The Week in Review

This PSA sums up the week fairly well.



And for a fresh perspective, four kids born after 9/11 sit down with Beck Bennett to offer some truly fresh perspectives on the ramifications of Osama bin Laden’s death.

Hideout in Rockford

Marathon Pundit: Rockford IL tourism video with Rick Nielsen: "Are you a state Senator from Wisconsin?"

After gaining some infamy a couple of weeks ago when 14 Democratic members of the Wisconsin state Senate encamped there, the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is having fun with it--by producing a video in which passerbys are asked, "Are you a state Senator from Wisconsin?"

Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, a Rockford native,appears in it.

Stats Doc

Hans Rosling’s eminently informative BBC Four documentary The Joy of Stats — from which this chartgasmic clip was taken — has finally been made available for viewing in all regions (previously, only the Brits were privy to this tremendous knowledge trove).

Dataphiles, you’re gonna want to set two hours aside for this: One hour to watch, and another to regain your composure.

Daisy 2010

It’s from the American Values Network, a hard-left progressive faith group:

Burns Strider, the group’s founder, was a former aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and was a faith advisor to the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. In other words, this is a Democratic ad blitz using the most outlandish fearmongering imaginable. The original “Daisy Girl” ran at the height of the Cold War. It came in response to Barry Goldwater’s bellicose comments on the use of nuclear weapons against the Soviets. There’s little of that kind of rhetoric in today’s GOP — and we’re not on the brink of a nuclear holocaust — and the ad’s claims on inspections under the new START are entirely dependent on Moscow’s compliance and transparency. When Obama signed the treaty in April, our Czech allies dissed it as “appeasing Russia.” “Trust Russia on START?”

Now, in case you missed it, here's the original scare the hell out of you ad from LBJ's camp against Barry Goldwater.

Vote for Honesty

Whitest Kids 'U Know present their candidate for Senate... Chris Webb

Is it too late to go to Kalamazoo College?

Orientation Video - The University of Georgia seems like a really awesome school, except for their Music, AV, and Orientation Departments. Maybe folks go there for the Physics Department? I hear their meal plan is amazing.

I think I prefer the one for Ontario College of Art.

Obama Bumper Sticker Removal Ki

The Obama Bumper Sticker Removal Kit - Available at BSRemoval.com

The best part about this is, it came in the mail bag from a staunch Obama voter and liberal friend who reads Blasphemes.

Massive Attack Monster Apocalypse

Massive Attack has released a series of low-budget videos for its new album Heligoland, each created by a different director. This one, called "Splitting the Atom," is an unforgettable, gorgeous scene from an apocalypse.

Directed by Edouard Salier, the video is a masterpiece of 3D rendering, done almost entirely in black and white with an Akira-Cloverfield-style nightmare. The best part is that the city under attack is frozen in time - the only thing moving is our perspective as we swoop between shattered towers, screaming people, helicopters in the process of exploding, and at last nearly into the jaws of a giant creature who appears to be attacking the city.

The Sandpit

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

New York City, tilt-shifted and time lapsed.

Beloved Burger Barons Ketchup in Hooker and Blow Scandal

The new video for Rad Omen's "Rad Anthem," a catchy slice of repetitive Daft Punkery.

The concept? Several much-loved fast-food icons go out for a night on the town that turns out to be very much like the Prodigy's video for "Smack My Bitch Up." Booze, drugs, strippers, a transvestite Wendy, and other special treats abound (Los Angeles filmmaker Nicholaus Goossen is no stranger to the subject matter, being pals with Shwayze, Dirt Nasty, Beardo, and that whole crew of party people).

​

RAD OMEN - "Rad Anthem" from Nicholaus Goossen.

Microsoft’s OMGIGP, a.k.a. That Puking Video

When Microsoft decided to talk about Internet Explorer 8, the company reps said Microsoft’s goal with IE8 was to erase perceptions of Internet Explorer 6. Apparently lurid images of puking were part of that strategy. I still remember the atrocious IE 6 as clearly as the time I suffered from near-death mono. And your puke-fest video makes me want to keep a more-than-safe distance from IE 8 too.

Have you guys thought about getting a new marketing team?

Needs More Cowbell

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Heh, he.. what the hell was that? Are you guys serious? Oh, you're trying to be funny? Of the few celebs that I actually recognized, I'm surprised at the giant brass balls that Will Farrell has. I mean, 10 bucks a head to see 'Bewitched' or 'Land of the Lost'?' And you're talking about greed? Here's Will's salary from a couple of the things he's done lately... (imdb)

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006): $20,000,000
Bewitched (2005): $20,000,000
Kicking & Screaming (2005): $20,000,000
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004): $7,000,000

That's as hypocritical as having to pay money to watch Michael Moore's movie about the evils of capitalism!

And the message, if you got through it all... As with any who-the-hell-is-that-guy-he's-a-celebrity-?- political spots, it’s boring and three times longer than it needs to be simply in order to accommodate everyone involved with sufficient camera time. If you didn't fall asleep watching it, you’ll learn that (a) apparently 80 percent of America wants the public option, [which is news to me] and (b) people who make millions churning out one unwatchable piles of bile after another, inexplicably feel no shame in accusing insurance executives of being overpaid. God bless America.

Well, Mr. Farrell, I do believe you've made my list for...

Blasphemes Hypocrite of the Week.

Put that on your mantel with all those awards- ooh. Sore spot.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Ah, the early 80's. As we're thinking about the passing of John Hughes - I'm thinking of the other Breakfast Club. The one where we hovered around the tube watching cartoons while spooning Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs into our gullets.
First, this is the CBS intro to their Saturday Morning. Very video game. Hip.


There were an amazing number of Video Game related shows, and imagery aimed at us - well, that's what kids like, right? The network execs probably realized that if we weren't watching a cartoon about our 8bit heroes, we'd be playing them on our Ataris or worse, leaving the house to go to the arcade. And why not just make a half hour commercial for those games? the 'shows' fell between the ads for sugary foods and toys? Eh, I'm not going to crap in your memories, so here's some of that old fashioned video game goodness.


This Saturday, keeping in the theme is the Saturday Supercade... with all the individual openings to those shows. I don't really understand how these cartoons capitalize on popular arcade games of the time, since the stories and the characters just barely resemble the source material ... Supercade ran from 1983-1985. It was a series of cartoons, including Pitfall, Frogger, Donkey Kong, DK Jr., Q-Bert, Kangaroo, and Space Ace.

Can anyone tell me why Q-Bert is set in the 1950's? Frogger solves - mysteries? Really? I'm guessing this show eventually died because of the video game crash of 1983? And I'll assume that it took so long to create these shows that there was such a long backlog, they were compelled to keep airing the Kangaroo cartoon. There was another show, called Captain N - about a kid who was sucked into his Nintendo Entertainment System. Sounds a lot like Kidd Video -- but it's Nintendo this time. Here's part one of the episode called 'Game Boy'

This is more of an advertisement than the Transformers! It's worth watching just for Mega Man's voice talent. And maybe for the, er, flamboyant voice of Simon Belmont.... I can understand the choice if he was called Simon Halsted - but not Belmont.

Anyhow, hope you enjoy your cartoons.

Oscar Dittohead

Sing Along with Oscar:
This f*cking country's lost its grip
Subconscious hold begins to slip
The scales of justice tend to tip

The legal system has no spine
It's corroding from inside
Slap your hand you'll do no time

Reality on vacation
All across a blinded nation
Mentality under sedation

Anyone can be set free
On a technicality
Explain the law again to me

Here in 1994
Things are different than before
Violence is what we adore

Invitation to the game
Guns and blades and media fame
Every day more of the same

Murder, mayhem, anarchy
Now are all done legally
Mastermind your killing spree

Unafraid of punishment
With a passive government
There's nothing for you to regret

Nothing to regret

Unimposing policy
No enforcing ministry
Gaping with judicial flaws
Watching a fading nation crawl

Clashing with the public's frame
I'm the one that's place in fame
Legislature sets the stage
Social slaves caught in my rage

Administrative anarchy there's nothing
You can do to me
The world around you drifting to a
Continental tomb you see
Violence is my passion
I will never be contained
Living with aggression and its
Everlasting reign

PS: I always knew Oscar was Metal.

The "Good" Samaritan

I love That Mitchell and Webb Look

Blasphemous Post Friday July 1

Listening Post

Moby tune. Video by David Lynch. Shot in the Back of the Head.

You Look Like A Black Boy

Wait, that's a girl? Well she does look like a boy. And I mean a male child... not 'boy.' That alone would have been fairly offensive....

Why did they have to throw the race card into the mix? A 'Black' Boy. Yes, a girl who has a bad perm and also dresses like a boy - will get mocked and made fun of. She will then (probably) grow up to be an untalented bitter bull dyke lesbian who hosts awards shows. But that's more about attire than hair styles.

Why didn't the mother put her in a dress? Sue the hairstylist for that awful soul crushing perm? Maybe wear a nice hat to cover up that offending ball of hair?

But back to the 'black' part of it...

What's wrong with that?! Consider that this informative After School special for bad perms and 'your mom shops in the boy section at JC Penny' was made after the Emancipation Proclamation and probably after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. This is so wrong on so many levels, I don't know where to start.

My first thoughts are who produced this thing? Did it air on television, or was it handed out at the beauty parlor after the stylist knew she hosed the perm?

And then there's the double racial slur of 'Black' and 'Boy' merged together... you could have a field day just with that one.

"It's not like you're really black."
Someone somewhere wrote that down on paper, gave it to some one to approve, and then the actor and director rehearsed the line, someone shot it, someone edited it, then it was shown - somewhere. No where in the process was a line like that considered offensive?

My research shows that it's from the PBS show Many Voices, Many Visions that originated from TV Ontario in the 80's. It gets a pass because - why, they didn't have slavery or something? Oh, oops. They DID. (granted it wasn't Southern Plantations, but Canadians DID engage in slavery)

I reserve the rest of my judgement until I can view the entire program.

How to get drunk... on Jesus

This is called "How to get drunk - without alcohol"
I have to warn you, it is quite disturbing...


or... as RockingOnPluto says: "I don't think that any atheist could come up with any better explanation of why religion makes people delusional and is therefore dangerous than this video."

True dat. Nuff said.

Behold the awesome power and glory of Mark Gormley!

I can't believe I'm only JUST NOW discovering Mark Gormley. I must be falling way, way behind in trying to keep up. I've just been wandering this stupid sphere of a planet, and now I've found him - Mark Gormley.

"Behold the awesome power and glory of Mark Gormley!
...Amen

His music and songs touch souls in a profound way, while his music videos expand minds to possibilities never before dreamed. Mark Gormley is a man that his captivated the hearts and minds of a generation, and will so for generations to come."

From www.markgormley.com

Buy Mark Gormley's CD and then... Share How Mark Gormley Has Blown Your Mind