Thinking Out Loud: July 2008

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Stealing the Show

I saw The Dark Knight with my friend Cassandra last night. This was my first ever Batman movie-- or now that I think about it--any of the comic book inspired movies. They really aren't my thing. I went to see this one solely to see the much-hyped performance of Heath Ledger.

I was a really big fan of Heath Ledger, and I was so saddened by his untimely death earlier this year. Seeing this movie really made that feeling hit home, as it became all the more apparent what a huge talent we have lost.

All of the talk about an oscar nod for him didn't surprise me, but I had to wonder if a lot of it wasn't more about the loss than the performance. But let me tell you, this performance is deserving of every award it receives. Heath's Joker is terrifying, but also has you laughing-it catches you off guard-and you completely forget it is him in there. It is an absolutely stellar performance--outshining everyone else in the movie-- he actually makes the movie. The fact that you laugh in the midst of his sickness and killing is a nod to him also--isn't that truly what would embody a character called the Joker? I was blown away that I could be so taken in by a "comic book" character in a movie. What a loss-- I can only imagine what other work he had in store for us.

If you haven't seen it yet, go. It is worth it to see Heath's last work on screen-his final bow.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Semi-Automatic Fellowship

A friend sent me a link to this story today, and honestly, I had to read it a few times, and then watch the accompanying video to make sure I wasn't looking at an article from The Onion. But, sadly, no--the truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

Now, I know in some parts of the country, and in fact in some parts of my own home state, target shooting and whatnot are fine, respectable, hobbies and pasttimes. But does one need a SEMI-AUTOMATIC ASSAULT weapon for such an activity? And is this really the best thing for a church to be promoting to their youth? Uh, no and no.

To be fair, I checked into the model of rifle they were marketing on the church's website (pictured above), and within the listings of its capabilities, it says it has "captured the affection of sport shooters". However, it was developed for military use. This is not a gun I would want in any teenager's hand that I know of, sports shooter or not.

Some days, you just have to wonder. Click here to go to the original article, and to check out the video of the news report.

Church Cancels Teen Gun Giveaway

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An Oklahoma church canceled a controversial gun giveaway for teenagers at a weekend youth conference.
Windsor Hills Baptist had planned to give away a semiautomatic assault rifle until one of the event's organizers was unable to attend.
The church’s youth pastor, Bob Ross, said it’s a way of trying to encourage young people to attend the event. The church expected hundreds of teenagers from as far away as Canada.
“We have 21 hours of preaching and teaching throughout the week,” Ross said.
A video on the church Web site shows the shooting competition from last year’s conference. A gun giveaway was part of the event last year. This year, organizers included it in their marketing.
“I don’t want people thinking ‘My goodness, we’re putting a weapon in the hand of somebody that doesn’t respect it who are then going to go out and kill,'” said Ross. “That’s not at all what we’re trying to do.”
Ross said the conference isn’t all about guns, but rather about teens finding faith.
“You make a lot of new friends down here,” said Vikki Goncharenko, who attended the conference. “You get to meet new people. There's a bunch of things that are going on. It's just, you have a wonderful time.”
Friday evening, Ross said the gun giveaway had been canceled. Pastor emeritus Jim Vineyard, who ran the event, injured his foot and wouldn’t be able to attend. The gun giveaway was also removed from the church Web site.
Ross said the church would give the gun away next year instead. He said the church spent $800 buying the gun for the promotion.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Are you there SPAM? It's me, Kim.

(click to enlarge image)

In my gmail account SPAM inbox, there are, unfortunately, hundreds of SPAM messages a day. I do a quick check of all of them before I hit the "delete all SPAM messages" link. Some of my actual real emails end up in there sometimes.

Now, let me tell you, there are some real winners that come to me. I know ALL about erectile dysfunction, and there are several people in Africa that keep in close contact with me, should I want to put their inheritance into my bank account.

I am sure everyone reading this knows what I am talking about. But today, one in particular caught my attention. The message was from a Dr. Suzanne. You just KNOW that is legitimate, since all REAL doctors like to be addressed by "Dr." and then their first name. But check out that subject line!!! Dr. Suzanne does not know me quite well enough yet to be saying such things. I would write her back and tell her that, beginning with a subject line: Dr. Suzanne, THIS is why I don't like your emails!

But, alas, I don't think it would solve my problem. At least it is not my fault- LOL.