Piranha 3D: Gory, Boobalishish Fun

This is exactly the kind of horror movie Hollywood no longer makes. Not only as an old school monster movie, but one that is a hard R instead of the sanitized PG-13 that we have come to know and loathe. This is one is filled with what Joe Bob Briggs called the 3 B's: Babes, Blood and Boobs. And this film is filled with all three in explotive goodness.
The plot, is as always in these movies, paper thin. Much like a shortened disaster movie, we quickly come to know all the future victims and saviors as they meet during spring break at a lake in Arizona. An earthquake opens an underwater lake containing thousands of prehistoric piranha that supposedly died out millions of year ago. The first to go, in a cheeky cameo by Richard Dreyfus, is a fisherman (an obvious nod to his role in Jaws) sucked down the vortex of the new passageway and eaten. From there we find local boy Jake (Steven McQueen), his mom the Sheriff (Elizabeth Shue), and her two small children adapting to the chaos of spring break. Jake meets local girl Kelly (Jessica Szokr) and Girls Gone Wild like producer Derrick (Jerry O'Connel) where he gets a job filming a porno with two other hotties aboard a large yacht. The piranhas show up, eat every one in sight, the end.
Really that's how the movie basically ends and you know what I'm fine with that. It is a little abrupt as if the filmmakers simply ran out of money but It sets up the upcoming sequel nicely. There are small roles from veteran actors like Ving Rhames, Christopher Lloyd, and Eli Roth, who have fun with their tiny but important parts.
But the real stars of this movie are the fish. While a little too CGI looking for my tastes, they were still pretty cool looking. And the blood. Oh my god the blood. There is more gore in this movie than just about film since Dead Alive. And if you've seen that movie you know that's a lot of gore. And best yet, a lot of it was old school, non CGI blood. Thank God. There's one CGI scene that was very good of a girl cut in half by a wire. Awesome. Plus, if you like hot naked women, there is a bevy of beauties here. UK pin up girl Kelly Brock is naked for most of the movie. Oh the horror. The also hired several porn stars like Gianna Michaels and Riley Stelle so you know the nudity is going to be top shelf.
I have never been a fan of the director Alexandre Aja, whose last three films were utter wank, including the overhyped Haute Tension. But here, he revels in the trashy fun that this film is with his over the top gore and nudity. This is a great throwback to yesteryear when these films were all the rage. Now if we could only get someone to remake Humanoids from the Deep.

4 out of 5 stars

The Expendables Aren't

For all of you out there who love 80's action movies, like me, this is one kick ass film. Staring every action star of the past few decades, this film surges with testosterone and sweat. If guys beating the hell out of one another is not your thing, stay Far Far away from this energized flick.
The plot is typical of the genre with a paint by numbers plot involving Stallone's Barney as the leader of a merc group, The Expendables. With him are Gunner (Lundgren) as a messed up junkie, Lee(Statham), the knife expert, Yin Yang (Jet Li), Toll Road (Randy Couture), and Hale (Crews). Hired by Bruce Willis, with Swartzenegger in a juicy cameo as a fellow merc and adversary, to take out a small Island nation that has been overrun by narco terrorists led by Dexter's David Zayas with the help of a rouge CIA agent (Eric Roberts) and his bond like henchman Stone Cole Steve Austin. Newcomer Giselle Itie does well as the General's rebel daughter and Charisma Carpenter has some good scenes as Lee's abused ex girlfriend.
Let's be frank. This movie is basically guys beating the holy hell out of each other for two hours. See Lundrgen fight Li. See Stallone fight Stone Cold. And so on. Everyone fights everyone. It's awesome. The only real quibble is the use of CGI blood. Stop it Hollywood it still looks fake. A great time if you like these movies.

3 AND 1/2 STARS OUT OF FIVE

DOUCHEBAG OF THE WEEK: FOX NEWS

Some weeks I literally toss and turn over who should be douchebag of the weeks. Other times, like this week, there really wasn't any contest. As a matter of fact, I had picked them by Monday and by Friday I was certain that I had made the right choice. Let me start off by saying I actually like Fox News in some ways. Certainly not their obvious pro-Republican slant, by unlike CNN and MSNBC, they actually report the news for the most part. Watching CNN is positively draining as the stupid factor bleeds through my TV like a rerun of Videodrome. Tweets on air? Really? And Larry King is the worst. At least Hannity and O'Reilly have an obvious agenda. But where Fox News lost me this week was on several factors.
First they started the week blasting the ill-advised building of the mosque near Ground Zero. As stated in an earlier post, I have no problem with Mosque building, but putting one there was going to cause untold problems, which it has, including the stabbing of an innocent Muslim cabdriver in, where else, New York City. Fox has been blasting the airwaves demanding to know where the money was coming from to fund such a Mosque, throwing their usual Molotov cocktails of deception at Obama, none of which was true by the way. The real culprit behind the funding however is, drum roll please. DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD FOX NEWS!!!! Yes you read that right. One of the co owners of Fox News is a powerful Saudi Prince who gave millions toward the building of the mosque. Worse, two of the people interviewed by Fox previously worked for the Bush administration and had multiple dealings with the Saudi Prince in their endeavors. When interviewed they failed to mention this fact, never mentioning by name the Prince they worked with closely. The Daily Show ran a bit that I've been doing for years where Team Stupid fights verses Team Evil. Fox news is one or the other they argue, a point I agree with. CNN=Stupid, Fox=Evil. Personally I'd side with Evil over stupid any day.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Fox News made and televised a turning point in American history. The turning point is demagogue Glenn Beck and the 300,000 people who showed up to hear his speech at the Lincoln Memorial on the 47th anniversary of MLK's "I have a dream" speech. The Telegram and Gazette wrote an op-ed about it and it was very similar to previous posts I made about mankind and the Tea Party being douchbags of the week. In the article she wonders what has happened to this country. More and more of our politicians (i.e. Republicans) are subscribing to idiotic conspiracies such as Obama being a Muslim or the birther debate. In Worcester, three of the five Republican candidates running for state Representatives in the area believe Obama is a Muslim and wasn't born in this country. This is the best we have to represent us? Hell no. And these religious morons are doing it by voting fools into office. Obama is NOT a Muslim. Likewise, he was born in Hawaii and has the birth certificate to prove it. Google it. You'll find it in less then five seconds. The theories about it hold zero weight. As for Beck, he is without a doubt one of the most dangerous people in the world. If you watch him, stop immediately. He is a liar about everything just about. His knowledge of history is appalling and his political theories are incorrect 100% of the time. He obviously doesn't know what words like communism or socialism mean because he's convinced millions to protest the Democrats Marxist leanings (they aren't). He's convinced people, along with fellow demon Sarah Palin, that we don't need health care reform (we do), that faith will save us all (it won't), and that if the republicans were back in power all would be right with the world (shudder). This is a dangerous precedent heading toward a possible theocracy/ fascist state. So congratulations Glenn Beck. You are indeed Douchebag of the week.

Repo Men: Derivative But Better Than You Think

Roundly trashed by both critics and fanboys, this odd little duck was a better piece of filmaking than I had expected. Yes it has it's flaws and parts were definitely ripped off from better movies like Blade Runner and Brazil, but there's a lot more to this movie like spectacular fight sequences and buckets of gore.
The plot is original. Jude Law plays Remy, who with partner Jake (Forest Whitker), slaughter anybody who owes back due on their internal organs in the near future. If you can't pay for your organs, repo men will come get you. After an accident, Remy's heart is damaged, given a new one and starts to see the horror of what he does to everyday people. Teaming with a beautiful renegade Beth (Alice Braga), Remy attempts to flee to South America where they will be safe from the his one time partner/nemesis. Liev Shriver is excellent as the head of the organ company, all slickness and slime. Remy's soon to be ex wife though is one dimensional and very shrewish, although being married to a legalized serial killer will do that I guess. The part is just woefully underwritten and, to be honest, unnecessary, as is his poor son. These characters would have been better left on the drawing board.
The directing is both sharp but unfocused all at once. The movie is well shot and the fight scenes and gore are well done. Action sequences can be done poorly in the wrong hands so I was happy to see the guy know his shots. Where he and the writers failed was in not upping the edge a little. Too much from others movies, including a shot right out The Shining, a city scape right out Blade Runner and an ending mimicking Brazil. This movie is not nearly that good. The other thing that was missing was any sort of social satire which the movie was ripe for. Paul Verhoven would have had a field day with this. A missed opportunity that would have catapulted this film to the next level. Like most films this year, this one was still a few rewrites away from greatness. Too bad too because overall, it was pretty good film.

3 and 1/2 stars out of 5

Hindenberg Omen Inventor Leaves Stock Market

Jim Miekka, inventor of the Hindenberg Omen principle, has left the stock market on fears of another crash. While there is a 77% chance of a crash, Miekka writes that there is only a 25% chance of a significant downturn. Still, he writes that the uncertainly of the market is too unstable and even if indicators didn't suggest such a crash, he would have left by the end of September, the worst months for markets. He compared the turn of events to a funnel cloud forming. You can see it, but it may never touch down or do any significant damage. Still, it doesn't hurt to have storm cellar. And that's right where Miekka suggest we go with our money. He does state that a 20% correction is all but certain at this point. We have to hope that it's not much much worse.
As the economy continues to falter, home sales have slid a to a new low, almost certainly due to the loss of the first time buyers home credit, eliminated by our Congress in a bid to save money. Way to go geniuses, you've helped stall the economy. With higher taxes coming and less services, a depression (which I believe we are actually in) will become readily apparent.
George Soros has sold 95% of his stocks in companies such as Walmart and JP Morgan. When people like this and Miekka start getting rid of everything, people with less than they have should listen. CNBC has reported that a market drop to 5000 is not out of the question. If you are reading this and own stock ask yourself why. If big investors are fleeing, why shouldn't you. The wisdom of riding out crashes is asinine. Buy low sell high. Be warned. The next rally may be a decade away.

DOUCHEBAG OF THE WEEK: MANKIND

Lawrence J Peters, a Professor of education at the University of Southern California, has invented a new science called hierarchiology, or the study of hierarchies in modern society. His basic premise is that man will inevitably screw up whatever it is they are doing; that man is indeed fallible and very much so. His proof is basically just looking out at society today, especially bureaucracies. The fact that more people don't see the daily barrage of idiocy we all have to deal with day after day is astonishing. "The Peter Principle" states that "in a hierarchy, every employee rises to his or her level on incompetence. The cream rises to the top until it sours." People are routinely promoted to positions they have no hope of being able to do. Previous success does not guarantee future success. Look at George W. Bush for no further proof. With his connections, he was promoted far beyond his ability. In another life, he would been a gas station manger at the local BP. Peters writes, "nothing fails like success."
This week I have seen incompetence from every corner of the earth. Let's go with another heaping helping of runner ups, all of whom could have been doucebag of the week.

1- SHARON ANGLE- This train wreck of a politician could give Sarah Palin a run for her money on dumbest female politician on the planet. Neck and neck with Reid, which should tell you something right there, she has been forced to soften her views after it came to light that privatizing social security was something Bush couldn't get through Congress. Her extremist tea Party views are ridiculous with the usual, cut spending just not military or medicare, which won't work. By the way, we could eliminate 1000's of Pentagon jobs that are completely unneccesary such as the huge number of generals and assistant secretaries to various offices which have increased 1000% if the last decade.

2 PAN AM 103 FAMILIES AND THE MEDIA- Apparently no one freakin reads anymore as we are still hearing fake conspiracy stories about BP's involvement with accused terrorist Al-Megrahi's release from prison and even that his cancer may not be as bad as first thought. Anyone following this trial, as I have for decades now, knows the real reason he was released. It was reported in all the Scottish newspapers and in Asia. It was not reported here as the implications of this trial were explosive. The new trial was exposing all sorts of facts about the case that proved his innocense and that of a frame job and cover up by the US, British and Scottish government. This evidence is conclusive as it was twenty years ago. When it became apparent that they couldn't keep the lid on this thing anymore, a new story was concocted and a deft finger pointed at Iran as the ultimate culprit. The real terrorist was the CIA group KOREA, who blew the plane up to prevent a whistleblower from getting back to the states with damning evidence about their drug deals. Two former agents came forward saying they had planted evidence, evidence discovered was tampered with and witnesses threatened. If it was my family on that plane I wouldn't stop until the truth was out there. Lazy dumb asses.

3-AMERICAN POLITICS- The feud between the white house and Republicans has gotten to a point that even the MSM has noticed that nothing is happening, even important stuff like national security. The democrats get a big raspberry for the handling of the Mosque controversy in New York right now. Come out for religious freedom but recognize the need to not put a Muslim cultural center so close to Ground Zero. You can see the site from it's front door. Stop with the antagonizing. It's just making things worse and your prospects dimmer come November. And the Republicans have to start actually governing at this point. They vote against things even in their own interest to stick it to Obama, including a nuclear arms treaty with Russia that Senator Lugar said "hurts national security." Senator John Kyl of, where else, AZ voted against the bill thinking that inspections against Russian nukes were still continuing. They aren't. That's dangerous. And Repubs are the cause. Mozoltov.

4-WORLD POLITICS- Yes this week's winner is the world that just let Iran start up the nuke reactor. Awesome. It was with such meekness that has me particularly worried. What does Israel and the US know that I don't? Is a false flag operation in the works, perhaps a nuke attack against a major US or Israeli city? If that did happen, that nuke plant Iran just started wouldn't mean anything as nukes would be flying anyway. Russia gets a big shout out for putting money ahead of world peace but hey whatever. When we go, you're next douchbags. But as Israel gets the worst of any attack, Netanyahu gets douchebag of the week.

COP OUT:WE MISS THE VIEW ASKEW UNIVERSE

I am a big fan of Kevin Smith, especially that of the view askew universe with Jay, Silent Bob, Dante and Randall. Since wrapping up the characters from five movies, he has moved on to less successful films like Jersey Girl, Zac and Mira Make A Porno and now, Cop Out. While it is much funnier than critics or your average viewer says, it is still a far cry from his earlier work. The fact he didn't write this movie comes across loud and clear. As a matter of fact, this is yet another film in a long line of bad pictures this year done by less than competent people. Who keeps hiring these barely talented morons to write, produce or direct films? This is the final straw to a system that has become so inbred that it's actually started to mutate like you see in bad horror movies. It is only Smith's directing and the cast who I'm guessing improved a lot of it that keeps it being funny.
If you like Tracy Jordan, you'll like this movie. If you don't stay far far away. Bruce Willis and Tracy Jordan play partners, recently suspended for a bust gone wrong, in the search for an expensive baseball card Willis needs to pay for his daughters wedding. Along they way they encounter Sean William Scott's parkour criminal, Rashida Jones as Tracy's possible cheating wife and Guillermo Diaz as Po Boy, the stereotypical villain/gang leader. His part is so badly written you wonder why any self respecting actor would take such an offensive part. Michelle Trachtenberg plays Willis' daughter in a cameo with her step father played by a dickish Jason Lee. The movie is easily ten minutes too long and a sub plot with a Mexican kidnappee goes no where fast and should have been cut completely as the film drags to a halt whenever she's on screen.
The film is way better than the somehow popular Take Him To the Greek, the worst film I've seen this year in the theater. Jennifer's Body is still the worst on DVD. At least this movie has some genuine laughs and an easy going plot, even though the villain needed a lot work and probably a completely different screenwriter. It's not a great movie by any means and tanked just as hard as his last three films (Zac and Mira was a blast), but it's not bad either for rental.

2 and 1/2 stars out 5

Another Iran Deadline Passes. Do Ther Powers That Be Want WW3?

It has come to my attention that the cry wolf scenario against Iran is in it's fifth year. Way back when in 2005, former UN nuke inspector Scott Ritter said that an attack on Iran was imminent. Troop movements seemed to confirm this theory, especially the movement of the Army 1st Battalion Paratrooper Unit sent to the Iranian border. No fool would do that unless an attack was going to happen, right? But I underestimated the idiocy of President Bush who used said troops as guards in a prison camp. Schmuck. Then came the Lebanese war of 2006 which I never felt would lead to an all out confrontation, although I did think that a DMZ would be made between Israel and Lebanon. Nope. Wrong again. Incidentally, my track record for economic turmoil is over 80%, my war predictions are less than 20%. This can only be that we have the stupidest generals on the planet now in the US and Israel. Certainly not in Russia whose campaign against Georgia lasted less than a week and did what every attack should encompass. In all honesty we should have attacked Iran in 2005, but we didn't and are now forced to deal with a nuclear Iran. 2007 brought word of war from foreign sources and conservative American press. In 2008, John Bolton as UN ambassador said that an attack on Iran was imminent. None of these came to pass and most I never believed. Even this week's latest salvo at an immanent attack never seemed likely. However, much like 2005 we have built up a large force in the region. I doubt we would attack unless we were attacked first or made to look so in a false flag operation. Should Chicago disappear in a nuke cloud, Iran will be the target du jour. Nothing will happen before the nuke plant goes operational tomorrow, that much is certain. The full moon will make an attack that much harder and no prep seems to have been done for such an assault so I say there is next to 0 chance of that happening. A nuclear Iran is all but inevitable at this point. Which means good news short term bad news long. The arms race is just beginning in that area and the chance of a nuclear war rises signinifactantly. So once again the hard choices our politicians need to make, the aren't. And we are the ones who will suffer. With the Hindenburg Omen still in effect for the next 34 days, a stock market crash could cause or hinder any hostilities worldwide. Keep watch.

Deadline for Iran Attack Nears

As reported earlier, and finally making waves in the international press, the deadline to attack Iran is only three days long. After that, a nuclear armed Iran becomes a reality in the next two years. Neither the US nor Israel has made any headway with this problem, and it now looks as if they are going to have to accept a nuclear armed Iran. While both descions suck, the good news is that disaster may be delayed. The bad news is is that disaster may be much much worse as a result. The completion, and Russian involvement, make this scenario a game changer and a possible global killer. Going after Iran now leads to less than a 30% chance of all out nuclear war. After they get weapons, the number more than doubles to 70%. You read that right, if Iran gets nuclear weapons, there is a 70% chance of all out nuclear war. Why? Because EVERY Middle East country Will restart their nuclear program including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt. Nukes could also be transferred to proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas. Giving a bunch of retarded monkeys a nuclear bomb is a recipe for disaster and the end of the world for sure. We can hope that the Green revolution will take over Iran's Mullah run government but we can't count on it. What we can count on in three short days is either a devastating war now or a planet ender later. I don't like either prospect. If we go to war, on increasingly unlikely possibility at this moment, our economy will collapse as oil prices skyrocket and bankrupt what little we have.
In other news, the Hindenburg Omen has been reconfirmed (on Friday the 13th no less) which means that while a stock market crash is not inevitable, there is a 77% chance in the next 40 days. No crash has ever happened without the Hindenburg Omen occurring twice in a set period, which has happened. With our government lying through their teeth that a Depression is not upon us (it is), we all should start stockpiling on food and weapons. Unemployment is now between 20-28%, inflation is growing dramatically in food prices (Walmart recently raised their prices significantly on some items as much as 75%), and more and more people are being laid off or given extra hours to work at no pay. The time has come to put a stop to that. If your employer demands more work out you for no pay, tell him to go fuck himself. then explain to him again with a phone buried in his skull. I warned ten people a month ago that their jobs were at risk. They all told me they had job security. Now 40% of them are unemployed, two of whom got fired THE NEXT DAY after I warned them. This country is headed down down down. Prepare.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD: FINALLY A MOVIE I HAVEN'T SEEN A DOZEN TIMES

Scott Pilgrim Vs the World tanked this week. And that's too bad because it was easily one of the best movies of the year. It was funny, inventive and most of all. new. Going into this picture though, I knew it would be great. Director Edgar Wright has been a tour de force in everything he touches from the BBC series Spaced (which I lived), to the zom rom com Shaun of the Dead to the gory spoof of buddy cop flicks, Hot Fuzz. I own all three on DVD and never get tired of watching them. The main reason being that there is so much going on in the these movies that you will indubitably miss things the first few times through. For example, in Shawn of the Dead, everything that happens is foreshadowed earlier in the movie. You'll never be able to catch that unless you've seen it a few times. Scott Pilgrim is no different. Michael Cera plays Michael Cera, I mean Scott Pilgrim, in his patented hound dog speech mannerisms. True the guy has no range but he does nail this persona perfectly. In the beginning he lives with his gay best friend Wallace (Keiran Culkin), suffers with an intensely platonic relationship with 17 year old high school student Knives Chou (Ellen Wong), and plays in a grunge garage band with two friends and an old girlfriend Kim (Allison Pill). Then he meets Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who he falls immediately in love with. However to win her over, he must do battle with her seven evil exs. And fight he must in spectacular fashion, where everyone seems to have super powers and no one blinks and eye. Fusing Anime, martial arts movies, video games and music videos in a mish mosh of kaleidoscope visions, the movie pops with life and humor. The supporting cast includes Anna Kandricks as Scott's very busy sister and evil exs, Brandon Routh, Chris Evans and Jason Schwartman, all of whom are hysterical.
The only place the film falters at all is with Ramona. Her character is so flat and lifeless that I was actually rooting for Scott to hook up with the much hotter, albeit much younger Knives Chou. But then again I do have a thing for Asian women. Knives just seemed like a much better fit for Scott but what do I know. The great thing about this film was that, at its heart, this is romantic comedy. The fights that take place in this film is something every man or woman can identify with. When you meet someone new, how much baggage do you have to deal with? How many exs are going to try to knock you off that pedestal so that they can get back with the person they lost? We've all been there. We just don't actually fight people for real, for the most part it's all in our head. Can you deal with the fact that your significant other has been with others before you? Were they better? If you like movies at all, this one is for everyone. Women will like the romantic ideals it possess, guys will like the kick butt action sequences. Based on a comic geared toward women I'm surprised it didn't do better. But then again, the MBAtards that produced this movie buried it opposite The Expendables, the same target audience. As the movie Highlander said, "there can be only one." Next time, put a film like this in the spring when competition is less. It would have been a big hit. Dumbasses.

4 and 1/2 stars out of 5

DOUCHEBAG OF THE WEEK: RUSSIA

ALERT ALERT ALERT: New info has just surfaced that is red hot in intensity. In what can only be described as a suicidal move (and one I never saw coming) Russia has sided with Iran with their nuclear ambitions over loud condemnation from Israel and the West. Make no mistake about what you about to read. The chance for all out nuclear war have just tripled overnight.
Russia has approved a plan to not only help activate the Bushehr reactor on August 21st but have also installed S-300 anti missile batteries at Abkhazia on the Black Sea to deter any attack on the facility. What this means is that Israel now has only days to launch an attack on the facility less they risk a nuclear fallout from the destroyed plant. Russia had given assurances that they wouldn't let the plant become operational until next year but that fell through with most of the worthless sanctions (which never work) the UN placed on Iran earlier this year.
This lands the world in heap of trouble. In earlier posts I showed that war with Iran cannot be one without nukes. If Russia has decided to play the spoiler how will that affect out relations with them? Will they get involved in nuclear war, one that seems more imminent every day. I had thought we had until September to worry but this acceleration now has sped up the time table to less than a week.
Atlantic magazine has given the chance of war with Iran a 50/50 chance within the next 12 months. Middle East expert Jeffery Goldberg is less optimistic and says he expects a war with Iran to break out in the next few months, a fact I had also eschewed to. But this new situation is making the prediction quaint. Israel is holding emergency meetings to discuss the problem. It is highly unlikely they will allow the plant to become operational. Once it does, it will be untouchable, and a nuclear Iran is all but assured. Former UN ambassador under Bush John Bolton has said publicly that this new action will make August 21st the point of no return.
It is unlikely that Israel will let this plant stand. It is equally unlikely that Iran will take any attack sitting down and will use proxy weapons like Hezbollah and Hamas to strike worldwide targets including those within the US. As this country is unbelievably hostile right now, especially toward Muslims, ANY person of Muslim descent should be prepared to leave the US at a moments notice. This isn't a bigoted thing to say. I honestly will fear for the safety of any person that the real bigoted idiots are going to target. Think Muslim were treated badly after 9/11. Wait until suicide bombers come packing at your local mall. People will shoot first and ask questions later. The reason for the Japanese internment back in the 40's had less to due with us worries about what they would do, but the severe forms of threats against Japanese Americans that made them targets in the first place. I live with a Japanese girl and even she agrees with my logic on that point.
So thanks for nothing Russia. You are indeed douchebag of the week and just remember that if the Muslims destroy Israel and the US, you and China are next.

Signs of Impending Doom

I hate to write about all this disaster crap but each day brings new info that must be discussed. A new indicator of an impending economic crash has been identified as the Hindenburg Omen. While not a guarantee of a stock market free fall, it has been successful in the past. There are five factors that have to be crossed to allow for this Omen to occur, and when it does it takes 36 days for reconfirmation. If it is reconfirmed in 36 days, there is a 77% chance of a stock market crash in the next 40 days. All five factors of this prediction have been achieved making a crash more and more likely. Barron Magazine in June 2008 wrote about this occurrence and gave a stock market crash a 25% chance of happening within 120 days. Guess what? It did. And the odds are much bigger now. While we wait for conformation about the five factors to happen again, which are incredibly complicated requiring multiple economic conditions to happen on the same day, other events show a real problem headed our way.
The military buildup in the Middle East continues which we have to hope is a bluff by the Obama administration. But with even most Muslim nations against Iran getting a nuke, war is starting to seem more and more likely. There's only one problem with attacking Iran. We can"t win without nukes. A few years back, the government ran a wargame called Operation Dark Wind. In it, the USA was given the job to attack Iran with as little collateral damage as possible. All simulations failed. The only way to win was to use nuclear weapons on major cities and the coastline. This has not changed. Recently former Bush/Clinton/Bush Counter Terrorism expert, Richard Clarke, confirmed this same scenario four years ago in a New York Times interview. In it he talks about how various wargames over the past 15 years have all failed to win any conflict with Iran without nuclear weapons. Is this a path we are seriously going to take? Unfortunately we may have to. Iran with a nuclear bomb will destabilize the whole region. Chances of all out nuclear war go up significantly in such a scenario. So limited nuclear war now or all out later seems like a no brainier. The consequences of this conflict will be devastating. Oil prices will skyrocket, the economy Will fall apart and Muslims Will take the blame for everything. If this is to occur, it will happen within the next eight weeks. If we make it to November, we Will have dodged a bullet. At least until March.

The New Normal: Uncivility and Dishonesty

The one thing that can truly ruin a society is for its people to become uncivilized. By this I don't mean that people devolve to such a point they begin eating one another, but that they become so indifferent to their neighbor's needs they sow the seeds of discord to a breaking point. This is what is happening now. People all over have had it with the dicks they have to put up with every day just to get by. Just this week, we saw a mass brawl break out in two DC subway stops, several shootings brought on by road rage, a hero flight attendant quiting in the most awesome way after a jerk passanger smacked him with his luggage, and a host of other issues that spell the end. Last week, CT saw it worst workplace shooting at a Budweiser brewery where the assailant allegedly claimed that he was being racially harassed. As the other black people in the company have said nothing and the race baiting was never reported to Union or executive positions, these allegations must be taken with a grain of salt. What is not in contest is how hostile we as a people have become, largely due to the everyday stress in our lives. The work grind is killing us and this country. You would have to be a fool not to see it. Companies are forcing people to work longer hours for less pay or else "layoffs" will ensue. If the company really wanted to save money they'd fire the high paying executives who suck up 90% of most companies salary budgets. But that's not going to happen any time soon and as result people are going to get angrier and angrier and things like that work place shooting will become more and more common place.
Perhaps the most non shocking thing to happen these past few weeks is an understandable backlash toward Muslims. With the idiotic, ultra liberal view of building a Mosque anywhere near Ground Zero showing a tone deaf mentality that defies explanation, we have to throw up our hands. I have nothing against the Muslim people (although I do think all religions should be abolished) but they should have a right to religious freedom, just not near a place where a terrorist attack occured by the same people. Would you put up a Nazi gift shop next to Auschwitz? Or an American WW2 memorial at Hiroshima? Of course not. The insensitivity factor is off the charts. Of course people are going to be mad about that. Move it further away and there shouldn't be a problem. However, as Muslims have performed the world's worst PR campaign, many don't want mosques anywhere near them or their children, with protests countrywide about new mosques being built. Part of the problem is ignorance but the Muslim world isn't helping by their my way or nothing attitude. They bitch and moan about every little thing that we do, but god help the Christan or Jew in their countries. More than likely they will be run out on a rail and this does not sit well with many who wonder why should we put up with it if they're not going to. Religious tolerance runs both ways and the Muslim world is in real danger at this point of being wiped out in Europe, Russia, China and even the US. At some point soon there is going to be a war between the West and the Muslim world. A fourth aircraft carrier, the USS Truman is now being moved into the Arabian Sea, along with its strike force. Earlier posts I have written months ago, predicted this build up. Two other carriers in the area are awaiting orders that may put them into the region by months end. Last months non story about the sinking of a Japanese oil tanker is believed to have been done a by an Iranian sub, something that has been blacked out in most newscasts. As a matter of fact, all of these build ups have been suspiciously missing from the daily news. Not a good sign. With the end of Ramadan Sept 10, look out for trouble soon after.

Bleak, Bleaker, Bleakest

It seems like every time I go away, thus the no new postings for the past few days, things seem to go to hell in a handbasket. During a previous ski trip, there was a terrorist attack on Japan's subways system. On another vacation to Ireland, there was the Christmas Tsunami. Mind you, this time, even before I left, things weren't going well in the world. But coming back I see things have actually gotten much much worse. We hang on the edge of a cliff and it's a long way down.
Our infrastructure continues to crumble, with rolling blackouts a new normal across the country. With the devastating heat wave still continuing across the planet, tens of thousands are actually dying from heat stroke, especially in Russia experiencing the worst heat in 1000 years. Read that again and explain to me how climate change is not real. I dare you. Our energy grid, especially in the northeast and southeast are horribly outdated and prone to failure. The price tag will be at least 1.5 trillion dollars to fix. Like we have it. Our bridges are collapsing, our power is in danger of being corrupted due to a growing population and an aging system and we throw money away on pork projects like the effects of coke snorting on monkeys and a museum for an old train station not much bigger than the shotgun shack I just spent the last few days in. Unfreakingbelievable.
That would bad enough news except for the rising number of world class economists who are saying that the next Depression has started with runaway inflation possible and another stock market crash by October. Unemployment, the real numbers, are between 20 and 28% of the population now, meaning we are near, at or above Depression era statistics. And people back then didn't have mortgages, credit card debt, car payments and a host of other expenses that we have today. MSM has actually begun reporting the problem as very serious on such channels as CNBC and CNN. Food prices are rising, and with what I will discuss in the next paragraph, oil prices are set to soar beyond even what we saw a few years back. With no new jobs being created, and Obama or Congress unwilling to help, we are at the brink of rebellion and a possible total Fascist dictatorship to quell any unrest.
If all that wasn't bad enough, as I have posted previously, Israel is on a highway to hell with a possible war that could break out at any moment. With Syria's possible defection away from Iran, the heat has been ratcheted up to extreme levels. Lebanon, now almost under the complete control of Hezbollah, has denounced the current findings over the 2005 assassination of a prominent political figure and have instead blamed Israel, of course, for the attack. Beyond the fact the Israel had no reason to kill a moderate leader, this rant has fallen on deaf ears world wide. That has not stopped Iran from declaring the Lebanese Army is now one and the same with Hezbollah and imncreasing their fiery rhetoric for the destruction of Israel. Israel has responded by moving a large number of troops, equipment and support to the border, telling citizens to stay off of highways near Lebanon. Unlike the last war, this one will not be fought so terribly. Whether Sharon was incompetent or just stupid is unknown (he did fight the war just like Bush), Netenyahu will not follow the same blueprint to lose again. This time it will be war, an all out one at that, which will drag the Middle East, and probably the world into another world war. Gas prices will skyrocket and economies will collapse world wide. Fun. So smoke em if you got em. The end draws near.

DOUCHEBAG OF THE WEEK: AMERICAN POLITICS

This week during another stellar, Emmy worthy episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart was the ONLY news network to mention any of the problems being raised in the Middle East, highlight the non disparities between our two so called political parties, and wrote a brilliant segment titled "I Give Up." This sums up everything I feel about modern day politics. In it, Stewart rallies against the hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle, showing clips of various Representatives shooting down a measure to help firefighters and police who got sick after 9/11 for the stupidest of reasons. It was the saddest thing I ever seen. It's gotten so bad in Washington with corruption and divisiveness that NOTHING will be accomplished, no matter how important or trivial. They two sides cannot agree on anything. Thus we lead ourselves to out ultimate demise. Our roads are crumbling, as anyone driving down Route 93 found out this week when three out of four lanes disappeared as the bridge beneath it gave way some of it's surface concrete. This comes hot on the heels of a guy who was almost killed in Boston near the Science Center when a chunk of concrete from the overpass came loss and barely missed him. The Big Dig took one person's life already and that as brand new. How long before our crumbling infrastructure does just that and crumbles? We don't have the money for any of this. But on the same day as all this is happening comes another news report of various industries and unions standing together and demanding that nothing change in Social Security. Even though it's sucking us dry and will eventually go bankrupt sooner than later and then we'll have nothing. These are the people leading us right into oblivion. They cry something has to change but can't sacrifice enough to make it happen. They don't want to give up anything. And there in lies the problem. We as a species have reached the end of our rope. Our greed is about to hang us all. If I were alone in this thought I'd be less worried. But recently others have contacted me, people who don't spook easily, and they have started to quietly stockpile things again. It might be a good idea for anyone reading this to do the same. Get a gun and lots of ammo if you can afford it. If this is what we can look forward to "saving us," these awful men with nothing but Greed and Lust in their hearts, then God save us all. All politicians are this week's indeed Douchebag. Pray for a miracle because we could certainly use one. It is said in the final days Jesus will return to fight the war against the demons. Hopefully, he's out there and he will be as described in the Bible, "He will come not in peace but as a sword."

Syria Deflects Iran Strongarm Tactics: Is It For Real?

In a good news/bad news scenario, current President Syrian Bashar Assad has switched loyalty from Hizballah Hassan Nassrallah to PM Saad Hariri. With mounting evidence of Hezbollah's involvement with the assassination of Hariri's father, Rafiq, Syria has wisely stepped out of the fire and sidelined the terrorist group, much to Iran's chagrin. Nassrallah has responded earlier with ham fisted attempts to dismantle the inquiry knowing where it would lead, leading to a much publicized feud between himself and Hariri. With Hezbollah out in the cold now they have vowed that such an action will lead to civil war or even a new conflict with Israel. Thus the current problems arising such as the attack on Israeli troops on the Lebanon border by either Lebanese troops or, more likely, Hezbollah dressed as Lebanese soldiers. Two officers were killed in that limited conflict. Israel is watching the situation carefully. The implications for this switch is staggering. Assad met recently with the Saudi King whose fear over Iranian nuclear weapons almost certainly came up. Sides are being drawn for any future conflict and I don't know about you but I don't want to go up against the US, Russia, China, Europe, and most of the Middle East in a war either. One thing that can be said about the Syrian leader is he is not a fool. Having breathed a sigh of relief once the heat was off his regime for the assassination of Hariri, he may have wisely seen the forest for the trees and is now beginning to cut ties with the increasingly isolated Iran. This is a horrible scenerio for both Lebanon and Iran as their land link is now gone. Syria may still publicly denounce Hizbullah and even expel them if war breaks out. The conflict on the Lebanese border however is very tense right now with the deaths of two soldiers by snipers acros the border. Isreal's response will probably be strong. But how this will play out without Syria makes it much more interesting and much less deadly.

Immigration, The Drug War, and The Tea Party Effect

This is probably one of the most heated, and most important topics facing America today. For a while the issue faded as the economy died and attention was put elsewhere but now has roared back to life due to Arizona's ill fated attempt at reform and the incredible level of violence across the border in Mexico.
First let's talk about the immigration issue by and in itself. My grandparents were immigrants as were most of my friends parents or grandparents. It's actually a little stunning that only a few people I know are greater than second generation immigrants. Immigration isn't the problem. Illegal immigration is. And it's pissing off more and more people as the problem is getting way out of hand. Something needs to be done because as of today, it's going to get ugly (more on that later). The feds need to man up and see the problem. Closing your eyes and wishing it away is not going to change things. While the blanket police state Arizona seeks is not legal, statues exist on the books to combat the problem. Anybody caught hiring illegal aliens should get a hefty fine if not jail time, NO MATTER HOW BIG THE FUCKING INSTITUTION IS! There are two laws nowadays. Those for the rich and those for the poor. Don't believe me? Ask OJ Simpson, or Robert Blake, or Roman Polanski or even the recent case of billionaire Jeffrey Epstein who walked after a dead to rights pedo case. But as we penalize the poor Mexican worker and not the institution making them work for slave wages, this status quo has no chance of changing. If we eliminate the possibility of work for those who are here illegally, we eliminate the problem of illegal immigration. No work=no money. End the drug war and there will be near zero illegal immigration.
The drug war is out of control and it has been noted that a million dollar price has been put on Sheriff Joe Aparo of Arizona for his stance on immigration by the Mexican Drug cartels. If the drug war continues not only will it help bankrupt this country but could actually destabilize the Mexican government to a point that war with Mexico is not out of the question. With millions illegal immigrants already here within our borders it could be an ugly fight.
This we come to the illogic of the Tea Party. They demand no amnesty and an immediate deporting of all here illegally. Not going to happen. First, we're broke. We have no money to do such a large scale operation. Second, it's not possible. While we do have many Concentration camps set up across US courtesy of your tax dollars, the backlash against such an operation would be catastrophic. This is why the Tea Party is racist. They like to keep all the entilemnets that affect them, but any that affect minorties have to go. This isn't overt racism mind you, but it's still racist regardless.
End the drug war, allow amnesty for millions already here with benchmarks for US citizenship necessary to stay, and shut the fucking Tea Party and Sarah Palin up once and for all.