RE: [scifinoir2] Samuel L. Jackson's greatest deaths
Title: Message Jackson doesn't die nearly as much as the great Charleston Heston, who has more melodramatic death scenes than anybody I know of. Remember "Beneath the Planet of the Apes"? Death. "The Omega Man"? Died, and not just died, but if you saw that movie, he died in a fountain, his blood pooled at his feet, arms and legs outstretched, in nothing so much as a Crucifix-like figure. -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly WrightSent: Saturday, May 14, 2005 20:27To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Samuel L. Jackson's greatest deathsDoesn't it seem like Samuel L. Jackson is always dying in his movies?As we prepare for his final lightsaber battle in ''Star Wars: EpisodeIII,'' we review his best cinematic swan songs.http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1060425_1_0_,00.html1) Star Wars: Episode III (2005)THE STIFF Mace Windu, Jedi knightCAUSE OF DEATH We're going to go out on a limb here and guess thatit's death by lightsaber.2) Goodfellas (1990)THE STIFF Stacks Edwards, thief and Mob associateCAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot3) Jungle Fever (1991)THE STIFF Gator Purify, homeless crackheadCAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot4) Jurassic Park (1993)THE STIFF Ray Arnold, a technician at the dinosaur preserveCAUSE OF DEATH Velociraptor5) Hard Eight (1996)THE STIFF Jimmy, a Reno casino security guardCAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot6) 187 (1997)THE STIFF Trevor Garfield, high school science teacherCAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot7) Jackie Brown (1997)THE STIFF Ordell Robbie, arms dealerCAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot8) Deep Blue Sea (1999)THE STIFF Russell Franklin, tycoon and adventurerCAUSE OF DEATH: Shark attack9) Basic (2003)THE STIFF Sgt. Nathan West, Army Ranger drill sergeantCAUSE OF DEATH Gunshot, grenade, stabbing depending on whom youbelieve. As viewers learn in one of the plot's twists-upon-twists,there's a reason all these death scenes appear a little far-fetchedand over-the-top.10) Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)THE STIFF Rufus, a musicianCAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot__The Black Prince. The Black Church. A State of Mind.http://www.theworldebon.com Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] RE: Scifi on TV
Title: Message "Two pretty boys who would've been lost without a geek"? Say on, Martin! -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martin PrattSent: Saturday, May 14, 2005 20:52To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] RE: Scifi on TV Yep, none other than Rex "You Take My Breath Away" Smith (even after twenty-plus years, that song's worth a laugh). I won't try to defend Viper. I just liked it. As for "Stingray", the closest to an ending I remember was an ep in which his past came back to almost bite him on the can. He almost had to give up his "favor-for-a-favor" gig, if not for one of his favors being a Government big-wig who stepped in long enough to let him slip away. Therewere two more eps before the show ended, if I remember right. Oh, and "Riptide"! Two pretty boys who would've been LOST without a geek. The way the world REALLY works.Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Street Hawk's star was former pop idol and broadway star ("Pirates of Penzance") Rex Smith, wasn't it? I never got Viper. Seemed kinda low-rent to me. Stingray was definitely cool. I remember one show when the star was arrested and printed. His prints were sent off for matching and he kept telling the arresting officer "You're wasting your time". The officer felt he had the guy, until the results came back: a fax showing a young Black man! Never did figure out his story, and how did the show end? Gotta tell you, that was another Stephen J. Cannell show, and he had a long run of good ones, from 21 Jump Street to Riptide to Hunter to (yes, even) A-Team. -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martin PrattSent: Thursday, May 12, 2005 19:47To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] RE: Scifi on TV Anything BUT. Street Hawk didn't do much for me, but Stingray was even cooler to me than The Equalizer, which I loved. Possibly the idea that Stingray might have some obscure government connection held some interest for a budding conspiracy theorist. Viper, I hadevery epon video, got rid of them only because I began to convert my video collection to DVD and ran into a little thing called unemployment a few weeks in.Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Now what do you have against the story of a man and his car? At least they got rid of KITT's voice and the cheesy '80s music done by anyone but the original artists (didn't they? I never watched the Knight Rider redux series). As for men and their vehicles, did you like Street Hawk, Stingray, or Viper? -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martin PrattSent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 15:02To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] RE: Scifi on TV That it was. I came to like "Vanishing Son" more than any of the sci-fi shows. "TekWar" had me for all of a month, and let's not discuss "Knight Rider" in ANY incarnation. "The story of a car and his man."Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I watched Time Trax maybe twice, but never got into it, and I think it was gone before I got around to trying.Was it part of theso-called "Action Pack" that came out a few years ago? Remember that? It was a block of shows that would air together, including "Vanishing Son" (the martial arts themed show starring Russell Wong), "Knight Rider: 2000", "Hercules", "TekWar", "Xena", and maybe a few others. It was shows that I think were from Universal. At any rate, the Action Pack music would play and they'd show scenes from all the above shows. Usually it'd air on Saturdays and Sundays, and there'd be 2 -3 hours of series in the group. Even after the other shows were all cancelled, Hercules and Xena would still often be introduced as part of the Action Pack. I used to love that gimmick even if all the shows weren't that great. It was just the ability to watch a block of scifi on Saturday afternoons that I loved... -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martin PrattSent: Sunday, May 08,
RE: [scifinoir2] Enterprise episode Terra Prime
Title: Message Right, he appeared in the OS episode "The Savage Curtain", where beings on a planet of lava recreate figures from history that represent good and evil. They then make the two sides fight. The aliens had no real concept of good and evil, and wanted to know which was stronger and how they differed. On the "good" team were Kirk, Spock, Surak (the father of Vulcan Logic), and Abraham Lincoln! The "evil" gang included father of the Klingon Empire Kahless, Genghis Khan, some creepy-looking alien lady who had experimented on her people, and Colonel Green, who had led agenocidal campaign on Earth. -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of AstromancerSent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 01:44To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: Re: [scifinoir2] "Enterprise" episode "Terra Prime" Um...Who Is Colonel Green? OhFrom TOS?Martin Pratt [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Somewhere, on some rogue website, I recall spotting a blurb spoiler about "Enterprise" and the final eps that suggested that Weller would be playing Colonel Green. I was all ready for that, figuring how great Green's xenophobic actions would play out against Starfleet's attempts to establish the Federation. One more letdown in a long string of letdowns...Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Well, I wish I could say I liked the second episode better, but nope. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it just didn't move me. It seemed at once rushed, unengaging, and dull. Somehow Peter Weller's villainous xenophobe failed to resonate, coming off more as an irritant bigot than a threat to galactic peace. Certainly he didn't paint the portrait of a man who'dhoped to be mentioned in the same breath as the infamous Colonel Green. The whole plot device with him taking over the Mars Virtiron Array as a terroristic threat wasn't very exciting either. The sub-standard plot and action made me realize that the focus was shifted to the wrong thing. Here we had an upcoming major peace conference, Terra Prime's threatening to destroy Starfleet Command, yet there was very little coverage of things on Earth, on the reactions of the delegates, media coverage of the impending disaster. Rather than time spent on the posturing Weller and his bald, black racist flunkies, or on sub-standard FX, I'd like to have seen more focus on Earth itself. It would have been nice to see the delegates as they wrestled with the significance of the still-healthy racist element on Earth. I still have issues with the Black racist sidekicks used as an ironic commentary. The one thing that did resonate was the storyline around Elizabeth, Trip and T'Pol's baby. To see him crying at the end, T'Pol's look and anguish, and their holding hands--well, that was powerful. The comment that the delegates wanted to attend her ceremony was a nice touch too. Overall I'd just rate it as an average show that again reminded me of a season one episode. "Excuse me while I whip this out."Cleavon Little , "Blazing Saddles" Do you Yahoo!?Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard. Do you Yahoo!?Make Yahoo! your home page Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Samuel L. Jackson's greatest deaths
Title: Message that's the one. I used to think Heston had a Messiah complex -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martin PrattSent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 11:06To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] Samuel L. Jackson's greatest deaths It was "El Cid".Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Indeed! Remember the movie where he died before a great battle, but had his body propped up on his horse, so his corpse could inspire and lead his men into battle? Was that "El Cid"? -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of AstromancerSent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 01:46To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] Samuel L. Jackson's greatest deaths YeahCharlton's great 'DeMille-esque' death scenes...serious ham sanwichesKeith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Jackson doesn't die nearly as much as the great Charleston Heston, who has more melodramatic death scenes than anybody I know of. Remember "Beneath the Planet of the Apes"? Death. "The Omega Man"? Died, and not just died, but if you saw that movie, he died in a fountain, his blood pooled at his feet, arms and legs outstretched, in nothing so much as a Crucifix-like figure. -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly WrightSent: Saturday, May 14, 2005 20:27To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Samuel L. Jackson's greatest deathsDoesn't it seem like Samuel L. Jackson is always dying in his movies?As we prepare for his final lightsaber battle in ''Star Wars: EpisodeIII,'' we review his best cinematic swan songs.http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1060425_1_0_,00.html1) Star Wars: Episode III (2005)THE STIFF Mace Windu, Jedi knightCAUSE OF DEATH We're going to go out on a limb here and guess thatit's death by lightsaber.2) Goodfellas (1990)THE STIFF Stacks Edwards, thief and Mob associateCAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot3) Jungle Fever (1991)THE STIFF Gator Purify, homeless crackheadCAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot4) Jurassic Park (1993)THE STIFF Ray Arnold, a technician at the dinosaur preserveCAUSE OF DEATH Velociraptor5) Hard Eight (1996)THE STIFF Jimmy, a Reno casino security guardCAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot6) 187 (1997)THE STIFF Trevor Garfield, high school science teacherCAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot7) Jackie Brown (1997)THE STIFF Ordell Robbie, arms dealerCAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot8) Deep Blue Sea (1999)THE STIFF Russell Franklin, tycoon and adventurerCAUSE OF DEATH: Shark attack9) Basic (2003)THE STIFF Sgt. Nathan West, Army Ranger drill sergeantCAUSE OF DEATH Gunshot, grenade, stabbing depending on whom youbelieve. As viewers learn in one of the plot's twists-upon-twists,there's a reason all these death scenes appear a little far-fetchedand over-the-top.10) Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)THE STIFF Rufus, a musicianCAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot__The Black Prince. The Black Church. A State of Mind.http://www.theworldebon.com Yahoo! Mail MobileTake Yahoo! Mail with you! Check email on your mobile phone. "Excuse me while I whip this out."Cleavon Little , "Blazing Saddles" Yahoo! Mail MobileTake Yahoo! Mail with you! Check email on your mobile phone. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] RE: Scifi on TV
Title: Message I believe it. It's a gift. -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martin PrattSent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 11:13To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] RE: Scifi on TV No, but I'll start. You may find it hard to believe, but most of these things come right off the top of my head.Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: You need to keep a list of cool one-liners and tag lines. That "Pretty boys" thing is great. Be perfect in a review, or as a title for a review. do you keep a list of neat sayings like that? -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martin PrattSent: Saturday, May 14, 2005 20:52To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] RE: Scifi on TV Yep, none other than Rex "You Take My Breath Away" Smith (even after twenty-plus years, that song's worth a laugh). I won't try to defend Viper. I just liked it. As for "Stingray", the closest to an ending I remember was an ep in which his past came back to almost bite him on the can. He almost had to give up his "favor-for-a-favor" gig, if not for one of his favors being a Government big-wig who stepped in long enough to let him slip away. Therewere two more eps before the show ended, if I remember right. Oh, and "Riptide"! Two pretty boys who would've been LOST without a geek. The way the world REALLY works.Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Street Hawk's star was former pop idol and broadway star ("Pirates of Penzance") Rex Smith, wasn't it? I never got Viper. Seemed kinda low-rent to me. Stingray was definitely cool. I remember one show when the star was arrested and printed. His prints were sent off for matching and he kept telling the arresting officer "You're wasting your time". The officer felt he had the guy, until the results came back: a fax showing a young Black man! Never did figure out his story, and how did the show end? Gotta tell you, that was another Stephen J. Cannell show, and he had a long run of good ones, from 21 Jump Street to Riptide to Hunter to (yes, even) A-Team. -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martin PrattSent: Thursday, May 12, 2005 19:47To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] RE: Scifi on TV Anything BUT. Street Hawk didn't do much for me, but Stingray was even cooler to me than The Equalizer, which I loved. Possibly the idea that Stingray might have some obscure government connection held some interest for a budding conspiracy theorist. Viper, I hadevery epon video, got rid of them only because I began to convert my video collection to DVD and ran into a little thing called unemployment a few weeks in.Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Now what do you have against the story of a man and his car? At least they got rid of KITT's voice and the cheesy '80s music done by anyone but the original artists (didn't they? I never watched the Knight Rider redux series). As for men and their vehicles, did you like Street Hawk, Stingray, or Viper? -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martin PrattSent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 15:02To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] RE: Scifi on TV That it was. I came to like "Vanishing Son" more than any of the sci-fi shows. "TekWar" had me for all of a month, and let's not discuss "Knight Rider" in ANY incarnation. "The story of a car and his man."Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I watched Time Trax maybe twice, but never got into it, and I think it was gone before I got around to trying.Was it part of theso-called "Action Pack" that came out a few years ago? Remember that? It was a block of shows that would air together, including "Vanishing Son" (the martial arts themed show starring Russell Wong), "Knight Rider: 2000", "Hercules", "TekWar", "Xena&quo
RE: [scifinoir2] Hercules on NBC--Weak!
Title: Message Man this was weak! Mediocre FX, confusing plot, performances that seemed like the actors were sleepwalking through their roles. The dude who played Hercules had the musculature but looked way too Caucasian to my tastes (the British accent didn't help). Is there some law that Greek men can't play Greek characters? Honestly, I think the last time a Greek dude played a god was back in the OS Trek episode, "Who Mourns for Adonis?". I heard more British, Kiwi, and American accents in this thing than I could count. Sean Astin was wasted as teacher/sidekick Linus, looking rather blank, which worked for simpleminded Samwise Gamgee, but here makes one wonder if Astin's contemplating a fading career instead of thinking about his lines. Timoty Dalton must have grabbed a fat check to play Herc's father, as he had little to do but bring his trademark piercing eyes and cultured voice to a boring character. Leeli Sobieski (sp?)got on my nerves playing a wood nymph, with that bronze Nivea tanning lotion slathered on her and the dopey floating scenes where grunts were obviously lowering her from a tree on a rope.Shedid a couple of shots that came periously close to flashing us withher bare breasts, which I guess was supposed to be daring or titillating, but seemed contrived. I'd go on, but the movie doesn't warrant further criticism.Well, maybe a little more. The only things that made it of minor note were that the writers brought in some realism about the characters' motivations and behaviour. For example, unlike the recent sanitized Hercules series, this treatment pretty much stated that Zeus raped Hercules' mother after morphing into a likeness of her husband. And unlike the series, mother and son didn't have a good relationship, as she spent her entire life trying to do in her son, even going so far as to purposefully being behind Hercules' murder of his own kids. Mom got started way before that though. She was the one who put the snakes in Herc's crib, which were of course strangled by the mighty infant. There were some scenes with nubile women running through the woods with satyrs, and one scene where a lady laid on her back on the grass, about to get busy with one of the goat-like demigods! That was surprising on network TV at 8 pm.Then there was the Oracle of Delphi who was revealed to be an hermaphrodite (Hercules and others called him "man-woman").He/she gets blinded in a vicious scene for accidentally violating a secretceremony devoted to Hera. The lady who blinded him? Herc's mother. And there was a homosexual thing played up between Hercules' brother and his cousin, who at the end of the movie were shown in bed together. But given the overall clumsiness of the rest of the movie, these attempts at "realism" and a mature theme merely served to highlight the weakness of the rest of the effort, and thus appeared (perhaps unfairly) as heavy-handed and falseattempts to be daring. Frankly, it wasn't as well done or intelligent as the better Hercules and Xena story arcs. When those shows cut lose with the humour, they were funny as heck. When they dug deep for drama and played it straight, they could be downright impressive. Tonight's efffort was nowhere near as good. -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Keith JohnsonSent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 17:26To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] "Hercules" on NBC Heard about this one? Soundsa little more serious than Sorbo's outing, as it deals with the aftermath of Hercules having killed his own children.I'll guess I'll have to check it out. My wife already commented that "at least they finally got a dark-haired Hercules with real muscles". She could never get with Sorbo due to his brownish hair and slim physique. That muscled, curly-haired dude from the '50s Hercules flicks set the standard to her mind. http://www.nbc.com/nbc/Hercules/ He was the slave that defied the gods. The hero who won the people. The man who became a legend. From Emmy Award winning executive producer Robert Halmi Sr. ("The Odyssey," "Gulliver's Travels," "Merlin") comes this epic tale based on the spectacular exploits of Hercules, the super-strong figure fathered by the supreme Greek god Zeus. The three-hour movie event, filmed amid the breathtaking scenery of New Zealand, follows Hercules who, after killing his three sons, is compelled to redeem himself by performing 12 heroic labors - including slaying the multi-headed Hydra and the dreaded Nemean lion. With groundbreaking special effects, "Hercules" is the definitive re-telling of the most famous myth of all - the story of a half-god, half-man whose extraordinary feats of strength would elevate him to the status of legend on Earth and immortality in the heavens. Paul Telfer stars as the legendary Greek hero, while Sean Astin
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Star Wars fans have strong presence at theatre
Title: Message They could always bring a bottle of Old Spice and try to cover up the funk with liberal amounts of it slathered on. -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of MetaSent: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 12:19To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Re: Star Wars fans have strong presence at theatre --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Bosco Bosco [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: "But I keeping looking at them, and mixed in with that admiration is one thought: "Man that theatre is going to *stink* with all the funk up in there!" Maybe someone remembered to bring some 'Baby-wipes".Meta Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Frank 'The Riddler' Gorshin Dies at 72
Title: Message This is a loss. A man whose talents extended way behind the couple of TV roles that got him major notice. While the episode of Trek they're mentioning isn't one of my favs, I enjoyed seeing Gorshin, especially the way he'd move that lanky body almost as if he didn't have a skeletal system. (The episode was "Let This Be Your Last Battlefield", in which two aliens carry out their bigotry-filled fued on Enterprise. Each is black on one half of his body, the racism comes from *which* side was black and which was white). -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brent WodehouseSent: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 16:04To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Frank 'The Riddler' Gorshin Dies at 72http://www.wnbc.com/entertainment/4503355/detail.htmlFrank Gorshin, Impressionist And Actor, Dies At 72BURBANK, Calif. - Actor Frank Gorshin, the impressionist with 100 facesbest known for his Emmy-nominated role as The Riddler on the old "Batman"television series, has died. He was 72.Gorshin's wife of 48 years, Christina, was at his side when he diedTuesday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, his agent and longtimefriend, Fred Wostbrock, said Wednesday."He put up a valiant fight with lung cancer, emphysema and pneumonia,"Mrs. Gorshin said in a statement.Despite dozens of television and movie credits, Gorshin will be foreverremembered for his role as The Riddler, Adam West's villainous foil in thequestion mark-pocked green suit and bowler hat on "Batman" from 1966-69."It really was a catalyst for me," Gorshin recalled in a 2002 AssociatedPress interview. "I was nobody. I had done some guest shots here andthere. But after I did that, I became a headliner in Vegas, so I can't putit down."West said the death of his longtime friend was a big loss."Frank will be missed," West said in a statement. "He was a friend andfascinating character."Gorshin earned another Emmy nominations one for a guest shot on "StarTrek."In 2002, Gorshin portrayed George Burns on Broadway in the one-man show"Say Goodnight Gracie." He used only a little makeup and no prosthetics."I don't know how to explain it. It just comes," he said. "I wish I couldsay, 'This is step A, B and C.' But I can't do that. I do it, you know.The ironic thing is I've done impressions all my life - I never did GeorgeBurns."Gorshin's final performance will be broadcast on Thursday's CBS-TV series"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] FW: [SciFiNoir Lit] Black Voices Column on Sci Fi Noir
Title: Message Try this. Go to the Black Voices home page, click on the News tab, and it's under Views. The link below should work. http://bv.channel.aol.com/newsmain/voices -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martin PrattSent: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 18:33To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: Re: [scifinoir2] FW: [SciFiNoir Lit] Black Voices Column on Sci Fi Noir The link came back dead for me, Lester."Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor)" [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Original Message-From: SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]Behalf Of Dr. Lester K. SpenceSent: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 12:22 PMTo: SciFiNoir_LitSubject: [SciFiNoir Lit] Black Voices Column on Sci Fi NoirI sent an email to the list a few weeks ago when the sh*t hit the fan,and wrote a column about it. I wanted to thank everyone thatresponded...the story came out today or yesterday. It can be foundhere:http://bv.channel.aol.com/newsmain/canvas_directory/columnist?id=20050511123109990001Let me know what you think.peacelksDr. Lester K. SpenceAssistant Professor, Political Science, Afro-American StudiesWashington UniversityKellogg Scholar in Health DisparitiesCommunity email addresses:Post message: SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.comSubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subscribe Digest Mode: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SciFiNoir_Lit/Yahoo! Groups Links--No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.11.12 - Release Date: 5/17/2005--No virus found in this outgoing message.Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.11.12 - Release Date: 5/17/2005 Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater?Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good!http://us.click.yahoo.com/pkgkPB/SOnJAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM~- Yahoo! Groups Links* To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/* To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED]* Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/"Excuse me while I whip this out."Cleavon Little , "Blazing Saddles" Yahoo! Mail MobileTake Yahoo! Mail with you! Check email on your mobile phone. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: What happened to Grey's Anatomy?
Title: Message From your response and Tracey's, I guess ABC's pullling stealth diversity, using white-oriented marketing to pull in the mainstream. Like I said ,all the commercials focus on the whites. And I'm still troubled by magazine and other media coverage like TV Guide, which completely ignores the Blacks. Isaiah Washington's a good actor, but something about him often seemed to get him villain roles. He was a villain in "Romeo Must Die", and a couple other films I saw. I saw him in an interesting movie a few years back with Mirando Otto (Eowen from "Lord of the Rings"), where he falls in love with a white South African played by Otto. He was a villain in "Exit Wounds" too. But Washington's done a lot of work, almost 40 films! Could we be looking at another Sam Jackson? check out his filmography: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0913460/ Also, I have to give him my props, as he's a fellow Texan! -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly WrightSent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 22:07To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Re: What happened to "Grey's Anatomy"?I like "Grey's Anatomy," it is a perfect companion to "Desparate Housewives" but if I miss either, it is not a tragedy. When the show first came on I mentioned the 'bizarro world' aspect of it --where the blacks were ostensibly in charge and were, in essence, oppressing the downtrodden white characters. I am sure the show's creators had to make many compromises. For instance, one of the four interns was supposed to be a black man but I guess that was too much diversity for the suits that run ABC. Television is a cruel master and an incredibly difficult place for a person of color to get a foothold. There has been much to do about "Everybody loves Raymond" coming to a conclusion after nine seasons. One of the hubbubs when the show was getting off the ground was that they didn't want Italian Ray Barone's wife to be "too ethnic." By that Les Moonves (who is married to an Asian woman as is Rupert Murdock)didn't want Ray's wife to be Italian or Jewish. They originally wanted someone like Meredith Baxter Birney. If Ray Romano can't get an Italian wife in a show based on his life on a show he co-created and co-executive produces, what chance does a black show producer have? That said, let me say I thoroughly enjoyed the episode of "Grey's Anatomy" where Anna Maria Horsford played an old scrub nurse who was dying and even though her illness was terminal and the hospital could do nothing to save her the administration was letting her stay until she died. This episode showed the humanity of all the black totems and taught the callow young white interns something about caring and community. As an aside, I have never been an Isaiah Washington fan. I loathe almost every character I have seen him play including his debut in Spike Lee's "Girl 6" where despite substantial screen time he is credited simply as the "Shoplifter." But I saw him the other day on "The View" touting "Grey's Anatomy" and he was lovely. He looked great, loved his mama (as came out in an anectodote) and he simply adored his pregnant wife of nine years(who was black and in the audience). This man has been horribly miscast. I hope to one day write something worthy of his silky elegance.~rave!--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I tuned into this show because I'd heard a Sister was the creator and main writer. She spoke at length with Tavis Smiley about the diverse cast (three Blacks and an Asian) and how the stories often center around guests of color. That may be true, but I haven't seen anything that really differentiates this from other shows I've seen that focus on the whites. The star's in a love affair with the doc played by Patrick Dempsey, the buxom nurse (who used to be on Roswell) has gotten some storylines, including one that had her stripping to her underwear in front of her co-workers. The Asian nurse is apparently pregnant. Frankly I quit watching after two episodes because nothing convinced me the Blacks would get major treatment. From what I can tell they're more like window dressing to the white characters. I notice that among the Blacks we have what are becoming familiar caricatures: the older doctor who ostensibly runs the place. But like Fancy on NYPD Blue, it reminds me of the device where you create a leader who's Black, then push him to the background...a mean doc who's shepherding the newbies. She comes onscreen, barks at the youngsters, then stalks off...and Isiah Washington's arrogant, self-centered genius, who reminds me of Eric LaSalle's character on "ER". He gets a few lines where he helps himself by being a real human to his charges, then off he goes. They all seem to do little
RE: [scifinoir2] NASA Challenge: Pull Oxygen from Moon Dirt, Win $250,000
Title: Message This is one of the things we discussed a couple a days ago in how terraforming would work. I noted that needed gases could be pulled from a planet's soil. Wouldn't that be awesome? -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brent WodehouseSent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 23:38To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] NASA Challenge: Pull Oxygen from Moon Dirt, Win $250,000http://www.space.com/news/050519_moonrox_challenge.htmlNASA Challenge: Pull Oxygen from Moon Dirt, Win $250,000By Tariq MalikStaff Writerposted: 19 May 2005NASA has promised a cool $250,000 for the first team capable ofpulling breathable oxygen from mock moon dirt, the latest award in thespace agency's Centennial Challenges program.The cash prize is the reward for winners of the agency's Moon RegolithOxygen (MoonROx) challenge, the third contest set by NASA to encouragecommercial space industry."It our hope to kind of seed some of the long-term technologies thatwere going to need for future exploration," said Brant Sponberg, NASA'sCentennial Challenges program manager, in a telephone interview.In the MoonROx contest, NASA and the Florida Space Research Institute(FSRI) challenge inventors to pull at least 11 pounds (five kilograms)of breathable oxygen from a volcanic ash-derived lunar soil substitutecalled JSC-1.But it doesn't end there. Participants not only have to extract theoxygen, but must accomplish the feat within eight hours. Thecompetition expires June 1, 2008."Oxygen extraction technologies will be critical for both robotic andhuman missions to the moon," said Sam Durrance, executive director forFSRI. Like other space-focused prize competitions, the MoonROxchallenge will encourage a broad community of innovators to developtechnologies that expand our capabilities.Earlier this year, NASA detailed two other centennial challenges.The 2005 Beam Power Challenge will award $50,000 to the first teamthat can use wireless technology to lift a weight off the ground. Suchtechnology could eventually be employed to beam payloads off Earth.Meanwhile, the 2005 Tether Challenge calls for teams to build thestrongest tether of a specific diameter. The tethers will each bestretched to the breaking point, with winners advancing through theranks toward a final showdown with NASA's house tether, made ofexisting material. Beat the house tether and you snag $50,000.NASA plans to set aside about $80 million towards Centennial Challengeprizes over the next five years to encourage private space technologydevelopment. Partly spurred by the $10 million Ansari X Prize for aprivate, manned suborbital spaceflight - which was snared last yearby Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne - the cash prize is also geared tohelp support NASA's space exploration vision.That vision, announced by President Bush on Jan. 14, 2004, callsfor a resurgence of human missions to the moon by 2020, as well as theultimate push out to Mars and beyond."The use of resources on other worlds is a key element of the visionfor space exploration," said Craig Steidle, NASA's associateadministrator for the exploration systems mission directorate, in astatement. This challenge will reach out to inventors who can help usachieve the vision sooner.Sponberg said that more challenges will be announced in upcomingweeks, and may include additional contests to develop off-planetresource utilization tools or astronaut support systems.Other front-runners for near-term contests could challenge innovatorsto develop a better spacesuit glove or an unmanned, lighter-than-airvehicle that could one day lead to a Venus or Mars probe."Longer-term challenges may call for full-up space missions or complexdemonstrations, such as a high-precision landing," Sponberg added."I think it adds great dimensions to our [exploration vision],"Sponberg said of the Centennial Challenges program. It's a great way toreach out to innovators that we couldn't before. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[scifinoir2] FW: Bill Moyers Blasts CPB Chairman Tomlinson
Title: Message Amy, I hadn't heard about Moyers recent speech until you posted that info tonight.So I searched and found this article about it. Are we surprised? I've been wondering when the villagers would start bringing their pitchforks and torches to the public broadcasting arena. I remember years ago when NPR was airing Mumia Abu Jamal's "Live from Death Row" recordings. There wasa firestorm of protest from citizens and some public officials, a huge mess. NPR finally dropped him. I think Pacifica Radio picked it up, or it might have been a conscious, independent radio station here in Atlanta, WRFG. But the bottom line is NPR was forced to kowtow to the right. I knew then it was only a matter of time, and with Bush in office the witchhunters are emboldened indeed. Very worrisome this is... http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/051605N.shtml Bill Moyers Blasts CPB Chairman TomlinsonThe Free Press Sunday 15 May 2005 Veteran journalist calls for nationwide public hearings on future of public broadcasting in speech at the National Conference for Media Reform. St. Louis - In a speech before 1,400 media activists, television journalist Bill Moyers lambasted Kenneth Tomlinson, chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), for hijacking public broadcasting to serve a partisan agenda. "I simply never imagined that any CPB chairman, Democrat or Republican, would cross the line from resisting White House pressure to carrying it out for the White House," Moyers told a packed room at the National Conference for Media Reform. "And that's what Kenneth Tomlinson has been doing." Tomlinson, a staunch Republican, has launched a personal crusade aimed at "eliminating the perception of political bias" in PBS programs. He has covertly promoted right-wing programming and tried to install his political allies to CPB's board and executive offices. He even contracted an outside consultant to monitor Moyers' weekly PBS news program, "NOW with Bill Moyers," for signs of liberal bias. "The more compelling our journalism, the angrier the radical right of the Republican Party gets," Moyers said. "That's because the one thing they loathe more than liberals is the truth. And the quickest way to be damned by them as liberal is to tell the truth." In his first public statement since the controversy over the CPB emerged, Moyers announced that he had sent a letter to Tomlinson requesting an hour-long program on PBS to debate the direction of public broadcasting. Earlier this month, 50,000 concerned citizens signed a Free Press petition urging Tomlinson to resign. Moyers also endorsed a call by Free Press, Common Cause, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union and Media Access Project for a series of town hall meetings nationwide so Americans can speak directly to station managers and policymakers about what they want and expect from public broadcasting. "That great mob that is democracy is rarely heard, and that's not just the fault of the current residents of the White House and Capitol," Moyers said. "There is a great chasm between those of us in the business and those who depend on TV and radio as their window to the world. We treat them too much like audiences and not enough like citizens. They are invited to look through the window, but too infrequently to participate and make public broadcasting public." The National Conference for Media Reform, hosted and organized by the nonpartisan media reform group Free Press, brought together thousands of media activists, educators, journalists, policymakers and concerned citizens from across the country and around the world who are concerned with the current state of the media. "An unconscious people, an indoctrinated people, a people fed only partisan information and opinion that confirm their own bias, a people made morbidly obese in mind and spirit by the junk food of propaganda, is less inclined to put up a fight, ask questions and be skeptical," Moyers said. "And just as a democracy can die of too many lies, that kind of orthodoxy can kill us, too." Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: What happened to Grey's Anatomy?
Good point. That's why I was asking for an opinion, because I'd quit watching. Still think Homicide had the most realized Blacks on TV in a coon's age... -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 09:20 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: What happened to Grey's Anatomy? I Like Washington, and see this role as an opportunity for him. But... that could be lust talking. :) Stealth diversity.. I like that term. I do not necessarily have a problem with stealth diversity.. For many artists of color, it might be the only way to get high profile, break out roles. the same for many producers, writers and directors of color. I've seen the shows with true diversity last only 6 six and bottom of the list ratings. In the long run it does not do much good. If Grey Anatomy becomes an ER, (which seems extremely likely) Washington, that Black actress, and the Asian actress might find themselves with stable employment with a high profile role that actually requires them to act, allows them to take some of the offers of movies that they now will get, enough money to produce their own stuff if they want, and also will present them with opportunities for other juicy parts. If you look at the career paths of Omar Epps, Eriq La Salle , Ming-Na and maybe a few other ER alumni of color, ER may have contributed to some milestones in their careers. I think being on a top 10 show, in a part where you are not playing some stereotype could definitely do some positive things for an actor's career. So, while I have a few criticisms and reservations about Grey's Anatomy, I am glad in is thriving. Tracey -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Keith Johnson Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 12:10 AM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: What happened to Grey's Anatomy? From your response and Tracey's, I guess ABC's pullling stealth diversity, using white-oriented marketing to pull in the mainstream. Like I said ,all the commercials focus on the whites. And I'm still troubled by magazine and other media coverage like TV Guide, which completely ignores the Blacks. Isaiah Washington's a good actor, but something about him often seemed to get him villain roles. He was a villain in Romeo Must Die, and a couple other films I saw. I saw him in an interesting movie a few years back with Mirando Otto (Eowen from Lord of the Rings), where he falls in love with a white South African played by Otto. He was a villain in Exit Wounds too. But Washington's done a lot of work, almost 40 films! Could we be looking at another Sam Jackson? check out his filmography: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0913460/ Also, I have to give him my props, as he's a fellow Texan! -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly Wright Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 22:07 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: What happened to Grey's Anatomy? I like Grey's Anatomy, it is a perfect companion to Desparate Housewives but if I miss either, it is not a tragedy. When the show first came on I mentioned the 'bizarro world' aspect of it --where the blacks were ostensibly in charge and were, in essence, oppressing the downtrodden white characters. I am sure the show's creators had to make many compromises. For instance, one of the four interns was supposed to be a black man but I guess that was too much diversity for the suits that run ABC. Television is a cruel master and an incredibly difficult place for a person of color to get a foothold. There has been much to do about Everybody loves Raymond coming to a conclusion after nine seasons. One of the hubbubs when the show was getting off the ground was that they didn't want Italian Ray Barone's wife to be too ethnic. By that Les Moonves (who is married to an Asian woman as is Rupert Murdock)didn't want Ray's wife to be Italian or Jewish. They originally wanted someone like Meredith Baxter Birney. If Ray Romano can't get an Italian wife in a show based on his life on a show he co-created and co-executive produces, what chance does a black show producer have? That said, let me say I thoroughly enjoyed the episode of Grey's Anatomy where Anna Maria Horsford played an old scrub nurse who was dying and even though her illness was terminal and the hospital could do nothing to save her the administration was letting her stay until she died. This episode showed the humanity of all the black totems and taught the callow young white interns something about caring and community. As an aside, I have never been an Isaiah Washington fan. I loathe almost every character I have seen him play including his debut in Spike Lee's Girl 6 where despite substantial screen time he is credited simply as the Shoplifter. But I saw him
RE: [scifinoir2] Darkest of Star Wars dark lords get his day in the sun
Title: Message After seeing "Sith" today, I just *knew* it had to be the same actor. how awesome it is the same guy playing the Emperor in all the movies! What a strange two-edged sword it must be for actors, to get recognized most for what may be your least challenging or complex work. Or to be typecast by a role you loved, but want to put behind you. George Reeves, Leonard Nimoy and others have had that struggle.But hey, if it pays the bills--more than pays them, I imagine--it can allow you the freedom to do all those plays and stuff. At least McDiarmid seems to have a good attitude. I know the late Alec Guiness came to despise the fact that he'd be most rememebered as Obi Wan. I remember reading an interview where he was faintly contemptuous of his fans, whom he felt were odd and needed to get real lives. That was sad. -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly WrightSent: Friday, May 20, 2005 10:07To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Darkest of "Star Wars" dark lords get his day in the sunhttp://www.jsonline.com/onwisconsin/movies/may05/327099.aspDarkest of 'Star Wars' dark lords gets his day in the sunBy BOB LONGINOAtlanta Journal-ConstitutionPosted: May 19, 2005Skywalker Ranch, Calif. - More than 20 years after Scottish actor IanMcDiarmid first donned the dark threads of Emperor Palpatine as rulerof "Star Wars' " evil Empire, the robe's back on.53727'Star Wars'And in "Revenge of the Sith," the final installment in George Lucas'"Star Wars" saga that opened worldwide this week, the dark lord isfinally having his day in the sun.Palpatine gets to wield a lightsaber, slicing his way through amélange of Jedi knights.He uses that hellish lightning-from-the-fingertips moxie he's got in ablistering, senate chamber-smashing duel with Yoda. And he gets toorder around Anakin Skywalker, compelling him to do evil deeds withsimple commands, like "Kill him."If Darth Vader is the baddest guy in the universe, what does that makehim?"It makes me beyond that," said McDiarmid, a veteran stage and TVactor with limited big-screen appearances. "Blackest of the black.Darkest of the dark. But, unfortunately, still recognizably human."McDiarmid was 38 when fans first saw him as the creepy, disfiguredemperor when "The Return of the Jedi" was released in 1983.Now he's 60 and actually much closer in age to the character he'splayed in four "Star Wars" films.From Shakespeare to SithMcDiarmid has progressed from senator to supreme chancellor to, now,the man who would be emperor.For a dozen years, McDiarmid was joint artistic director of theAlmeida Theatre in north London. He's performed with the RoyalShakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Court.He's played Edward II, Henry IV and Prospero in "The Tempest." He'shad small parts on the big screen in Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow,""Gorky Park" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."His left profile, emphasizing a weak chin, slightly pointed nose and asplash of swept-back gray hair, is the spitting image of the notoriousMr. Burns of "The Simpsons.""The whole of 'The Simpsons' (seems to be) obsessed with 'Star Wars,'" McDiarmid said.He doesn't know if Palpatine was in Matt Groening's mind, the actoradded, "but I wouldn't be surprised."Lucas hadn't seen McDiarmid's work on stage, but a casting directordid, in the small, upstairs theater at the Royal Court at the dawn ofthe '80s."It was Sam Shepard's play, 'Seduced,' in which I played the aging -well, his version of the aging - Howard Hughes with the long hair andthe fingernails, motionless in bed," McDiarmid recalled.His performance struck the right notes: paranoia, confidence,arrogance, obsessiveness.Later, McDiarmid was called to lunch with Lucas."Even when I got back (home), I didn't know why we had been speaking,though I imagined it had something to do with 'Star Wars,' " he said.His agent phoned.Obviously it went well because you got the part, the agent said."I said, 'What part?' "The agent leafed through his papers, searching for the role, and thenuttered four words - emperor of the universe." 'We'll be doing that then,' I said. And that's how it started."Creating a villainOnce McDiarmid saw the ghastly prosthetics planned for the emperor'sface - the reason behind his metamorphosis from the normal-lookingsupreme chancellor to the hideous emperor is illustrated in "Sith" -he conjured up the character's distinctive, cackling voice."Oh, he's like a toad," McDiarmid said. "He's a terrible reptile. Ithought his voice should come from the dark depths. From the bowels ofthe Earth or the bowels of his being. . . ."And the voice just sort of arrived.""Sith" provides McDiarmid with the most screen time he's had yet.High praiseHis co-star, Hayden Christensen,
[scifinoir2] Scorpius is in Sith!
Title: Message Kelly, from your post about the blue-faced dude in "Sith": A Peter Cushing look-alike. At the end of the film, there's an actor who bears a strong resemblance to the late actor who played Grand Moff Tarkin, one of the villains in the first "Star Wars" movie. Guess what, that actor is played by Wayne Pygram, "Scorpius" from Farscape! Also in the movie is Keisha Castle-Hughes of "Whale Rider" fame. I guess the movie was shot in Australia in part, as both actors are natives. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Kelsey Grammer to play Beast in X-Men 3
Title: Message Huh?? Grammer as Hank Mccoy? Why? Didn't they already have a quick shot of another actor playing McCoy in "X2"? Also, isn't Grammer a little old and frankly out-of-shape to play the superstrong, super-athletic Beast? He may have the intelligent bearing and diction, but I just can't see Frasier Crane literally bouncing off the walls! On another note, I'm surprised they're thinking of Maggie Grace to play Kitty Pryde. Pryde is Jewish, Grace doesn't appear to be. -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly WrightSent: Friday, May 20, 2005 10:48To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Kelsey Grammer to play Beast in X-Men 3http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20050520/en_movies_eo/16596Kelsey Grammer has been tapped to play Beast--the super-intelligentblue behemoth, in the forthcoming X-Men 3, according to Variety.He'll be joined by two other new X-Men recruits, Kitty Pryde, akaShadowcat, who can pass through walls (Lost's Maggie Grace is reportedto be the top candidate), and the winged Angel.They'll square off against another evil mutant, the metal-clad giantJuggernaut, to be played by Vinnie Jones (Snatch, Lock, Stock and TwoSmoking Barrels).British director Matthew Vaughn is taking over behind the camera fromBryan Singer (who is helming the new Superman). X-Men 3 is slated tohit theaters over Memorial Day 2006. __The Black Prince. The Black Church. A State of Mind.http://www.theworldebon.com Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] What happened to Grey's Anatomy?
Title: Message I said I didn't watch it anymore, because the Blacks weren't getting good treatment. That's why I posted, to see if I was missing something worth coming back to. And from what y'all say maybe so. As for the "nurse", yeah, she's an intern. Typo on my part. I mentioned that scene not to criticize it, but because it was a powerful moment that I happened to catch, but I haven't "happened" to catch equally powerful moments with the Black actors. (though truth be told, there's not a Sister on there with a body like that.Whoo-hoo!!!) In other words, in the three or four episodes I watched fully, and in the few pieces of episodes I've caught, and in the trailers, the Blacks haven't been front-and-center. So I assumed my random sampling reflected the overall tone of the show. Maybe I'll give it a chance again... -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Leslee FreemanSent: Friday, May 20, 2005 12:23To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: Re: [scifinoir2] What happened to "Grey's Anatomy"? You cannot even be watching this show :)The buxom nurse isn't a nurse, she is an intern with all the rest. She stripped because she got sick of everyone flipping out because she used to be a Victoria's Secret-type model, so she did it to shut them up. Sort of like, ok, now I'm naked, you'veall seen it first hand, so shut up about it. On the previews it lookedcheesy, but it made sense in the context of the episode.The Asian nurse is having an affair with the younger of the black doctors, and their story is one of the main sublines, second only to the star's romance. We see how he relates to how she used to be, and that is what drew him to her, Of course, the fact that she IS like he used to be is giving them major problems. We are starting to see layers of the evil black nurse. She is a typical mentor type, but not just stereotypical black woman evil anymore. It is not perfect, and may not be your cup of tea, but it is far, FAR better than most shows portraying minorities on TV. But then, my expectation is much lower. I have accepted that until we create shows on TV1 and BET, we will not have the type of roles we can truly relate to. This is our own damn fault, you know, so I enjoy shows based on whether or not I like the story now. - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 12:08 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] What happened to "Grey's Anatomy"? I tuned into this show because I'd heard a Sister was the creator and main writer. She spoke at length with Tavis Smiley aboutthe diverse cast (three Blacks and an Asian) and how the stories often center around guests of color. That may be true, but I haven't seen anything that really differentiates this from other shows I've seen that focus on the whites. The star's in a love affair with the doc played by Patrick Dempsey, the buxom nurse (who used to be on Roswell) has gotten some storylines, including one that had her stripping to her underwear in front of her co-workers. The Asian nurse is apparently pregnant. Frankly I quit watching after two episodes because nothing convinced me the Blacks would get major treatment. From what I can tell they're more like window dressing to the white characters. I notice that among the Blacks we have what are becoming familiar caricatures: the older doctor who ostensibly runs the place. But like Fancy on NYPD Blue, it remindsme of the device where you create a leader who's Black, then push him to the background...a mean doc who's shepherding the newbies. She comes onscreen, barks at the youngsters, then stalks off...and Isiah Washington's arrogant, self-centered genius, who reminds me ofEric LaSalle's character on "ER". He gets a few lines where he helps himself by being a real human to his charges, then off he goes. They all seem to do little more than provide plot points for the scared doctors to be, yet have little in the way of fully fleshed out roles themselves. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just feel the hoped-for strong usage of the people of color isn't materializing. This seems to be borne out by all the coverage I've seen: not one commercial on TV shows the Black actors, instead focusing almost exclusively on the star and her lover, with a little bit of coverage given to the other non-Blacks. TV Guide recently did an article on the show that included a two-page spread of photos of the "stars that make it hot". Not *one* of the Blacks was pictured! Am I off base? Are the Blacks used effectively? Do the guest stars consist of people of color with strong roles? Anyone watching this? Yahoo!
RE: [scifinoir2] Scientists Warn Against Weaponizing Space
Title: Message Hell, I guess we need Gary Seven to drop an orbital nuclear weapon on China, blowing it up at the last moment! Think we'll get the message then? -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brent WodehouseSent: Friday, May 20, 2005 19:29To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Scientists Warn Against Weaponizing Spacehttp://www.space.com/news/ap_050520_space_weapons.htmlScientists Warn Against Weaponizing SpaceBy Nick WadhamsAssociated Pressposted: 20 May 2005UNITED NATIONS (AP) - A scientists' group on Thursday warned the UnitedStates against weaponizing space, saying the move would be prohibitivelyexpensive and could set off a new arms race.The Union of Concerned Scientists, a watchdog group that opposes weaponsin space, said the United Nations should consider drafting a treaty thatwould prohibit interfering with unarmed satellites, taking away anyjustification for putting weapons in space to protect them."The United States has a huge lead in the space field - it can afford totry out the multilateral approach,'' said Jonathan Dean, a former U.S.ambassador and an adviser on global security issues.The Union's demand comes as the administration of President Bush isreviewing the U.S. space policy doctrine. Some scientists worry that thereview will set out a more aggressive policy that could lead to thegreater militarization of space.On Wednesday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters thatthe policy review was not considering the weaponization of space. But hesaid new threats to U.S. satellites have emerged in the years since theU.S. space doctrine was last reviewed in 1996, and those satellites mustbe protected."There are changes that have occurred over the last eight or nine years,and there are countries that have taken an interest in space, McClellansaid. "And they have looked at things that could - or technologies thatcould - threaten our space systems. And so you obviously need to take thatinto account when you're updating the policy.''The Bush administration has also included some money in the budget forspace-based weapons programs to defend satellites, strike ground targetsand defend against missile attacks, said Laura Grego, a scientist with theunion.Any complete weapons system in space would be very expensive, running intothe many billions of dollars. Developing a shield to defend against asingle missile attack would require deploying 1,000 space-basedinterceptors and cost anywhere between $20 billion and $100 billion, saidDavid Wright, a union scientists and co-author of a recent report on thefeasibility of space weapons.And such a system would require a huge expansion of U.S. launchingcapability. The United States currently launches between 10-12 largerockets a year, while with space interceptors, it would need to launchmany times more that each year.Wright argued that space-based ground attack systems were not yetpractical either. One, dubbed "Rods from God'' - which would fire rods oftungsten from space - would cost 50-100 times as much as a similar attackfrom the ground."The fact that it's still being considered I think suggests that there'ssome sort of emotional attachment to it for putting weapons in spacerather than a hard-nosed analysis,'' Wright said.Any such move would also likely draw swift international condemnation. In2002, after the United States withdrew from the 1972 Anti-BallisticMissile Treaty, China and Russia submitted a proposal for a newinternational treaty to ban weapons in outer space.But the United States has said it sees no need for any new space armscontrol agreements. It is party to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, whichprohibits stationing weapons of mass destruction in space. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[scifinoir2] Revenge of the Sith lives up to its promise--NO spoilers
Title: Message This one is spoiler-free, really just a stream-of-consciusness jotting down of my emotional reaction. Overall it wasn't surprising but was very enjoyable. Perhaps not as satisfying in terms of writing and acting quality as "The Empire Strikes Back", but very good. I'll drop a spoiler-filled review in a few days, once more of you have had a chance to see it. No spoilers... With "Revenge of the Sith", George Lucas goes out with a bang, not the whimper I'd feared. "Sith" is vastly superior to the boring and mostly unnecessary Episodes 1 and 2. The overall tone is darker, more mature, and the story flows better than anything since "The Empire Strikes Back". Though I knew what to expect--Anakin turns bad, almost everybody dies--the execution was what counted.Like "Titanic", where we knew the ending but enjoyed the ride, "Sith" executes with a high level of excitement, action, and compelling drama. I can't remember how much time I spent on the edge of my seat as light sabre's sliced the air (and flesh) orhundreds of battling ships filled the screen. I "oohed" and "aahed" and yelled as the embattled Jedi fought an ultimately hopeless battle against the return of evil and the fall of the Republic. Perhaps most notably, the acting is much improved from the stilted and wooden-sounding lines from the previous films. Gone are stretches of cringe-inducing love scenes, or akward moments as the actors stare blankly into space as if unsure of what to say next. Actors which Eps 1 and 2 incredibly made appear incompetent come off as more polished here, their performances more convincing. Vader-to-be Hayden Christensen is perhaps the most improved, finally conveying a sense of real menace instead of the whiney teen we saw in "Attack of the Clones". There are still a few moments of clunky dialogue and spots where the actors don't emote enough for my tastes, but overall the writing and acting is sharp and fits the pacing of the movie perfectly. Even the music is surprisingly mature and sets appropriate moods for the action onscreen. I've often felt some of Lucas' efforts have fallen a little short in terms of making me believe his world is "real". I've often been distracted by special effects, costumes, and sets that seem too manufactured, too obviously make-believe contrivances, rather than views into an alternate reality. But I didn't have that problem here. "Sith" sucked me in, allowing me to suspend my disbelief enough to really get into this film. I felt real sadness and anger as Anakin fell to the Dark Side, I thrilled as Obi-Wan and Yoda fought desperate battles to save their Order and way of life. I all but hissed as the Emperor's masterful manipulations came to fruition. And at the end, with all hope lost but that of the few surviving Jedi and the tiny babes who would be charged with setting things aright in the future, a lump actually came in my throat as the familar music played. Like the characters themselves I was full of despair, but clinging to a faint hope for the future. George Lucashas redemed his past missteps with a movie that, while not surprising, still manages to move us. It was everything I'd hoped it be. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Kelsey Grammer to play Beast in X-Men 3
Title: Message "Jewish" is colloquially often used interchangeably as a religious description and an ethnic description. The context of my statement indicates it was being used as the latter, since I specifically was referencing their looks. If you'd prefer it rephrased, Kitty Pryde is Semitic, not Western European, so why get a blonde white girl to play her? -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of yinka oyekunleSent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 14:22To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Kelsey Grammer to play Beast in X-Men 3 "On another note, I'm surprised they're thinking of Maggie Grace to play Kitty Pryde. Pryde is Jewish, Grace doesn't appear to be." Being Jewish is a religion not an ethnic group. g123curious [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Like my teenage step-daughter's clothing and hairstyle, this choice of actor will change 12 times before Sunday.After all, it's only a comic book.GeorgeCaptainThe USS Ronald E. McNair (Boston)--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin Pratt [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I heard a rumor that the Beast was going to be CGIed, no transformation between blue fur and humanoid form. If so, it might play in Peoria. Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Huh?? Grammer as Hank Mccoy? Why? Didn't they already have a quick shot of another actor playing McCoy in "X2"? Also, isn't Grammer a little old and frankly out-of-shape to play the superstrong, super-athletic Beast? He may have the intelligent bearing and diction, but I just can't see Frasier Crane literally bouncing off the walls! On another note, I'm surprised they're thinking of Maggie Grace to play Kitty Pryde. Pryde is Jewish, Grace doesn't appear to be. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly Wright Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 10:48 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Kelsey Grammer to play Beast in X-Men 3 http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20050520/en_movies_eo/16596 Kelsey Grammer has been tapped to play Beast--the super-intelligent blue behemoth, in the forthcoming X-Men 3, according to Variety. He'll be joined by two other new X-Men recruits, Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat, who can pass through walls (Lost's Maggie Grace is reported to be the top candidate), and the winged Angel. They'll square off against another evil mutant, the metal-clad giant Juggernaut, to be played by Vinnie Jones (Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels). British director Matthew Vaughn is taking over behind the camera from Bryan Singer (who is helming the new Superman). X-Men 3 is slated to hit theaters over Memorial Day 2006. __Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Kelsey Grammer to play Beast in X-Men 3
Title: Message Well, in current mainstream X books, Kitty is definitely shown as Jewish. She's part of the staff at the Xavier Institute, and always wears a Star of David on a necklace. You must mean "X-Men Unlimited", which has all but sanitized many aspects of the X-Men characters' unique identities, such as Storm being more Americanized. I wouldn't be surprised if they've given Kitty's religion short shrift. -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 16:13To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Kelsey Grammer to play Beast in X-Men 3In a message dated 5/21/05 3:32:55 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: "Jewish" is colloquially often used interchangeably as a religious description and an ethnic description. The context of my statement indicates it was being used as the latter, since I specifically was referencing their looks.If you'd prefer it rephrased, Kitty Pryde is Semitic, not Western European, so why get a blonde white girl to play her?Well in the current version of the X-Men the new Kitty has none of the 'jewish' features of her old version.-GTW Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[scifinoir2] Neon Genesis and Killer Sheep at WETA
Title: Message Been checking out the WETA sites tonight. Interesting. Check out their current projects, which include King Kong of course, and something called "Jane and the Dragon". But what really caught my attention was "Neon Genesis Evangeline", which is on hold but may be greenlighted in the near future. Click the link and view the gallery of images. And really wild, they're working on a horror/comedy called "Black Sheep", about deadly, carnivorous sheep?? The image gallery shows one of the deadly creatures with blood streaming from its mouth after having eaten the sheepdog. Weird! http://www.wetaworkshop.co.nz/projects http://www.wetaworkshop.co.nz/projects/filmography/galleries/neon_genesis http://www.wetaworkshop.co.nz/projects/filmography/film/black_sheep Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Wormholes unlikely to allow time travel
Title: Message Don't despair. If God had consulted "experts", the universe would never have been created. I can see the reports now: "Can't be done, Oh Most High!"..."How you gonna make something out of nothing, Supreme One?""Our research shows a 78 percent probability that any attempt to create a self-sustaining cosmos would result in disaster". You go right on what whatever your mind can create. In a few millennia it just may come true... -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly WrightSent: Monday, May 23, 2005 21:43To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Re: Wormholes unlikely to allow time travelI am somewhat disappointed to read this as I love the notion of wormholes. While I have never used the premise of time travel through wormholes, I have woven a system of natural wormholes into the mythology of my World Ebon. These invisible wormholes, which I call pulse points, are used by adepts as a means of teleportation.~rave!--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Brent Wodehouse" [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Sciencearticle=UPI-1-20050523-18392800-bc-wormholes.xml Wormholes unlikely to allow time travel LONDON, May 23 (UPI) - Researchers say the idea of using "wormholes" to travel from one place in the galaxy to another is a "Star Trek" idea whose time may never come. A study by University of Oregon researchers shows a wormhole that would be capable of transporting someone would be fundamentally unstable, the BBC reported Monday. "We aren't saying you can't build a wormhole," said researcher Stephen Hsu. "But the ones you would like to build - the predictable ones where you can say, 'Mr. Spock will land in New York at 2 p.m. on this day' - those look like they will fall apart." A study by the University of York and Central Connecticut State University says even if it were possible to keep a wormhole's throat open with so-called exotic matter, the throat still would be too small for time travel. Cambridge astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has argued since the 1980s that fundamental laws of physics would prevent wormholes from being used for time travel. Copyright 2005 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Anyone getting Lost tonight?--spoilers
Title: Message SPOILERS Yeah, the boat people have to be the "Others". They're way too close to the island to be anything else. What's their deal? What's in that hatch I wonder. Walt and the big dude warned them not to open it. It's obvious the island brought people to it for redemption and second chances, but why was Boone needed as a sacrifice? How in the world will they keep this theme running a whole 'nother season without people getting mad and wanting to know all the secrets? If this isn't mystical/scifi land (I think the creators said that) then what's up with that crazy smoke? -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor)Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 22:38To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] Anyone getting "Lost" tonight? Oh Yeah!! I think those guys on the boat are "the Others" what do you think. They are the one that took Delan/Rouseau's baby 16 years ago and she really did not light the fire. I think she helped get Clair away before Tracey -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Keith JohnsonSent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 9:08 PMTo: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Anyone getting "Lost" tonight? Really wild so far. What do you think? Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Voyager 1 reaches solar system's final frontier
Title: Message I realized I didn't give myself any really positive options, unless number 1 is positive. Can't figure out if I'm most afraid of #4 or #3... -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martin PrattSent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 13:34To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] Voyager 1 reaches solar system's final frontier Leaning strongly toward Option 2.Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Saw that on the news today. Cool as hell! I remember watching the launches back in '77 as a teen. Captivating. I figure one of the following may happen with the Voyager: In two hundred years it'll return as V'ger, supremely powerful and self-aware, demanding to know who the hell made it and why In 2020it'll crash outside NASA with a note attached: "No littering. Keep your sh% in your own system!" Nothing An armada of aliens will surround the planet. They'll thank us for the map showing the way to Earth, and for the DNA drawing proving that our biologies are compatible. They'll carry a book titled "To Serve Man". -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brent WodehouseSent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 19:19To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Voyager 1 reaches solar system's final frontierhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/space_voyager_dcVoyager 1 reaches solar system's final frontierWed May 25,12:00 PM ETWASHINGTON (Reuters) - NASA's Voyager 1 has reached the final frontier ofour solar system, having traveled through a turbulent place whereelectrically charged particles from the Sun crash into thin gas frominterstellar space.Astronomers tracking the little spaceship's 26-year journey from Earthbelieve Voyager 1 has gone through a region known as termination shock,some 8.7 billion miles from the Sun, and entered an area called theheliosheath."Voyager 1 has entered the final lap on its race to the edge ofinterstellar space," Edward Stone, Voyager project scientist at theCalifornia Institute of Technology, said in a statement released Tuesday.Voyager watchers theorized last November that the craft might be reachingthis bumpy region of space when the charged solar particles known as thesolar wind seemed to slow down from a top speed of 1.5 million miles perhour.This was expected at the area of termination shock, where the solar windswere expected to decelerate as they bump up against gas from the spacebeyond our solar system. It is more than twice as distant as Pluto, thefurthest planet in our system.By monitoring the craft's speed and the increase in the force of the solarwind, Voyager scientists now believe the craft has made it through theshock and into the heliosheath.Predicting the location of the termination shock was hard because theprecise conditions in interstellar space are unknown and the terminationshock can expand, contract and ripple, depending on changes in the speedand pressure of the solar wind."Voyager's observations over the past few years show the termination shockis far more complicated than anyone thought," said Eric Christian, ascientist with NASA's Sun-Solar System Connection program.Voyager 1 and its twin spacecraft Voyager 2 were launched in 1977 on amission to explore the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn. The pair keptgoing, however, and the mission was extended.Voyager 2 went on to explore Uranus and Neptune, the only spacecraft tohave visited these outer planets. Both Voyagers are now part of theVoyager Interstellar Mission to explore the outermost edge of the Sun'sdomain.Both Voyagers are capable of returning scientific data from a full rangeof instruments, with adequate electrical power and attitude controlpropellant to keep operating until 2020.Wherever they go, the Voyagers each carry a golden phonograph record whichbears messages from Earth, including natural sounds of surf, wind, thunderand animals. There are also musical selections, spoken greetings in 55languages, along with instructions and equipment on how to play the record.More information and images can be found online athttp://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/voyager_agu.html"Excuse me while I whip this out."Cleavon Little , "Blazing Saddles" Do You Yahoo!?Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new Resources site! Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this
RE: [scifinoir2] Voyago's Picardo Appears On USA's The 4400
Title: Message He was also on that short-lived TV series with Rob Lowe. Something about a law firm where the senior partner commits suicide and there's all kinds of questionable things going on? Picardo was some kind of law officer or detective I believe. I think that show--whose name escapes me--also featured the Brother who currently runs the hospital on "Grey's Anatomy". -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Rising SunSent: Sunday, May 29, 2005 07:22To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: Re: [scifinoir2] Voyago's Picardo Appears On USA's The 4400Didn't I spot him in Cold Case?RS=D"Anyone who would give up a little liberty for more security deserves neither." Ben Franklin...My Fav links: http://www.geocities.com/jagrslc/tv.show.swop.list.htm [My complete TV Show collection for exchange]... http://www.geocities.com/jagrslc [My FF]... http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/tv-divx/ [Swop Mart for TV Shows]... http://www.geocities.com/slustufflikethat/First.Ladies.pdf [My labour of Love]__Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[scifinoir2] Repost: Scorpius is in Sith!
Title: Message For those who've seen "Revenge of the Sith" since I posted this. Didja catch these actors? Kelly, from your post about the blue-faced dude in "Sith": A Peter Cushing look-alike. At the end of the film, there's an actor who bears a strong resemblance to the late actor who played Grand Moff Tarkin, one of the villains in the first "Star Wars" movie. Guess what, that actor is played by Wayne Pygram, "Scorpius" from Farscape! Also in the movie is Keisha Castle-Hughes of "Whale Rider" fame. I guess the movie was shot in Australia in part, as both actors are natives. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Caught Revenge of the Sith
Title: Message Well, I saw "Attack of the Clones" the night before I saw "Sith", and it's definitely better. But no way--NO WAY!--will I *ever* watch "The Phantom Menace" again! It's just too painfully bad. "Baby Vader" is irritating, the Trade Federation starting what becomes the Separatist movement is confusing and unengaging, Liam Niesen is wasted in his role, the Pod Race sucks! I posted a long reply to Astro about this, where I stated I felt Ep 1 should have introduced Baby Vader and then aged him to a teen in the first 45 minutes or so. Then that'd give Lucas more time to start building Anakin's journey to the Dark Side, and would have allowed Ep 2 to actuall *be* the Clone Wars. As for your observations about "Sith", you're dead on. Obi Wan couldn't handle Anakin. I'm still amazed at how the Jedi let him get away with so much. And you are *dead on* about Mace: he'd have put a hurting on Anakin! Buddy would have been too damn *scared* to get with Palpatine if he knew he'd have to face Mace later! -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly WrightSent: Sunday, May 29, 2005 10:21To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Re: Caught "Revenge of the Sith"Perspective is everything and I had the misfortune of being ace booncoon to someone who has watched episode three EVERY DAY since hecopped a copy of the bootleg last Saturday. He has been through theroof and over the moon enthusiastic about "Revenge of the Sith,"recounting key scenes and epic battles over and over and repeating"Yoda is a bad man!" like a mantra. I have heard so much about"Revenge of the Sith," that frankly, there was no way the actual moviecould stand up to the hype. The movie my friend recounted is WAY better (and funnier) than themovie I paid to see yesterday. (Even before I saw it we had starteddoing riffs: When Obi Wan lands on General Grievous'landing dock heshouts "Surrender!" Grievous, who is surrounded by thousands of battledroids, looks around and then back at General Kenobi standing there byhis lonesome, "You must be crazy with the heat!" Grievous raises hisfour arms, each holding a light-saber, "You 'bout to get broke off,son!").That said, "Revenge of the Sith" is clearly the class of this trilogy. It is no "The Empire Strikes Back" but it is far better than the stilldisappointing "Return of the Jedi." And, interestingly, it makes thetwo movies that preceeded it rise in my estimation. I am actuallyjuiced to see Episode one and two again, something you would neverhave heard me say after originally viewing them."Revenge of the Sith" put me in mind of the scene in "The Godfather"where Marlon Brando as the old don tells Robert Duvall as the callowconsigliere "You were not a bad consigliere; Sonny was a bad don."Yoda could have sat down with Obi Wan and told him the same thing:"You bad master, were not; Anakin bad padawan, was."Except, Obi Wan WAS a bad master. He remained too much of a "gee wiz,wiz-bang, hale fellow, well met" kinda guy (a prototypical LukeSkywalker if you will) and never exhibited the firm hand Anakinneeded. Qui-Gon would have done a much better job, (heck Mace Winduwould have done a better job: Mace:"You reckless eyeballin' me, boy?"Anakin:"Stop yelling at me!" Mace: "I ain't yellin' at you! This ishow I talk!") which is why Darth Sidious sent Darth Maul toassassinate Qui-Gon in the first place. Frankly, Obi Wan hasn't beenthe same since he saw his master Qui-Gon get broke off by Darth Maulin Episode One.~rave! Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Saw this today at a 10 am showing. (There were over 60 people in thetheatre, so good crowd). Really enjoyed it. The overall tone was themost mature and realized since "The Empire Strikes Back". A few scenesof Anakin's fall from grace were shocking. I don't want to say moreuntil others have seen it. If you're a Star Wars fan, go. If you lovescifi, go. I plan to see it at least two more times. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Repost: Scorpius is in Sith!
Title: Message Well, I'm okay with electing a queen. It'd actually makes sense in a way, letting the people choose a monarch they trust, then giving that monarch limited time. Guess it's like a more powerful prime minister posting or something. I do have an issue with the age of these women. What possible skills could they bring to running a whole planet before their eighteenth birthdays? And then Padme goes on to become a Senator?? Didn't buy it. -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly WrightSent: Sunday, May 29, 2005 11:05To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Re: Repost: "Scorpius" is in "Sith"!Speaking of Keisha Castle-Hughes, what is up with Naboobian practiceof ELECTING these virginal Queens? Is "Queen" on Naboo an "AmericanIdol" type-hype where young women parade in their Kabuki make-up andNaboobians pony up galactic credits for each call/vote they make?~rave!--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Keith Johnson"[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: For those who've seen "Revenge of the Sith" since I posted this. Didja catch these actors? Kelly, from your post about the blue-faced dude in "Sith": A Peter Cushing look-alike. At the end of the film, there's an actor who bears a strong resemblance to the late actor who played Grand Moff Tarkin, one of the villains in the first "Star Wars" movie. Guess what, that actor is played by Wayne Pygram, "Scorpius" from Farscape! Also in the movie is Keisha Castle-Hughes of "Whale Rider" fame. I guess the movie was shot in Australia in part, as both actors are natives. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[scifinoir2] Sith Fans Maimed in Light-Saber Mishap
Title: Message This is funny/sad. And checkout the thing about Vader-helmeted crooks pulling robberies. Funniest thing since Reagan masks... "Sith" Fans Maimed in Light-Saber Mishap by Charlie Amter May 25, 2005, 7:05 PM PT The Force--let alone common sense--was definitely not with them. Two British Star Wars fans sustained critical injuries after constructing their own light sabers from fluorescent light tubes filled with liquid fuel. According to British media reports, a 20-year-old man and his 17-year-old female friend were filming a mock duel in homage to Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith, the latest chapter of George Lucas' record-breaking franchise. The duo were reportedly emulating one of Sith's key battles, a light-saber clash between Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker. The two Brits suffered severe burns when their homemade sabers exploded. The two had been videotaping their clash. They have been hospitalized at Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire since the accident Sunday. Aside from fiery accidents, the Sith craze is being blamed on a string of robberies. In separate incidents in Illinois and Florida, Dark Side-inspired crooks wearing Darth Vader helmets are being sought by police on assault and robbery charges. Meanwhile, in other Sith-related news, federal authorities have shut down online file-sharing network Elite Torrents. The network had Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith available as a download hours before the film even bowed in U.S. theaters on May 19. Officials for the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security said users of the site had downloaded Sith more than 10,000 times in its first 24 hours of availability. Still, the online leak hasn't hurt Sith's bottom line, as the film broke all kinds of box-office records, including a Chewbacca-sized $50 million on its first day of release. All told, the film has raked in nearly $183 million domestically, per BoxOfficeMojo.com, and should hit the $200 million mark on Thursday with the lucrative Memorial Day weekend looming. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Fw: World leaders ignoring deadly flu threat, experts say: World Science
Title: Message I've been following this potential nightmare for the last year. The CDC head was in Washington last week testifying on this. The US is finally starting to take steps.. It's a scary thought. Most people know nothing about this. I was telling my wife and a guy at work about the last one from the 20th century and they'd never heard of it. As I painted the bleak picture, they were amazed. Maybe the media needs to get involved and make this newsworthy, as so often happens, so the public can get up in arms about it the way they did about the shortage of flu vaccines last year. For those who don't know about the terrible last worldwide epidemic, readbelow. And then, as Delenn said to Sheridan when she told him about the Shadows "Be prepared to never sleep well again..." http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/uda/ The Influenza Pandemic of 1918: The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than the Great War, known today as World War I (WWI), at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351. Known as "Spanish Flu" or "La Grippe" the influenza of 1918-1919 was a global disaster. In the fall of 1918 the Great War in Europe was winding down and peace was on the horizon. The Americans had joined in the fight, bringing the Allies closer to victory against the Germans. Deep within the trenches these men lived through some of the most brutal conditions of life, which it seemed could not be any worse. Then, in pockets across the globe, something erupted that seemed as benign as the common cold. The influenza of that season, however, was far more than a cold. In the two years that this scourge ravaged the earth, a fifth of the world's population was infected. The flu was most deadly for people ages 20 to 40. This pattern of morbidity was unusual for influenza which is usually a killer of the elderly and young children. It infected 28% of all Americans (Tice). An estimated 675,000 Americans died of influenza during the pandemic, ten times as many as in the world war. Of the U.S. soldiers who died in Europe, half of them fell to the influenza virus and not to the enemy (Deseret News). An estimated 43,000 servicemen mobilized for WWI died of influenza (Crosby). 1918 would go down as unforgettable year of suffering and death and yet of peace... -Original Message-From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Amy HarlibSent: Monday, May 30, 2005 17:53To: Mike SargentSubject: [scifinoir2] Fw: World leaders ignoring deadly flu threat, experts say: World Science [EMAIL PROTECTED]Eternally interesting to the max!Subject: World leaders ignoring deadly flu threat, experts say: WorldScience* World leaders ignoring deadly flu threat, expertswarn:A bird flu pandemic could kill more than 7 millionpeople and devastate the world economy in the nextfew years, scientists say.http://www.world-science.net/othernews/050526_flufrm.htm Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
RE: [scifinoir2] Home from Surgery!
Well, long as I'm in good company! -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 15:36 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Home from Surgery! KEITH You are an email addict!!! so am I (sheepish grin) Tracey -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 3:21 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Home from Surgery! I'm more amazed that you're back online one day after surgery! And I thought I was bad! Gonna show my wife so she can quit all the subtle hints about me being an e-mail addict. Welcome back! -- Original message -- Hello, folks! I can't believe that 24 hours ago I was on an operating table having a herniated disk removed from my neck! Obviously. I am home. When I woke up after surgery, the first thing I did was to move my left arm. It had been numb and painful for the past 2 weeks. Then I noticed that ALL of the pain in my left shoulder, chest, and shoulder blade was gone, too! I slept overnight in the hospital. For the first time in 2 weeks I was able to sleep on my back...to sleep at all, in fact! The doctors came in at 7:00 AM this morning, explained what they did, and told me I could go home! I'm wearing a collar as a precaution. I have a 1-inch horizontal incision to the right of my Adam's apple that is stitched up. God bless you for all of your prayers. I know they work! I just have to not be dumb and overdo it! Trust me, I won't! :o) Maurice/Reece [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.322 / Virus Database: 267.4.0 - Release Date: 6/1/2005 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.322 / Virus Database: 267.4.0 - Release Date: 6/1/2005 Yahoo! Groups Links Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- In low income neighborhoods, 84% do not own computers. At Network for Good, help bridge the Digital Divide! http://us.click.yahoo.com/S.QlOD/3MnJAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] It's a good time to catch up on TV shows
Though most people on *this* list know this (and more) I thought I'd toss out some info on a few series that I've enjoyed. You may have missed some, but with rerun season here, now's a good time to check 'em out and see what you've been missing. Remember when rerun season was fun, as you could finally watch all the shows you missed while watching other shows? Course that was in the pre-VCR/PVR days... Lost Wednesdays at 8 pm, ABC -- Season one has just started its reruns. Great show that keeps you guessing. Are the passengers in some kind of giant lab? Another dimension/time? Is the island in someone's imagination? Are they all dead? Polar bears on a tropical island?? The plane crash--shown from several different perspectives in the first few eps--is quite harrowing. Don't watch if you're afraid of flying. Season two's going to continue the guessing, if the really wild ending of season one is any indication. Can they possibly keep an audience confused, guessing, and anxious for another whole season and not cause them to lose interest? We'll see. I'm willing to give 'em the chance! http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index.html http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index.html The 4400 Season 2 premieres June 5 at 9 pm, USA over 4000 people appear on the shores of a lake one day, deposited there by a giant ball of light. The group consists of folks missing from throughout the world, and throughout time . They include doctors, lawyers, teens, and even a little girl who went missing back before WWII. None of them has aged a day. Many start exhibiting strange powers such as telepathy, precognition, the ability to bring the dead back to life. A government agency monitors the 4400 to see whether they pose a threat to humanity. Season one started strong, but quickly faded to a plodding show of investigators stalking people while never really doing anything. We have time to ponder questions such as why only two major investigators to track 4400 people? Is it a violation of civil rights to monitor these people. How long will these obvious super powers continue to be overlooked by the agency? It almost reminds one of the X-Files--only without a Muldar to be the voice of fanatic belief. And a one-theme show like this can degenerate very quickly into a boring collection of monotonous power of the week episodes if not handled properly. Still, a good cast, an intriguing premise, and lots of room to work with will have me coming back for season two. http://www.usanetwork.com/series/the4400/ http://www.usanetwork.com/series/the4400/ Medium Mondays at 10 pm, NBC Reruns start June 5. I was skeptical of any scifi/supernatural show on network TV, but this one caught me by surprise. Based on the true story of a real life medium who's on record as helping police with her psychic powers. Patricia Arquette does a great job as a lady using her gift--sometimes reluctanctly--to help others. Well-written stories, moving stories, sometimes disturbing stories (murderers and all kinds of freaks abound), but never boring stories. Just when you think it'll become a repetitive gimmick of the week show, they throw you a curve, such as Arquette's character guessing wrong, or being pressured by her husband and boss to circumvent the law by using her powers. The show is grounded in Arquette's desire to have a normal family life, despite the fact of the growing psychic powers of her two oldest daughters! And this may sound weid, but I love the fact that she and her husband fight and yell, that their kids' hair needs combing, that the house looks vaguely like something from Roseanne. All reminders that, mental powers aside, this is just a lady trying to live as normal a life as possible. http://www.nbc.com/Medium/ http://www.nbc.com/Medium/ Justice League Unlimited Saturdays at 9 pm, Cartoon Netwoork. Now in its second season. Skip this paragraph unless you're a lover of comics and 'toons like me. For the rest, this show is a blast. The roster's been expanded from the original JL cartoon of a couple of years ago. Heroes and villains that you've always wanted (or maybe never wanted) to see are here, including Solomon Grundy, Vixen, Atom Smasher, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and many others. Intelligenty written, sometimes surprisingly mature (such as Green Lantern John Stewart being asked by an alien GL, Do you still snore?) Kudos to the latest ongoing theme that the government distrusts the JL due to their powers and autonomy (to say nothing about the armed satellite orbiting Earth!) and is willing to go to extreme means to reign them in. Like I said, if you love 'toons, watch it. http://schedule.cartoonnetwork.com/xmlServices/ScheduleServices?methodN ame=mainSchedule http://schedule.cartoonnetwork.com/xmlServices/ScheduleServices?methodNa me=mainSchedule Stargate SG-1 Fridays at 8 pm, Sci Fi Channel In reruns, new season premieres July 15. For years I've pondered the question how does SG-1 stay on TV when
RE: [scifinoir2] Fw: PLEEEEEEASE READ!!!! it was on the news!
Amy, It's one of the oldest hoaxes perpetrated in hopes of getting people to clog up bandwidth and e-mail boxes by sending it all over the world. You probably already know this, but there are three general criteria you can apply to such a message to see if it's probably a fake: * Assertions that it was on the news. In that case, you should be able to quickly and easily find coverage of it on CNN, Yahoo, MSN, USA Today, your local TV/newspaper sources, etc. But nary a peep. Something of this magnitude, which would effectively mean millions or billions of dollars given away--simply for clicking Forward!--would be big, big news. The stock market would take a major hit. The people who're being paid all this dough would have their faces plastered all over the place. Everyone and their brother would be sending mail to everyone from the President to the Pope. But again, nary a peep. * The frantic message to Pass it on! Now! To everyone you know! Urgent! Other than something like September 11 or perhaps the arrival of a malignant and incurable computer virus, there are very few events that warrant millions of e-mails being sent all over the place immediately. They're just hoping to start a chain reaction of hoax messages cascading around the Net. * The promise of big bucks for doing basically nothing. Remember the old adage You can't get something for nothing? No one gives away money for free, certainly not Bill Gates, and certainly not for tracking e-mail. Trust me, between cookies, portals that make you sign up with your name and e-mail address, info they could get from their own resources (such as Hot Mail) or even your ISP (legally or not), Microsoft has no need to pay huge sums of money for this. Keith -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Amy Harlib Sent: Monday, June 06, 2005 21:09 To: Mike Sargent Subject: [scifinoir2] Fw: PLEEASE READ it was on the news! [EMAIL PROTECTED] Is this and urban legend hoax thing? THIS TOOK TWO PAGES OF THE TUESDAY USA TODAY - IT IS FOR REAL Subject: PLEEASE READ it was on the news! This thing is for real. Rest assured AOL and Intel will follow through with their promises for fear of facing a multimillion-dollar class action suit similar to the one filed by PepsiCo against General Electric not too long ago. Dear Friends; Please do not take this for a junk letter. Bill Gates sharing his fortune. If you ignore this, You will repent later. Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet companies and in an effort to make sure that Internet Explorer remains the most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test. When you forward this e-mail to friends, Microsoft can and will track it ( If you are a Microsoft Windows user) For a two weeks time period. For every person that you forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will pay you $245.00 For every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $243.00 and for every third person that receives it, You will be paid $241.00. Within two weeks, Microsoft will contact you for your address and then send you a check. Regards. Charles S Bailey General Manager Field Operations 1-800-842-2332 Ext. 1085 or 904-1085 or RNX 292-1085 [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] I thought this was a scam myself, But two weeks after receiving this e-mail and forwarding it on. Micros oft contacted me for my address and withindays, I receive a check for $24,800.00. You need to respond before the beta testing is over. If anyone can afford this, Bill gates is the man. It's all marketing expense to him. Please forward this to as many people as possible. You are bound to get at least $10,000.00. We're not going to help them out with their e-mail beta test without getting a little something for our time. My brother's girlfriend got in on this a few months ago. When I went to visit him for the Baylor/UT game. She showed me her check. It was for the sum of $4,324.44 and was stamped Paid in full Like I said before, I know the law, and this is for real. Intel and AOL are now discussing a merger which would make them the largest Internet company and in an effort make sure that AOL remains the most widely used program, Intel and AOL are running an e-mail beta test. When you forward this e-mail to friends, Intel can and will track it( if you are a Microsoft Windows user)for a two week time period. Try it; What have you got to lose [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- In low income neighborhoods, 84% do not own computers. At Network for Good, help bridge the Digital Divide! http://us.click.yahoo.com/S.QlOD/3MnJAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to:
RE: [scifinoir2] A must-see video I'm sure you will enjoy!
And my wife was stunned the time I yelled K'plah! to a dude dressed like a Klingon at a restaurant! Funny! How'd you go about submitting this? -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of g123curious Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2005 17:31 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] A must-see video I'm sure you will enjoy! FYI. I thought that you'd enjoy my video short. Yes, this relates to sci-fi. Watch the video and you'll see how: http://www.maintainyouridentity.net/? source=f2fcurrent=forwarded.swfcurrent_id=B97C0B81-8164-445B-A812- 2FDA73FE4A53 This site is from the Saab USA auto manufacturer. You can either click on this link or copy and paste it into your web browser. Don't forget to vote for my video: click on Rate this movie. Enjoy! LOL! George Captain The USS Ronald E. McNair (Boston) _ Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/rkgkPB/UOnJAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] Early Batman Begins Reviews are great
There are NO spoilers here. Two reviews, both giving Batman Begins an A. I'm even more pumped now than I was before. Until Narnia gets her, I have sneaking suspicion this will be my favorite movie of the year!! 'Batman Begins': The franchise finally takes wing on the big screen By ERIC ROBINETTE The Middletown Journal Batman never had super powers, but the dark knight has pulled off a super feat. For the second summer in a row, a superhero movie ranks among the best films of the year. Last year, it was Spider-Man 2, the live action pinnacle of the genre. Batman Begins is virtually its equal. Warner Brothers Pictures 'Batman Begins' The verdict: The Batman movies have never achieved greatness - until now. When Batman first flew into comic racks in 1939, he was all about vengeance. But that was mostly missing from the Batman movies of the late '80s to the mid-'90s, replaced by sullen introspection in Tim Burton's films, then outright camp in Joel Schumacher's. As a result, the Batman movies have never achieved greatness - until now. Co-writer/director Christopher Nolan and writer David S. Goyer have wisely ignored the last four films and started from scratch. Batman Begins not only brings the hero back with a vengeance, it has vengeance coursing though almost every scene. What set Batman apart from most of his caped brethren was that he was as frightening as many of the criminals he hunted. That piercing intimidation is largely what makes Batman Begins so memorable. Nolan is the ideal director for Batman because he and the character share a knack for creating an unnerving sense of dread. Like Nolan's Insomnia and Memento, Batman Begins is an engrossing look at a dangerously fragmented mind. Years after the murder of his parents, a simmering Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) falls in with deadly fighters in the Orient under the exacting tutelage of Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson, who between The Phantom Menace, Gangs of New York and Kingdom of Heaven has cornered the market on mentor/father figures). When Wayne returns to the crime-ridden Gotham City, he must battle a plot by a villain called the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), who is the mirror image of Batman in that fear is also the Scarecrow's weapon. He develops a mind-altering drug to paralyze his victims with their most primal terrors, and threatens to spread it throughout the city. I'm making the movie sound awfully grim, and to be sure, this intense thriller is absolutely not for children or viewers looking only for breezy fun. Older kids, and some restless adults, will likely become antsy when Batman doesn't show up in costume for more than an hour into the film. I urge those viewers to be patient. The first half of the film cleverly sets up a slam-bang payoff with more than a few startling moments. Once Batman Begins gets going, it becomes impossible to shake. Even the Batmobile, with its silly monster truck-like wheels, works in this movie's hyper-real world. The film boasts the strongest cast of all the Batman movies. Bale, whose intense style has spawned a cult following, will inspire more than a cult after his formidable turn. Bale's Batman doesn't just sneer at criminals - he growls at them. Michael Caine, in a pitch-perfect performance, plays Alfred not just as a butler but as a devoted servant determined to uphold the Wayne family honor, which means he does not always approve of Bruce's methods. Morgan Freeman is great fun as Batman's gadget master with a twinkle in his eye, and Murphy is suitably maniacal without being over the top. If Batman Begins has a chink in its suit, it's that it lacks the emotional resonance of Spider-Man 2 or the first two Superman movies. This is not the fault of Katie Holmes, who has a rather limited role as Bruce Wayne's love interest. However, since Batman is inherently aloof, warmth is naturally in short supply. I chalk this one up to personal preference more than any actual faults, of which there are few. Batman begins, indeed. On the big screen, he finally begins to take wing. *** Nolan's 'Batman' gets it right By LESLIE GRAY STREETER Palm Beach Post He's been beat up, shot up, set up, camped up, dragged down and bombed out. But 66 years, hundreds of comics, a few television shows and five major motion pictures later, Batman, that angsty crime-fighting cave dweller, is alive and kicking with great aplomb and KABOOM! As the fabulously cool Batman Begins opens Wednesday, it might seem odd that Hollywood's willing to pump more megabucks into chronicling the saga of Bruce Wayne. Think about it - as popular as the character is in the comics (where he's appeared continuously since 1939 and continues to star in at least six serials a month), his last big-screen outing, Joel Schumacher's hacktastic Batman and Robin, was a big fat Batbomb. Critics hated it. Batfans (including yours truly) hated it.
RE: [scifinoir2] Don't forget The Batman and Justice League
Yeah, same here! Where you been hiding?! -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2005 18:12 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Don't forget The Batman and Justice League KEITH! Long time no type... Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:New eps of both series are on Cartoon Network (or at least I never saw The Batman). Good shows. I originally panned The Batman, but it's grown on me. Love the atmosphere. Justice League Unlimited continues to impress, if for no other reason than all the new characters they introduce. Tonight is Captain Marvel, which ought to be good. And there's a great running storyline about the US government plotting against the JL. They fear the League's power, bolstered in part by the arrival of the evil Justice Lords from another dimension ,and the recent realization that the JL satellite has a weapon on it. Amanda Waller and company have been quite conniving in the things they've done to get an edge over the League, including recently breaking into the satellite and stealing an Olympian suit of armor. Good stuff [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] - Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. - Discover Yahoo! Stay in touch with email, IM, photo sharing more. Check it out! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] _ Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/rkgkPB/UOnJAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] DARK ENERGY CHILLS OUR GALACTIC NEIGHBORHOOD
Most def! Always been interested by stuff like dark energy and dark matter. I remember in the original Star Trek series, they spoke of the barrier at the edge our the Milky Way as reading negative energy and negative density. (This was in By Any Other Name, when the Kelvins took over the Enterprise). As a kid I thought that was silly. How in the world could you have negative energy? Now we hear about dark matter/energy, energy in supposedly empty space (the premise of the Quantum torpedoes on Trek and the Zero Point Modules on Stargate Atlantis) and even anti-time. Fascinating! -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2005 18:01 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] DARK ENERGY CHILLS OUR GALACTIC NEIGHBORHOOD Kewl! Marin, Keith, you catch this? Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Hi Amy: thanks for posting this. Since I renamed our web site Dark Energy Cafe, i had been researching it. Tracey -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Amy Harlib Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2005 1:35 PM To: Mike Sargent Subject: [scifinoir2] DARK ENERGY CHILLS OUR GALACTIC NEIGHBORHOOD [EMAIL PROTECTED] This article appeared in Scientific American, May 2005 Too Cold for Comfort DARK ENERGY CHILLS OUR GALACTIC NEIGHBORHOOD BY GEORGE MUSSER When you first meet dark energy, it seems so charming. An alluring stranger, outsider to the Standard Model of particle physics, it entered astronomers' lives a decade ago and won their hearts by fixing all kinds of problems, such as discrepancies in the age of the universe and the cosmic census of matter. Cosmic expansion has got its groove back: once thought to be winding down, it is actually speeding up. But astronomers have come to realize that dark energy has a dark side. The cold grip of its repulsive gravity is strangling the formation of large cosmic structures. And now observers see it prowling the neighborhood of our own Milky Way. You dont need to go so far to find dark energy, says Andrea Macci of the University of Zurich. Dark energy is also around us. Up until recently, those seeking the exotica of the universe, dark matter as well as dark energy, focused on the very largest scales (galaxy clusters and up) and on comparatively small ones (a single galaxy). But in between is a poorly studied cosmic mesoscale. The Milky Way is part of the Local Group of galaxies, which in turn is part of the Local Volume, about 30 million lightyears in radius. We and the rest of our gaggle are flocking en masse at 600 kilometers per second, lured by the Virgo Cluster of galaxies and other outside masses. Tracking relative motions within the volume, though, is tough; it requires distance and velocity measurements of high precision. Early efforts by Allan R. Sandage of the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, Calif., and others in the 1970s, confirmed in recent years, hinted that stuff is moving abnormally slowly on average, somewhere around 75 kilometers per second. Simulations predict that galaxies, pulled together by gravity, should buzz around at closer to 500 kilometers per second. By analogy with a gas of slow-moving molecules, the Local Volume is cold. Another way to think of the problem is in terms of cosmic expansion. Theory predicts that you'd have to go out hundreds of millions of light-years, where matter is spread randomly rather than finely structured, before the overall expansion should outgun localized motions. Yet in the Local Volume, you have to go out only about five million light-years. One explanation, championed by Igor Karachentsev of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is that galaxies and their individual cocoons of dark matter swim in a sea of dark matter. The sea would mute the density contrasts and hence the gravitational forces that drive galactic motions. The only trouble is that matter, whether dark or visible, should not spread out into a sea. It should clod. So others have looked to dark energy. Its gravitational repulsion would offset galaxies gravitational attraction, thereby deadening their motion. In and near the Milky Way, attraction wins, but beyond a certain distance, repulsion does. As Arthur Chernin of Moscow University and his colleagues calculated in 2000, this distance is five million light-years, exactly where galactic motions deviate from standard predictions. The initial calculations actually only halved the galactic velocities, which is not enough. But the new full-up simulations by Maccis group indicate that dark energy works after all. If and only if you include dark energy, there is a very good agreement, Macci says. This is why we state that we have found the signature of dark energy. Not everyone agrees. In 1999 Rien van de Weygaert of the
[scifinoir2] Early Batman Begins Reviews are great
There are NO spoilers here. Two reviews, both giving Batman Begins an A. I'm even more pumped now than I was before. Until Narnia gets her, I have sneaking suspicion this will be my favorite movie of the year!! 'Batman Begins': The franchise finally takes wing on the big screen By ERIC ROBINETTE The Middletown Journal Batman never had super powers, but the dark knight has pulled off a super feat. For the second summer in a row, a superhero movie ranks among the best films of the year. Last year, it was Spider-Man 2, the live action pinnacle of the genre. Batman Begins is virtually its equal. Warner Brothers Pictures 'Batman Begins' The verdict: The Batman movies have never achieved greatness - until now. When Batman first flew into comic racks in 1939, he was all about vengeance. But that was mostly missing from the Batman movies of the late '80s to the mid-'90s, replaced by sullen introspection in Tim Burton's films, then outright camp in Joel Schumacher's. As a result, the Batman movies have never achieved greatness - until now. Co-writer/director Christopher Nolan and writer David S. Goyer have wisely ignored the last four films and started from scratch. Batman Begins not only brings the hero back with a vengeance, it has vengeance coursing though almost every scene. What set Batman apart from most of his caped brethren was that he was as frightening as many of the criminals he hunted. That piercing intimidation is largely what makes Batman Begins so memorable. Nolan is the ideal director for Batman because he and the character share a knack for creating an unnerving sense of dread. Like Nolan's Insomnia and Memento, Batman Begins is an engrossing look at a dangerously fragmented mind. Years after the murder of his parents, a simmering Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) falls in with deadly fighters in the Orient under the exacting tutelage of Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson, who between The Phantom Menace, Gangs of New York and Kingdom of Heaven has cornered the market on mentor/father figures). When Wayne returns to the crime-ridden Gotham City, he must battle a plot by a villain called the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), who is the mirror image of Batman in that fear is also the Scarecrow's weapon. He develops a mind-altering drug to paralyze his victims with their most primal terrors, and threatens to spread it throughout the city. I'm making the movie sound awfully grim, and to be sure, this intense thriller is absolutely not for children or viewers looking only for breezy fun. Older kids, and some restless adults, will likely become antsy when Batman doesn't show up in costume for more than an hour into the film. I urge those viewers to be patient. The first half of the film cleverly sets up a slam-bang payoff with more than a few startling moments. Once Batman Begins gets going, it becomes impossible to shake. Even the Batmobile, with its silly monster truck-like wheels, works in this movie's hyper-real world. The film boasts the strongest cast of all the Batman movies. Bale, whose intense style has spawned a cult following, will inspire more than a cult after his formidable turn. Bale's Batman doesn't just sneer at criminals - he growls at them. Michael Caine, in a pitch-perfect performance, plays Alfred not just as a butler but as a devoted servant determined to uphold the Wayne family honor, which means he does not always approve of Bruce's methods. Morgan Freeman is great fun as Batman's gadget master with a twinkle in his eye, and Murphy is suitably maniacal without being over the top. If Batman Begins has a chink in its suit, it's that it lacks the emotional resonance of Spider-Man 2 or the first two Superman movies. This is not the fault of Katie Holmes, who has a rather limited role as Bruce Wayne's love interest. However, since Batman is inherently aloof, warmth is naturally in short supply. I chalk this one up to personal preference more than any actual faults, of which there are few. Batman begins, indeed. On the big screen, he finally begins to take wing. *** Nolan's 'Batman' gets it right By LESLIE GRAY STREETER Palm Beach Post He's been beat up, shot up, set up, camped up, dragged down and bombed out. But 66 years, hundreds of comics, a few television shows and five major motion pictures later, Batman, that angsty crime-fighting cave dweller, is alive and kicking with great aplomb and KABOOM! As the fabulously cool Batman Begins opens Wednesday, it might seem odd that Hollywood's willing to pump more megabucks into chronicling the saga of Bruce Wayne. Think about it - as popular as the character is in the comics (where he's appeared continuously since 1939 and continues to star in at least six serials a month), his last big-screen outing, Joel Schumacher's hacktastic Batman and Robin, was a big fat Batbomb. Critics hated it. Batfans (including yours truly) hated it.
[scifinoir2] MacGyver Boss Dies
I remember reading about Elcar's encroaching blindness several years ago. At the time he blamed himself for not having gotten regular eye checkups which could have caught the glaucoma in the early stages. As this article mentions, he was indeed one of those ubiquitous actors that showed up on a host of TV shows and movies, the consummate character. You know, with the slow demise of TV movies (at least on the major networks) and the growth of reality shows, I wonder if opportunities for character actors like Elcar and the late Sid Haig are vanishing? I just know that I seem to notice fewer of those ubiquitous appearances by actors nowadays MacGyver Boss Dies By Joal Ryan When Dana Elcar began to lose his eyesight during the fourth season of MacGyver, the actor became as resourceful as the TV show's gadget-handy titular hero, suggesting that his character be allowed to grow blind with him. Elcar, the familiar prime-time face who enjoyed his longest run as MacGyver's boss Pete Thornton on the 1986-1992 adventure series, died Monday in a Ventura, California, hospital of complications from pneumonia, the Los Angeles Times reported. He was 77. Taking up Elcar's invitation, producers wrote in vision problems for Thornton, solving a dilemma for his portrayer. In a speech to the 1991 convention of the National Federation of the Blind, Elcar said that with glaucoma fast robbing him of sight he told MacGyver executive producer Steve Downing that something had to be done. We have to make Pete Thornton have the same qualities, the same visual abilities that I have, or we're going to run into trouble, Elcar said, recounting the conversation. I can no longer jump out of helicopters. I can't run down hill at night at a fast pace over logs. It simply will not work. The next day, the actor said, Downing called back. And that was that. The 1991 season closer, Hind-Sight, saw Elcar's character undergo surgery for glaucoma. Before becoming a can-do symbol for the vision-impaired, Elcar simply was a busy actor. Though never a leading man, his sturdy, compact build made him the perfect authority figure to a host of exasperating charges in the 1970s and 1980s. He was Richard Dean Anderson's Phoenix Foundation superior on MacGyver, Robert Blake's original lieutenant on Baretta and Robert Conrad's commanding officer on Baa Baa Black Sheep. In network TV's golden age of the episodic drama, Elcar was ubiquitous. The Internet Movie Database lists 109 guest-starring credits. The Rockford Files, B.J. and the Bear, Eight Is Enough, Knight Rider, Hart to Hart, Hardcastle and McCormick, The A-Team, Trapper John, M.D.--Elcar did them all, and more. Elcar stood in for the late Edward Platt to play--what else?-- Don Adams' boss in the 1980 Get Smart movie, The Nude Bomb. Other big-screen credits included The Sting and 2010. Born Oct. 10, 1927, in Ferndale, Michigan, Elcar was inspired to go into acting at age 13 after watching Citizen Kane over and over and over again at an all-night movie theater, his son, Dane Elcar, told the Times. Elcar's career would go on to span TV's bargain-basement beginnings--a 1954 soap opera, A Time to Live, that aired in 15-minute-long installments--to its big-money prime--a 2002 episode of ER, included. Even an industry veteran like Elcar, though, worried about what impending blindness would do to his career. You hear a lot of things about Hollywood, about how hard it is, how cold it is, how mean it is, he said in his 1991 address. And yet there were people [on MacGyver] who immediately responded and said, '...We want you on the program--you are good for the program.' Richard Dean Anderson did not disagree. At a time when I had very little business being called an actor, Anderson said of Elcar to the Times, he made things so easy for me. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/pkgkPB/SOnJAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] FW: Future Giant Laser Threatened by Cuts
The usage of alternative fuel sources is a special interest of mine, and I guess I have a special place for fusion...By all means, let's hold off on fusion research while we continue slogging along with pollution-producing hydrochemicals, destroying pristine environments with oil spills, and finding ourselves at the mercy of Opec and politically unstable oil-producing nations. I understand money's tight, and I know there's a lot of wasted spending. And I definitely understand we need more funds allocated for healthcare, education, urban renewal and other worthwhile goals. But as an e-mail I sent y'all last year stated, I think a critical issue for the whole human race is the need for more efficient and cleaner sources of energy. All these dire predictions of oil running out in the next few decades, global warming, etc. Whether you give them credence or not the truth remains that we can't maintain a thriving world by burning crap and poisoning our own air and water. Nuclear power never became the salvation we hoped it be, given all the problems, breakdowns, and potential for terrorists stealing the radioactive waste. We've dragged our feet for decades, never pushing viable alternatives like wind, fuel cell, even true solar power. All this time and the best we've come up with is hybrid cars that cost too much, don't get nearly the mileage they should, and are in my opinion years behind where they should have been in development. Is fusion the great hope I anticipated all those years ago when reading science and science fiction predictions of its promise? I don't know. But I do know that it has a great potential to move us from an oil and coal burning society into something better. And we'll never know unless we give this a serious shot. Typically our leaders wait until the situation is dire before backing what's seen as far-out or unworkable technology (hence the long delay in serious hybrid vehicles until gas prices skyrocketed and fear of treating with oil-rich nations drove Detroit to get interested). But this is a time when we need some major foresight and strength of character to look into something that may stave off a very bad future for us and our planet. Besides, havent' these guys seen Soylent Green? http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=storycid=1894e=3u=/ap/20050617/ap_on_ sc/super_laser Future Giant Laser Threatened by Cuts By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer Thu Jun 16, 9:08 PM ET WASHINGTON - A giant laser being built to simulate the explosion of a hydrogen bomb is facing funding cuts in the Senate that supporters say could kill the project after $2.8 billion has been spent on it. The device, which would focus 192 lasers at a single point to create a huge release of energy, is nearing completion at the Lawrence Livermore nuclear weapons lab in Northern California. But a spending plan for energy and water projects approved Thursday by the Senate Appropriations Committee would shut off further construction money for the project, leaving it with just the four laser beams now in place. Sen. Pete Domenici (news, bio, voting record), R-N.M., complained that ballooning costs on the project, called the National Ignition Facility, are a drain on other programs for maintaining the nation's nuclear arsenal. New Mexico is home to the nation's two other nuclear weapons labs, Sandia and Los Alamos. NIF construction must wait until additional resources can be found to balance the needs between support of the stockpile and the single-minded desire to build NIF, said Domenici, who chairs both the Energy Committee and the Appropriations Committee's energy and water subcommittee. He contended that even with just four beams, the device remains the world's most powerful laser and is capable of performing many useful experiments. The project is now scheduled for completion in 2009. Supporters said it's as good as dead because without more lasers it cannot reach fusion ignition - the hoped-for energy release. The whole point is to achieve ignition. That's why it's called a National Ignition Facility, said Lawrence Livermore spokesman Bob Hirschfeld. Achieving fusion ignition would allow nuclear weapons scientists to study the performance and readiness of the country's aging nuclear arsenal without actually detonating a nuclear device. President Bush's 2006 budget proposal requested $141 million for NIF construction. The House agreed to that figure but the Senate Appropriations Committee eliminated it entirely Thursday, leaving a few funds for other program elements. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., said she hopes to get some of the money restored when House and Senate negotiators meet later in the year put together the final bill for sending to Bush. The NIF is almost there. They've done all the experiments, they're almost there. It would be a total waste to stop the program now, Feinstein said. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups
RE: [scifinoir2] Jeffrey Combs on Sci Fi Channel today
Batman Begins was great. Reviews later today. Sorry Hammerhead didn't rise (sink?) to at least the level of enjoyable camp... -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martin Pratt Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2005 11:02 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Jeffrey Combs on Sci Fi Channel today Hope you enjoy your Bat-viewing, Keith. As for Hammerhead, I wasted forty minutes of my life on it, and NBC would sue over the land shark similarity, if they didn't already own Sci-Fi. Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Sci Fi Channel is running another creature feature today. The focus today seems to be water-based killers. I just caught the end of a laughable one about a giant killer croc, and now I'm chuckling at Shark Hunter, with C-movie mainstay Antonio Sabato, Jr. as an Ahab-like scientist trying to destroy a 70-foot giant shark. (Who does more forgettable movies like this, Sabato or Lorenzo Lamas?) But the real treat for this popcorn movie today has got to be the premiere of Hammerhead: Shark Frenzy, starring non other than Jeffrey Combs of Reanimator and Star Trek fame. Combs is back in the role as a creepy little scientist with a decidedly strange bent. This time he's playing with sharks. Here's a bit on the movie: http://www.scifi.com/hammerhead/ When he began fusing shark and human DNA, his colleagues laughed at him. Now his creation is taking his revenge, and they aren't laughing anymore. The plot revolves around a scientist performing illegal stem cell research to find a cure for cancer. After the transfer of shark cells into a human test subject, the ill man gets well again, and it looks like the treatment was a success. But the experiment goes wrong, and the test subject transforms into a mutant beast. A monster half shark half human. The attempt to hush up the experiment and keep the monster in a safe place fails, leading to a series of horrible events. The original title for the movie was Sharkman. I'd stay around and watch it for a laugh, but I I'm more into bats today. Off to the theatre now... [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] - Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. Excuse me while I whip this out. Cleavon Little , Blazing Saddles - Yahoo! Sports Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] _ Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] Jeffrey Combs on Sci Fi Channel today
I guess Hammerhead passes for a Father's Day special? Combs saw the shark/human creature as his son... -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2005 17:16 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Jeffrey Combs on Sci Fi Channel today AHA! No wonder, NBC couldn't make a decent sci-fi anything is they tried...Well, Not since the seventies...Oh yeah...HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL DADS! Martin Pratt [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Hope you enjoy your Bat-viewing, Keith. As for Hammerhead, I wasted forty minutes of my life on it, and NBC would sue over the land shark similarity, if they didn't already own Sci-Fi. Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Sci Fi Channel is running another creature feature today. The focus today seems to be water-based killers. I just caught the end of a laughable one about a giant killer croc, and now I'm chuckling at Shark Hunter, with C-movie mainstay Antonio Sabato, Jr. as an Ahab-like scientist trying to destroy a 70-foot giant shark. (Who does more forgettable movies like this, Sabato or Lorenzo Lamas?) But the real treat for this popcorn movie today has got to be the premiere of Hammerhead: Shark Frenzy, starring non other than Jeffrey Combs of Reanimator and Star Trek fame. Combs is back in the role as a creepy little scientist with a decidedly strange bent. This time he's playing with sharks. Here's a bit on the movie: http://www.scifi.com/hammerhead/ When he began fusing shark and human DNA, his colleagues laughed at him. Now his creation is taking his revenge, and they aren't laughing anymore. The plot revolves around a scientist performing illegal stem cell research to find a cure for cancer. After the transfer of shark cells into a human test subject, the ill man gets well again, and it looks like the treatment was a success. But the experiment goes wrong, and the test subject transforms into a mutant beast. A monster half shark half human. The attempt to hush up the experiment and keep the monster in a safe place fails, leading to a series of horrible events. The original title for the movie was Sharkman. I'd stay around and watch it for a laugh, but I I'm more into bats today. Off to the theatre now... [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] - Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. Excuse me while I whip this out. Cleavon Little , Blazing Saddles - Yahoo! Sports Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] - Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. - Yahoo! Sports Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] _ Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] 'Batman Begins' leads worldwide box office
'Batman Begins' leads worldwide box office By Dean Goodman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Caped Crusader led the charge at the North American box office as Batman Begins sold an estimated $46.9 million worth of tickets in its first weekend, reigniting a lucrative superhero franchise that burned out eight years ago. According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, the Warner Bros. Pictures release has earned $71.1 million across the United States and Canada since opening on Wednesday. The figures were within expectations, said Dan Fellman, president of distribution at the Time Warner Inc. -owned studio. Batman Begins also earned an estimated $41.7 million from 73 international markets, led by Britain with $7.8 million and France with $3 million, both in three days, while Mexico contributed $4.2 million in five days.But Batman could not prevent overall North American ticket sales from posting their 17th consecutive weekend of year-on-year declines. According to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, the top 12 films earned $128.5 million, down almost 2 percent from last year. The highest-profile victim of the box office blues has been Russell Crowe's boxing drama Cinderella Man, which has grossed just $43.6 million after three weekends. The Universal Pictures release, currently at No. 8 after a $5.2 million weekend, cost $88 million to make. Industry observers have blamed its failure on timing. Such prestige releases usually come out in the fall as awards season gets underway. Batman Begins, which cost $150 million to make, stars Welsh-born actor Christian Bale (American Psycho) as Gotham City billionaire Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman. It was directed by Christopher Nolan, the English filmmaker behind edgy thrillers like Memento and Insomnia. His dark interpretation of the Batman story thrilled comic-book fans, and generally pleased critics. The five-day haul was the best start among the five films in the Batman franchise, Warner Bros. said. The record of $66 million was held by the third film, 1995's Batman Forever, which starred Val Kilmer. The franchise folded in 1997 with the next film, Batman Robin, starring George Clooney in a batsuit with nipples. Director Joel Schumacher's campy effort bowed to $52 million for the first five days. Warner Bros. is also resurrecting fellow DC Comics superhero Superman, and preparing for the November release of a fourth Harry Potter film. Last weekend's champion, Mr. Mrs. Smith, slipped to No. 2 with $27.3 million, taking its 10-day haul to $98 million. The thriller stars rumored real-life lovers Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as married assassins who must kill each other. Its distributor, 20th Century Fox, predicted it could pass $160 million. DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.'s animal cartoon Madagascar was No. 3 with $11.1 million in its fourth weekend as its total rose to $147.2 million. Fox's Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith was No. 4 with $9.7 million, and a five-weekend tally of $347.8 million. Paramount's Adam Sandler comedy The Longest Yard rounded out the top five with $8 million, and a score of $131.9 million after four weekends. The top 10 contained one other new release, the teen romantic comedy The Perfect Man, starring Hilary Duff and Heather Locklear. The Universal Pictures release opened at No. 7 with just $5.5 million, coming in at the lower end of modest expectations. The studio said the film cost less than $10 million to make. Universal is a unit of NBC Universal, which is majority-owned by General Electric Co . 20th Century Fox is a unit of News Corp . Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] AFI list of top 100 quotes from U.S. movies
I ended up watching the whole show. It was good, and I was pretty much right on with most of the top twenty quotes, including the number one. As always with the AFI lists (which i follow), I'm always aware of how few Blacks make the list. I think They call me Mr. Tibbs! was possibly the only quote spoken by a Black actor in the whole list! Note that Gollum's My precious made it. I disagree with the committee on choosing Open the pod doors, Hal from 2001. The most memorable line from that movie in my opinion is Dave, I'm afraid. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brent Wodehouse Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 16:52 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] AFI list of top 100 quotes from U.S. movies http://www.voy.com/178771/51411.html AFI list of top 100 quotes from U.S. movies 1. Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn, Gone With the Wind, 1939. 2. I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse, The Godfather, 1972. 3. You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, On the Waterfront, 1954. 4. Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore, The Wizard of Oz, 1939. 5. Here's looking at you, kid, Casablanca, 1942. 6. Go ahead, make my day, Sudden Impact, 1983. 7. All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up, Sunset Blvd., 1950. 8. May the Force be with you, Star Wars, 1977. 9. Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night, All About Eve, 1950. 10. You talking to me? Taxi Driver, 1976. 11. What we've got here is failure to communicate, Cool Hand Luke, 1967. 12. I love the smell of napalm in the morning, Apocalypse Now, 1979. 13. Love means never having to say you're sorry, Love Story, 1970. 14. The stuff that dreams are made of, The Maltese Falcon, 1941. 15. E.T. phone home, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982. 16. They call me Mister Tibbs!, In the Heat of the Night, 1967. 17. Rosebud, Citizen Kane, 1941. 18. Made it, Ma! Top of the world!, White Heat, 1949. 19. I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!, Network, 1976. 20. Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Casablanca, 1942. 21. A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti, The Silence of the Lambs, 1991. 22. Bond. James Bond, Dr. No, 1962. 23. There's no place like home, The Wizard of Oz, 1939. 24. I am big! It's the pictures that got small, Sunset Blvd., 1950. 25. Show me the money!, Jerry Maguire, 1996. 26. Why don't you come up sometime and see me?, She Done Him Wrong, 1933. 27. I'm walking here! I'm walking here!, Midnight Cowboy, 1969. 28. Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By,' Casablanca, 1942. 29. You can't handle the truth!, A Few Good Men, 1992. 30. I want to be alone, Grand Hotel, 1932. 31. After all, tomorrow is another day!, Gone With the Wind, 1939. 32. Round up the usual suspects, Casablanca, 1942. 33. I'll have what she's having, When Harry Met Sally..., 1989. 34. You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow, To Have and Have Not, 1944. 35. You're gonna need a bigger boat, Jaws, 1975. 36. Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 1948. 37. I'll be back, The Terminator, 1984. 38. Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth, The Pride of the Yankees, 1942. 39. If you build it, he will come, Field of Dreams, 1989. 40. Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get, Forrest Gump, 1994. 41. We rob banks, Bonnie and Clyde, 1967. 42. Plastics, The Graduate, 1967. 43. We'll always have Paris, Casablanca, 1942. 44. I see dead people, The Sixth Sense, 1999. 45. Stella! Hey, Stella!, A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951. 46. Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars, Now, Voyager, 1942. 47. Shane. Shane. Come back!, Shane, 1953. 48. Well, nobody's perfect, Some Like It Hot, 1959. 49. It's alive! It's alive!, Frankenstein, 1931. 50. Houston, we have a problem, Apollo 13, 1995. 51. You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?, Dirty Harry, 1971. 52. You had me at 'hello,' Jerry Maguire, 1996. 53. One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know, Animal Crackers, 1930. 54. There's no crying in baseball!, A League of Their Own, 1992. 55. La-dee-da, la-dee-da, Annie Hall, 1977. 56. A boy's best friend is his mother, Psycho, 1960. 57. Greed, for lack of a better word, is good, Wall Street, 1987. 58. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer, The Godfather Part II, 1974. 59. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again, Gone With the Wind, 1939. 60. Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!, Sons of the Desert, 1933. 61. Say 'hello' to my little friend!, Scarface, 1983. 62. What a
RE: [scifinoir2] Johansson Quit MI3 Because Cruise Tried To Convert Her
I could care less about Johansson quiting in light of how fearful I am of Cruise putting more dreck on us. MI2 sucked so bad I've never watched it again. It was the Tom Cruise show, not the IM Force. The first movie at least had some aspects of a team dynamic, though their butchering of Jim Phelps' legend was inexcusable. As for the Scientology thing, they must have zapped Cruise with more of that electricity testing/cleansing regimen they have, as he's been acting straight crazy recently! -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 01:23 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Johansson Quit MI3 Because Cruise Tried To Convert Her Scarlett Johansson pulled out of appearing in the second Mission: Impossible sequel after Tom Cruise tried to convert her to scientology, according to reports. Cruise, who produces the action adventures, met with Johansson ahead of casting for the upcoming Mission: Impossible 3 and took her to one of the controversial religion's headquarters, claims Radarmagazine.Com. A source tells the website, After two hours of proselytizing, Cruise opened a door to reveal a second room full of upper-level Scientologists who had been waiting to dine with the pair, at which point the cool-headed ingénue politely excused herself. Officially Johansson quit the film because of scheduling conflicts after the film was delayed so Cruise could make War Of The Worlds. Tracey deMorsella, Managing Producer Convergence Media, Inc. Home of The Multicultural Advantage Phone: 215-849-0946 E-mail: tdemorsella @multiculturaladvantage.com http://www.multiculturaladvantage.com -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.7.9/23 - Release Date: 6/20/2005 _ Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] AFI list of top 100 quotes from U.S. movies
You're right, how careless of me! A whopping two percent belongs to us!! -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of M C Jennings Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 18:37 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] AFI list of top 100 quotes from U.S. movies Don't forget Cuba Gooding, Jr. -- Jerry McGuire...Show me da money! :o) Two! WOW! ---Original Message--- From: Keith Johnson Date: 06/22/05 18:18:15 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] AFI list of top 100 quotes from U.S. movies I ended up watching the whole show. It was good, and I was pretty much right on with most of the top twenty quotes, including the number one. As always with the AFI lists (which i follow), I'm always aware of how few Blacks make the list. I think They call me Mr. Tibbs! was possibly the only quote spoken by a Black actor in the whole list! Note that Gollum's My precious made it. I disagree with the committee on choosing Open the pod doors, Hal from 2001. The most memorable line from that movie in my opinion is Dave, I'm afraid. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brent Wodehouse Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 16:52 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] AFI list of top 100 quotes from U.S. movies http://www.voy.com/178771/51411.html AFI list of top 100 quotes from U.S. movies 1. Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn, Gone With the Wind, 1939. 2. I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse, The Godfather, 1972. 3. You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, On the Waterfront, 1954. 4. Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore, The Wizard of Oz, 1939. 5. Here's looking at you, kid, Casablanca, 1942. 6. Go ahead, make my day, Sudden Impact, 1983. 7. All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up, Sunset Blvd., 1950. 8. May the Force be with you, Star Wars, 1977. 9. Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night, All About Eve, 1950. 10. You talking to me? Taxi Driver, 1976. 11. What we've got here is failure to communicate, Cool Hand Luke, 1967. 12. I love the smell of napalm in the morning, Apocalypse Now, 1979. 13. Love means never having to say you're sorry, Love Story, 1970. 14. The stuff that dreams are made of, The Maltese Falcon, 1941. 15. E.T. phone home, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982. 16. They call me Mister Tibbs!, In the Heat of the Night, 1967. 17. Rosebud, Citizen Kane, 1941. 18. Made it, Ma! Top of the world!, White Heat, 1949. 19. I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!, Network, 1976. 20. Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Casablanca, 1942. 21. A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti, The Silence of the Lambs, 1991. 22. Bond. James Bond, Dr. No, 1962. 23. There's no place like home, The Wizard of Oz, 1939. 24. I am big! It's the pictures that got small, Sunset Blvd., 1950. 25. Show me the money!, Jerry Maguire, 1996. 26. Why don't you come up sometime and see me?, She Done Him Wrong, 1933. 27. I'm walking here! I'm walking here!, Midnight Cowboy, 1969. 28. Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By,' Casablanca, 1942. 29. You can't handle the truth!, A Few Good Men, 1992. 30. I want to be alone, Grand Hotel, 1932. 31. After all, tomorrow is another day!, Gone With the Wind, 1939. 32. Round up the usual suspects, Casablanca, 1942. 33. I'll have what she's having, When Harry Met Sally..., 1989. 34. You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow, To Have and Have Not, 1944. 35. You're gonna need a bigger boat, Jaws, 1975. 36. Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 1948. 37. I'll be back, The Terminator, 1984. 38. Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth, The Pride of the Yankees, 1942. 39. If you build it, he will come, Field of Dreams, 1989. 40. Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get, Forrest Gump, 1994. 41. We rob banks, Bonnie and Clyde, 1967. 42. Plastics, The Graduate, 1967. 43. We'll always have Paris, Casablanca, 1942. 44. I see dead people, The Sixth Sense, 1999. 45. Stella! Hey, Stella!, A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951. 46. Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars, Now, Voyager, 1942. 47. Shane. Shane. Come back!, Shane, 1953. 48. Well, nobody's perfect, Some Like It Hot, 1959. 49. It's alive! It's alive!, Frankenstein, 1931. 50. Houston, we have a problem, Apollo 13, 1995. 51. You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?, Dirty Harry, 1971. 52. You had me
RE: [scifinoir2] OT: She Hate Me
Great review. Makes me want to rent the movie. The critics in the main excoriated it.. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly Wright Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 18:12 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] OT: She Hate Me Check out my review of Spike Lee's controversial eighteenth movie, She Hate Me at: http://www.theworldebon.com/home.htm __ The Black Prince. The Black Church. A State of Mind. http://www.theworldebon.com _ Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] What are Good Fantasy Books for Black Youth to Read
What age range? Do you have issues with magic, sorcery, demons, etc? Do the books need to have a moral? Specifically fantasy here, not hard scifi? -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Amanda Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 19:49 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] What are Good Fantasy Books for Black Youth to Read I'm trying to find fantasy books that black youth could read. They don't have to be by or about African Americans, but I would like to find those as well. Also what about African etc? _ Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: OT: She Hate Me
I agree with your statement. I've been very cognizant of the mainstream press's disdain for Spike Lee. I don't let the critics tell me what to think. In my case the trailers and synopses I read didn't draw me in. I feared another Girl 6, a movie I hated so much I walked out on it, so I stayed away. I couldn't find anyone who'd seen it either, so I had no positive reviews to go on. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly Wright Sent: Friday, June 24, 2005 23:56 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: OT: She Hate Me What annoys me most about the negative reviews She Hate Me received is the notion Spike made the movie he made because he didn't know any better, as if he were novice Matty Rich mucking up The Inkwell. Spike has made eighteen movies including one that may be one of the one hundred best movies ever made (Do the Right Thing). It is true that Spike also made Girl 6, but even Spike's misses are well-considered and well-constructed. Spike is a classicist, a university educated filmmaker who is well versed in his cinematic antecedents. IMHO many of the reviews were dismissive and condescending, surprisingly so given Spike's porfolio and reputation. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Great review. Makes me want to rent the movie. The critics in the main excoriated it.. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly Wright Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 18:12 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] OT: She Hate Me Check out my review of Spike Lee's controversial eighteenth movie, She Hate Me at: http://www.theworldebon.com/home.htm __ The Black Prince. The Black Church. A State of Mind. http://www.theworldebon.com _ Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] _ Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] Justice League Unlimited: WOW!!!!
I know I've said this before, but you have *got* to watch the Justice League show! I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say I think the League's about to battle the US government very soon. I saw trailers from next week's episode showing missiles attacking the League satellite, Captain Atom fighting Superman (the former's been forced to go back into military service) and what looks like ranks of Leaguers arrayed for battle. If you haven't been following the show, for several months now the government and the League have been building toward this. It all started when the League revealed, trying to stop an alien threat, revealed that the satellite HQ was capable of firing a weapon towards Earth. That alarmed officials, as did events such as the appearance of the alternate-reality murderous Justice Lords. And of course there have been those who've mistrusted these god-like heroes from the get-go. All the suspicion and mistrust has united people from Luthor to generals to Amanda Waller, and they've been doing all kinds of dirty things in a search for a way to check or eliminate the League. The slow buildup has been great, but I think it's all coming to a head. Do yourself a favor and check it out!! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] War of the Worlds-Has Cruise's Meltdown Affected Whether You Will Go See It
I'll still see it. Half the people whose movies I see have issues, so Cruise is no different. In keeping with his belief system, he's just being more open about his particular idiosyncracies than some actors who front all the time. If there's even a chance that Spielberg can pull off a War of the Worlds that delivers the same impact as the classic George Pal version--which I watch *every* time it's aired on AE or AMC--then I have to see it. Besides, Hollywood's been on a good role with stuff like Kingdom of Heaven, Revenge of the Sith, Batman Begins (awesome film!), and I'd like to keep staying on that train. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 21:27 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] War of the Worlds-Has Cruise's Meltdown Affected Whether You Will Go See It Forcing co=stars to endure hours of scientology rhetoric, coercing studio execs to visit the scientology headquarters, suing bankrupt wrestling porno stars who claim to have compromising wrestling videos, jumping up and down on couches proclaiming undying love to a woman he just met, attacking former co-star for seeing a therapist and taking prescription drugs to handle post partum depression, lecturing interviewers about psychiatry.. the list goes on. I was going to see Cruise in War of the World anyway. But were you? Are you now? Has his crazy behavior impacted whether you will go see him in war of The Worlds. Tracey deMorsella, Managing Producer Convergence Media, Inc. Home of The Multicultural Advantage Phone: 215-849-0946 E-mail: tdemorsella @multiculturaladvantage.com http://www.multiculturaladvantage.com -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.8.2/29 - Release Date: 6/27/2005 _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS *Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. *To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] War of the Worlds-Has Cruise's Meltdown Affected Whether You Will Go See It
I agree. So many writers and actors and directors have issues, if you stayed away just for that you'd never go to the movies. I don't patronize any movies by Woody Allen since he basically molested a young, naive Asian girl who was in all practical purposes being raised as his daughter. The heart wants what he wants indeed. Sorry but he don't get my little change. Same for Roman Polanksi, who drugged a girl he claims he thought was an adult. R. Kelly ain't getting any of my money either. I'm not a witch hunt kind of guy, but unless there's an orchestrated fiendish plot against Kelly, I'm leaving him alone. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Laileana Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 23:38 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] War of the Worlds-Has Cruise's Meltdown Affected Whether You Will Go See It Nope, I try not to let personal lives effect my movie going experience. I would make an exception for child moltestors Lois I was going to see Cruise in War of the World anyway. But were you? Are you now? Has his crazy behavior impacted whether you will go see him in war of The Worlds. Tracey deMorsella, Managing Producer Convergence Media, Inc. Home of The Multicultural Advantage Phone: 215-849-0946 E-mail: tdemorsella @multiculturaladvantage.com http://www.multiculturaladvantage.com -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.8.2/29 - Release Date: 6/27/2005 - YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group scifinoir2 on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. - I never told my own religion nor scrutinized that of another. I never attempted to make a convert, nor wished to change another's creed. I am satisfied that yours must be an excellent religion to have produced a life of such exemplary virtue and correctness. For it is in our lives, and not from our words that our religion must be judged. Thomas Jefferson - Yahoo! Sports Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS *Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. *To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] Catch the AE special on Star Wars
There's been surprisingly little Star Wars talk in the group. I guess few of y'all are fans, and fewer still saw Revenge of the Sith. I don't consider myself a fan the way I am for Star Trek, but I still enjoy it. Fan or not, I think you'll like the AE special on the making of the first film: A New Hope. It's amazing to see how Lucas singlehandedly pulled this vision together when everyone else--actors, crew, financial backers--thought he was nuts. At one point Star Wars almost became a Saturday morning kids' project. A real testament to the power of persevering with your dreams. Fascinating to watch how ILM invented the whole FX industry. Funny to watch Hamil, Fisher, and Ford just laugh and groan through the incredibly stilted and phony sounding dialogue. And actors working agains blue screens where they don't see the action that'll be added later is common now, but back then it was surreal and the actors thought it was hilarious. Also, a real treat to see people like William The Greatest American Hero Katt, Kurt Russell, Cindy Williams, and others reading for the parts of Luke, Han, and Leia. http://www.aetv.com/global/listings/series_showcase.jsp?EGrpType=Series http://www.aetv.com/global/listings/series_showcase.jsp?EGrpType=Series Id=11470933NetwCode=AEN Id=11470933NetwCode=AEN It is the most popular space adventure of all time and one of the most groundbreaking sagas in Hollywood history. This two-hour AE SPECIAL PRESENTATION: STAR WARS: EMPIRE OF DREAMS details how the phenomenon captured imaginations with an irresistible Force and catapulted three young performers to stardom - Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher. But the STAR WARS trilogy didn't just change the way we look at movies. It changed the way movies are made. What began as a galactic fairy tale became a success story beyond one man's wildest dreams. While George Lucas has remained true to his own vision, it's audiences everywhere who have reaped the rewards ever since May 1977 when moviegoers first caught sight of that galaxy far, far away. For Lucas, what began as a quest for creative freedom became a philosophy, a cultural phenomenon and his own empire of dreams. The AE SPECIAL PRESENTATION: STAR WARS: EMPIRE OF DREAMS features riveting movie clips and fascinating screen tests plus interviews with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and other cast members. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] An alternative to the Bush speech tonight
While I try to follow our leaders at all times, I simply haven't been able to force myself to watch any news conferences by the idiot in the White House. So, while channel surfing to find something good on TV, I came across a great two hour program on PBS. It's a documentary on the life of Galileo, done as an historical drama with actors portraying the scientist and others in his life. Astronomy nut that I am, I couldn't resist sitting down and watching the whole thing, reliving again the wonder that Galileo must have felt as his telescope literally revealed a whole new view of the cosmos. The moons of Jupiter, closer views of Mars, stars never before seen, the surface of the moon, sunspots. Amazing. And then of course comes the Inquisition, when the Church rebuts his theories of a Sun-centered system where the Earth, rather than being the center of the universe, moves around the sun. Galileo was ultimately forced to basically recant his theories or face life in prison as a heretic. As it was he spent the rest of his life in virtual house arrest, kept there by a Church afraid of Truth. So I end up watching a show about a man whose revelation of the Truth was quenched by close-minded moralistic unyielding fools who supressed the facts in order to keep alive a lie, advance their agenda, and keep power centralized in their own hands? Men who didn't hesitate to condemn and destroy some of the best and brighest people of their time? Hmmguess I could have watched Bush's speech after all. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/galileo/about.html In this two-hour special, NOVA celebrates the story of the father of modern science and his struggle to get Church authorities to accept the truth of his astonishing discoveries. The program is based on Dava Sobel's bestselling book, Galileo's Daughter, which reveals a new side to the famously stubborn scientist-that his closest confidante was his illegitimate daughter, Sister Maria Celeste, a cloistered nun. The actor Simon Callow plays Galileo in dramatic reenactments of key moments from his life: his pioneering telescopic observations of the Moon and planets, his revolutionary experiments with falling objects, and his fateful trial before the Inquisition for heresy. Born in 1564, Galileo lived a generation after Nicolas Copernicus published his controversial theory that the Earth was not the center of the universe around which the heavens revolved. Galileo supported the idea that the Earth turned on its axis and that it, along with the planets, revolved around the sun. The view was considered absurd by most scholars since it contradicted certain passages in the Bible and challenged the commonsense experience of the Earth as a solid, unmoving object. But Galileo found merit in the idea, especially after he aimed a newly invented instrument called the telescope at the night sky and saw that the Moon and planets were far from the perfect realms accepted by the Catholic Church. His discovery of moons orbiting Jupiter and phases in the appearance of Venus, analogous to the phases of the Moon, supported the Copernican view. The Church insisted that Galileo couch his speculations in hypothetical terms only. But he stepped over the line in 1632 when he published his Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems, in which a simpleton mouths the views of the then-reigning pope, Urban VIII. This was too much for the Pope, and Galileo was hauled before the Inquisition, which had tortured and burned to death malefactors for far less. Galileo's clash with the Vatican put Sister Maria Celeste in an awkward position, but she continued to correspond and meet with her father and even served as his editor. Though his life was spared, Galileo was put under house arrest, and the Dialogue was banned. But it was a Pyrrhic victory for the Church. Galileo's arguments eventually won the war for the Copernican theory, making it intellectually respectable to believe that the Earth in fact moves, says Harvard professor Owen Gingerich. Previously an obscure branch of philosophy, science was now on the road to becoming the preeminent method for discovering how the world works-thanks to Galileo. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] An alternative to the Bush speech tonight
While I try to follow our leaders at all times, I simply haven't been able to force myself to watch any news conferences by the idiot in the White House. So, while channel surfing to find something good on TV, I came across a great two hour program on PBS. It's a documentary on the life of Galileo, done as an historical drama with actors portraying the scientist and others in his life. Astronomy nut that I am, I couldn't resist sitting down and watching the whole thing, reliving again the wonder that Galileo must have felt as his telescope literally revealed a whole new view of the cosmos. The moons of Jupiter, closer views of Mars, stars never before seen, the surface of the moon, sunspots. Amazing. And then of course comes the Inquisition, when the Church rebuts his theories of a Sun-centered system where the Earth, rather than being the center of the universe, moves around the sun. Galileo was ultimately forced to basically recant his theories or face life in prison as a heretic. As it was he spent the rest of his life in virtual house arrest, kept there by a Church afraid of Truth. So I end up watching a show about a man whose revelation of the Truth was quenched by close-minded moralistic unyielding fools who supressed the facts in order to keep alive a lie, advance their agenda, and keep power centralized in their own hands? Men who didn't hesitate to condemn and destroy some of the best and brighest people of their time? Hmmguess I could have watched Bush's speech after all. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/galileo/about.html In this two-hour special, NOVA celebrates the story of the father of modern science and his struggle to get Church authorities to accept the truth of his astonishing discoveries. The program is based on Dava Sobel's bestselling book, Galileo's Daughter, which reveals a new side to the famously stubborn scientist-that his closest confidante was his illegitimate daughter, Sister Maria Celeste, a cloistered nun. The actor Simon Callow plays Galileo in dramatic reenactments of key moments from his life: his pioneering telescopic observations of the Moon and planets, his revolutionary experiments with falling objects, and his fateful trial before the Inquisition for heresy. Born in 1564, Galileo lived a generation after Nicolas Copernicus published his controversial theory that the Earth was not the center of the universe around which the heavens revolved. Galileo supported the idea that the Earth turned on its axis and that it, along with the planets, revolved around the sun. The view was considered absurd by most scholars since it contradicted certain passages in the Bible and challenged the commonsense experience of the Earth as a solid, unmoving object. But Galileo found merit in the idea, especially after he aimed a newly invented instrument called the telescope at the night sky and saw that the Moon and planets were far from the perfect realms accepted by the Catholic Church. His discovery of moons orbiting Jupiter and phases in the appearance of Venus, analogous to the phases of the Moon, supported the Copernican view. The Church insisted that Galileo couch his speculations in hypothetical terms only. But he stepped over the line in 1632 when he published his Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems, in which a simpleton mouths the views of the then-reigning pope, Urban VIII. This was too much for the Pope, and Galileo was hauled before the Inquisition, which had tortured and burned to death malefactors for far less. Galileo's clash with the Vatican put Sister Maria Celeste in an awkward position, but she continued to correspond and meet with her father and even served as his editor. Though his life was spared, Galileo was put under house arrest, and the Dialogue was banned. But it was a Pyrrhic victory for the Church. Galileo's arguments eventually won the war for the Copernican theory, making it intellectually respectable to believe that the Earth in fact moves, says Harvard professor Owen Gingerich. Previously an obscure branch of philosophy, science was now on the road to becoming the preeminent method for discovering how the world works-thanks to Galileo. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] The Batman is getting better
I wrote a scathing review of the new animated series The Batman when it premiered on Kids' WB last year. Too dark, I said. Too self-consciously moody, I charged. Too different in portrayals of criminals like Joker and Penguin, I wrote. I gave up on the show after two episodes. Recently I've had occasion to watch it again, now that it's been moved to Cartoon Network, airing just before the awesome Justice League Unlimited. I must say I'm liking the show a whole lot more. It is dark, but I'm coming to see that reflects the Gotham that breeds the likes of Joker and the other psycho criminals The Batman must fight, just like in the comics and the movies. I guess it was the particular palette used for this series (more of a reddish, depressing background), but I'm getting over that. I also didn't originally like Bruce Wayne, who, conversely, didn't seem dark enough to my tastes. I'm more used to the Wayne who spoke in the low, harsh whispery voice whenever he was in costume, or at home alone with Alfred. The Wayne who seemed to be the mask worn over the real persona of Batman. This Wayne seemed a little more, well--normal and happy to me. Then I took a look at Christian Bale in Batman Begins, and I realized that both that movie and this series are dealing with Batman in the early days. When he was still young and finding his way. When, even though he's of course driven by anger and bitterness, he's perhaps not yet as jaded as years of crimefighting will ultimately make him. So give the man a break, he's still young enough to make jokes with Alfred and actually have fun every now and then. He can shoot hoops with his buddy just to have fun. He can be forgiven for getting cocky and cracking jokes that seem out of character. Like the movie, I can allow for personality discrepancies between this Bat and the one I know because he is new to the game. Finally i have to admit I like the writing in this series. There's a skill to crafting an action cartoon that isn't just a 30 minute series of battles and great animation. It needs to have heart and soul, believable characters, good writing that gives flesh to the images and makes them more than caricatures. The Batman does that pretty well. In addition to the byplay between Wayne and Alfred, it's given us some other interesting characters such as Detective Yen, the cop who wants to bring Batman in as a vigilante. Then there's her partner Ethan Bennett, Bruce's best friend, and Captain Rojas, who's vowed to bring in Batman and the criminal freaks he fights, all of whom he sees as menaces to society. These characters help to enrich the stories and give us more than wham-bam! fights. All of these various elements came together quite well in a recent two-part story that detailed the origins of the villain Clayface. Without giving too much away, let's say this story brought in Joker, Rojas, Yen, and Bennet. It dealt with Wayne's guilt over keeping his identity secret from Ethan, tragic consequences to the likes of the Joker being loose, and Yen's evolving attitude about the need for Batman in the increasingly bizarre landscape that Gotham is becoming. And watching Rojas, who's lumped Batman along with the super-villains he's vowed to take down, we can't help but realize that Rojas just doesn't get it. He has no insight to the fact that normal police can't fight the fight the Bat does. You just know it's only a matter of time before Rojas is out and Commissioner Gordon--who understood the need for the vigilante--is in. Once something I just watched to fill the half hour before JL, I find myself looking forward to seeing The Batman for its own sake. I can only hope it continues to get better and builds on the sometimes excellent stories I've seen. It's still not quite as good to my mind as the great Batman animated series from the 80s, but as a new telling of the Dark Knight's origin, it stands well on its own, and together with the recent movie, does a nice job of taking the legend in a slightly new direction. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] Fez of 'That '70s Show' dons superhero garb
Fez of 'That '70s Show' dons superhero garb By Marty GrahamFri Jul 15, 6:34 PM ET Actor Wilmer Valderrama, best known as Fez on Fox television's That '70s Show, says he needed a special swagger to become Hollywood's first Latino superhero, but he insists it's all in the suit. The 25-year-old Miami native recently wrapped production on the independent film El Muerto, based on a graphic novel by Javier Hernandez, and he appeared in costume this week at the comic book convention Comic-con to preview a trailer for the movie. They really wanted to up the hunk factor, so they came up with these amazing pants, Valderrama said, referring to the costume's tight-fitting black leather pants. Wearing that suit really changed my walk. Valderrama demonstrated a lean, lithe, shadowy movement far from his portrayal of Fez, the adorably goofy foreign exchange student he has played on That '70s Show since its debut in 1998. El Muerto, which co-stars Joel David Moore, Tony Plana and Angie Cepeda, is a production of the independent Los Angeles film company Dream Entertainment and is expected in theaters later this year. Valderrama plays a young man in East Los Angeles who is abducted by Aztec gods when his car crashes on the way to a festival celebrating the Mexican holiday known as the Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos). Transformed into El Muerto, the Aztec Zombie, he struggles with the world between life and death, using his supernatural powers to protect his loved ones from evil. Our goal was to make a beautiful drama of this awesome world that Javier created, Valderrama said. It's the first movie based on a graphic novel about Latinos set in East L.A. Valderrama said he also was involved in developing a reality television show with MTV, tentatively called Yo Mama, inspired by rapper Eminem's 2002 movie 8 Mile. It's street kids going against each other on 'yo' mama' jokes, he said. I'm hosting and creating the show. Other projects include an upcoming film, The Darwin Awards, with Joseph Fiennes and Winona Ryder, and Valderrama plans to return to That '70s Show for an eighth and presumed final season of the show. He said producers plan to revive the use of dream sequences in the final episodes and may introduce Fez's parents to reveal the answer to one of the show's long-standing mysteries -- his character's exact country of origin. We are going to leave with a bang, we are going to get in as much trouble as possible, Valderrama promised. Fez is a part not far from his own experience. Valderrama was born in Miami but moved to Venezuela when he was three years old. When his family returned to the United States when he was 13, he did not speak a word of English. As well as his comic role in That '70s Show, Valderrama is a regular in U.S. gossip columns as a ladies man, with past girlfriends including Lindsay Lohan and Mandy Moore. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] Halle looks Great in HDTV! (see who doesn't...)
Not to go the obvious route, but lists like this usually irritate me. One, I've seen Kournikova, and no way her skin looks better than many Sisters I've seen. Black skin tends to be smoother, younger-looking, and less wrinkled than just about any other racial group. Second, one person who's part Black in the top ten, and she's half white. Then they list Beyonce Knowles, who's on the lighter side too. Okay, there's Janet Jackson and Brandy, but that's it for the darker ones. What about Angela Bassett? Gabrielle Union? Serena Williams? From what I've seen, darker skinned Black people actually tend to have smoother skin than lighter skinned ones. It seems to me this is more of a list of white-to-light skin that they find beautiful, combined with the stars they simply find popular. I know this is all in fun, but I just see another example of how the media hypes a certain look and convinces us that look is beautiful. How else can *anyone* put blonde Kournikova ahead of women like Zeta-Jones or Selma Hayek? And the number of darker Sisters---and Latinas--whose skin would put most of these women to shame is staggering, but barely a knod to them. Finally, most of these celebrities are the same ones you see on other most beautiful and most popular lists. I know from my wife--who keeps up with fashion and beauty trends--that many celebs you think have perfect features owe it to a team of makeup experts whose job it is to make them look flawless. Don't let this list fool you. Okay, so I only got three hours of sleep and my cranky self is blowing this *way* out of proportion! :) -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly Wright Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 18:47 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Halle looks Great in HDTV! (see who doesn't...) 6. Halle Berry Wow! She looks great on regular TV, but her beautiful skin and lips make her irresistible in high-def. This Catwoman wouldn't have to work hard to bring home the kittens.. http://www.TVPredictions.com HDTV: Beauty Is Skin-Deep There is no escaping the naked lens of High-Definition TV. The picture is so clear that aging signs and skin imperfections are clearly visible. Below is our Top 10 list of which celebrities look better -- and worse -- in high-def. If you're a member of the media and would like to interview our president, Phillip Swann, about HDTV and/or The List, call 703-505-3064 or e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Also see: The 10 Scariest People in HDTV! Here is OnHD.TV's top 10 celebrities who look even better in High- Definition TV. 1. Anna Kournikova The occasional tennis player looks even more beautiful in high-def. Her skin is glistening and luscious. It's easy to see why her matches sell out despite her limited talents. It's not love-15; it's love Anna. 2. Catherine Zeta-Jones The star of Chicago and Traffic is absolutely gorgeous and it shows in high-def. Pity the aging Michael Douglas when he has to stand beside her in the high-def broadcast of an awards show. (See Worse) The actress is so beautiful in high-def that even the hyphen between Zeta and Jones looks good. 3. Charlize Therzon Whoever did her makeup for Monster should have received an Oscar. This woman is gorgeous and it's hard to believe that she was made to look so horrific in the film. At the recent Oscar awards, Theron was glowing under the HDTV lights. 4. Sting Isn't it bad enough that this guy has all that musical talent? In his fifties, Sting still looks great in high-def. 5. Scarlett Johansson The Lost in Translation star has the skin of a porcelain doll and looks incredible when seen in high-def. It's easy to see why Bill Murray would get lost in her gaze. 6. Halle Berry Wow! She looks great on regular TV, but her beautiful skin and lips make her irresistible in high-def. This Catwoman wouldn't have to work hard to bring home the kittens.. 7. George Clooney His animal magnetism is legendary in Hollywood and it comes through in HDTV. The Oceans 11 star must be living right. 8. Angelina Jolie Breathtaking. Like Berry, her skin and lips are just juicy. The only negative: The actress has a small mole on her forehead. In high-def, it looks like Mt. Everest.. 9. Liv Tyler How can she look so great when her father is headed for Keith Richards territory? Beautiful skin. 10. Penelope Cruz How did Tom Cruise break up with her? Talk about Mission Impossible. Honorable Mention Ashley Judd Maria Sherapova Jennifer Garner Beyonce Knowles Antonio Banderas Rebecca Romjin-Stamos Mariah Carey Meg Ryan Gwyneth Paltrow Mandy Moore Alex Rodriguez John Travolta Susan Sarandon Janet Jackson Nicole Kidman Natalie Portman Lee Lee Sobieski Lucy Liu Heidi Klum Jay Leno Rob Lowe Jessica Alba Salma Hayek David James Elliott (JAG) Naomi Watts Brandy Jill Hennessy (Crossing Jordan) Leah Remini (King of Queens) And here is OnHD.TV's top 10 celebrities who look worse in
[scifinoir2] Wal-Mart cancels experiment with in-store dating
From the sublime to the ridiculous. This was a scary experiment. I know Wal-Mart is already starting to dominate the world in terms of retail, groceries, even automotive care. They're changing the shape of shopping--for good or ill. They've have all kinds of impacts of people's lifestyles (I know people who think of trips to Wal-Mart on the same level as going out to the movies!) But the thought of people making love connections in the aisles?! How creepy is that? Also, the article references a dude over 60 but I'm assuming it's setup for folks of all ages, just as the store's clientele varies in age? How would a young woman in her 20's stop unwanted advances from an old geezer. 'Scuse me dearie, but you're certainly looking spiffy tonight! Great set of gams you got there chicky! How's about me and you stepping out and cutting the rug? Oh--can you pass me that bottle of Geritol first? Wal-Mart Nixes 'Singles Shopping' ROANOKE, Va. - Wal-Mart has ditched a program that helped single shoppers find love in the discount store's aisles. Officials at Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., ordered their Roanoke store to put an end to Singles Shopping, the only program of its kind at Wal-Mart's U.S. stores. Taking a cue from Wal-Marts in Germany, the month-old program encouraged customers on Friday evenings to pick up a red bow they could place on their shopping carts as an invitation to other singles. Flirt points were set up in various sections of the store. A Wal-Mart spokesman declined to comment on the reason behind the program's cancellation. But customer Dale Firebaugh, who showed up Friday night hoping to meet his match, said store employees told him several people had complained. I'm disappointed, said Firebaugh, 63. Where can someone over 40 who doesn't smoke or drink or go to bars meet someone? ___ Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] Box office results for this weekend.
I'm a little surprised Charlie is still doing so well, after the mixed reviews about Depp's creepy Willie Wonka. More surprised that Wedding Crashers is doing that well. As for The Island? Can't say I am surprised. First, you know I'm not a fan of the directing style of Michael Bay and his ilk. The film's trailers throw out the concept, then assault you with lots of vehicle crashes, explosions, and people running. Looked no different from Bad Boys or The Rock or something. That did nothing to make me want to see it despite McGregor and Johannson, actors I really like. I went to see Batman Begins for the third time, which is becoming, as I expected, my favorite of the scifi/comic films of this part of the year. Hustle and Flow is on the agenda for this evening. Depp still tempting moviegoers with 'Chocolate' LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory conquered moviegoers' taste buds for a second weekend on Sunday, while the costly new sci-fi movie from action director Michael Bay flopped. Charlie sold about $28.3 million worth of tickets in the three days beginning Friday, taking the 10-day total for the Johnny Depp fantasy to $114.1 million. Director Tim Burton's $150 million adaptation of the famed Roald Dahl book about oddball confectionery mogul Willy Wonka is on track to hit $200 million, said Dan Fellman, president of distribution at Time Warner Inc.-owned Warner Bros., which released the film. It was followed closely by the comedy Wedding Crashers, starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, which held at No. 2 with $26.2 million, and a 10-day haul of $80.9 million. It was released by New Line Cinema, also a unit of Time Warner. Twentieth Century Fox's comic-book adaptation Fantastic Four was No. 3 for a second weekend with $12.3 million, and a three-week tally of $122.6 million.Bay's The Island opened at No. 4 with $12.1 million, having cost just over $120 million to make. The film stars Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson as inhabitants of a utopian society with a terrible secret.Clearly this is a disappointing opening, said Jim Tharp, head of domestic theatrical distribution at closely held DreamWorks SKG Inc. We can only hope that the film finds its audience in the coming weeks. While the studio knew it had a problem on its hands, it had hoped The Island would open nearer $15 million, Tharp added. Bay is best known for such big-ticket action films as Pearl Harbor and Armageddon, which enjoyed explosive openings even if critics were appalled. This time, critics and moviegoers were on the same page. TICKET SALES DOWN The top 10 list of films at U.S. and Canadian theaters contained four other new entries, but their arrival was unable to prevent overall year-on-year sales from resuming their downward trend, following a two-week winning streak. The top-12 films grossed $128.1 million, down 7.8 percent from the year-ago weekend, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. Before the short-lived uptick in sales, business had fallen for 19 weekends in a row, the longest slump in more than two decades. Paramount Pictures' Bad News Bears, starring Billy Bob Thornton in the role of the curmudgeonly baseball coach memorably played by Walter Matthau in the 1976 original, opened at No. 5 with a modest $11.5 million. The acclaimed hip-hop movie Hustle Flow, starring Terrence Howard as a Memphis hustler who dreams of becoming a rapper, was No. 7, with an impressive $8.1 million, having opened on far fewer screens. The low-budget film was acquired for $9 million at the Sundance Film Festival in January by Paramount's art house wing, Paramount Classics. It was followed at No. 8 by Lions Gate Films' horror film The Devil's Rejects, which opened with $7 million, a figure that matched its production budget. The film was directed and written by rock musician Rob Zombie, and represents a follow-up to his debut effort House of 1000 Corpses.The documentary March of the Penguins jumped two places to No. 10 with $4.3 million after expanding its theater count in its fifth weekend of release. It was distributed by Warner Independent Pictures, also a unit of Time Warner, and has earned $9.3 million to date. Fox is a unit of News Corp. Additionally, Fantastic Four was produced in association with Marvel Enterprises Inc.. Paramount is a unit of Viacom Inc. Lions Gate Films is a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] Bay's 'Island' no paradise this time
Are we surprised? Like I said Sunday: As for The Island? Can't say I am surprised. First, you know I'm not a fan of the directing style of Michael Bay and his ilk. The film's trailers throw out the concept, then assault you with lots of vehicle crashes, explosions, and people running. Looked no different from Bad Boys or The Rock or something. That did nothing to make me want to see it despite McGregor and Johannson, actors I really like. Most of the dreck that Bay and his kind put out which makes money has stars like Will Smith, Bruce Willis, or Ben Affleck. I like McGregor and Johannson, but they're not going to draw as many mainstream people. Without that, the movie needs to be good and clever, or at least trully entertaining. Over-the-top as I think it is, no surprise... -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Said Kakese Dibinga Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 12:37 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com; Tope Oluwole; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [scifinoir2] Bay's 'Island' no paradise this time BOX OFFICEBay's 'Island' no paradise this timeThe action director tries to figure out how the opening of his latest megabudget blockbuster became a debacle.By Chris Lee Special to The Times July 26, 2005 Anticipating that the heat would be on in Hollywood this weekend, The Island director Michael Bay slipped away - to sweltering Arizona. I didn't hear the numbers all weekend, he said. I relaxed, called my agent Sunday and said, 'Give me the bad news.' When he did, this much was clear: It's a debacle. It's my worst opening weekend ever, Bay said. This summer, box office doldrums have claimed any number of victims: Rebound, The Honeymooners, The Lords of Dogtown and, on a bigger-budget scale, Cinderella Man and Kingdom of Heaven. But last weekend, moviegoers crowned the biggest big-budget dud yet: Bay's Island. According to Paul Degarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co., its opening comes as a major disappointment for DreamWorks, the studio that released the film. There's a lot riding on a tent pole movie like that, he said. Everyone expected this movie to come in at No. 1 or 2. Bay said The Island suffered from low awareness among potential moviegoers. In a phone interview, he said he felt the movie, which stars Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johannson as clones who go on the run after discovering they have been raised for harvested body parts, had fallen victim to a number of factors. It could be the subject matter, the lack of stars, he said. I'm not blaming the whole thing on the marketers. A spokesman for DreamWorks said the studio mounted the biggest print, online and broadcast marketing campaign in its history for The Island, an effort that included five theatrical movie trailers, a word-of-mouth screening campaign, three websites and numerous Internet ads. In the weeks leading up to The Island's opening, though, marketing executives at other studios said they thought the campaign was confusing and unfocused. Bay himself, in an earlier interview with The Times, worried about the marketing campaign and complained that The Island's poster made Johansson look like a porn star. In its first three days of release, the $124-million sci-fi epic took in just $12.4 million, opening in fourth place behind the previous weekend's top draws, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wedding Crashers and Fantastic Four. That means The Island grossed just 10% of its production budget, placing it ahead of Cinderella Man and Kingdom of Heaven as the most expensive dud of the summer so far. Its lackluster performance is another indication of a continuing moviegoing slump in which overall admissions are down about 10% for the year. The director's previous five films opened at No. 1 and have combined to gross $1.7 billion worldwide, according to boxofficemojo.com. He said he felt reassured by the knowledge that other successful directors had also experienced commercial missteps. Everyone from Spielberg to Zemeckis to Kubrick - they've all had big flops, he said. I was five for five. You know it's going to happen. It hurts, Bay added. It's always the director's fault. If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives. If you could make a difference, what would you do?...Said Kakese Dibinga __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS *Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. *To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _ [Non-text portions of this message have
[scifinoir2] Don't forget Firefly tonight
The two-hour premiere airs from 6 - 8 pm EST on Sci Fi Channel tonight. See it and see what all the fuss was about. I started out really disliking the show, and three episodes in was a believer, and when it was cancelled, was disappointed. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- font face=arial size=-1a href=http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12hbet9gu/M=362335.6886444.7839734.2575449/D=groups/S=1705034827:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1122679989/A=2894362/R=0/SIG=138c78jl6/*http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/arts_culture/?source=YAHOOcmpgn=GRPRTP=http://groups.yahoo.com/;What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater?Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good/a./font ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] Zeta-Jones and Bullock 'Too Old' for 'Wonder Woman'
Speaking for myself, I don't see either Holmes or Barton as the Wonder Woman I'd like to see. I've always liked having my heroes be a little older, more mature. I like Whedon a lot, but his leaning toward these women concerns me. Last thing I want is him bringing a Buffy-type sensibility to Diana's story. I'd love to see a Charisma Carpenter type--both in age and body type. Or how about going with Firefly beauty Morena Baccarin? It'd be nice to see someone who's not simply Caucasian play the Themysciran princess. Zeta-Jones and Bullock 'Too Old' for 'Wonder Woman' Hollywood beauties Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sandra Bullock have been dismissed as too old to play superheroine Wonder Woman in a new movie version of the TV series - by the show's original star. Lynda Carter, who starred in the original 1970s show, would prefer to see Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon cast a young actress in the lead role rather than any established stars who have been linked with the part. She says, It should be an unknown actress who's about 20. The OC's Mischa Barton and Tom Cruise's fiancee Katie Holmes are said to be amongst Whedon's prime candidates for his 2007 release. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- font face=arial size=-1a href=http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12hvjjdn9/M=362335.6886444.7839734.2575449/D=groups/S=1705034827:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=112295/A=2894362/R=0/SIG=138c78jl6/*http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/arts_culture/?source=YAHOOcmpgn=GRPRTP=http://groups.yahoo.com/;What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater?Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good/a./font ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] Harry Potter Triggers Debate on the Asian Image in Media
Interesting sometimes to see what other people of color feel about Hollywood and the media in general. Though not opposed to interracial relationships in the main, I do have an issue with how Hollywood tends to put white dudes with women of color (and rarely the other way). Of course Asian women have been in with white dudes for years now, so I'm not surprised, but I guess I was suprised it would irritate so many Asians. I also think we're going to continue having this discussion--especially as it often takes the form of white dudes putting themselves with women of color while relegating the men to criminals or whatnot--as long as certain groups continue to make the movies and put forth the stories. Harry Potter Triggers Debate on the Asian Image in Media Philippine News http://www.philippinenews.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=ae7b2bf 4b645a3766b265db2086aa302 , News Report, Erin Pangilinan, Jul 31, 2005 With the international release of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter #6), Asian fans and readers of the book are looking critically at how Asian Americans fit into the Hogwarts world by examining Asian roles in previous Harry Potter books. Harry's romantic relationship with an Asian female named Cho Chang ended in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter #5). The upcoming release of the film this year, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, debuts Scottish-Asian actress Katie Leung, playing the role of Cho Chang. Asian Americans are paying attention. Jealous online teens write their thoughts in forums and ever-popular blogs, as well as popular Asian American watchdog websites like Angry Asian Man. Some Asian teens complain that Leung is ugly, while non-Asian fans are jealous that Harry Potter is kissing an Asian (this is what happens in Harry Potter #5.) Chang rarely speaks throughout the entire book series (until she is in a relationship with Harry Potter). She is always described as pretty and popular. One may ask: Is Rowling attempting to be politically correct by choosing an Asian as Harry's love interest? Some Asian Americans are outraged by the stereotypical use of the -Ch at the beginning of the character's names. Wikipedia says the last name Cho has no meaning in Chinese, and is closely related to Chou, which has negative definitions (i.e. stink, slap, worry, thick and ugly). Cho Chang also means elephant in Thai. UC Berkeley Chinese American student Zechariah Feng says, Everyone seems to be looking too much into it. It's not exactly possible to tell what Cho Chang means because we don't have the stresses (accents) to help us determine what words they are, and of course in the traditional Chinese sense a name always has some kind of meaning as technically so do names in English. Rumors have Korean Japanese-pop singer BoA and Filipino singer Heart Evangelista playing the role in the film. Online petitions have been circulated to support BoA as Cho Chang, with similar online discussions for Heart Evangelista. Initially, this sparked interest in the political and cultural identity of Asian Americans as they are depicted in various ways, as Pacific Islanders, East Asians, South Asians, Orientals, Chinese, Filipino, etc. UC Davis Filipino American student Anthony Tadina does not find this surprising. He says, Rowling based Cho Chang on what she views Asian girls are -- light skinned, skinny, smart ... the stereotype. Closer to home, it is not surprising to find actors/actresses with Filipino in their bios playing roles different from their true ethnicity. Aside from the notable films like The Debut, Lumpia, The Flipside, Lolo's Child, Disoriented and other attempts to bring the Filipino American to mainstream cinema, many Fil-Am actors/actresses are cast in token roles in films as, maybe, an East Asian nurse, a Hawaiian cook, or a Chinese martial artist. The same frustration has been expressed by some Asian Americans who have criticized Asian representation in films, ranging from old favorites like The Flower Drum Song to the recent druggie comedy Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. What about the modern depictions of William Hung as the buck-toothed, tone-deaf singer; Lucy Liu as the swashbuckling dragon lady and the exaggerated image of Mulan as a warrior woman? Isn't the Asian American much more than these images? Which brings us back to Harry Potter and Cho Chang. What message is Rowling trying to send by choosing an Asian girl to be Harry's love interest? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- font face=arial size=-1a href=http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12hv1o0n8/M=362335.6886444.7839734.2575449/D=groups/S=1705034827:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1122963989/A=2894362/R=0/SIG=138c78jl6/*http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/arts_culture/?source=YAHOOcmpgn=GRPRTP=http://groups.yahoo.com/;What would our lives be like without music, dance, and
RE: [scifinoir2] Zeta-Jones and Bullock 'Too Old' for 'Wonder Woman'
None! She only has eyes for me! :) -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 23:33 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Zeta-Jones and Bullock 'Too Old' for 'Wonder Woman' Based on your Brazil message and this one I can see that Morena Baccarin has join Charisma Carpenter and Kenya Moore on your list of Hot women. My husband agrees with you. I'm curious, which hollywood men are Phylis drawn to? Tracey -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Keith Johnson Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 10:13 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Zeta-Jones and Bullock 'Too Old' for 'Wonder Woman' Speaking for myself, I don't see either Holmes or Barton as the Wonder Woman I'd like to see. I've always liked having my heroes be a little older, more mature. I like Whedon a lot, but his leaning toward these women concerns me. Last thing I want is him bringing a Buffy-type sensibility to Diana's story. I'd love to see a Charisma Carpenter type--both in age and body type. Or how about going with Firefly beauty Morena Baccarin? It'd be nice to see someone who's not simply Caucasian play the Themysciran princess. Zeta-Jones and Bullock 'Too Old' for 'Wonder Woman' Hollywood beauties Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sandra Bullock have been dismissed as too old to play superheroine Wonder Woman in a new movie version of the TV series - by the show's original star. Lynda Carter, who starred in the original 1970s show, would prefer to see Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon cast a young actress in the lead role rather than any established stars who have been linked with the part. She says, It should be an unknown actress who's about 20. The OC's Mischa Barton and Tom Cruise's fiancee Katie Holmes are said to be amongst Whedon's prime candidates for his 2007 release. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.9.7/60 - Release Date: 7/28/2005 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.9.7/60 - Release Date: 7/28/2005 Yahoo! Groups Links Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- font face=arial size=-1a href=http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12hfitl4b/M=362335.6886444.7839734.2575449/D=groups/S=1705034827:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1122986717/A=2894362/R=0/SIG=138c78jl6/*http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/arts_culture/?source=YAHOOcmpgn=GRPRTP=http://groups.yahoo.com/;What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater?Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good/a./font ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] What will the future hold?
From a recent conversation. Which scenario seems most likely to you may reflect your current feelings about society, humanity, and the country in which you live: What will the world be like one hundred years from now? Hmmm...let's consult the ol' crystal ball... Scenario one: Utopia. Leaving behind the destructive depencies on fossil fuels and mechanisms, we have returned to Eden. We are one with the Earth, using holistic medicine, eating organic food (much of which is produced from giant kelp farms on the ocean). Solar and wind power provide most of our energy, along with safe, clean fusion. Travel across the world is possible via underground supersonic tubes; cars when used are electric, and use vast intelligent networks to drive you to your destination and avoid accidents. Cities are built with a mind to blend with the environment, rather than disrupt it. The rainforests, coral reefs, plankton, and the ozone layer are all on the rebound. Racism and religious intolerance have been replaced with an embrace of diversity. Worldwide cooperation in the life sciences has cured most disease and yielded phenomenal methods to heal injuries. The average human lives to be 110 years old. Luna and Mars have been colonized and are yielding valuable materials which can only be produced in low-G environments. Humanity is exploring the rest of the Solar System in ships which ride the solar winds. Wal-Mart is no more. American Idol has been outlawed. Examples: Can't think of a single bloody movie or book at the moment--at least, not one that doesn't end with Satan crawling back into Paradise and ruining things Likelihood: Not sure how likely this future is. I'll ask the Easter Bunny and Santa what they think next time I see them... Scenario two: Status quo. The world goes on much the way it always has. Some good times, some bad. Good leaders, crooked leaders. Rogue states, and cooperative alliances. Lots of wars still being fought, just no world wars, no nuclear exchanges. Terrorism still a problem but the dreaded nuking of a city by fanatics never took place. (Okay, maybe one). Some people prosper, some starve. Some countries are rich, others are still poor. Technological improvements abound in terms of DNA research, AI, curing disease, etc. For many the world's a better place, but it's not Utopia. We go to work, to school, to the movies--which are now holographic--the same as previous decades. Kids learn more thanks to neural hookups that tie their brains directly into their computer ports, and phone calls are made and answered with circuitry implanted in the bones of the skull. None of it is any more out of the ordinary than iPods or PDAs are now. In short, it's more of the same, with humanity crawling slowly forward, with times of regression. It'll be a world much like ours, just with cooler stuff. Examples: Minority Report (minus the telepathy angle), Star Trek, Century City Likelihood: Highly probable. If we don't kill ourselves I think humanity will just muddle along... Scenario three: Big Brother as God. Technologically and materially we'll be much like Scenario two above. But socially, politically--ah, there's the rub! A world in which religious and philosphical views dictate our personal lives even more than now. Separation of Church and State is gone, replaced by virtual theocracies in which state views on religion and morality shape everything you do. Need a job? Worship the right god (or in some countries, none at all). Call yourself a Christian? Better be the right kind if you want to avoid harassment. Better watch the right TV shows, read the right books, surf the right Web sites, as the Patriot Act will have expanded to give the government the right to monitor anything you do, anytime they feel like it. School prayer is mandatory, Bible studies enforced as part of the curriculum, evolution not only not taught, but a criminal offense to discuss. Newspapers run by the state, reporters little more than hand-picked stooges to filter what info the public receives. In America the two-party system has died off, as only the Constitutional Conservative Christian Party is allowed to field candidates. Behaviour is closely monitored, from the type (and gender) of partner you pick, to the number of kids you can have, how they're raised, and where they go to school. The draft is back, needed to back aggressive policies that often lead to conflict with other countries who don't yet see the Light. Europe in a type of tailspin since the US has broken most ties with it and put unacceptable conditions on the alliances it makes. The loss of US power and support, coupled with the rise of China, threatens the stability of the EU. Other countries, both upset and galvanized by the increasing factionilism and theocratic leaning of the West, see it as an excuse to become even more totalitarian than before. Some become increasingly fanatic about their own religious beliefs, others become more agnostic. Life
RE: [scifinoir2] What will the future hold?
...someone's idea of Utopia will be someone else's idea of Hell... Great point, which makes the idea of a human race reaching harmony in the next century unlikely. Sometimes I still wonder if the only way we'll quickly pull together as a race is due to a threat that almost kills us all. Either a near-apocalyptic war which finally makes us get it, or perhaps an alien invasion scenario that makes us unite. But even then, I doubt it. One, humans, alone among God's creations, can lie to ourselves. Someone would always blame someone else for a nuclear holocaust, and it's possible centuries after healing we'd be at it again, forgetting or denying the realities of what came before. After all, didn't they call WWI The War to end all wars. Yeah, right. Two, from the scifi angle, I've always been a little uncomfortable with using aliens to unite us. It seems to me that is simply replacing certain existing prejudices--racial, gender, class, religious--with another, that against aliens. I remember how in the original Star Trek, Kirk always bragged of how racism was completely eliminated on Earth. Yet I noted plenty of dislike, even prejudice, against aliens, be it human discomfort with Vulcan Logic, or Kirk's innate repulsion to the reptilian Gorn. The one thing Enterprise did right was show how, even though human internal bigotry was all but gone, there was still plenty left over for aliens. Transferring hatred is not the solution. Catastrophic events *can* make us mature as a race, but the downside may not be worth it. Also, as we gain more technology, those events can be worse. The Civil War united many Americans into a stronger Union, but it cost thousands of lives, and Blacks still got screwed. World Wars I and II ultimately created some new, strong alliances, but they also created opposing alliances, killed millions, WWI helped spread a worldwide flu pandemic that killed tens of millions, the impoverished in many countries were even worse off, and some totalitarian governments used the chaos following the wars to establish themselves. The next catastrophic event to make us grow could be devastating due to the power of nuclear or biological weapons likely to be used. Not sure we can afford that. Can Man only grow through this type of suffering? Sometimes I think Scenario Two is the best we can hope for: muddling along slowly, slowly, crawling toward maturity and enlightenment, praying like hell we don't destroy ourselves before we can reach it. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Friday, August 05, 2005 00:33 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] What will the future hold? I think storieswe see usually end or start the way they do because...well, it seems the human tendency is to try to bring order to a universe that tends toward disorder rather than to harmonize with it...Why try to force it into your idea of perfection intead of embracing and working with its uniqueness? Also, all of humanity resists, though unsuccessfully, change. Even the most open-minded of us tend to resist change in some form or another...But for story writers, that's ok...It is conflict that makes the stories interesting. Any one of the scenarios are great to me although Utopia seems the most unrealistic to me...No matter how perfect a world, someone's idea of Utopia will be someone else's idea of Hell, i.e. 'Logan's Run' and 'A Brave New World'...However, I'd love to see a universe where reality shows are outlawed under penalty of death! LOL Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:From a recent conversation. Which scenario seems most likely to you may reflect your current feelings about society, humanity, and the country in which you live: What will the world be like one hundred years from now? Hmmm...let's consult the ol' crystal ball... Scenario one: Utopia. Leaving behind the destructive depencies on fossil fuels and mechanisms, we have returned to Eden. We are one with the Earth, using holistic medicine, eating organic food (much of which is produced from giant kelp farms on the ocean). Solar and wind power provide most of our energy, along with safe, clean fusion. Travel across the world is possible via underground supersonic tubes; cars when used are electric, and use vast intelligent networks to drive you to your destination and avoid accidents. Cities are built with a mind to blend with the environment, rather than disrupt it. The rainforests, coral reefs, plankton, and the ozone layer are all on the rebound. Racism and religious intolerance have been replaced with an embrace of diversity. Worldwide cooperation in the life sciences has cured most disease and yielded phenomenal methods to heal injuries. The average human lives to be 110 years old. Luna and Mars have been colonized and are yielding valuable materials which can only be produced in low-G environments. Humanity is exploring the rest of the Solar
RE: [scifinoir2] What will the future hold?
I sure did, thanks! I meant to send a reply but probably forgot it. My wife is doing better, though it's still hard as hell of course. It has helped us in some ways: i've finally got her jotting down her thoughts in a journal, and I've been writing more consistenly. How you doin'? -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Friday, August 05, 2005 00:35 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] What will the future hold? BTW, Keith, did you get my email?? I meant it to sooth some of the rough times you endured recently...I hope all is well with you now... Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:From a recent conversation. Which scenario seems most likely to you may reflect your current feelings about society, humanity, and the country in which you live: What will the world be like one hundred years from now? Hmmm...let's consult the ol' crystal ball... Scenario one: Utopia. Leaving behind the destructive depencies on fossil fuels and mechanisms, we have returned to Eden. We are one with the Earth, using holistic medicine, eating organic food (much of which is produced from giant kelp farms on the ocean). Solar and wind power provide most of our energy, along with safe, clean fusion. Travel across the world is possible via underground supersonic tubes; cars when used are electric, and use vast intelligent networks to drive you to your destination and avoid accidents. Cities are built with a mind to blend with the environment, rather than disrupt it. The rainforests, coral reefs, plankton, and the ozone layer are all on the rebound. Racism and religious intolerance have been replaced with an embrace of diversity. Worldwide cooperation in the life sciences has cured most disease and yielded phenomenal methods to heal injuries. The average human lives to be 110 years old. Luna and Mars have been colonized and are yielding valuable materials which can only be produced in low-G environments. Humanity is exploring the rest of the Solar System in ships which ride the solar winds. Wal-Mart is no more. American Idol has been outlawed. Examples: Can't think of a single bloody movie or book at the moment--at least, not one that doesn't end with Satan crawling back into Paradise and ruining things Likelihood: Not sure how likely this future is. I'll ask the Easter Bunny and Santa what they think next time I see them... Scenario two: Status quo. The world goes on much the way it always has. Some good times, some bad. Good leaders, crooked leaders. Rogue states, and cooperative alliances. Lots of wars still being fought, just no world wars, no nuclear exchanges. Terrorism still a problem but the dreaded nuking of a city by fanatics never took place. (Okay, maybe one). Some people prosper, some starve. Some countries are rich, others are still poor. Technological improvements abound in terms of DNA research, AI, curing disease, etc. For many the world's a better place, but it's not Utopia. We go to work, to school, to the movies--which are now holographic--the same as previous decades. Kids learn more thanks to neural hookups that tie their brains directly into their computer ports, and phone calls are made and answered with circuitry implanted in the bones of the skull. None of it is any more out of the ordinary than iPods or PDAs are now. In short, it's more of the same, with humanity crawling slowly forward, with times of regression. It'll be a world much like ours, just with cooler stuff. Examples: Minority Report (minus the telepathy angle), Star Trek, Century City Likelihood: Highly probable. If we don't kill ourselves I think humanity will just muddle along... Scenario three: Big Brother as God. Technologically and materially we'll be much like Scenario two above. But socially, politically--ah, there's the rub! A world in which religious and philosphical views dictate our personal lives even more than now. Separation of Church and State is gone, replaced by virtual theocracies in which state views on religion and morality shape everything you do. Need a job? Worship the right god (or in some countries, none at all). Call yourself a Christian? Better be the right kind if you want to avoid harassment. Better watch the right TV shows, read the right books, surf the right Web sites, as the Patriot Act will have expanded to give the government the right to monitor anything you do, anytime they feel like it. School prayer is mandatory, Bible studies enforced as part of the curriculum, evolution not only not taught, but a criminal offense to discuss. Newspapers run by the state, reporters little more than hand-picked stooges to filter what info the public receives. In America the two-party system has died off, as only the Constitutional Conservative Christian Party is allowed to field candidates. Behaviour is closely monitored, from the type (and gender) of partner you pick, to the number of kids you can have, how
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: What does Sci-Fi have against Black people?
Like many of y'all have said--better than me, I might add--it ultimately boils down to us controlling our own. Between whites that are prejudiced, whites that aren't prejudiced but let market factors shaped by *other* whites influence their decisions, and whites that simply don't get it, we're always fighting an uphill battle. Why are so many Blacks in scifi often used as aliens that are either weird looking, or noble savages? I've complained more than once that Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis each use the noble savage in Teal'c and Teyla. Did you know that Rodney's character (the nerdy, grouchy, scary genius on Atlantis) was originally written for a Black man? The producers claim they couldn't find a Brother to really fit the role, so they brought in Rodney! Even then, what was odd was that the man they wanted was described as an elderly Black man. I have *nothing* against older actors. Indeed, I celebrate their usage, which is too infrequent. But it's strange that so often white geniuses (Daniel Jackson, Samatha Carter) are often depicted as young, vibrant, and attractive, but Black ones--when depicted--are often older, nerdier, unattractive. Strange. We could go on asking questions such as why someone like Will Smith still can't make a movie where he has a Black love interest, but again, it's back to us doing our own... -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of DJ VIBE Sent: Friday, August 05, 2005 09:16 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: What does Sci-Fi have against Black people? --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: i posted about this during Season one of Galactica and did a count of Blacks. I counted about three or four, incuding the comm officer and some nameless pilots (I assume) used in the background. I then found a lot of Blacks existed afterall: on the prison barge! When Apollo was sent over there to quell the riots, the place was lousy with Big Black Man, most of them dark-skinned as hell and bald... See, you guys have me ROFLMBAO! I'm gonna double-check for that when I get the Season 1 DVD in September, but you're probably right and IIRC, Saggiterion, where Zarek and his followers are from, is considered the ghetto of the colonies. Go figure. _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS *Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. *To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- font face=arial size=-1a href=http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12hercgds/M=362335.6886444.7839734.2575449/D=groups/S=1705034827:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1123259846/A=2894362/R=0/SIG=138c78jl6/*http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/arts_culture/?source=YAHOOcmpgn=GRPRTP=http://groups.yahoo.com/;What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater?Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good/a./font ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: What does Sci-Fi have against Black people?
Oh yeah, I'm aware of it. I follow the videogame industry quite closely. I've even posted some articles on it here, such as the new phenomenon where actors, musicians, and atheletes now count starring in games as being as important as getting good endorsement deals. The issue of race is a huge one in gaming, and, as this article says, worse than that of gender. It's a male-dominated industry, true. But at least in RPGs--notably the Japanese ones--you get women used as heroines. Often part of a team, many times as the stars. Blacks are rarely seen in traditional RPGs: funny that you can have elves, giants, orcs, fairies, dudes with purple hair, etc., but no Brothers. And when Blacks are featured in such games, they're invariably shown as huge and hulking. Look at many fighting games, a genre which does feature Blacks. From the classic Street Fighter, to Streets of Rage (Bare Knuckle in Japan), to Soul Calibur, the Asian and white characters usually have skills such as speed, dexterity, flexiblity, agility, and are masters of a number of impressive martial arts. Black fighters are almost always rated high on size, strength, and cruder, more brutal fighting, such as boxing. A classic example is the Mike Tyson-like character in Street Fighter 2 who fought in a Vegas scene which was filled with Black pimps and prostitutes. The other characters had speed, superhuman skills and powers, he was just a big brawler. For years, the Big Black Guy has been a staple in gaming. We never get the slicker abilities. With the advent of the more realistic games like Grand Theft Auto, designers opened a new world in which games are based more on real environments. Unfortunately the realities they've chosen to portray have often been the inner city, gang-ridden, crime overrun ghettoes. Hence the Brother in GTA San Andreas, the roster of rappers starring in the fighter Def Jam Vendetta, and others. Oh: we also star in a host of football and basketball games, and show up as soldiers too--always subordinate to a white commander. Video games are becoming a huge part of our culture. They're as entrenched as TV and the Internet. The gaming industry is making money that meets or exceeds that of the film industry, billions of dollars. A single game like GTA or Halo can sell millions of units and be seen the world over by people from several cultures. What a sobering thought that the image of Blacks as hulking, graceless, thuglike pimps and gangsters is what Japanese and European gamers are seeing. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of g123curious Sent: Friday, August 05, 2005 16:02 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: What does Sci-Fi have against Black people? [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Like many of y'all have said--better than me, I might add--it ultimately boils down to us controlling our own. Between whites that are prejudiced, whites that aren't prejudiced but let market factors shaped by *other* whites influence their decisions, and whites that simply don't get it, we're always fighting an uphill battle. Why are so many Blacks in scifi often used as aliens that are either weird looking, or noble savages? Don't forget how we are portrayed in video games, where we now seem to be getting more and more leading roles like CJ. See below. That's part of the problem, too. It's good to read about this brother, Armstrong, who is taking action. George - - - - - - - - - http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/fun.games/08/05/minority.gaming.ap/index .html Drawing minorities into gaming Push for more black, Hispanic heroes in video games Friday, August 5, 2005; Posted: 12:07 p.m. EDT (16:07 GMT) [Photograph. Caption: Urban Video Game Institute co-founder Joseph Saulter, demonstrates 3D animation software.] ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- In the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, players assume the lead character of Carl Johnson, a down-on-his-luck criminal who roams city streets, stealing cars and helping gang members knock off rivals in drive-by shootings. CJ, as he's known by his pals, is black -- and to some in the video game industry, that's a problem. A growing number of people in the booming industry believe there should be more black and Hispanic heroes and heroines instead of hoods and hoodlums. Not everybody goes outside with bling-bling and listens to rap music all day, says Amil Tomlin, a black 15-year-old from Baltimore who plays hours of video games each day. Among those trying to paint a different racial picture is Mario Armstrong, who hosts a weekly National Public Radio program on technology. He and two fellow black colleagues have started the Urban Video Game Academy, a virtual programming boot camp for minorities. It's been said that a bunch of nerdy white guys are creating these games, Armstrong said. The problem with a bunch of white guys creating the games is that the story isn't being created with
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: What does Sci-Fi have against Black people?
Didn't know of Gordo. There is a new Black character in Soul Calibur 2. Not sure what his powers are... -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly Wright Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2005 09:33 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: What does Sci-Fi have against Black people? A notable exception was Eddie Gordo from Tekken 3. Unfortunately, Eddie was replaced by Christine in Tekken 4 (although he can be unlocked in both Tekken 4 and 5). I have read there is an African-American character named Raven http://www.tekken-official.jp/tekken5/character/raven_e.html in Tekken 5, who borrows quite a bit from Wesley Snipes' Blade, but I can't confirm this as I have been through with Tekken since they deep-sixed Eddie. See the excellent article on Eddie Gordo from Planet Capoeira. http://www.capoeira.com/planetcapoeira/articles/gordo.htm A few years ago the video game developer Namco released Tekken 3 to arcades, the third in a series of hugely successful video games. Introduced into this game was the world's first video game capoeirista. Surprisingly, the developers of the game did a pretty good job representing the art form. Certainly, there was some artistic license in the name of bombastic video flash, but overall not bad for a first try. At the time of development they used the then cutting edge technology of video motion capturing, hooking a real life capoeirista (Marcelo Pereira, i.e. Mestre Caveirinha of Capoeira Mandinga) up to some electrodes and sensors, and capturing his movements for all time into the annals of video game history. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Oh yeah, I'm aware of it. I follow the videogame industry quite closely. I've even posted some articles on it here, such as the new phenomenon where actors, musicians, and atheletes now count starring in games as being as important as getting good endorsement deals. The issue of race is a huge one in gaming, and, as this article says, worse than that of gender. It's a male-dominated industry, true. But at least in RPGs--notably the Japanese ones--you get women used as heroines. Often part of a team, many times as the stars. Blacks are rarely seen in traditional RPGs: funny that you can have elves, giants, orcs, fairies, dudes with purple hair, etc., but no Brothers. And when Blacks are featured in such games, they're invariably shown as huge and hulking. Look at many fighting games, a genre which does feature Blacks. From the classic Street Fighter, to Streets of Rage (Bare Knuckle in Japan), to Soul Calibur, the Asian and white characters usually have skills such as speed, dexterity, flexiblity, agility, and are masters of a number of impressive martial arts. Black fighters are almost always rated high on size, strength, and cruder, more brutal fighting, such as boxing. A classic example is the Mike Tyson-like character in Street Fighter 2 who fought in a Vegas scene which was filled with Black pimps and prostitutes. The other characters had speed, superhuman skills and powers, he was just a big brawler. For years, the Big Black Guy has been a staple in gaming. We never get the slicker abilities. With the advent of the more realistic games like Grand Theft Auto, designers opened a new world in which games are based more on real environments. Unfortunately the realities they've chosen to portray have often been the inner city, gang-ridden, crime overrun ghettoes. Hence the Brother in GTA San Andreas, the roster of rappers starring in the fighter Def Jam Vendetta, and others. Oh: we also star in a host of football and basketball games, and show up as soldiers too--always subordinate to a white commander. Video games are becoming a huge part of our culture. They're as entrenched as TV and the Internet. The gaming industry is making money that meets or exceeds that of the film industry, billions of dollars. A single game like GTA or Halo can sell millions of units and be seen the world over by people from several cultures. What a sobering thought that the image of Blacks as hulking, graceless, thuglike pimps and gangsters is what Japanese and European gamers are seeing. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of g123curious Sent: Friday, August 05, 2005 16:02 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: What does Sci-Fi have against Black people? [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Like many of y'all have said--better than me, I might add--it ultimately boils down to us controlling our own. Between whites that are prejudiced, whites that aren't prejudiced but let market factors shaped by *other* whites influence their decisions, and whites that simply don't get it, we're always fighting an uphill battle. Why are so many Blacks in scifi often used as aliens that are either weird
[scifinoir2] Germans aren't excited about videogames
I find this fascinating. You know I follow the gaming industry for its cultural impact, its growing economic power, which now rivals (perhaps surpasses) the movie industry's. Its potential for education and even further opening up the communication potential of the Net. I guess I'd taken it for granted that gaming was growing exponentially all over the world. It's definitely a force in the US and Asia. Australia has enough gaming concerns to make games like Grand Theft Auto bones of contention (Australia bans a lot of mature games). Europe is generically spoken of as one monolithic unit. So imagine my surprise to know that Germans have yet to see anything important in gaming. What, do they have the unmitigated gall to read and write and go to the theatre and take strolls, rather than gluing their eyes to a TV screen? Very interesting. Do you know of any other countries that haven't gotten into the video game revolution? Not because they're poor and can't afford it (many Latin and African countries) but because the people simply aren't that interested? Germany video games fair opens amid image problems By Georgina ProdhanThu Aug 18, 6:42 AM ET Europe's biggest computer games fair opened its doors to the public on Thursday, with its German hosts expecting more visitors than ever but still fighting an image problem in the country. As they prepared to welcome at least 110,000 video games enthusiasts in the German city of Leipzig, exhibitors scratched their heads as to why they were still unable to crack the gaming market in Europe's biggest but slowest-growing economy. We have some way to catch up, to put it mildly, the fair's director, Josef Rahman, told a news conference. It's a very important industry and we shouldn't leave it all to our American, Japanese and English friends. Organizers said Germans had spent 466 million euros on video games last year, 15 percent more than in the previous year but still a tiny proportion of the estimated $25 billion spent globally on games software and hardware each year. Germany, with a population of more than 80 million, lags far behind not only the United States and Japan but also smaller European neighbors Britain and France in terms of the proportion of households that have games consoles. Gerhard Florin, European manager of the world's biggest games software publisher, Electronic Arts (Nasdaq:ERTS - news), said a battle still had to be fought against the perception that computer games made young people stupid. I'm often asked when I'm abroad, in connection with our industry: 'What is wrong with the Germans?' he said in a keynote speech at the fair's opening. Florin said plain ignorance about the industry was often to blame, and called for a public education campaign, warning that Germany could otherwise find itself in a cultural backwater. Germany was definitely a cultural leader in the age of pictures and books in the 19th century -- but already in the 20th century of films, TV or music this wasn't true any more. Germany shouldn't allow itself another century of cultural silence, he said, adding that the computer-games industry was already bigger than the film industry and was set to overtake videos, too. IT'S NOT BAD TO READ BOOKS The Games Convention's Organizers are trying to ensure not only that the German market opens up but also that the German economy will benefit. Currently, there is no major games software or hardware company in the country. By contrast, Canada -- a nation which has less than half of Germany's population -- has the world's biggest video-games studio in Vancouver, and the hit Grand Theft Auto games were developed in Scotland. Alongside the Leipzig games fair, Organizers are trying to foster a games-creation hothouse with a three-day developer conference, which this year attracted more than 450 participants from 14 countries. Our developers don't have the access to the international market that they should, given that we are a major industrial nation, said fair director Rahmen. The fair's Organizers have enlisted the Federal Association for Interactive Entertainment Software and the Children's Charity of Germany to help with campaigning. Parents can visit a special family-themed, education-oriented section of the fair and adults accompanying children pay a reduced daily entry fee of 7 euros, compared with the full price of 10 euros. Dirk Hoeschen, spokesman for the Children's Charity, blamed a lack of computer awareness from an early age, saying that German schoolchildren used computers far less than their counterparts in other European countries. It's impossible to understand why computers aren't used in kindergartens, he said, blaming a too-high regard for the book over other media. Electronic Arts' Florin was diplomatic. It's not bad to read books but it's just as good to play games. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi!
I stand 6'1, weigh about 210 pounds, yet eat very little meat for my size. Everyone expresses surprise at how little meat I eat. I workout a great deal and always seem to have high energy. A few years ago when this weight consisted of more fat (now it's hopefully more muscle with a little fat left) I went cold-turkey vegan for three months. Though I missed the barbecue, Mexican food (beef), and ham with my pancakes, I did surprisingly well. My wife, however, had a terrible time. She could barely last two weeks, and was always craving meat. It wasn't until much later that you and others made me aware of the whole blood type thing. I'm type AB, which according to that Web site you (?) posted, doesn't need much meat. Indeed, AB needs to stay away from a wide range of meat and dairy products. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of M C Jennings Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 14:25 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! Everybody does not do well as vegetarian(s). Check out your blood type. If you're a type 'A' like I am, vegetarian is the way to go. On the other hand type 'O', the original type, is a meat-eating type. Got it from the original diet. Type 'A' evolved after humans settled down and began to grow stuff. Type 'B' is mostly Asian, and AB is the latest evolved type. VERY sketchy, but since I've started paying attention to my diet according to my blood type, I've had a lot less trouble because of food reactions. When I stopped eating red meat, my cholesterol dropped way down into the normal range even though I still pigged out on some really ugly foods. After I had a recent operation, I let my craving for protein lead me to red meat, and my cholesterol is way up again...I'm getting it back under control .. Maurice ---Original Message--- From: Meta Date: 08/18/05 11:43:22 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, g123curious [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Feeling depressed? Are you disappointed with the current crop of sci- fi TV shows and films? Are you upset with your government and the current state of politics? Don't despair. There is balance in the universe. Things are never as bad as they seem. Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi. This should bring a huge smile to your face: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/15/austrian_signs/ Enjoy! George Captain The USS Ronald E. McNair (Boston) I was very surprised at my results. My footprint is 2.1 and planets needed was 1.2. I think the meat eating got me. I've got my family down to a few days a week on average of no meat, but as Dad is a serious carnivore, so far no meat dinner is out of the question. Meta YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group scifinoir2 on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS *Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. *To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- font face=arial size=-1a href=http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12heqonhr/M=362335.6886444.7839734.2575449/D=groups/S=1705034827:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1124412420/A=2894362/R=0/SIG=138c78jl6/*http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/arts_culture/?source=YAHOOcmpgn=GRPRTP=http://groups.yahoo.com/;What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater?Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good/a./font ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi!
Ha-ha! The one addiction I have is to ice cream. I try very hard to only eat ice cream on the weekends. Try to leave hamburgers and stuff to the weekends too. That usually works, unless I start the weekend early. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 19:53 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! I have to ask...What about those Coke and vanilla ice cream floats??? Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:I stand 6'1, weigh about 210 pounds, yet eat very little meat for my size. Everyone expresses surprise at how little meat I eat. I workout a great deal and always seem to have high energy. A few years ago when this weight consisted of more fat (now it's hopefully more muscle with a little fat left) I went cold-turkey vegan for three months. Though I missed the barbecue, Mexican food (beef), and ham with my pancakes, I did surprisingly well. My wife, however, had a terrible time. She could barely last two weeks, and was always craving meat. It wasn't until much later that you and others made me aware of the whole blood type thing. I'm type AB, which according to that Web site you (?) posted, doesn't need much meat. Indeed, AB needs to stay away from a wide range of meat and dairy products. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of M C Jennings Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 14:25 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! Everybody does not do well as vegetarian(s). Check out your blood type. If you're a type 'A' like I am, vegetarian is the way to go. On the other hand type 'O', the original type, is a meat-eating type. Got it from the original diet. Type 'A' evolved after humans settled down and began to grow stuff. Type 'B' is mostly Asian, and AB is the latest evolved type. VERY sketchy, but since I've started paying attention to my diet according to my blood type, I've had a lot less trouble because of food reactions. When I stopped eating red meat, my cholesterol dropped way down into the normal range even though I still pigged out on some really ugly foods. After I had a recent operation, I let my craving for protein lead me to red meat, and my cholesterol is way up again...I'm getting it back under control .. Maurice ---Original Message--- From: Meta Date: 08/18/05 11:43:22 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, g123curious [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Feeling depressed? Are you disappointed with the current crop of sci- fi TV shows and films? Are you upset with your government and the current state of politics? Don't despair. There is balance in the universe. Things are never as bad as they seem. Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi. This should bring a huge smile to your face: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/15/austrian_signs/ Enjoy! George Captain The USS Ronald E. McNair (Boston) I was very surprised at my results. My footprint is 2.1 and planets needed was 1.2. I think the meat eating got me. I've got my family down to a few days a week on average of no meat, but as Dad is a serious carnivore, so far no meat dinner is out of the question. Meta YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group scifinoir2 on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS * Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] - YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group scifinoir2 on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. - __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS *Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. *To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi!
Yumm! Psyllium husks! Reminds me of the old Coneheads skit on Saturday Night Live: Dehydrated fruit pulp (Tang). Shredded swine flesh (bacon). Yum! Fried chicken embryoes! I use it too though... -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of M C Jennings Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 02:01 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! Trust me! I understand! I also use psyllium Husks (gentle fiber) in water, and this helps to move poisoned foods through my system. So does Colon Hydrotherapy... Maurice ---Original Message--- From: Keith Johnson Date: 08/18/05 21:57:46 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! Ha-ha! The one addiction I have is to ice cream. I try very hard to only eat ice cream on the weekends. Try to leave hamburgers and stuff to the weekends too. That usually works, unless I start the weekend early. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 19:53 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! I have to ask...What about those Coke and vanilla ice cream floats??? Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:I stand 6'1, weigh about 210 pounds, yet eat very little meat for my size. Everyone expresses surprise at how little meat I eat. I workout a great deal and always seem to have high energy. A few years ago when this weight consisted of more fat (now it's hopefully more muscle with a little fat left) I went cold-turkey vegan for three months. Though I missed the barbecue, Mexican food (beef), and ham with my pancakes, I did surprisingly well. My wife, however, had a terrible time. She could barely last two weeks, and was always craving meat. It wasn't until much later that you and others made me aware of the whole blood type thing. I'm type AB, which according to that Web site you (?) posted, doesn't need much meat. Indeed, AB needs to stay away from a wide range of meat and dairy products. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of M C Jennings Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 14:25 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! Everybody does not do well as vegetarian(s). Check out your blood type. If you're a type 'A' like I am, vegetarian is the way to go. On the other hand type 'O', the original type, is a meat-eating type. Got it from the original diet. Type 'A' evolved after humans settled down and began to grow stuff. Type 'B' is mostly Asian, and AB is the latest evolved type. VERY sketchy, but since I've started paying attention to my diet according to my blood type, I've had a lot less trouble because of food reactions. When I stopped eating red meat, my cholesterol dropped way down into the normal range even though I still pigged out on some really ugly foods. After I had a recent operation, I let my craving for protein lead me to red meat, and my cholesterol is way up again...I'm getting it back under control ... Maurice ---Original Message--- From: Meta Date: 08/18/05 11:43:22 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, g123curious [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Feeling depressed? Are you disappointed with the current crop of sci- fi TV shows and films? Are you upset with your government and the current state of politics? Don't despair. There is balance in the universe. Things are never as bad as they seem. Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi. This should bring a huge smile to your face: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/15/austrian_signs/ Enjoy! George Captain The USS Ronald E. McNair (Boston) I was very surprised at my results. My footprint is 2.1 and planets needed was 1.2. I think the meat eating got me. I've got my family down to a few days a week on average of no meat, but as Dad is a serious carnivore, so far no meat dinner is out of the question. Meta YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group scifinoir2 on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS * Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi!
Had a bad week for some reason. It may because I had to be at work at 5 am three days out of the last five, doing five-hour server upgrades each time. I was too tired to workout like I needed, yet my schedule kept me from eating well (I usuallly take time to prepare breakfast, lunch, and snacks to eat at work so I avoid the pitfuls of eating out). So I'd get home tired yet hyper, pissed off, and hungry. Next thing I know I'm downing ice cream shakes. I've polished off three gallons of ice cream in the last week. So I'll be hitting the road about 7 in the am tomorrow to run off some of the calories I picked up. It's amazing how one can be biochemically configured to respond favorably to various smells or tastes. I consider myself to be very disciplined, but ice cream is a true weakness. I also have an amazing reaction to the smell and taste of vanilla. Give me a vanilla bean pod and I'm like a cat with catnip. I probably drop two tablespoons of vanilla extract into each milkshake I make.The smell has an amazing affect. The same with the smell of roses for me. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 14:22 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! The same with me and rootbeer or gingerale ice cream floats... Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Ha-ha! The one addiction I have is to ice cream. I try very hard to only eat ice cream on the weekends. Try to leave hamburgers and stuff to the weekends too. That usually works, unless I start the weekend early. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 19:53 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! I have to ask...What about those Coke and vanilla ice cream floats??? Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:I stand 6'1, weigh about 210 pounds, yet eat very little meat for my size. Everyone expresses surprise at how little meat I eat. I workout a great deal and always seem to have high energy. A few years ago when this weight consisted of more fat (now it's hopefully more muscle with a little fat left) I went cold-turkey vegan for three months. Though I missed the barbecue, Mexican food (beef), and ham with my pancakes, I did surprisingly well. My wife, however, had a terrible time. She could barely last two weeks, and was always craving meat. It wasn't until much later that you and others made me aware of the whole blood type thing. I'm type AB, which according to that Web site you (?) posted, doesn't need much meat. Indeed, AB needs to stay away from a wide range of meat and dairy products. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of M C Jennings Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 14:25 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! Everybody does not do well as vegetarian(s). Check out your blood type. If you're a type 'A' like I am, vegetarian is the way to go. On the other hand type 'O', the original type, is a meat-eating type. Got it from the original diet. Type 'A' evolved after humans settled down and began to grow stuff. Type 'B' is mostly Asian, and AB is the latest evolved type. VERY sketchy, but since I've started paying attention to my diet according to my blood type, I've had a lot less trouble because of food reactions. When I stopped eating red meat, my cholesterol dropped way down into the normal range even though I still pigged out on some really ugly foods. After I had a recent operation, I let my craving for protein lead me to red meat, and my cholesterol is way up again...I'm getting it back under control .. Maurice ---Original Message--- From: Meta Date: 08/18/05 11:43:22 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, g123curious [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Feeling depressed? Are you disappointed with the current crop of sci- fi TV shows and films? Are you upset with your government and the current state of politics? Don't despair. There is balance in the universe. Things are never as bad as they seem. Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi. This should bring a huge smile to your face: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/15/austrian_signs/ Enjoy! George Captain The USS Ronald E. McNair (Boston) I was very surprised at my results. My footprint is 2.1 and planets needed was 1.2. I think the meat eating got me. I've got my family down to a few days a week on average of no meat, but as Dad is a serious carnivore, so far no meat dinner is out of the question. Meta YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group scifinoir2 on the web
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi!
You brought up a point I hadn't mentioned: I do have dairy allergies. When i was born my mom had to give me soy milk because of that. When I drink milk or eat dairy, I immediately get mucous buildup exactly as if I had a head cold. It's one reason I try to stay away from dairy. This past week was a rare breakdown. Not sure exactly what meat is bad for me, but I know how my body feels sluggish when I eat certain types. When I did my vegan thing, I slowly re-introduced meat, and was able to note the specific effects of different types as I ate them. Red meat is of course the worst, so I limit my consumption of hamburger or beef to something like once a month. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of M C Jennings Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 02:03 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! I hear you, Keith! I LOVE Vanilla, and/or the smell of it. I get vanilla flavored Rice Milk and/or Soy Milk. It helps. I used to be an ice cream fiend, tooPistachio! The doctor I went to after my stomach and hemhorroids became acutely bloody told me that cravings like that are a red flag for foods we're allergic to. He was right. I hated him for ruining my one true addiction. I thanked him later when I was was able to tie my bleeding directly to the dairy products. Now, I'd rather eat Crisco than Ice Cream. Not an option either, by the way! LOLLOL! Man, that cycle you were forced into this past week has got to have a name. It happens way too much! I remember spending nights sleeping in chairs back in the day, making software fixes, re-writing code on a customer's site, and testing. You're bringing back great memories, my friend. Thanks! Hope that doesn't happen to you often...! Maurice ---Original Message--- From: Keith Johnson Date: 08/19/05 22:12:32 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! Had a bad week for some reason. It may because I had to be at work at 5 am three days out of the last five, doing five-hour server upgrades each time. I was too tired to workout like I needed, yet my schedule kept me from eating well (I usuallly take time to prepare breakfast, lunch, and snacks to eat at work so I avoid the pitfuls of eating out). So I'd get home tired yet hyper, pissed off, and hungry. Next thing I know I'm downing ice cream shakes. I've polished off three gallons of ice cream in the last week. So I'll be hitting the road about 7 in the am tomorrow to run off some of the calories I picked up. It's amazing how one can be biochemically configured to respond favorably to various smells or tastes. I consider myself to be very disciplined, but ice cream is a true weakness. I also have an amazing reaction to the smell and taste of vanilla. Give me a vanilla bean pod and I'm like a cat with catnip. I probably drop two tablespoons of vanilla extract into each milkshake I make.The smell has an amazing affect. The same with the smell of roses for me. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 14:22 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! The same with me and rootbeer or gingerale ice cream floats... Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Ha-ha! The one addiction I have is to ice cream. I try very hard to only eat ice cream on the weekends. Try to leave hamburgers and stuff to the weekends too. That usually works, unless I start the weekend early. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 19:53 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! I have to ask...What about those Coke and vanilla ice cream floats??? Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:I stand 6'1, weigh about 210 pounds, yet eat very little meat for my size. Everyone expresses surprise at how little meat I eat. I workout a great deal and always seem to have high energy. A few years ago when this weight consisted of more fat (now it's hopefully more muscle with a little fat left) I went cold-turkey vegan for three months. Though I missed the barbecue, Mexican food (beef), and ham with my pancakes, I did surprisingly well. My wife, however, had a terrible time. She could barely last two weeks, and was always craving meat. It wasn't until much later that you and others made me aware of the whole blood type thing. I'm type AB, which according to that Web site you (?) posted, doesn't need much meat. Indeed, AB needs to stay away from a wide range of meat and dairy products. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi!
Amen! What kind of IT work did you do? Still in it? I'm trying to move from the LAN admin stuff I'm doing (which is a very broad category that can cover everything from grunt work to fairly high-level sys admin stuff, depending on the company or on the particular needs at the moment). Goal is to move more toward the strategic planning arena. I like IT, but finally at the point where I'm tired of having to be up on the latest technology all the time. Doing it for myself is fine--I'm currently in the process of building a Linux server--but the often hectic pace of becoming an expert for a job is getting old. Also, I'm really serious about this writing thing (as my long e-mails often state!) and I can't afford the extra time such jobs demand. You're always having to study and check and keep on top of things, and that usually means little downtime to goof off at work, and a need to do more work at home. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of M C Jennings Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 02:05 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! Murphy says...Fixes don't, software isn't, and upgrades aren't! Maurice ---Original Message--- From: Astromancer Date: 08/19/05 23:13:14 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! Um Keith...I think you response to vanilla is more Pavlovian than biochemical...lol...and you're starting to frighten me...I am thinking about going into the maintenence side of the computer field, but if you keep shring these 'delightful stories' about five hour upgrades, I might bolt and run... Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Had a bad week for some reason. It may because I had to be at work at 5 am three days out of the last five, doing five-hour server upgrades each time. I was too tired to workout like I needed, yet my schedule kept me from eating well (I usuallly take time to prepare breakfast, lunch, and snacks to eat at work so I avoid the pitfuls of eating out). So I'd get home tired yet hyper, pissed off, and hungry. Next thing I know I'm downing ice cream shakes. I've polished off three gallons of ice cream in the last week. So I'll be hitting the road about 7 in the am tomorrow to run off some of the calories I picked up. It's amazing how one can be biochemically configured to respond favorably to various smells or tastes. I consider myself to be very disciplined, but ice cream is a true weakness. I also have an amazing reaction to the smell and taste of vanilla. Give me a vanilla bean pod and I'm like a cat with catnip. I probably drop two tablespoons of vanilla extract into each milkshake I make.The smell has an amazing affect. The same with the smell of roses for me. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 14:22 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! The same with me and rootbeer or gingerale ice cream floats... Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Ha-ha! The one addiction I have is to ice cream. I try very hard to only eat ice cream on the weekends. Try to leave hamburgers and stuff to the weekends too. That usually works, unless I start the weekend early. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 19:53 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! I have to ask...What about those Coke and vanilla ice cream floats??? Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:I stand 6'1, weigh about 210 pounds, yet eat very little meat for my size. Everyone expresses surprise at how little meat I eat. I workout a great deal and always seem to have high energy. A few years ago when this weight consisted of more fat (now it's hopefully more muscle with a little fat left) I went cold-turkey vegan for three months. Though I missed the barbecue, Mexican food (beef), and ham with my pancakes, I did surprisingly well. My wife, however, had a terrible time. She could barely last two weeks, and was always craving meat. It wasn't until much later that you and others made me aware of the whole blood type thing. I'm type AB, which according to that Web site you (?) posted, doesn't need much meat. Indeed, AB needs to stay away from a wide range of meat and dairy products. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of M C Jennings Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 14:25 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! Everybody does not do well as vegetarian(s). Check out your blood type
RE: [scifinoir2] Star Trek Wiki
Great stuff! I can add this to my other Trek resources, like my tech manuals, interactive CDs, etc. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brent Wodehouse Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 19:37 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [scifinoir2] Star Trek Wiki http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Main_Page _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS *Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. *To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- font face=arial size=-1a href=http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12hr4pkcj/M=362335.6886444.7839734.2575449/D=groups/S=1705034827:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1124650948/A=2894362/R=0/SIG=138c78jl6/*http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/arts_culture/?source=YAHOOcmpgn=GRPRTP=http://groups.yahoo.com/;What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater?Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good/a./font ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Pierce Brosnan Out As James Bond, 007
I still say Ewan McGregor would be a great Bond, but no one seems to agree with me. Clive Owen would have done well, too. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of B. Smith Sent: Monday, August 22, 2005 14:59 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Pierce Brosnan Out As James Bond, 007 --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, yinka oyekunle [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I thought it was said that he will return to this role. Is this old news or is Brosnan outed again? He's supposedly out for good. The Bond people want Daniel Craig from Layer Cake as the new Bond. I like Craig but he doesn't come across as Bond-like to me. --- Brent Wodehouse [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20050817/112429692000.html Pierce Brosnan Out As James Bond, 007 Wednesday August 17 A single, surprising phone call and it was over. That's how Pierce Brosnan says he learned that his services as James Bond would no longer be required. One phone call, that's all it took! the 52-year-old actor tells Entertainment Weekly magazine in its Aug. 19 issue. Brosnan starred in four Bond films. He says that before they stopped negotiations, the producers had invited him back for a fifth time. You know, the movie career for me really started with Bond, says Brosnan, acknowledging that by the time GoldenEye premiered in 1995, he was already 42. He then starred as 007 in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999) and Die Another Day (2002). His departure from the role was a titanic jolt to the system, says Brosnan, followed by a great sense of calm. I thought. ... I can do anything I want to do now. I'm not beholden to them or anyone. I'm not shackled by some contracted image. So there was a sense of liberation. Brosnan says he's grateful to have had the role, but adds: It never felt real to me. I never felt I had complete ownership over Bond. Because you'd have these stupid one-liners which I loathed and I always felt phony doing them. He plays a foulmouthed, skirt-chasing hit man in the upcoming film The Matador. (For this) to come on the heels of my departure from the world of Bond is sweet grace, to play this one as a farewell to that chapter in time it certainly wasn't planned. ___ On the Net: http://www.piercebrosnan.com/ __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS *Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. *To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- font face=arial size=-1a href=http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12h11mp52/M=362335.6886444.7839734.2575449/D=groups/S=1705034827:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1124776622/A=2894362/R=0/SIG=138c78jl6/*http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/arts_culture/?source=YAHOOcmpgn=GRPRTP=http://groups.yahoo.com/;What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater?Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good/a./font ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Movie theater owners fire back at studios
Oh, I don't argue the reality of what's happening. Like I said, i understand that finances and convenience make it desirable for many people to watch films at home. My wife's not so gung ho on going to the theatre as much as I am. I imagine that'll be more true once I get a widescreen theatre setup at home. And the Net's going to be a big player soon, the same way podcasts and stuff on the audio frontier are big. It's just that I still love the theatrical experience, and I worry about what may happen down the road. Will studios turn out cheaper films as the theatre crowd shrinks? (By cheaper I fear not just less money, but less quality, as they're wont to do). Will we get a lot of substandard stuff created for the direct-to-video/cable market? (Imagine all the in-da-hood movies starring the likes of Fat Joe and Mack 10 that now go direct to video). Most importantly, what would a emphasis on home theatre do to the flow, structure, and look of movies? One of the things that bothers me with a lot of folks who watch movies at home is that they often don't watch them in one chunk. I hear lots of people say stuff like I watched the first hour of 'Return of the King' tonight, and I'll catch the rest this weekend. Or they'll start a movie, stop it to cook or talk on the phone, then start it up again an hour or so later. Happens a great deal. I think people miss the feel, the true overall experience, when they watch movies at home like that. I try my hardest to watch a movie like a *movie*, to watch it in one uninterrupted session so the overall experience builds, not gets broken up.But if you know your audience is watching movies like tV shows, would you start changing the structure of those movies, perhaps building in breaking points in the story akin to commercial breaks in episodic TV? And will the look of movies themselves--the camera shots, the panning of the screen--change as films are shot for smaller home screens instead of big theatre screens? I mean, much of the beautiful scenery of Middle EArth, such as the awesome mountains of New Zealand, is lost on the small screen. Unless everyone is assumed to have widescreens at home, perhaps Hollywood will start scaling back the very look of films, since most will be going direct to video. Just thoughts as to what the future holds... -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of g123curious Sent: Monday, August 22, 2005 17:40 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Movie theater owners fire back at studios Unfortunately, it is not as simple as both sides to this argument portray the issue. As I see it, there are at least 5 sets of dates: 1) domestic theatrical release 2) international theatrical release 3) domestic cable release 4) domestic DVD release 5) domestic broadcast TV release Sometimes #2 happens before #1. More often, #1 is before #2. Either way, bootleg DVD copies circulate. Coming soon is the sixth release date: 6) Internet release The theatre owners are fighting an uphill battle as technology and change are against them. NetFlix comes to mind immediately. Economics is going to force it, too. With $3 a gallon gas by Thanksgiving, people in rural areas aren't going to drive as much to the movies. And if the rate of increase goes to $4 a gallon by Easter 2006, the shift in behavior will be even more dramatic. However, with comments like Iger's, the studios are acting short- sighted for at least 2 reasons: - lower production costs enable independents to enter the market and go straight to #4 or #6. Competition, baby... Atom Films and iFilm ain't going away. - Hollywood is no longer the only game in town. As demographics change, the audience is going around Hollywood and other areas such as Bollywood will gain more clout. The last unspoken reason for the behavior change is the reason few want to say publicly... perceived safety. In a post 9-11 world, some people are more comfortable just staying home and viewing movies there. Just my 2 cents... George Captain The USS Ronald E. McNair (Boston) --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I know a lot of you are watching more movies at home, due to reduced costs (no high theatre fees, overpriced food), comfort, and convenience. I imagine that's especially true for those with young kids. And I think that's great. I can't wait for the day when I have a nice HD widescreen setup with great sound. I'll be watching Lord of the Rings and playing Playstation games all day in my own theatre setup. But I still love the movie going experience. For one, even the best home system still doesn't match the spectacle of a huge theatre screen. There's nothing like watching larger-than-life action on thescreen. The panaromic views afforded by a big theatre screen too can't be quite matched by even the biggest home systems, no matter how costly. And, I love the event of going
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Pierce Brosnan Out As James Bond, 007
Good point. You know, I always want to take Hollywood to task for being too youth and looks conscious. Yet Sunday I had a conversation with some friends on what Black person would make a good James Bond. Three of us were considering people like Denzel washington (too obvious in my opinion), and even Don Cheadle (who'd be great). What surprised me was one Sister who kept rejecting Brother after Brother as too ugly. She kept naming people like Shemar Moore, Morris Chestnut, even Christopher Williams (from New Jack City). She kept focusing on only the men considered most handsome, without, in my opinion, looking critically at their acting abilities. Cheadle, for example, who I *know* could pull off a spy role, was rejected out of hand as too small and not handsome. I mused out loud that eternal question, does Hollywood dictate to us the type of actors we want, or do we tell them what we want? Her superficiality was very telling. Anyway, the whole conversation made me realize that some people are just as superficial as Hollywood hopes. It also made me realize that Blacks are sorely lacking what could be a great character: a superspy. Let's not fight for making a Black Bond, let's look at getting our own Black spy with his own story and history. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of B. Smith Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 14:58 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Pierce Brosnan Out As James Bond, 007 Clive Owen was my choice as well. But I hear that they think he's too old, not suave enough, etc. I guess he'll have to settle for some more Oscar nods. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I still say Ewan McGregor would be a great Bond, but no one seems to agree with me. Clive Owen would have done well, too. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of B. Smith Sent: Monday, August 22, 2005 14:59 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Pierce Brosnan Out As James Bond, 007 --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, yinka oyekunle [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I thought it was said that he will return to this role. Is this old news or is Brosnan outed again? He's supposedly out for good. The Bond people want Daniel Craig from Layer Cake as the new Bond. I like Craig but he doesn't come across as Bond-like to me. --- Brent Wodehouse [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20050817/112429692000.html Pierce Brosnan Out As James Bond, 007 Wednesday August 17 A single, surprising phone call and it was over. That's how Pierce Brosnan says he learned that his services as James Bond would no longer be required. One phone call, that's all it took! the 52-year-old actor tells Entertainment Weekly magazine in its Aug. 19 issue. Brosnan starred in four Bond films. He says that before they stopped negotiations, the producers had invited him back for a fifth time. You know, the movie career for me really started with Bond, says Brosnan, acknowledging that by the time GoldenEye premiered in 1995, he was already 42. He then starred as 007 in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999) and Die Another Day (2002). His departure from the role was a titanic jolt to the system, says Brosnan, followed by a great sense of calm. I thought. ... I can do anything I want to do now. I'm not beholden to them or anyone. I'm not shackled by some contracted image. So there was a sense of liberation. Brosnan says he's grateful to have had the role, but adds: It never felt real to me. I never felt I had complete ownership over Bond. Because you'd have these stupid one-liners which I loathed and I always felt phony doing them. He plays a foulmouthed, skirt-chasing hit man in the upcoming film The Matador. (For this) to come on the heels of my departure from the world of Bond is sweet grace, to play this one as a farewell to that chapter in time it certainly wasn't planned. ___ On the Net: http://www.piercebrosnan.com/ __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS * Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] subject=Unsubscribe * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi!
Very interesting background. Would make a great fiction character, a Black detective who uses both technical and traditional investigative skills to solve crimes. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of M C Jennings Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 06:50 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! I was a fair electronics expert in the Air Force, and that skill transferred itself to programming in the sense that I was not intimidated by computers because I understood how they worked... I started off writing in Basic (self-taught), and wrote some time accounting software for my job. My Big boss saw that I had a talent, and he sent me from NJ to Virginia. I was a UNIX expert after about 8 intense schools. I wrote a lot of tech softward in 'C', and some assembler language stuff. This was back in the early '80s. I started as a programmer in 1980, and was promoted to programmer/analyst, Systems Analyst, then Custom Development Software Project Manager. By 1984 I was responsible for our unit programmers providing support for the ATT marketers who were selling ATT's line of computers in direct competition with IBM. I always thought THAT was insane, but hey! LOL! Anyway, we were responsible for developing software to make the computers do what the marketing people told the customers it would do. We had Customers like Chemtrec (The D.C. Haz-Mat people who put the placard rules on trucks, etc.), and the Marriott (They were in the process of gaining control of all of the Interstate restaurants, and building LOTS of hotels. We finally realized we could not be all things to all people, so we started concentrating on super database systems. It was insane, and I was driving to meetings in all the midlantic states up to NY. I had to fly into places like Bluefield, West Virginia. That was a treat! LOLLOL! Anyway, I also used Dbase's programming language, UNIX Shell language.. Informix's new database management package...anything to keep from writing screen software in 'C'. I learned Paschal, but never used it. I have used Fortran for some calculation stuff, and COBOL for more stuff than I want to remember. Uh-oh...all of this is making me remember rehab, too...KIDDING! My rehab was leaving on early retirement and becoming a police officer. I wrote a few systems for our department back in the early '90s. These were enjoyable ..like the Airline pilot who flies a biplane for enjoyment... WOW! Guess I rambled a bit. LOLLOL! Anyway, that was me. My skills are obviously obsolete now, but I'm glad I was there back in the day. My first ATT boss was very astute at wiring programming boards! ---Original Message--- From: Keith Johnson Date: 08/20/05 08:17:17 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! Amen! What kind of IT work did you do? Still in it? I'm trying to move from the LAN admin stuff I'm doing (which is a very broad category that can cover everything from grunt work to fairly high-level sys admin stuff, depending on the company or on the particular needs at the moment). Goal is to move more toward the strategic planning arena. I like IT, but finally at the point where I'm tired of having to be up on the latest technology all the time. Doing it for myself is fine--I'm currently in the process of building a Linux server--but the often hectic pace of becoming an expert for a job is getting old. Also, I'm really serious about this writing thing (as my long e-mails often state!) and I can't afford the extra time such jobs demand. You're always having to study and check and keep on top of things, and that usually means little downtime to goof off at work, and a need to do more work at home. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of M C Jennings Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 02:05 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! Murphy says...Fixes don't, software isn't, and upgrades aren't! Maurice ---Original Message--- From: Astromancer Date: 08/19/05 23:13:14 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Reality is often more interesting than sci-fi! Um Keith...I think you response to vanilla is more Pavlovian than biochemical...lol...and you're starting to frighten me...I am thinking about going into the maintenence side of the computer field, but if you keep shring these 'delightful stories' about five hour upgrades, I might bolt and run... Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Had a bad week for some reason. It may because I had to be at work at 5 am three days out of the last five, doing five-hour server upgrades each time. I was too tired to workout like I needed, yet my schedule kept me
RE: [scifinoir2] DVD format war escalates as talks fail
I've been following this one for a while. I really hope Blu Ray wins out. It has a much higher storage level, which allows for more data and more special stuff on DVDs. The gaming industry would benefit as the next-gen systems could see games so detailed that convential DVDs could be too small for the data. Blu Ray is an overall better, more forward-looking technology. Of course the industry is upset because they'd have to refit their manufacturing facilities for Blu Ray, while HD DVD can be produced in current facilities with little investment needed. I really, really hope we're not going to see the VHS vs. Betamax thing again, where the inferior technology (VHS) won out. You know what's really interesting? We've discussed before that much of the new technology of the Web and home multimedia has been driven by the adult industry. Well, the major adult film production companies have a big voice in this , as they of course churn out billions of dollars worth of DVDs each year. They too have too look at the costs of Blu Ray vs. HD DVD. Can't you see the meetings with reps from Toshiba, Sony, Panansonic, the film industry, Microsoft, and then reps from the likes of VCA and Evil Angel? :) -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brent Wodehouse Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 16:58 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] DVD format war escalates as talks fail http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7886 DVD format war escalates as talks fail 13:10 23 August 2005 NewScientist.com news service Japanese electronics giants said on Tuesday they would go ahead with incompatible formats for next-generation DVDs after talks to reach a common standard failed. The decision presents consumers with a choice much the same as when video cassettes came out in the 1970s. The duelling HD DVD and Blu-ray formats parallel the battle between Betamax and VHS and - a fight which Betamax eventually lost. Next-generation DVDs, expected to hit the mass market late in 2006, are billed as offering cinematic quality images and new possibilities for interactive entertainment. Sony's Blu-ray disc is expected to have a greater storage capacity but also be more expensive to make, at least in the short term, as the format has greater differences from current-generation DVDs. Software schedule Toshiba, maker of the HD DVD (High Density Digital Versatile Disc), said it was still in talks with Blu-ray designer Sony to find a common format but in the absence of an agreement it was going to push ahead with production of its own format. [We are] planning to launch our first HD DVD products by the end of 2006. To do that, we have to start production of software for it by the end of August, a Toshiba spokeswoman said. We have not set a time limit for the talks on a common standard, she added, but we have not reached any concrete agreement yet. A Sony spokesman said future negotiations would be held if there was an opportunity for it. But the Sony spokesman was bullish about Blu-ray becoming the single standard. He said: We have focused on improving our format with many technological breakthroughs. It is desirable that the market has a single format for the next-generation DVD. So Blu-ray has improved itself so that all firms will support the format. Multi-functional hardware After three years of fighting, the two sides agreed in April to study compatibility to prevent a scenario in which future Sony discs do not work on Toshiba players, or vice versa. But even if consumers have headaches when next-generation DVDs first hit mainstream stores, analysts note that the electronics industry has become more sophisticated since VHS and Betamax. In the digital era, it is easier for hardware to become multi-functional. It is different from the analogue period, like with video formats, said Osamu Hirose, an analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Center. The difference between the two formats are things such as pickups and laser wavelength. Eventually, multi-functional DVD players should be able to overcome the difference. Consumers will only have to wait a little until that time comes, he said. Some electronics firms, including Paris-based Thomson, have said they would support both HD DVD and Blu-ray formats. Supporters of the Blu-ray technology include Apple Computer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Samsung Electronics. Among the Hollywood studios, Walt Disney and Sony Pictures Entertainment back Blu-ray, while HD DVD supporters include Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures and Warner Brothers Studios. _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS *Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. *To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Brock Peters, Sisko's 'Father', Dies at 78
Entertainment Tonight and my local NBC affiliate did mention he'd been in Star Trek movies... -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelly Wright Sent: Friday, August 26, 2005 17:25 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Brock Peters, Sisko's 'Father', Dies at 78 Now, see, this is what EYE am talkin' about! So far this (SFN) is the only source that has mentioned Peters stint as Sisko's father. Thanks Brent! ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Brent Wodehouse [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-08-23-peters-obit_x.htm Brock Peters, 'To Kill a Mockingbird' actor, dies at 78 _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS *Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. *To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] It was everything WOTW tried to be (and failed at)!
I still haven't seen Signs, but I agree about War of the Worlds. I only saw the movie once, which for me is saying a great deal. I've seen Batman Begins three times, and will be buying the Sin City DVD. I'll buy the WOTW DVD, but it's not a must-have. It was overall less thrilling than the '50s version with Gene Barry and FX by George Pal (which I've seen at least 20 times). Unless something changes, I'm thinking Batman Begins will be my favorite scifi movie of the year, with Sin City close behind--at least until King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia hit this winter! -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of g123curious Sent: Monday, August 29, 2005 17:54 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] It was everything WOTW tried to be (and failed at)! Last night, I watched the film Signs on DVD. I hadn't seen the theatrical release and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was immediately struck by how it was everything in a good sci-fi story -- aliens, suspense, emotion, discover, fear -- that War of the Worlds tried to be and failed miserably. WOTW even had the little, young precocious girl or child that was strangely insightful. With Signs, Shyamalam developed and directed a far more enjoyable sci-fi story with 1/10 the SFX budget that Spielberg used; with 10 times more suspense and tension. With Signs, you really felt the fear even though the body count was 1/100 of what Spielberg presented in WOTW. One of the best scenes was the way Shyamalam had Gibson's character (and us, the audience) discover the alien lurking in his living room and holding his son. I won't disclose the method, but it was sheer brilliance! IMHO, this is another example that bigger isn't always better. That more and bigger explosions aren't always better or more effective. Spielberg should feel ashamed of himself. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286106/ What did you think of the two films? George Captain The USS Ronald E. McNair (Boston) _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS *Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. *To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: It was everything WOTW tried to be (and failed at)!
Sin City has a look that's like the graphic novel. Think Sky Captain with an adult plot and more impressive coloring. The first few minutes take a bit to get adjusted as you try to decide if it's gimmicky and hokey or brilliant, but in ten minutes or so brilliant wins out. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of g123curious Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 11:34 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: It was everything WOTW tried to be (and failed at)! Keith: Do rent the Signs DVD. I beleive that you'll be glad you did. Then you can compare it to WOTW and wish that you hadn't bought the WOTW DVD. I am glad that I bought the Signs DVD. There is so much subtlety in it that it is easy to miss stuff (e.g., the roof scene). I haven't seen Sin City yet. It looked to cartoony for my tastes. I do agree with you... the George Pal version of WOTW was really goo; and the better of the 2. George --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I still haven't seen Signs, but I agree about War of the Worlds. I only saw the movie once, which for me is saying a great deal. I've seen Batman Begins three times, and will be buying the Sin City DVD. I'll buy the WOTW DVD, but it's not a must-have. It was overall less thrilling than the '50s version with Gene Barry and FX by George Pal (which I've seen at least 20 times). Unless something changes, I'm thinking Batman Begins will be my favorite scifi movie of the year, with Sin City close behind--at least until King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia hit this winter! snip _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS *Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. *To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Life without art music? Keep the arts alive today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/FXrMlA/dnQLAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] When are we going to learn?
We're hearing so much about technology infrastructure failure in New Orleans and Mississippi: lack of cell phone networks, cops draining gas from stranded cars, power gone, backup generators failing in hospitals that went days longer than they should have on emergency power. One guardsman said his men had gone back to ancient times, sending men as runners from place-to-place, as that was the only way to communicate between units. I've long been a proponent of aggressively moving forward to alternative energy sources such as hybrids, solar, and fuel-cell. The naysayers scoff at it as impractical and expensive. But what if there'd been advanced solar power cells on the roofs of the NO hospitals? What if all the buildings--even the cop's communication devices and laptops--ran on portable fuel cells? We could have seen people plugging their oxygen tanks and dialysis machines into outlets receiving power from still-functioning buildings, rather than dying for want of electricity. A year ago I wrote the following as a response to a conversation with someone in this group (was it you, Astro?) about the need to push toward a day when those alternative sources become mainstream sources of energy. In light of what's happened after the hurricane, i think this is still appropros. Sometimes science fiction themes *should* become science fact... [From June 2004] Well, I agree alternative energy sources would be expensive at the start, but so is any new technology. The problem is that we waited too long to get started. Had this country bit the bullet and dedicated funds and research to solar/wind/fuel cell power back during the Energy Crisis of the '70's, we'd have cheaper, more affordable sources by now. It's like the new hybrid cars. Those things are selling like hotcakes, the waiting list is a year or more, yet now some people complain they aren't getting the super gas mileage expected, and they cost too much. Well, if Detroit had seriously started working on hybrids a couple of decades ago, they'd be more advanced and not cost as much. Sometimes you suffer living in a land of plenty. You don't start working on problems until they become critical. We're not very good with longe-range thinking. Americans also don't like to think about doing more than one thing. The ultimate solution is a combination of oil, fuel from other sources such as corn, and the solar/wind/fuel cell thing. No one energy source will meet all our needs in the foreseeable future. But Americans don't like it: it's too complicated. That's what I meant about the land of plenty. In war-torn European and Asian nations they had no choice but to rebuild in the last few decades. They learned there to be more concerned about efficiency and backups than about the biggest and best as Americans do. Many Asians can't afford fancy cars and SUVs, so they ride bikes. Europeans like to travel from one country to the other and love their natural beauty, so they have incredibly efficient rail systems. Many poor nations make it mandatory for large buildings such as hospitals to have realiable backup power systems, as their national grids can't be trusted. Suggest that here and people look at you like you're an alien. I think every large building could/should have fuel cell/solar systems that could power it even if the whole nation's electrical grid were sabotages. But we Americans want the biggest cars with the fanciest stereos, the biggest engines, etc., and didn't care how much oil they were burning. We laughed at alternative fuel advocates as hippy Greenpeace nuts, and the big mega-corporations saw no profit in it. Well now we're reaping the results of our egocentricism, selfishness, and greed. We have no choice. The national mindset HAS to change to start appreciating diverse fuel sources, efficient cars, and an increase in mass transit. As for the oil, it takes millions of years for nature to convert dead animals into the oil found underground. Nothing we take is going to be replenished anytime in the next few thousand years [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Life without art music? Keep the arts alive today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/FXrMlA/dnQLAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] Nagin said slow response cost lives
Nagin said slow response cost lives Sunday, Sept. 4, 2005 7:57 p.m. Frustrated and grieving, Mayor Ray Nagin on Sunday again ripped the painfully slow response of state and federal authorities to the plight of tens of thousands of stranded New Orleanians in the days following Hurricane Katrina, saying their inaction cost lives and caused needless misery. Nagin singled out Gov. Kathleen Blanco for criticism, saying that the governor had asked for 24 hours to think over a decision when time was a luxury that no one, especially refugees, had. When the president and the governor got here, I said, 'Mr. President, Madame Governor, you two have to get in synch. If you don't, more people are going to die. Blanco and Bush met privately at his insistence, Nagin said, after which Bush came out and told Nagin that he had given Blanco two options, and she requested a full day to decide. It would have been great if we could have walked off Air Force One and told the world we had it all worked out, Nagin said. It didn't happen, and more people died. Police spokesman Capt. Marlon Defillo said Sunday that about a dozen corpses were being taken out of the Superdome. The convention center has not been swept yet, he said. Apart from the deaths, Nagin said people needlessly suffered, particularly at the Dome. There was suffering at an unprecedented level in this city, at this place and at the convention center, he said. This is one of the richest countries in the world. I'm looking at my city and I see death and destruction, and I see a lot of it. And I'm pissed. Nagin said while much of the suffering was borne by poor people, it would be a mistake to think it was limited to the poor. When the final script is written, they're going to see that everyone suffered, he said. Not just black people - white people, Hispanics, people from Italy. At the convention center, you had tourists, you had people from hospitals, you had a mixture of people. Asked whether he himself bore responsibility for the debacle, Nagin responded: I'll take what responsibility I have to take. But let me ask you this: When you have a city of 500,000 people, and you have a Category 5 bearing down on you, and the best you've ever done is evacuate 60 percent of the people. and there's never been a mandatory evacuation in this city's history. I did that, and I elevated the level of stress to the citizens. I said to make sure you have a fricking axe in your house. And as a last resort, there are no buildings in the city to withstand a Category 3 storm other than the Superdome, and when that filled up, we started sending them to the convention center. You tell me what else I was supposed to do. Nagin said the government needs to learn quickly from its nightmarishly slow reaction to Katrina. Our response to a significant disaster is appalling, he said. What went down is a national and state disgrace. The mayor said his next fear is that the decomposing bodies of those who died in the storm and its wake will spread disease, via mosquitoes, across the region if the corpses aren't picked up soon. Again, he feels the response has lagged. I requested a crop duster as soon as possible, the mayor said. I still don't see a plane flying. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Life without art music? Keep the arts alive today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/FXrMlA/dnQLAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] Times-Picayune series on dangers to New Orleans
There have been lots of talk about who knew what about the dangers New Orleans faced from hurricanes. Were studies done, how reliable were the levees, etc? The following link takes you to the Times-Picayune site, which has reposted a series of reports the paper did three years ago on these topics. Makes for very interesting reading http://www.nola.com/hurricane/?/washingaway/ The Army Corps of Engineers says the chance of New Orleans-area levees being topped is remote, but admits the estimate is based on 40-year-old calculations. An independent analysis based on updated data and computer modeling done for The Times-Picayune suggests the risk to some areas, including St. Bernard and St. Charles parishes and eastern New Orleans, may be greater than the corps estimates. Corps officials say the agency is studying the problem with an updated model. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Life without art music? Keep the arts alive today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/FXrMlA/dnQLAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] [OT] 25 Stupid Quotes About Hurricane Katrina
Wow, wow, wow! You know, a friend of mine called me last week extremely upset that Dick Cheney hadn't (at that time) visited the hurricane ravaged area. She kept saying Why don't the Republicans get up in arms about this? How can the VP NOT show up immediately? I think she wondered why I--known as a very vocal critic of all things Bush--wasn't equally upset. My response? Because these people are all fools and self-righteous, self-serving idiots. I don't expect anything from them, and thus don't get disappointed as easily. Was I pissed at Cheney? Sure. Upset that his idiot boss once again shows how stupid and out of touch he is, with slow response time (took a couple of days to cut short his vacation), canned we shall overcome speeches, and a complete lack of the guts to take responsibility for the mess he's helped create? Of course. But I cried my tears when Bush won the Presidency once, then twice. I raged and cursed and stormed when he wasted resources and lives on the Iraq invasion. I've yelled myself hoarse at a populace so criminally retarded that they could vote for a man who dodged duty in 'Nam, yet who makes the guy who *did* serve out to be a coward. I've been living in a nightmare I hadn't experienced since the horrible days of Reagan. And everytime I hear Bill Clinton or Hillary Clinton or John Edwards or John Kerry speak, I get depressed over the leadership we *used* to have, the leadership we *might* have had, and the disaster we *do* have. So I try to maintain balance and sanity by realizing it can't last forever. I try to avoid losing my mind with anger and disappointment by reminding myself that the leadership we have now is too stupid to ever do anything worthwhile, and thus no boneheaded move or comment of theirs should surprise me. The great quotes you posted here do nothing to change my attitude. Someone please wake me up when this is over... -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brent Wodehouse Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2005 17:04 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] [OT] 25 Stupid Quotes About Hurricane Katrina http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/currentevents/a/katrinaquotes.htm?nl= 1 25 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes About Hurricane Katrina And Its Aftermath From Daniel Kurtzman 1) I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. -President Bush, on Good Morning America, Sept. 1, 2005, six days after repeated warnings from experts about the scope of damage expected from Hurricane Katrina (Source - http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJsdn=politicalhumorzu=http%3A%2F%2Fmediam atters.org%2Fitems%2F200509020001) sdn=politicalhumorzu=http%3A%2F%2Fmediamatters.org%2Fitems%2F200509020 001) 2) What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckle) - this is working very well for them. -Former First Lady Barbara Bush, on the Hurricane flood evacuees in the Houston Astrodome, Sept. 5, 2005 (Source - http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJsdn=politicalhumorzu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ed itorandpublisher.com%2Feandp%2Fnews%2Farticle_display.jsp%3Fvnu_content_ id%3D1001054719) sdn=politicalhumorzu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.editorandpublisher.com%2Feandp%2 Fnews%2Farticle_display.jsp%3Fvnu_content_id%3D1001054719) 3) It makes no sense to spend billions of dollars to rebuild a city that's seven feet under sea levelIt looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed. -House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Aug. 31, 2005 (Source - http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJsdn=politicalhumorzu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.su ntimes.com%2Foutput%2Fhurricane%2F) sdn=politicalhumorzu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.suntimes.com%2Foutput%2Fhurrican e%2F) 4) We've got a lot of rebuilding to do ... The good news is - and it's hard for some to see it now - that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house - he's lost his entire house - there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch. (Laughter) -President Bush, touring hurricane damage, Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 2005 (Source - http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJsdn=politicalhumorzu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hu ffingtonpost.com%2Farianna-huffington%2Fpresident-bush-hits-the-s_b_6670 .html) sdn=politicalhumorzu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Farianna-huf fington%2Fpresident-bush-hits-the-s_b_6670.html) 5) Considering the dire circumstances that we have in New Orleans, virtually a city that has been destroyed, things are going relatively well. -FEMA Director Michael Brown, Sept. 1, 2005 (Source - http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJsdn=politicalhumorzu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cn
RE: [scifinoir2] The entire community is now a toxic waste dump
The truth of this is that we're seeing problems in New Orleans, sure, but they're not unique.. Many--most of these problems--aren't unique to this city, or only a result of the hurricance. When you start talking about poverty, intentional (or casually ignorant) racism, politcal ineffectiveness, government apathy, lack of services, lack of jobs, lack of affordable housing, the rich and powerful getting the best places to live and the best treatment, environmental racism--you're talking about many, many cities in America. The neighborhood in which I was raised in Fort Worth was flooded out way back in '49 when my parents had just moved there. Their new home took on seven feet of water. Many white areas weren't affected. Why? Because the city had started building levees to manage the Trinity River, and of course the white areas were done first. I recall as a child--too ignorant of the ways of the world--spending hours staring in fascination at the constant stream of dump trucks dropping loads of the city's garbage in the giant dumping ground that lay less than 100 yards from my back porch. Too young to understand environmental racism, I never asked why huge piles of trash were dumped in my neighborhood, but not those of my white schoolmates. Nor, as I was being entertained by the possibly dangerous wastes being buried in the local soil, did my young mind know to ask why my neighborhood was bordered on one side by the dump, another by the railroad, a third by a major freeway, and a fourth by a giant truck repair facility and dogfood manufacturing plant. Later the city closed the all-Black elementary school less than a mile away, turning it into a low-security prison for deadbeat dads and drunks. Everytime I go home for a visit I get to pass that school turned prison, turn under the railroad trestle onto my mom's street, and see the vast expanse of grass that grows over the (thankfully) now defunct dumping ground. As an adult, I get it in ways I never could as a child. The hurricane is forcing a renewed focus of the poor and helpless and Black in New Orleans, but let's hope it doesn't stop there. Let's hope the politicans and cops and everyday citizens all remember that, if they want to see people to help, to aid there desperately poor brothers, and to find places to right the wrongs of the world, they don't have to go all the way to New Orleans. Like the young child I was, all they have to do is look in their own backyards. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Xavier Moon Sent: Sunday, September 11, 2005 10:04 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] The entire community is now a toxic waste dum This article is chilling: The rich will not suffer from any of this. Only the poor. It is a taste of things to come. Really makes a person want to slap a few rich people. Fitness first, ecosystem after, if at all. How could it be otherwise? Indeed. XM What concerns me is not the way things are, but rather the way people think things are. - Epictitus The Gulf Coast is drowning in a poisonous stew, people are dying from waterborne bacteria, and federal funds have been drained by years of pro-industry policies. Katrina is one of the worst environmental catastrophes in U.S. history. Sept. 9, 2005 | From 500 feet in the air, Chris Wells, a geographer with the U.S. Geological Survey, looked with dismay on the landscape pounded and then abandoned by Hurricane Katrina. As Wells flew on Wednesday above the Louisiana coastline, across New Orleans, the marshlands south of the city, and over Mississippi, nearly every tree was snapped, their limbs twisted around in a braid, the bark shredded right off the trunk. The marshland below looked as though somebody had taken a spatula and scraped away the marsh grasses, leaving a sea of mud. Aside from a number of shorebirds, and one 8-foot alligator swimming about 20 miles offshore, Wells saw no wildlife. What he did see were streaks of oil, some miles long and 200 yards wide. It was on any body of water of any significance, he says. Hundreds of thousands of inland acres are covered with a spotty sheen of oil. The landscape right now is absolutely bizarre and unreal, Wells says, from his home in Lafayette, La. It's emotionally draining. Even if nobody was hurt, it's heartbreaking to see what has happened to the environment. ... (Remainder removed) http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/09/09/wasteland/ - - - - - - - - - - - - By Rebecca Clarren [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Life without art music? Keep the arts alive today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/FXrMlA/dnQLAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on
[scifinoir2] New shows premiering tonight
Two new shows are premiering tonight. First is Bones (8 pm EST on Fox), about a forensic anthropologist who assists an FBI agent (played by Angel star David Boreanaz) solve cases. Early reviews I've read say it's formulaic (the genre's getting crowded) but has decent leads. Next up is Supernatural, about two brothers (one of whom is Smallville star Jensen Ackles) who travel around dispatching supernatural baddies as they search for their missing father. Critics have given this show good press, saying it's genuinely scary. Might be worth a look.The two shows represent the obvious continuing influence of other hits. In the case of Bones it's the whole investigative theme (CSI, Navy NCIS, Crossing Jordan, etc.) Supernatural is glomming on to the resurgence in, well, supernatural-themed shows like Medium and Lost (which may or may not be supernatural). [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] New shows premiering tonight--what did you think?
Anyone see these shows? Bones was indeed formulaic. The star is a lady whose parents disappeared when she was a teen, an event that of course shaped her life. She now solves crimes and chases down the bad guys to make sure others don't suffer as she did. She tries to be there for the victim because she thinks things might have been different had someone like her had been there when her parents disappeared, a co-worker sagely reveals. She's that typical driven-and-brilliant-cold-on-the-surface-but-caring-deep-down genius. Nothing special about her. Boreanaz plays the FBI agent with the square jaw and police skills who tends to have doubts about the value of big-brained lab types in the field. Brains don't solve cases, asking questions a thousand times solves cases, he growls at his new partner the squint--the cute name FBI agents evidently give forensic nerds who are always squinting at microscopes and test tubes and the like. He didn't stand out either. The investigative staff is the standard eclectic mix of young and eccentric folk. Again, typical nowadays. The only aspect of Bones I saw to differentiate it from the other investigative shows was their usage of holography to create an image of a murder victim from her bones. Other than that it didn't offer anything new. Since I'm not a big fan of the investigative genre, I'm not sure I'll keep watching it. Supernatural, on the other hand, was intriguing. The beginning is creepy, showing how the brothers are set on a path of hunting--seeking out and destroying evil ghosts and monsters. The show dealt with the Lady in White myth, a beautiful young woman betrayed in life by her man, who killed herself and whose ghost haunts backroads, killing unfaithful men who succumb to her. The show wasn't terrifying, but it had enough suspenseful moments to make me keep the lights on. The ending's a trip. I liked the stars, liked the writing and pacing, liked the seriousness with which it was done. Not sure if it'll end up being as good as the creepier episodes of The X-Files or Kolchak the Night Stalker at its scariest, but I'm definitely willing to stay with it for the season. Lots of good possibilites. Speaking of Kolchak, it will be interesting to see how Supernatural compares to the remake of The Night Stalker airing this season. Someone check out these shows and tell us what you think. I believe Supernatural will re-air this Thursday night. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Keith Johnson Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2005 20:22 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] New shows premiering tonight Two new shows are premiering tonight. First is Bones (8 pm EST on Fox), about a forensic anthropologist who assists an FBI agent (played by Angel star David Boreanaz) solve cases. Early reviews I've read say it's formulaic (the genre's getting crowded) but has decent leads. Next up is Supernatural, about two brothers (one of whom is Smallville star Jensen Ackles) who travel around dispatching supernatural baddies as they search for their missing father. Critics have given this show good press, saying it's genuinely scary. Might be worth a look.The two shows represent the obvious continuing influence of other hits. In the case of Bones it's the whole investigative theme (CSI, Navy NCIS, Crossing Jordan, etc.) Supernatural is glomming on to the resurgence in, well, supernatural-themed shows like Medium and Lost (which may or may not be supernatural). [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] New shows premiering tonight--what did you think?
Not really. Bones, like I said below, was very standard. The two leads were okay, but didn't stand out. The lady in particular, with the backstory of her parents disappearing, is cliched. I mean, the female detective on Law and Order: SVU is the product of a rape I believe, and the blonde chick on that outre detective show recently cancelled (the one with Daniel Baldwin and Peter Coyote) had a backstory of having been abducted as a child. Gets old. Supernatural is the one to catch. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 01:22 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] New shows premiering tonight--what did you think? Hmm...Sorry i missed the premieres...Bones sounds pretty interesting Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Anyone see these shows? Bones was indeed formulaic. The star is a lady whose parents disappeared when she was a teen, an event that of course shaped her life. She now solves crimes and chases down the bad guys to make sure others don't suffer as she did. She tries to be there for the victim because she thinks things might have been different had someone like her had been there when her parents disappeared, a co-worker sagely reveals. She's that typical driven-and-brilliant-cold-on-the-surface-but-caring-deep-down genius. Nothing special about her. Boreanaz plays the FBI agent with the square jaw and police skills who tends to have doubts about the value of big-brained lab types in the field. Brains don't solve cases, asking questions a thousand times solves cases, he growls at his new partner the squint--the cute name FBI agents evidently give forensic nerds who are always squinting at microscopes and test tubes and the like. He didn't stand out either. The investigative staff is the standard eclectic mix of young and eccentric folk. Again, typical nowadays. The only aspect of Bones I saw to differentiate it from the other investigative shows was their usage of holography to create an image of a murder victim from her bones. Other than that it didn't offer anything new. Since I'm not a big fan of the investigative genre, I'm not sure I'll keep watching it. Supernatural, on the other hand, was intriguing. The beginning is creepy, showing how the brothers are set on a path of hunting--seeking out and destroying evil ghosts and monsters. The show dealt with the Lady in White myth, a beautiful young woman betrayed in life by her man, who killed herself and whose ghost haunts backroads, killing unfaithful men who succumb to her. The show wasn't terrifying, but it had enough suspenseful moments to make me keep the lights on. The ending's a trip. I liked the stars, liked the writing and pacing, liked the seriousness with which it was done. Not sure if it'll end up being as good as the creepier episodes of The X-Files or Kolchak the Night Stalker at its scariest, but I'm definitely willing to stay with it for the season. Lots of good possibilites. Speaking of Kolchak, it will be interesting to see how Supernatural compares to the remake of The Night Stalker airing this season. Someone check out these shows and tell us what you think. I believe Supernatural will re-air this Thursday night. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Keith Johnson Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2005 20:22 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] New shows premiering tonight Two new shows are premiering tonight. First is Bones (8 pm EST on Fox), about a forensic anthropologist who assists an FBI agent (played by Angel star David Boreanaz) solve cases. Early reviews I've read say it's formulaic (the genre's getting crowded) but has decent leads. Next up is Supernatural, about two brothers (one of whom is Smallville star Jensen Ackles) who travel around dispatching supernatural baddies as they search for their missing father. Critics have given this show good press, saying it's genuinely scary. Might be worth a look.The two shows represent the obvious continuing influence of other hits. In the case of Bones it's the whole investigative theme (CSI, Navy NCIS, Crossing Jordan, etc.) Supernatural is glomming on to the resurgence in, well, supernatural-themed shows like Medium and Lost (which may or may not be supernatural). [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] - YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group scifinoir2 on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. - - Yahoo! for Good Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] SPONSORED LINKS Genre http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t
[scifinoir2] Are you watching Prison Break?
Prison Break isn't moving me. I watched it recently and just couldn't get engrossed in the whole plot of the man sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. The idea of a guy getting inside the prison to break said innocent out is intriguing, but I'm not sure if they can build on it to hold my interest for an entire season. I'm afraid it'll become laborious slowly sifting through the unraveling mystery week after week. Takes special skill to pull off the one-theme show, something shows like Lost and 24 have managed to great effect. (I don't count the X-Files because despite its overwhelming theme of conspiracy and aliens, it had a huge number of standalone shows that introduced other topics). I'm trying to decide if I'll watch Prison Break again. Dominic Purcell, who plays the guy sentenced to death, is a good actor. He was very effective in John Doe, a great show (that incidentally also had a theme of a mystery slowly unfolding). Sadly that was cancelled. After that Purcell showed up as a leather pants wearing vampire in Blade: Trinity, a role that made me alternately laugh and groan at his character. I guess Prison Break is a step up from that fiasco of a film. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: New shows premiering tonight
As you saw on my followup post, I wasn't impressed with Bones at all. If i don't watch CSI, I'm certainly not going to put Bones on the must-see list. As for the topic, I agree, it's nice to discuss scifi again. Not that I have any problems discussing socio-political issues, mind you, but I've been missing our discussions on Battlestar Galactica, movies, cartoons, crappy Sci Fi Channel original programs like last week's so-bad-it's-funny The Man with The Screaming Brain. -Original Message- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of g123curious Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 13:01 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: New shows premiering tonight It's nice to have something to discuss other than Katrina and the Brad Pitt/Jennifer Anniston breakup. I just upgraded from Basic cable (a/k/a antenna service) to Standard cable with ESPN, ESPN2, SciFi, and TBS. (Comcast upgraded my monthly bill from $8 to $55, too. That is criminal as there is no package inbetween the two.) So, now I cna get my full weekly dose of football. Bones was another CSI clone. There are now so many CSI clones on TV. Bones was cute in spots, but doesn't have enough horsepower to keep my attention or viewership. Yes, it is formulaic... very much so. Nothing really original here, either. I'll make no bones about it and strongly recommend that you skip it. George --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Two new shows are premiering tonight. First is Bones (8 pm EST on Fox), about a forensic anthropologist who assists an FBI agent (played by Angel star David Boreanaz) solve cases. Early reviews I've read say it's formulaic (the genre's getting crowded) but has decent leads. Next up is Supernatural, about two brothers (one of whom is Smallville star Jensen Ackles) who travel around dispatching supernatural baddies as they search for their missing father. Critics have given this show good press, saying it's genuinely scary. Might be worth a look. The two shows represent the obvious continuing influence of other hits. In the case of Bones it's the whole investigative theme (CSI, Navy NCIS, Crossing Jordan, etc.) Supernatural is glomming on to the resurgence in, well, supernatural-themed shows like Medium and Lost (which may or may not be supernatural). SPONSORED LINKS Genre http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=msk=Genre+magazinew1=Genre+magazinec= 1s=20.sig=sxGQiCtPJYwREaknMS9Glw magazine _ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS *Visit your group scifinoir2 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2 on the web. *To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Life without art music? Keep the arts alive today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/FXrMlA/dnQLAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] Didja see The Man with The Screaming Brain?
Gawd, did ANYONE see Bruce Evil Dead Campbell's writing/directorial/producing debut last Saturday on the Sci Fi Channel? It was a very, very low-budget, camp, implausible movie about an arrogant pharmaceutical exec who gets killed by a crazy gypsy woman in Bulgaria. (Told ya the plot was implausible). Stacy Keach--wielding an awful, fake accent--plays a mad scientist who's discovered a method of combining tissue from two or more people without any danger of rejection. He plans to get Campbell's character to invest in his technology. But upon hearing of Campbell's death, he decides to put on the ultimate demo. He grafts brain tissue from a former KGB agent-turned-cabbie who was also killed by the gypsy (again, don't ask!) into Campbell's head, regenerating his brain and body in the process. The result is a freakish-looking low-budget Frankenstein (big forehead, big scar) who runs around acting crazy as the two personalities fight for dominance in his head. Hence, the Screaming Brain title. Those of you old enough to remember the infamous two-headed transplant films of the early '70s will recognize this effort as a modernized take on that classic theme. Throw into the mix Keach's sidekick, a Bulgarian who's created a humanoid robot and who so loves American hip-hop culture that he says stuff like fo' shizzle my nizzle (in equally badly faked accent) and teaches the robot to flash gang signs. He's played by Ted Raimi, best known as Joxer on Xena. And THEN throw into the mix Campbell's wife, who's had an affair with the dead KGB cabbie, and you have the ingredients for an awfully campy, awfully bad movie. The sets were cheap, everyone sounded horrible, the robot was painfully, obviously a man in latex, and the whole thing couldn't have cost more than a few hundred thou to produce. Still, I found myself laughing out loud throughout much of the movie. Campbell is a gifted comic actor. Only he could get laughs from stuff like pouring cold milk on his head to cool off his overheated brain, or from sitcom-level slapstick as the two personalites battle in his body, each having separate control of one hand. Only Campbell could make me laugh as his two brains argue out loud in a fake Bulgarian restaurant, with fake Bulgarian patrons looking on. I want steak!... No I don't!...I want vodka!... No I hate vodka! Bring me scotch! Can't believe I enjoyed that stuff, but it was silly enjoyable fun. The movie does tend to peter out in the last quarter as the minimal framework starts to give. Raimi's wannabe-Black Bulgarian grates on the nerves after a while. The ending's a little predicatble. Screaming Brain doesn't rise to the level of classic camp like Plan 9 From Outer Space or Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Still, all in all it's not the worst movie I've seen, it gave me some laughs, and frankly, Campbell's camp was much better than some of the serious fare Sci Fi Channel's put out recently. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Life without art music? Keep the arts alive today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/FXrMlA/dnQLAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] Nightline study of the Katrin debacle
Just to get you in the mood for Bush's mea culpa speech at 9 pm, Ted Koppel is currently doing a one hour retrospective of the hurricane aftermath. His hour-by-hour, day-by-day detailing of this debacle is even more upsetting than I expected. For example, the mayor himself went to a command post in a hotel near the Superdome, but his *entire* staff had only *ONE* laptop to share. It was wireless at least, but when whatever access point it was using failed, the mayor was effectively blind and deaf. His director of IT for the city ended up finding one Internet enabled line somewhere in the facility, and then had to find a looted Home Depot, where he scrounged some networking equipment and managed to McGyver (his words) together a functioning Internet connection. The first levee breach was reported at 8:14 am on Monday--by the National Weather Service. The police, the mayor, FEMA, Homeland Security--none of them knew the levee had breached for over a day. By that time the small gap had grown to over 200 feet and the nightmare was on. At the *same* moment, the deputy FEMA director was on TV saying New Orleans is not filling up with water like a bowl. The vast majority of the city is fine. The governor, at his side, nodded agreement. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Life without art music? Keep the arts alive today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/FXrMlA/dnQLAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/