someone being this flavor of sexist. There are many others, with my “favorite” being, “Because the Bible tells me so.” I’m not referring to that, though. I am referring to the type of people who are sexist, without religion backing it up. This guy isn’t the only one who does it.
And then, oftentimes, it happens. Another social issue will pop up as a hot button–LGBT rights, for example. It comes when another state is up for voting for marriage equality, or when we’re in a Presidential election year. And then, the same kind of person who can, so easily, be sexist, decides that they are pro-LGBT rights. Kind of funny, though, since the “L” in LGBT, stands for “lesbian,” as in gay women. So basically, by their logic, shouldn’t they only be supporting GBT rights? Actually, scratch that. They should also take out the “B,” because women can be bisexual, and “T,” because there are transgendered women. In that respect, it all comes down to being pro-G rights, which only leaves men. However, this acquaintance/colleague boasts that he is all for LGBT (the whole spectrum) rights, even though he disrespects women. Actually, from his own words, it was, “At least I’m pro-LGBT rights.” At least. As in, “This is the least I can do, since I do not have the capacity to change and respect women, instead of placing blame and hate on them all the time, just because I was burned badly by one.” I’m sorry… what? It makes no damn sense, to pick and choose your prejudices. There shouldn’t be any. It went on, to go downhill. He claimed that he’s an asshole because he disrespects women, but then, told me that I’m an asshole because I won’t budge on my opinions.
Awww hell naw! I informed him that I would never, ever budge on my “opinions,” when it came to seeing to everyone getting equal rights, until they do something stupid, like break a law, and prove that they don’t deserve them, and get thrown behind bars. It’d rather be stubborn about equal rights being equal for all, instead of being stubborn about being sexist as all hell.
Now, I know that some of those who know me, that are reading this, are going to pull the, “But don’t you hate on Christians?” card. I do not subscribe to their beliefs, no. Nor do I make it a secret that I tend to mock it sometimes. However, there’s a fine line between mocking and advocating for the taking away of their rights. If I did that, it would make me no better than they are (the ones who are homophobic, etc). Also, I have toned down my Christianity “hate,” some. I realize that you can catch more flies with honey. However, when I receive outrageous hate from Christians, because I am standing up for my right to not succumb to their religion, they’re getting a fuck ton of vinegar, thrown into their faces. That’s not hate. That’s just being fed the fuck up.
But the point of all this rambling is this: Don’t stand up against hate against one group of people, and then, be on the side of hate, against another group of people. Unless you’re standing up for your rights and the rights of your friends and loved ones, anger and hate isn’t productive. Well, fine, hate isn’t productive. But anger can be, if it fuels you to make changes. And despite popular belief, when I get angry at the Christians I mentioned, I’m not just going flying off the handle at them. I keep it with me, and use it to fuel my standing up for people’s rights, even more. Yes, they have their rights, too, but I also have the right to reject their trying to indoctrinate me. I’m not trying to take away their rights, and I’m rejecting them trying to take away mine.
I guess this wasn’t short, after all. I know I mentioned the point of this, above, but I also want people to walk away with being taught a lesson, I guess. Don’t pick and choose your prejudices. Just don’t be prejudiced at all. Take time to listen to one another and see things from the other points of view. If you still don’t like it? Fight for change. Fight for change, coming from a constructive heart, and not a prejudiced one. I know I have some work to do in that area, too. Therefore, I write this, figuratively standing in front of a mirror.
***Couple of notes:
1. I am not anti-Christian, now, just because God/Christianity “let me down” and am now hurt. That’d be stupid as hell. I have a brain. I use it.
2. I’m not just against sexism against women. I have pointed out, many times, before, when people have been sexist about men.
Ami is taken prisoner by the Negaverse! Also, Usagi goes on a double date with Hikari and it’s very uncomfortable.
