Is YHWH The Worst Engineer Ever?

It is cold outside, right? Like dangerously cold to the point where if you stood out there long enough without proper equipment you might die. First you would suffer incredible pain and your body would do everything it could do to, first, alert your consciousness of the issue and then take the appropriate measures to buy you time. You see, in Minnesota, at the time of this writing, it is negative 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Yesterday we saw a low of negative 10 degrees and today we will not even eclipse 0 degrees as our high will be a whole negative 1 degrees Fahrenheit. Which is kind of insane considering negative numbers only exist in theory. I'm no meteorologist so I am not here to blog about atmospheric chemistry and physics. I am here to ask a few questions. It was pounded into my head for 21 years that Yahweh created this pale blue dot we live on with us in mind. To me, that means he should be considered one of the worst engineers of all time, he is just plain stupid, or he actually created the planet without having us in mind (And he can be all three, a mixture, but he must be one). Why would he allow portions of this planet to become so immensely cold (and others so immensely hot) that warm blooded creatures could not survive in those areas? And why would he cover the surface of the planet with a substance that we cannot live on or in and is more suited for marine life? He also created us so that we would need to consume incredible amounts of sustenance which includes large amounts of water. Yet, although the planet is mostly covered in water, we cannot consume it because a lot of the water we are presented with would harm us. We could not survive living on a majority of this planet without great advances in science and technology, yet many of us claim that this rock in space that we so fortunately inhabit was created in a few days with us in mind. That would mean we are either unreasonable, immensely stupid, and/or gigantically arrogant (or again, a combination of). We can't all fit in San Francisco where I hear it is beautiful all year round. For some reason, Yahweh has designated that area of this planet to the homosexuals; a group he despises yet has given the best real estate to. A part of me resents being fed mis-information for 21 years, but I do appreciate seeing that side of it. My hope is that we can stop claiming that the Christian god created this pale blue, spinning, orbiting rock with his children in mind. It is so clear that isn't the case.

Piece of Shit // Fear // Liberation

I always seem to write only when I am in times of need. That’s pretty selfish of me, but writing, expression, and art only gives and never demands. I have been doing a lot of soul searching over the last 3 weeks or so. I seem to go through these cycles. Periods where I am very happy and I feel stable and completely comfortable with where I am. Then there are times where I don’t know what my next step is. Periods where I feel completely lost and I feel desperate for something to latch onto. I think I’m learning more and more lately that feeling that way isn't entirely strange and uncommon and knowing that does provide comfort, but only to a degree. Of course everyone wants to know what their future is going to look like and what their calling in life is, but that is not a luxury many of us are afforded. You explore, you keep your eyes open, you absorb, you learn, and you keep marching no matter how much life and the future sucks a nut. And I want to be clear, exploring and not having stable footing sucks a nut for the most part. However, how you feel also depends on how you approach life sucking a nut. I am going through a lot of changes in my professional life lately and it forced me to look around and reevaluate. I was super bummed out at first, but I woke up one day and I realized this is not a reason to cry and feel locked up, but rather an opportunity to feel liberated. I have so much more free time to experiment and get involved. Sure, as I mentioned above it is partially uncomfortable, horrifying, and frustrating, but that’s life and I have to roll with it. It’s a challenge not to be crippled by fear and to show some courage. I feel like I've been lacking courage lately. I’ve also been feeling like an outsider, which is fine since I have embraced not being “common” for quite some time. I got a new hair cut the other day that kind of symbolizes that I have more courage than I show and that I am okay with being an outcast. I’m hardly ever satisfied with new haircuts, but I think I like this one. I've also very much accepted that I am a large, steamy, stinky pile of shit and that’s one of the greatest admissions I could make at this point. It’s unshackled me from the chains that keep me occupying a small space. After you fully accept that you are a piece of shit, there is only moving up and out. No tall expectations to come tumbling down to disappoint you. I think some people would tell me that is an unhealthy and pessimistic view point, and I don’t think they are entirely wrong, but you don’t have to let being a piece of shit hinder you. You can embrace it and let it fuel you. No one wants to be a piece of shit forever, although it’s kind of fun because no one cares about you or the mistakes you are about to make. They expect you to fuck up. After all, you are a piece of shit! I've been talking to a lot of people and I've also come to accept that I can’t complete this journey successfully without the help of other people. No one ever “makes it” alone. There are a lot of people that help you along the way, a lot of accidents that need to come together, and a lot of luck needs to be involved. Even with those factors out of our control, there are many variables that are in our control. Like how much we are going to care about future projects, how much time and effort we are going to put into those projects, how hard we are going to work, how determined we are going to be, and so on. Maybe I’m completely off, but a large chunk of the battle is about how much you actually give a shit. I can say right now I give a shit. I give a shit about my life, my happiness, my well being, my future, and my career. I give a shit about the family, friends, and the people around me. I really do give a shit. Look, I have to protect and look after me, and sometimes that conflicts with being more generous and helping and loving, but I do give a shit. I want to live a happy life. More than live a long life, I just want to live one very fulfilling life. As an atheist, I think that’s all we get. One chance to make yourself happy, leave a mark on this world, progress it, and hopefully that’ll enhance the lives of the people to come after you. And that matters to me because I give a shit about other people. Their happiness matters. Their happiness is just as important as yours or mine. Because when someone is happy, they work harder, they give more of a shit, and they are more inclined to pass along those great qualities. I was chatting with a friend not too long ago and I was explaining my situation to him. He stopped me and said to me, “Well, you make it seem like your life is super shitty, but then why walk around with a fake smile and make an effort to help other people so much?” That’s because my shitty life shouldn't make the lives of other people shitty. So, in other words, love each other and help each other. Especially me, because right now I really need it. I feel so insanely unstable right now. I want some long term goals, some short term goals, and a “purpose”. I want to wake up driven and feel like if I weren’t a part of something, that machine would crumble. So yes, I need your help. With ideas, with inspiration, with guidance, and with opportunities. Anything! I want to be somebody someday, and I want the same for you.

The Pursuit Of Perfection

I've just been kind of down lately. Nothing really exciting going on, kind of living every day in repetition, and just unsure of a lot of things if not everything. There was a period earlier in 2012 where for a couple of months I was busting ass and trying to make things happen. I think that sort of maximum effort would've continued had I seem some sort of progress. However, there came a point where it seemed like the harder I worked the more backwards I was headed. If I could just pin-point the source of my frustration/depression/anger/anxiety/yearning (See, I can't even come up for a good word for what I'm feeling) I could hone in on it and focus purely on fixing the issue with laser like focus. I think this inability to articulate and understand what I'm feeling makes it doubly frustrating. And so I've decided to change my way of life a bit. Forever I tried to be this purely logical, very disciplined, no bull-shit, considerate, open-minded, and available kind of guy. I chased "perfection" with nothing else in mind. I convinced myself I could rest when I get there. However, it would make little sense for me to continue this course of action if I feel like I'm going backwards. I suppose it doesn't matter at this point if I don't have a solid backup plan because what I'm doing is not working. I can almost assume anything else would work better. I, however, have figured out one thing during the trek. I've learned that my pursuit of perfection might have been my biggest flaw. What a stupid fucking flaw too. Doesn't seem right that trying to be the kindest, hardest working, most logical dude in the room can be a flaw. But it was mine and I now know I have to let go a bit. Trying to control every factor just isn't possible. I just hope something comes my way soon. I just want something to click, or a sign to come my way and give me a push a certain direction. Even a tiny little spark that would add some excitement in my life would be good enough for me. Something that makes waking up exciting. 2012 is about to end on us, and although a date doesn't mean anything, maybe it will give me enough of a placebo push a certain way.

Only Business People and Lawyers?

A couple of weeks ago Audrey Britton, or one of her canvassers, left some information about her campaign on my door. This is not an article about Audrey Britton, but after reading over her “résumé” I was reminded of something that annoys me a bit about politicians and elections.
It seems to me that most politicians brag endlessly about how good they are at running businesses. It seems that most politicians are either lawyers or business people. However, if politicians are elected to represent and reflect the public, where are the teachers, the doctors, the dentists, the engineers, the scientists, and the technicians? When I step out into the world, I’m not surrounded by only lawyers and business people. There is a vast mosaic of professions and ideas. Should our government not reflect this more? Now, I’m not saying that being a lawyer or a business person should dismiss you from becoming a public servant, but I am saying that maybe this shouldn’t be a prerequisite. The first bullet point on Britton’s handout is “small business owner”. Again, this isn’t an article bashing Britton, she just had the misfortune of leaving her résumé on the door of a thinking skeptic.
When Fox News and Republicans claim that Barack Obama has very little business experience and that he was only a community organizer, I don’t see this as a criticism. I say good, because serving the public isn’t only about business. Considering the well being and happiness of people is a bit more complex, so let’s not purpose simple solutions to complicated issues.

America in South Korea and The Middle-East

I had the chance to ask some Korean citizens if Koreans still see America as a positive global force. It seems like many Koreans were disappointed in America during the Bush era, but they still view America is a very positive presence. So, a thesis I would like to look into is, why does America’s presence in South Korea mostly seem like a success while America’s time in the Middle-East mostly a failure? What did we do differently? Or is the problem that we went into two very different areas with the same approach? Are there any books or good launching points you guys can suggest? Please and thank you.

Intellectual Suicide

Do you have to commit intellectual suicide to be religious? Although I would very much like to say you do have to hand over any license to be intelligent when you choose the path of blind faith, I just don’t think it’s fair to say that. My objective side tells me that truth is power, and because truth is power, I’ve chosen not to be a theist. To claim that religious people are committing intellectual suicide just on “gut-feeling” would put me into the same pool as those who practice blind faith. Can you be a theist and also have a great progressive mind? I think it certainly is possible, but I do feel that having the burden of being a theist does create unnecessary barriers. This is a shame because what if these barriers hinder a great mind from changing the course of history. Imagine how many great ideas and inventions we might have missed out on. We do need to be very careful when mixing blind faith and intellect. When we throw blind faith and evidence into the same pot, we are creating a mess. Mixing the two together gives faith credibility it doesn’t deserve. I’ve heard some argue that being intolerant of religion is just as dogmatic as religious folk. I used to agree with this sentiment, but now I think there is a rebuttal to be made. I watched Sam Harris give a speech at TED that really opened up a new perspective for me. I thought being completely tolerant and open minded was a great thing, but Sam Harris suggested that being too open minded and too liberal is actually harmful. Instead of trying to sum up Harris’ great speech, I’ll just provide the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj9oB4zpHww. For me to even attempt summarizing his insights would be shameful. The part that stood out to me was when he talked about Saudi Arabia and continued to explain that when we know something is just plain wrong, it isn’t intolerance to be firmly suggest a correction.

The 47%

By now anyone who follows politics, and probably many who don’t, have heard about the comments presidential hopeful Mitt Romney made about 47% of Americans at a $50,000 a plate fundraiser. I’m not here to straighten out the facts, try to convince you one way or the other, or try to use Romney’s comment as a way to smear or defend Romney’s campaign. As an independent, these last few months have been a headache. However, I want to write about the reaction Romney’s comments received. Although I can understand why people reacted the way they did, I am shocked that people were shocked. A lot can be said without going too deep into the numbers. I was surprised that people were shocked by Romney’s statements because it’s not surprising he said those words. In fact, when asked about his comments after the public and media had a chance to dissect his words, Romney stated that he stands by his comments. Of course he does, and good for Romney for not backing down and standing up for what he believes in despite the outrage and even if his ideals are horrible. Did people actually not know this was Romney and the Republican’s stance on social programs? No matter how we spin it, the Republicans are not in favor of social programs. That is their platform and this is no secret. This leads me to believe that people are either playing dumb or they aren’t paying attention. I hope most people are just playing dumb because it would be horrible for a mostly ignorant electorate to fill the booths this November.

How To Properly Rock The Fuck Out

I have been attending rock concerts for about a decade now and therefore feel as though I am seasoned enough to have a valid opinion about concerts and the scene. I remember thinking that the rock show was pure anarchy at the first few rock shows I went to. But as I continued to attend live shows, I quickly learned that it isn’t mass chaos and I immediately fell in love with the atmosphere of live shows and what they could provide. I have even found myself doing some crowd control at recent shows. I really thought about the etiquette of concerts and thinking about concerts systematically after I attended the Dead Throne tour a month ago. It was one of the worst crowds I have rocked out with in quite some time and it really made me think about why that crowd was so bad. There is no textbook for concert etiquette and so young concert goers only learn from experience. However, not everyone’s observation skills are created equally, and so some concert goers always manage to make it difficult for other fans. I want to use this blog to take a humorous and light yet systematic approach to concert etiquette.

I have never been to a rap or pop concert, so this blog does not pertain to those types of concerts. I mostly listen to the spectrum of rock music. I have been in friendly ska circle pits, I have been to atmospheric concerts where people stand in place in awe of the music, I have been to general alternative concerts where it’s just about having a good time, and I have been to metal concerts where it seems I never go back home without sharing some blood with the venue. There isn’t too much going on at concerts like Copeland and Lydia where people can stand around and just enjoy the music. The ska crowd is just too nice, simple minded, careless, or all of the above for this blog to pertain to them. It’s the general alternative, metal, hardcore, and screamo shows that sometimes need a review of etiquette. This includes everything from Thrice and Taking Back Sunday to bands like As I Lay Dying and Cradle of Filth.

When you come to one of these shows the venue will most likely be pretty spaced out. Not everyone comes for the opening acts. People will most likely be standing in circles with their friends or with their arms crossed looking at the stage that has nothing but equipment on it. You also have the fan that has come to the show only to play with their cell phone. These fans I have never understood because you can play with your cell phone at home without paying the price of admission. Before sound check starts, most people will stand near the stage with a good 4 to 6 inches of space between each person. There is no need to stand shoulder to shoulder, chest to back at this point of the concert. However, you will often have a young fan arrive to the venue late and disrupt the harmony that was carefully carved out by more prompt concert goers. To add salt to the wound, this fan will often gleefully wave his friends over destroying any shred of harmony left and testing your patience even further. Why fans choose to bully their way through and make everyone around them uncomfortable is beyond me. Sure, now you’re a little closer to the stage and your vantage point might be slightly better, but what about the people around you? Plus, I am willing to bet a good lump of money that you will not end up in that exact spot when the show or set ends. There will be music in the room; you will be able to hear it regardless of where you are. When sound check ends and the fans can sense the start of the first band, an act occurs that I like to call “the rush”. The rush is a compression of everyone in the room and migration toward the stage. It’s a phenomenon that occurs at all concerts and puts a smile on my face every time.

Now let’s take a moment to look at the crowd from a bird’s eye view. The common rock concert crowd can be sliced into three primary sections. I will analyze the three sections starting with the section closest to the stage and move toward the back of the venue. The first section can be called “claustrophobia unfriendly”. This section probably doesn’t take up as much room only because the fans are so concentrated. This is where you will typically find younger fans who mistakenly believe that being closer to the stage will enable them to be more involved with the music. There are fans in this section that could care less about the music and more about being physically closer to the musicians because it gives them a sense of being involved with the scene. To be fair, there are plenty of good fans in this section too that just have the misfortune of sharing this area with poor fans. When I was a young concert attendee, I thought this was the place to be, but that perspective quickly changed as I gained more knowledge. Most of the fans here will be grumpy as they have absolutely zero wiggle room and sometimes will find it difficult to breath because of the of the amount of pressure created by bodies being pressed against each other. In this section, you sometimes have to think twice about putting your hands in the air at the band’s request because you might not be able to put your arms back down. One of the most annoying acts in this section is something I like to call “the-ring-of-protection”. You will see this immensely annoying violation by young couples. Often a boyfriend will try to create breathing space for their girlfriends by creating an imaginary hula-hoop around them with their arms making it uncomfortable for everyone around them. These violators need to either quit this act, or they have to take their romance to the back of the venue. You cannot go to a concert and commit this heinous act in section one without being a thorn to everyone around you. If your girlfriend is that petite, you have to know better and stay home or respect the people around you. This is a rock concert, you know what to expect.

The second section is probably the largest in terms of square feet and not necessarily bodies. I believe you will find more veteran concert goers in this section and I am certain you will find the more rowdy concert goers here. Most of these fans are indeed there for the music, but to be fair, some are only there to thrash and can sometimes ruin it for the other people. The fans in this section have grown tired of the first section and have learned that the party is actually in this region. There is also another kind of fan that make of the periphery of the second section. These fans are also tired of the first section, but don’t plan to partake in the circle pit. These fans can fully enjoy the music and appreciate the crowd as well. They also play the vital role of maintaining the frame of the circle pit. The circle pit is a chaotic and amazing space. The circle pit might look like complete anarchy, but to a seasoned vet, there are unwritten rules in place, rules that a newcomer will not know. There are two types of fans in the circle pit. One who is there for the love of music and to take advantage of the atmosphere and everything a live show has to offer while connecting with the similar fans. Then as mentioned above, there are some fans in the circle pit just to release some aggression. I personally can’t get involved in a circle pit unless I can “feel” the music. Now here is an unwritten rule that was often ignored at the Dead Throne concert I attended: when a fan falls, it is the duty of everyone else in the circle pit to help that individual up. If that person is not helped up, they will get stepped on, possibly injured, and they will have a hell of a time attempting to get up as the swarm of people above them continue to step on them as the madness continues. Another element newcomers to the circle pit don’t seem to understand is that the objective of a circle pit is not to run into each other in an attempt to destroy each other. For example, at the Dead Throne show, there was a not so gentle man whose main intent was to knock everyone in the circle pit over before they knocked him over. It was as if he were playing a very violent and deranged version of tag. Of course after a few minutes he was the least liked guy in the pit and he found himself on the receiving end of a couple of choke holds. To help you better picture this ass of an individual, just know he had his Ed Hardy polo on and his collar popped. When people told him to quit intentionally knocking people over, he replied that it was a concert and this is what was suppose to occur. To the untrained eye, this is what it might look like. This is, however, not what is actually going on. No one is in the pit performing their best Ray Lewis or Brian Urlacher impersonation. It just so happens that sometimes during the chaos people run each other over. There is not, or at least shouldn’t be, any intent to injure someone in a circle pit. People just understand that a certain level of violence comes with the territory. There is another fan that I like to call “the flailer” that shares the space inside a circle pit. The flailer doesn’t move around much within the pit, but does demand a good amount of space as they flail their extremities in an unhealthy fashion. It may look as if the flailer is mindlessly attempting to unhinge his forearm off his elbow, but a good flailer is very aware of the length of their limbs, the people around them, and the amount of space they have. The flailers at The Devil Wears Prada show failed to consider the three elements of flailing just mentioned. Flailers already look dumb (I know, I flail sometimes), let’s not hurt people in the process by elbowing, kicking, and/or slapping them. The last rule I want to throw in here quickly for the people of the second section is not to throw stuff into the stage. It puts the bands in danger and it doesn’t make you cool. The bands are working hard night in and night out and the last thing they need is for a shoe to hit them in the face.

The third section mostly makes up the back of the venue, but depending on the venue can take up space on the peripheries and can also manifest on multiple floors. There are two types of fans in the third section. The first one being the fans who don’t give a shit about the bands that are playing and are there more to be hip and because alcohol is served. The other type of fan is one that still loves music, but has grown out of the other two sections and could care less about partaking in those concert activities. They are there strictly there for the music. The third section really doesn’t need a lot of rules because most of the older fans are here. Plus, this is the section I have the least experience with although I find myself here more and more lately.

It would be convenient to have a book to teach us how to properly rock the fuck out, but alas things just aren’t that convenient for this scene that isn’t highly exposed. The scene is still a beautiful and thriving one, and so my hope is to hand it over to the next generation of young fans as beautiful and intact. Music has done so much for me and I’m sure for many people and it still has the capacity to do so much if we let it. It is truly one of the most beautiful and amazing mediums we have as proven by how eternal it is. I want to do my best to protect it and as I slowly fade into the third section, I hope music does for new fans what it has done for me.

The Devil Wears Prada Album and Concert Review

This article will be used to review both the The Devil Wears Prada (TDWP) concert I went to in Minneapolis and their new album Dead Throne. I’ll start off with a quick album review which I will keep short because the album has already been out for two months. Dead Throne, which was released on September 13th of 2011, was the first album Adam Dutkiewicz produced with TDWP. Their previous three full lengths and their Zombie EP were all produced by Joey Sturgis. Anyone who follows the scene also knows Adam Dutkiewicz from successful metalcore band Killswitch Engage. The band only had good things to say about their new producer and you definitely can hear a difference on this album. Although, I would argue that the growth of the band made more of a difference than picking a new producer. I make this claim because the Zombie EP which was produced by their previous producer really marks a turning point for TDWP. They took their sound to an entirely new level of brutality and cohesiveness and only expanded on that with Dead Throne. I’m not entirely sure what caused such a change but I would love to figure out what inspired this immense jump as there was no hint for the forthcoming carnage on their 2009 record, With Roots Above and Branches Below. Even just taking a glance at their album art and their track titles will support my point. The album art for With Roots Above and Branches Below is a lot more “colorful” and “playful” than the covers of the Zombie EP and Dead Throne which I think are much more dark and serious. The band previously had song titles like, “I Hate Buffering,” “Big Wiggly Style,” “HTML Rulez D00d”and “Swords, Dragons, and Diet Coke.” Now they present songs with simpler names. It has been very exciting to hear this accelerated growth from TDWP and watch them morph into a more mature band. I was hoping for a song that would echo that of “Louder Than Thunder” off of With Roots Above and Branches Below, but they didn’t have anything like that on Dead Throne. I find it very exciting when a band slips in a song on the record that is a complete changeup and throw the listener off a bit. A great example of this is Underoath’s “Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape”. “Kansas” is probably the closest thing to doing that on Dead Throne as it is one of the albums slower songs, but it still remains to hold a level of brutality and darkness. If you liked TDWP’s Zombie EP, you have to check out Dead Throne.

The concert I attended a couple of weeks ago was one of the bigger concerts I have been to in a while. Bands don’t seem to go on these huge tours anymore where any of the bands could be headliners themselves. Every band on this tour was outstanding. It was exciting to see a level of production on the TDWP’s set as most bands these days try to save money because of the recession. They didn’t have too much going on, but just enough to enhance the show. Although the strobe lights sometimes made it difficult to see anything. They also did a great job breaking up blocks of unrelenting songs with slower songs to give the crowd much needed breaks. Front man Mike Hranica was all over the stage and energetic as always. Hranica really understands the 180 degree line that performing on a stage creates and plays the angles very well. He also plays along well with the lights creating perfect silhouettes when the lights brighten and blotch him out. The show was full of energy and the crowd seemed to love the entire show. However, my only complaint about the show would be the crowd itself. Minnesota isn’t known as a tough place to play, but the crowd that night lacked respect to each other and to the bands. But that’s a different article I will be writing later.

"The Thing" Review

I saw The Thing a few weeks ago, so my memory of the movie is not as fresh as I would like it to be, but I felt a short review of the movie was still justified. From what I saw, there were more mumblings about the disappointment that The Thing was being remade than excitement for its release. That sentiment is fine and fair, but we should clarify now that it is not a remake, but rather a prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 original.

The movie stars budding starlet Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who I happen to be a fan of. It’s good to see her getting out there and getting more roles. It seemed like the production of Scott Pilgrim might’ve delayed her upcoming as the making of that movie took longer than expected. Winstead plays paleontologist Kate Lloyd in the film who is a powerful female lead character that isn’t sexualized or bullied by her male counterparts. I’ve heard people call the character of Kate Lloyd the second coming of Ripley from Alien. I’m inclined to believe this aspect of the character appealed to Winstead as she, at least from interviews, seems to be an intelligent and articulate individual who isn’t just looking to take the easy way to the top of Hollywood. In the movie, Lloyd is recruited to work at a base located in Antarctica where they have discovered a frozen item that could change the history of the world. Things begin to become complicated at the base when protocols are ignored due to swelling personalities and the desire to be immortalized in the history books. One of the superiors of the operation takes a risky path despite Lloyd’s pleas and chaos and paranoia ensues. I must say that the prequel probably is not as good as the original. It’s been a while since I’ve viewed the original, but if my memory serves me correctly, the original did a better job with character development. The level and density of paranoia in the original also seemed to be greater, but this could just be due to my younger age and my horror movie phase I went through when I watched the original. During the marketing of The Thing, the cast continuously harped on how the level of paranoia and psychological stress is immense, and although the movie does a great job showing the trust issues the discovery team goes through, it’s not as big of a factor to the audience as I would have liked. Another element the cast and crew kept boasting about was how the 2011 movie worked hard to tie into the original film. Although they do accomplish this, I felt like this element was a bit exaggerated. The Thing was a decent movie, but I can’t recommend it to everyone. If you went through a horror movie phase with your buddies in high school because horror movies are sometimes the best comedy movies, then this will be a good rental for you and your pals. If you’re a big fan of the original movie, and you would love to relive an updated version of The Thing, it is worth a watch. Otherwise, just rent it on a night you have nothing else to do.

"Troll Hunter" Review

Troll Hunter has to be one of the most unique films of last year. For some odd reason, when I tell people I recently watched Troll Hunter, I’m always asked, “Oh, what’s it about?” A very fair question, but the movie is what the title says. It is about a troll hunter. The movie was released on October 29th of 2010, and got an American release on June 10th of 2011. The movie opened to mostly positive reviews. The Norwegian film was filmed in Western Norway where it takes place in the movie. The movie was directed by André Øvredal featuring mostly lesser known actors. The film team chose to go keep the movie under the radar and attempted the viral marketing strategy. The Nordic location provided for some stunning scenery in the movie. Troll Hunter is a mockumentary employing the handheld first person camera work. So think Blair Witch Project or Quarantinein Norway and with giant trolls. The lighting in the film is exceptional, especially in the low light scenes. Using the moon as the motivator, the lighting and photography crew does a wonderful job creating accurate shadows and deep contrast. Another cinematic element they did a great job with was incorporating was the rain, mist, and the fog that rolls against the hills. The crew lit the mist extremely well to make the mist pop and have great depth (not an easy task!), allowing the audience to feel the setting more vividly. The movie also did a great job with little touches to give it a more authentic feel and to make it seem like the footage was actually found and raw. One example is when the hunter and the in movie film crew (remember, this is a mockumentary) are grabbing breakfast and we see the in movie film crew white balancing. This might go unnoticed to most, but to someone who has film experience it is a great touch. The next example would seem obvious, but other first person films often missed with this one. There is a moment in the film where the camera operator is picked up by a troll and drops the camera. Let’s arbitrarily say the camera fell 8 feet. We then see the lens is cracked. Out of all the first person films I’ve seen, this might be the first with a destructible lens. The exact opposite happened in Quarantine when the camera man viciously defends himself against a zombie with blunt camera blows. Destructible lenses are not always a given. I won’t go too much into the story of the movie as to not ruin it. As mentioned above, the movie is about a troll hunter, and that’s the only introduction the movie needs. It might be the only introduction anyone can give. A couple of interesting discussions the movie brings up are the discussions on religion and animal rights. We can see that religion might be a big topic just from the trailer where Christianity and Islam are both raised. As an American, it is fascinating to see a Scandinavian slant on religion. The trolls are attracted to the scent of Christian blood, so before the troll hunter allows the film crew to shadow him, he probes the crew on their religious beliefs. The members all deny any affiliation with Jesus Christ. We find out later that one of the members of the film team is actually a closet Christian. It makes sense that he would hide the fact that he is Christian in a country where, in 2005, only 32% of the population believed in a god. This was extremely interesting as atheists are often bullied in America and seeing the roles reversed was quite refreshing. Animals rights, or perhaps better phrased as creature rights in this film are also observed. We see the team sympathize for sheep when they are used as bait to lure the trolls. We also see in one of the interviews with the hunter that he might also have sympathy for the trolls. I recommend this film to everyone because of how unique and well made it is. I fully understand that Americans tend to be turned off by subtitles, but it’s time we mature and venture into a wider variety of cinema. Especially when there is a movie of this grade is waiting to be viewed.

Deuteronomy 22

(I have learned that HugPages does not allow us to share parts of the Bible in large portions. I wanted to be as honest as possible to the passage and wanted to share without editing it down, but due to the limitations put on by HubPages I was forced to edit it down. Please do read the section in its entirety for the most honest understanding. For now, I've shared the most important portions as honestly as possible. I have added notes in parentheses to add context). I pick up the Bible at random and will read a random portion from time to time. I don’t dig into the Bible because I’m especially religious, but because religion has such impact on our world and is important to reference when looking at history. However, every time I dive into the Bible, I seem to leave with questions and with a level of disgust. The book of Deuteronomy did nothing to change this perception. 13 If a man takes a wife and, after sleeping with her, dislikes her...saying, “I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity." (And if later the parents prove that the women is in fact a virgin)...18the elders shall take the man and punish him. 19 They shall fine him a hundred shekels[b] ...She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives. (If the woman and her family cannot provide any proof she is a virgin...) 21 she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. Why not let the wife choose the outcome? After being so viciously slandered, should she not be given the option to extend the dysfunctional marriage or choose to end it? Why punish her? And why does the man get off with a simple fine, whereas the woman gets stoned to death in front of her family? Seems a little lopsided, no?

"The Avengers" Review

Anyone who knows me knows I am not very fond of these huge summer blockbuster films. I just don't think you can substitute a solid story and a well thought out production with a couple of massive explosions and falling buildings and hope for a good movie. Apparently no one really gives a shit what I think because summer movies have made a boat load of money. This disconnect I have with “what is popular” was demonstrated even further during the previews. I could hear the chatter and buzz around me after the “The Dark Knight Rises” trailer finished. But the buzz after the “Prometheus” trailer wasn’t nearly as present. I think people get sucked into hype way too easily. With that in mind, I don’t doubt that the new Batman has the potential to be a very special film, I just think the general reaction is exaggerated. “The Avengers”, however, did not disappoint. The movie didn’t change my life or anything, but it didn’t put me to sleep like Transformers 2 or Sherlock Holmes did. I thought Whedon’s humor came through very well at perfectly timed moments. The ensemble cast did justice as well. Whedon and team did a very good job making sure each character was distinct and their abilities obvious. The Avengers did what Japanese anime has been doing for years, except in English and with American spin. You can watch any Japanese anime that concerns itself with a group of heroes with power levels and character development and you can see parallels with The Avengers.

The Avengers gives us what we expect from a summer family movie. The movie could even give Michael Bay a boner. I’m still not sure I buy into the 3D movement, but this movie might be worth seeing once in 3D and once in 2D.

Christian Youth

One of my favorite ways of spending time is to spend it with youth. Perhaps it’s because I’m still young at heart, perhaps it’s because I enjoy interaction and conversation, but it’s most likely a bunch of factors. A church youth group is a great platform for young people to come together and interact. My entire life I have been involved with my youth group and still to this day I am heavily involved. However, more and more lately the negative side effects of a religious based youth gathering are being made apparent to me.
I attend a Korean Seventh Day Adventist church in Minneapolis. I’ve been a member of that church my entire life. Our church is small, humble, and relatively moderate. Achieving a moderate status in the religious sphere is really nothing to be proud of considering how extreme religions are. This doctrinaire approach religions take today seem to be robbing the minds of our youth. There is a fear within the churches that if they don’t hook the kids at a young age, some other group will. Many of the children I interact with at churches resemble homeschooled children. Children who are completely sealed off from the outside world and unaware of anything outside of their sphere. With the Internet at our fingertips, there is no excuse for children not to have a proper understanding of all things worldly.
Unfortunately, the harm doesn’t end with churches narrowing the critical thought and perspective of children. There is immense danger on how children of very religious families and more conservative churches are educated about sex. These children often are afraid of sex and view it as dirty and sinful act. Not only is their perspective of sex slanted, but they are void of any actual education of sex and do not know how to approach it safely or express their sexuality properly. They are often uncomfortable at the mention of sex or any mild reference of anything remotely sexual. Even a kiss on the television can make a mature 17 year old Christian child squirm. I don’t know if churches expect their youth to never come across sex or if they believe that their youth will magically download the sex encyclopedia into their brains, but it is becoming more and more apparent that their approach is dangerous.
Lastly, the more I talk to youth group members the more I find that they are taught to reject logic and science. A high school member of my youth group once expressed that he considers himself a logical person, but when it comes to religion he suspends his logic. Shouldn’t something that acts as your foundation easily pass the tests of logic and rational thought? More and more I find youth members rejecting the facts of science as well. There is this strange dichotomy where members of a youth group will claim they enjoy science class and express passion for science, but then reject scientific facts when you talk about them in detail.
If it is our job as adults to ensure that the future of the world and of our species is in good hands through the education we give our children, I’m not so sure we are doing a good job. When we hinder critical thinking and open inquiry and we indoctrinate our future we are doing more harm than good.

Fox News, Obama, and Oil Prices

Out of all the 24 hour news channels, Fox News always seems to hook my attention. This is not because I agree with the network as I barely consider what they do as “news”. With gas prices on the rise, I see a lot of segments on Fox criticizing president Obama. They often have panels discussing what the president should do about oil prices. I don’t know enough about economics to give you a thesis on the supply and demand of oil. I don’t know enough science to tell you how much oil there actually is left in the Earth and what is sustainable and what is not. However, I do think I can say that Obama doesn’t control how much oil is left in the Earth and does not have the authority to create more oil. Oil is a finite resource that Obama has no control over.

Now with that in mind, Obama can create the illusion of cheaper gas. He can do this through military means which has many levels of costs. In the long term, it hurts our relationships with other countries which could end up costing us more later. Also, anytime the military is involved, we the people are directly financing military action. Obama could also choose to subsidize the oil so that we can see gas around the three dollar mark at the pumps, but obviously that doesn’t mean the oil was actually cheaper. It’s simply just the illusion of cheaper gas. We don’t see the cost of barrels of oil every day, but we do drive by gas stations every day.

So, with a wider perspective and some mildly critical thought we can see that Obama has little, or even nothing to do with the supply of oil. Sure, Obama can influence how much oil is allocated for the United States by countries on top of oil reserves, but this still has little to do with how much oil the Earth actually has. It’s fair of Fox News to be critical of Obama, and I think we all should be. However, what Fox should actually be pressuring Obama to do is to come up with a long term plan on sustainable energy because no human being can actually make more oil.

1 Peter Chapter 2&3

I’ve been trying to read the Bible more lately and I’ve been failing miserably. I have however been able to check out the words of Peter a bit. I was not surprised to find that I didn’t like what I was reading. I will share a couple of verses I take issue with below.

1 Peter Chapter 2 Verses 13-14 (NIV):
“13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority,14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.”

I want to preface the rest of this blog by saying that I am trying my best not to take anything out of context. I have read the chapters in their entirety so if you believe that something doesn’t sound right, please read the other verses and correct me. Also, if I am missing some sort of historical context, please enlighten me.

Perhaps I don’t like verses 13 and 14 because I am a skeptic. I don’t think everything should be taken at face value. Perhaps my rebellious nature also has something to do with. I find it much more rewarding when I challenge a proposed idea, learn about it, and test it myself. In the end, if the proposed idea is still standing after my tests, I will gladly adopt it. Simply by looking at history, we know that authority figures have not always been right. Yet Peter tells us that we should submit to these leaders and that Yahweh has sent them to punish wrong. Did Yahweh send Hitler to murder all those people? If so, Yahweh is no leader I want to follow. Imagine minorities submitting to every establishment. Imagine how far behind our societies would be if we had no one challenging the norms. The Earth would still be flat and the sun would still revolve around us.


1Peter Chapter 2 Verse 18 (NIV):
“Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.”

What would America and the world be like if we told this to African-American slaves and they all accepted it? We certainly wouldn’t have had a Rosa Parks, a Martin Luther King Jr., or a Barack Obama.


1 Peter Chapter 3 Verse 1 (NIV):
“Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.”

The level of misogyny in the Bible is something I immensely detest. The world back when Peter was around was primarily a man’s world. Women having a voice in our world is sadly a very recent occurrence. Although we have come a long way, I would still argue we live in a world that is created by men. I feel like the world would be very different, and in my opinion better, if the world and history were shaped by women. Therefore, I very much disagree with Peter when he tells women to submit to their husbands.

Oh, but wait!

1 Peter Chapter 3 Verse 7 (NIV):
“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives…”
Verse 7 might completely negate my criticism and justify verse 1. However, if we continue reading:
“…and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”
We learn that Peter does in fact look at the female counterpart as “weaker”. He almost had something nice to say.

Again, at face value, the words of Peter sound nice. Be nice to your king, your president, your god, your leader. Respect your husband and respect your wife. However, when you dig deeper and really think about the words of Peter, you begin to see how dangerous blindly accepting his ideals are. We begin to understand that these ideas would derail the progression of living creatures.

Not 6,000 Years Old

I was at church this weekend reading a book about the culture of gardening and the book suggested that the earth has been around for 3 billion years and that we need to look to the earth for gardening tips. However, after reading that tip, it occurred to me that some people believe the earth doesn’t have 3 billion years of gardening experience to draw upon. Christians believe that the earth is 6,000 years old and this to me shows a certain level of arrogance. Christians believe that this giant blue ball was created in their honor. There is no humility in believing that this beautiful planet was put together just so we could walk around on it and do harm to each other and other living creatures. No, I believe the earth was around before we were, and the conditions happened to be just right for us to make a home on it. The earth was around before we were and will most likely continue spinning when we are gone. There is no humility in believing that the earth was created for us, and that the earth ends when we do.

The N.B.A Needs A Chris Kluwe

I haven't been following the N.B.A lockout closely. At this point, these money loving idiots aren't all that relevant to me. About as relevant to me as knowing if my neighbor took a shit this morning. All I know is that a lot of venom is being tossed around and that they aren't close to resuming normally scheduled N.B.A actions.

One thing the potential N.F.L lockout had that the N.B.A doesn't have (thus far) is a Chris Kluwe. Yes, yes, I understand that punters don't exist in the N.B.A. Kicking the ball is a violation in basketball. What I mean by "A Chris Kluwe" is: a member of either side of the table that stands up and speaks against his peers. Kluwe made some not so flattering comments about the biggest stars in the N.F.L this summer when it came to the labor talks. Then the great, although one sided (advantage Kluwe), conversation between Kluwe and Nate Jackson on Deadspin ensued. If you haven't been able to read Kluwe's rebuttal, go read that now. It's better than anything you'll read on my Hub (Not too steep of a task).

Maybe I missed it, but is there anyone in the N.B.A going against the grain? Anyone that is standing up and saying, "Hey guys, we're actually really lucky to be in the position we are in"?

Lights - "Siberia" Review

This album review is a bit late so I’ll keep it short since anyone who is interested in this review will probably have been able to check out the album by now. Valerie Anne Poxleitner, better known as Lights, released her second studio full length, Siberia, on October 4th, 2011. Lights is a Canadian synthpop artist, and although Siberia is still very much a synthpop record, I think her sound is a lot different on this record than her previous album, The Listening. It seems like she stripped away much of the “cotton-candy” sound out of her songs and replaced it with a lot more maturity. Not every song off of Siberia fits this description, but the album as a whole does. For an artist that is primary known for her fun and upbeat songs, I dare say this album is dark at times.

The dubstep movement is no secret at this point. A lot of the people within “the scene” seem to be against this movement toward electronic instrumentals arguing that it’s not “organic” enough. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the movement, but I can’t deny that having another avenue for creating music and expressing oneself is a good thing. I’m sure anytime there are any sort of advancements in any field, there is always some form of resistance. Humans just seem not to do well with change. Siberia seems to be Lights’ contribution to the dubstep movement. Someone who listens to Skillrex might see this statement as absurd as Siberia probably isn’t considered pure dubstep to most. However, I would argue that Lights takes a different spin on dubstep by using the elements of dubstep and applying it to more traditional music format. She finds a way to create a fusion of the two worlds where she can still use lyrics to convey and enhance the story of the song. Whereas Skrillex is primarily heavy synth and beats without any lyrics. I think this ability to find a balance between the two worlds shows how creative this young lady is. I’m not a huge Lights fan, but I can recommend at least checking this record out.

Lydia Album and Concert Review

I’ve been putting off my review of the new Lydia album, Paint It Gold. Then a few nights ago, I went down to Minneapolis to watch Lydia play at the 7th Street Entry. Now that I have even more material and finally have some time, I will condense my review of the show and the new record together.

I’ll begin by sharing my thoughts on the new album. Paint It Gold was released on October 4thof 2011. I wanted to give the album a handful of spins before I wrote a review for it. When I felt I was ready to give the record an honest review, I was hit with a storm of busy. I mentioned in previous posts that I dislike when fans harp that bands need to not evolve and keep one sound throughout their entire career. I’m not one of those fans, but I will admit when I think a particular album off a discography stands out as the masterpiece. For instance, when I discuss Underoath with people, I have no doubt that Define The Great Line is the album that defines Underoath at their peak. Another example is Senses Fails’ Still Searching. When it comes to Lydia’s discography, I think many would argue that Illuninate is that album. Does Paint It Goldlive up to Illumanite? Although I wish I could report that it is just as good, I would be lying if I did. This is their first album since the hiatus, and they could be shaking off the rust. Although I don’t see that as a valid excuse since Lydia front man, Leighton Antelman, seemed to have kept busy during the hiatus. Antelman has been the primary song writer for most of Lydia’s history. It’s hard to compare how much influence Antelman had on how the songs shaped.Illuminate had a much different lineup from Paint It Gold and Assailants which is the album between Illuminate and Paint It Gold and before their hiatus. One has to ask if Mindy White really did have that big of an influence on how the songs sound. Mindy White is a fan favorite and a former member of Lydia. She was only with Lydia during Illuminate before she left the band to go on to form States. Was it Mindy that gave Illuminate its polish and will we ever hear anything as good as Illuminate without her? Or, could it be that the other members that quit after Illuminate also played a large role? Mindy seems to be at the forefront of this question since she was the fan favorite.

Now I don’t want my comparison of the two albums to make it sound like Paint It Gold is a poor album. It’s still a good album and it still very much feels like Lydia. I’ve been a fan of music and a fan of the scene for a very long time, but I’ve never really been a big lyrics guy. I’ve never looked too deeply into the lyrics because I think it’s near impossible to know what the writer is trying to get across without knowing them personally. I usually take the lyrics for what they are and try to personalize it. I think what made me a fan of Lydia is that the band forced me to listen to the lyrics a bit more. I say “the band,” and not just the writer of the lyrics because Lydia is excellent at writing lyrics against the context of their instrumentals to help create an image. When I listen to Lydia, I feel like I don’t have to interpret or personalize the lyrics. The lyrics and instrumentals, in a perfect marriage, are painted on a screen for me to understand. Quite often when I listen to Lydia I just close my eyes and just let the song sink in. Antelman’s unique voice with his lyrics and the perfectly complementing instrumentals is a force to give you chills every time you listen to Lydia.

Now because I don’t look too deeply into the band and the lyrics, I have a question for fans that might look into the personal lives of the band with more depth. Who is Hailey? Antelman seems to continuously refer to Hailey. And I have to admit, the songs he refers to Hailey are some of my favorite.

The Lydia concert was my second time seeing Lydia live. I never got the chance to see Lydia with their complete Illuminate group which is a shame. However, Lydia was typical Lydia keeping it low key as exemplified by Antelman and other members coming out without any shoes and socks. There wasn’t much special production, a customized backdrop, or special entrance. After sound check was completed, they simply walked out onto the tiny stage and begin to play their catalogue of atmospheric tunes. Antelman wasn’t pitch perfect, but he can get away with it since he isn’t known to be a strong vocalist. His unique voice and song writing skills are what people admire. I didn’t mention Lydia’s first album This December; It's One More And I'm Free. I must admit I’m really not a fan of that album. That is the first album of Lydia’s discography I listened to and I thought I would never listen to Lydia again. Luckily, some of my friends learned about Lydia when Illuminate came out and multiple occasions suggested I listen to Illuminate. After delaying listening to Illuminate for quite some time, I finally caved and gave it a chance and the rest is history. After I became a full time Lydia fan, I went back and tried to give This December; It's One More And I'm Free a second chance. Thinking maybe I had missed something the first time I listened to it. Even after giving the record a second chance, I have to say that I cannot get into it. If my memory serves me right, I read Antelman concede that This December; It's One More And I'm Free is not something he is very proud of. And so although the concert overall was good, Lydia really lost me towards the end when they started playing more songs off of This December; It's One More And I'm Free. The song they played for the encore even came off that record, which was disappointing to me. Again, the concert overall was good, very calm and just about the music, but I don’t see myself going to another Lydia show for a while. I’ve seen Lydia twice now, and I’ve seen what I have to see and heard what I wanted to hear, but there isn’t really much there pulling me back. I could potentially see them in two album cycles or if they make something that matches Illuminate.

Someone should count how many times I said Illuminate.