1300 years old

What happened in the 700's?

-The Pala empire was founded in India in 730 AD.

-A lot of shit in DragonballZ happened then.

-Roman, German, and Islamic art mixed to create what is known as Midieval Art

-The Moche of Peru gave way to the Chimu civilization

-A Chinese manuscript mentions dyeing with wax resistant technique (batik)

-The Chinese invented gunpowder

-The Muslims were defeated at the Battle of Tours in the Pyrenees, the farthest the Muslims advanced

-In Gyeongju, Korea they built a bunch of temples and Asia's first astronomical observatory

Dr. Seuss, it ain't

This kid's life sucks.

Magnus D'ohpus

I'll admit I was a bit nervous. After being subjected to every half-ass comic book (Flash?), sequel (last week out of 4 movie posters I saw all 4 were sequels), and sometimes both (Spiderman 3), I was a little sceptical about the timing and expectations of a Simpsons movie. The show has spanned 19 years and covered everything already. Would it taint my memories of the ground breaking wit and social commentary that has outlasted all the subjects of its jokes? Well, they couldn't be doing it for the money, as we've seen the series almost dare Fox to kick it off the roster. I now have heard about that it had actually been in the works for some time and had just took awhile to get everyone together and crank out something Simpsons worthy. Also, why not? Why not have a Simspons movie now? We don't need to waste any time with character development or attention conforming to reality. With these asides we can jump right into the zaniness that are Simpsons plots and start laughing at the jokes. Although this plot isn't as disconnected as some where the ending is almost like a different show than the beginning. Many of the critics have dissed it (although reassuringly most have liked it) for being like just another episode. I think that would be o.k., 90 minutes of the best jokes and animation from the all-star Simpsons writers and artists would be worth my 8 bucks. But, I think it's bigger than just another episode. Actually, I'm glad they didn't try to do some huge epic thing that shook the series up. But, strangely enough for being 90 minutes it probably has fewer amount of minutes for characters outside the family than an episode. And I think that is good they focused on the family. The series is called "the Simpsons". It's the irreverence for outside expectations that makes the Simpsons the most relevant show on TV and it's irreverence that gets the Simpsons in their jams. (Actually though, the whole premise of the problem was based on a true event of people having to dispose of pig crap in their local waters.) So, the movie could sit around and get hung up on trying to encapsulate the fullness of 18 seasons (impossible) or just go for it and add a huge nugget into the Simpson experience, which they do. Enjoy some killer animation (keeping the drawing thing real), all-star jokes, a plot that is interesting and still makes a few jokes, and the longevity of the Simpsons who have been putting in work for a long time.

~As an interesting side note, after I watched the Simpsons I watched another movie, The Devil and Daniel Johnston. It was a great movie about a Brian Wilson type dude named Daniel Johnston who made some interesting music and movies in the mid-80-90's before getting hit by some mental issues. Dude went way down in the dumps before making a comeback in early 2000's at a couple shows. Guess who was in the movie meeting him before one of his shows? Matt Groening.

Sensitive Thug

What the fuck. I don't know what to make out of Reh Dog's "Why Do I Cry?" video. It appears to be a lament to a homosexual forsaken gangster love affair at some moments, an ode to his kids at others, and him running around playing ninja in the woods at others. It's "special".

"Family Jewels"

Check out the CIA's Freedom of Information Act webpage. On it you can find former confidential documents now declassified for public viewing. One document entitled "Family Jewels" outlines a number of shady CIA dealings such as the CIA trying to arrange Fidel Castro's assasination by a mobster, the ensuing pressure on a journalist who exposed this deal, arranging use of the local police in the Chicago National Democratic Convention, and the detention of a KGB defector who turned out to be the U.S.'s greatest informant.

In 1960, because of his contacts in Cuban gambling operations, Las Vegas based mobster Johnny Roselli was contacted by CIA agents posing as Cuban businessmen. The purpose of this meeting was to explore the possibility of "removing" Fidel Castro ostensibly as a remedy to business problems for a sum of $150,000. The agents were put in contact with a couple men capable of handling the job. These two men turned out to be Chicago bosses of Cosa Nostra on the FBI's 10 most wanted list (only identified after the agent saw their picture in the Parade newspaper supplement (goverment "intelligence")). Arrangements were made with a dissatisfied Cuban doctor to administer 6 poison pills that were given to him. However, the arrangement was soon cancelled due to the Bay of Pigs "operation". All did not fade away quietly, however. Johnny Roselli was busted for a $400,000 rigged game of gin rummy with a Friar's Club (aren't they just supposed to do toasts?). Roselli wanted protection from the Feds. The spooks called his bluff and a Washington Post reporter, Jack Anderson was leaked the details of the little proposed arrangement. Surveillance was put on Anderson to find out the source. Roselli ended up in the joint. His body was later discovered in a oil drum with his legs sawed off. Why hasn't there been a movie about this with Joe Pesci staring as Johnny?