Babies face police weapons searches

Sometimes it's just a slow news day in the UK.

Babies face police weapons searches


"Three babies were searched for weapons and drugs by police, new figures reveal.

A Freedom of Information request found that a one-year-old and two babies "0 years of age" were stopped and searched by Norfolk Constabulary this year.

Police said that since 2007, 32 children aged nine and younger were searched by officers in the county."

Road Weary

I've been on the road a lot this week. Probably going to be up to about 400 miles total by Friday but to be honest, driving in WV is usually a pleasure. Especially during the day when the motorways aren't very busy and I can just take in the scenery. I even prefer the lush green leaves of spring and summer to the -shock- browns of autumn. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the fall leaves, but to me it signals the coming cold weather.

I often get asked about what it is like learning to drive on the other side of the road. I usually say "the real problem is driving on the other side of the car". It's my stock answer but it's true. It's still hard for me to judge the right side of the car but hopefully I'm slowly getting better. Just don't watch me park. Mostly, I do just fine. Occasionally I'll accidentally blow through a stop sign at an empty, remote junction because I have missed it. Rarely, I'll pull onto the other side of the road and usually only when it's an unmarked road and I'm singing to my radio.

Navigating the roads here can be a gamble though. Some junctions looked like Picasso drew them up and you kinda have to guess where you will end up off the exit and how to get back on. There are also WAY too many stop lights. We need more roundabouts because a) they work great for a lot of traffic at busy sections, b) they are super cheap and don't stop working when the power goes out and c) they can look pretty.

So, write to your local representative and demand more roundabouts (circles) and say goodbye to getting caught by all 5 red lights on the way into Huntington.

Coraline: Stop motion still has the goods

Sometimes, I admit, I let my netflix queue do it's own thing. I neglect it for a while and like a untended garden, it becomes unruly resulting in runs of 3 animated movies in a row or 6 epics. Thankfully though this week a little gem surprised us in the stop-motion animated movie Coraline.

I didn't remember much from the previews of this movie. Just the weird button eyes which really weren't much of a big deal. They mark the "other" family. The perfect parents that live in the secret, bricked up door in Coralines new house. Feeling neglected by her own family, she begins spending more time in the perfect world but soon discovers it's secrets.

Visually this film is amazing. I thought it was computer animated in a puppet style which makes it all the more impressive. Especially when you see all the dogs. Visuals aside, it's just an enjoyable, fun movie. Entertaining, funny and interesting. A highly recommend this for a Saturday evening family rental. A real treat.

District 9: The Good Review

Due to some rather less than positive blog posts from my good friend "The Film Geek" I thought I better step up and defend District Nine. Not that it needs much defending. If you have read any of the hype, it's mostly all true. I'm even going as far as saying this is one of the most important Sci-fi movies of the decade.

The plot is fairly simple. Aliens have landed on Earth and we have treated them like crap. They live in a slum area called district nine but are being "upgraded" to another area outside of the city because, frankly, them Earth folk don't like them kind around these parts. The obnoxious man leading the operation is the main focus of the film.

I've seen the movie referred to as a "mockumentary" but this is misleading and inaccurate. Sure, there are parts filmed like a documentary but it's a device used to fill us in on some of the back story without having to painstakingly reveal it all. It also sets up expectations and some intrigue for how the story will play out. Basically, you are hooked in the first few minutes without really knowing why.

There are several things I really enjoyed about this movie. The story was engaging and I like the style in which it was told. Not just the regular camera style of Independence Day, nor the shaky, hand-held camera style of Cloverfield but a kind of "best of both worlds". Also, just when you thought it was all story and talkie, the actions begins and the adrenaline starts flowing. All this, and the movie didn't have to rely on half-naked sexy women to sell it for even one moment.

Another bonus was that the protagonist was interesting because he developed and grew during the movie. He made uncharacteristic decisions for the "hero" and it was hard to predict what he would do, even if you may have predicted the outcomes.

I said that this movie was "important" at the beginning of my review and I call it that for three different reasons. This film demonstrates that great sci-fi movies can be made 1) on a budget, 2) outside of New York,LA or London and c) without the need for a big name super star or director.

District 9 gets a big double thumbs up for me, and a raised weird tentacle hand.

Gran Torino

I blame this on being born at the wrong time in history but I never really started to appreciate Clint Eastwood until these last few years. I found it a little sad to discover that this is his last movie as an actor but I'll have to say that he ends on a high note. Gran Torino is not a car movie but instead a look at modern America vs traditional America, tackling race and acceptance at it's heart. Knowing this going in I was expecting a cliche, preachy, sad but true story. I was pleasantly surprised when instead I was treated to a grumpy old man kicking ass. I'm certainly respecting my elders more right now. The story develops well and there are a surprising amount of laughs in this somewhat serious film. Fans of Clint won't be disappointed but neither will new followers of the man with no name.

A word from the British Pharmaceutical Industry

Well, more than a word really. This article caught my eye and is well worth a read for those who like to increase their world view. Surprisingly, he is thankful for the NHS and unsurprisingly states that the prices are dropping. He also explains how the industry sets it's prices.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8114709.stm

The HGTV Drinking Game

Despite having over 100 channels there is still barely anything decent to watch on my TV. Thankfully Food Network and HGTV are there to fill the void in my TV watching schedule. I now know things that any man should never know i.e. what a sconce is, and a back splash, and crown molding are and what top you should have on your kitchen counters (it's granite by the way).

The show I happen to see the most is House Hunters and during which this drinking game was invented as I began noticing that you end up seeing the same types of people over and over again. The premise is simple, every time you see something from the below list you must take a drink. The more rarer the item on the list, the more you drink. It works best with House Hunters but feel free to play with any HGTV show. Enjoy!

1. Two guys looking for a house together. (1 finger of beer - 2 fingers if they are an older couple).
2. A mixed race couple look for a house together. (1 finger of beer - 2 fingers if one partner does not speak English very well or is ten years older).
3. Any house on the show has granite counter tops AND stainless steel appliances (1 finger for each house.)
4. One person in the couple works from home. (2 fingers of beer - 4 fingers if BOTH work from home).
5. Two women look for a house together. (2 fingers of beer - 4 fingers if they are older)
6. One person in the couple is a bitch (2 fingers of beer).
7. An older man with a young wife look for a expensive house together (500K +) (3 fingers - 4 fingers if he is homely looking).
8. They chose the house that is "at the top of our price range/out of our price range" (3 fingers).
9. The house is worth over 1 million dollars AND is "just" a holiday home. (4 fingers).

One of the best burgers ever

After a few days away on vacation I'm feeling somewhat refreshed. I think I can attribute most of that to this delicious dish I tasted:

kobe beef twin burgers

"two mini beef burgers with Vermont cheddar, tart apple slivers, apricot chipotle aioli and tobacco onion tangle, with steak fries"

I don't know what an aioli is but it sure tasted good and apple in a burger?? Yes. and YES. Tasted great but if you're making this at home make sure you slice it up REAL thin. I mean thin enough to read the news through.

Chore day and random thoughts

Anyone with me in trying to create a mandatory 3-day weekend?? I need Saturday to decompress from the week, do some shopping, go to stores that aren't open on Sundays and generally chill out. Then Sunday to get my chores done, tidy the house, get ready for the next week. If only I had an extra day to recover from my chore day.
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Ever finish an item on your to-do list only to find out it's not a "done" as you thought it was? Seems to be happening to me a lot lately. I'll call/mail/fax something as required and think "great, one less item off my list" and then 5-10 days later I'll get a call/fax/mail/pigeon telling me that "no, you need to do this this AND this to complete it" or "Sorry, we half assed our end, so you'll have to do it again". Seems like most of the mistakes are not in my favour either. All this technology and life still doesn't seem any easier.
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After seeing "Orphan" last night I officially still have "the willies". Very creepy movie. If you are a horror fan or thriller fan it's worth a look just to see what evil looks like. Right before the movie there was a preview for the movie "District 9" which looks good and "The Book of Eli", although that movie doesn't come out until January next year.

Speaking of movies. If you have netflix and enjoy a good mystery/thriller, check out "Elsewhere" which you can watch for free online through your account. Despite the average reviews on imdb it's was actually a surprisingly decent movie. I attribute the reviews to the fact that it tries to sell itself as more of a horror story (which it isn't at all) and that most reviewers on imdb are douches.

If only I had read this 5 minutes before I saw it...

SOCIALISM alert!! (yay)

I don't know if you watch Fox news that much but this caught my eye. The LA (the other one, not that fancy Hollywood one), Congressman John Fleming pushes a bill "H. Res 615" which says that if you vote for "Teh socialist government insurance" then you will have to take that insurance and pass up on your fancy congress-style private insurance.

You may remember Congressman John Fleming from other bills such as:
"H. Res 478": If you vote for the government insurance you are "teh ghey".
"H. Res 523": If you vote for a government bailout you "smell. And you must pay all your money to those companies needing bailout."

Please let me know if I missed any out.

You may also remember his vote was significantly absent from "H. Res 183" which stated "If you vote to continue and increase military operations then you have to fight in said military operations".

My favourite bits are when Meghan Kelly says "How on earth do they justify that?" (around 2.07 minutes) and you may notice (around 2.10) that John Fleming is actually a doctor. Surely a doctor should want an end to the current health care system in which they make a ridiculous amount of money...wait...

This stinks of playground tactics to me and my response is that for those who are uninsured or under-insured will see this health care plan as "great" compared to what they have now which is "jack" and "a boat up a river sans paddle".

(Apologies for excessive "quotes".)

Why Walmart sucks: Reason 352

They do not sell big Pyrex measuring bowls.

That is all.

More health insurance blues

I received another letter the other day. I once enjoyed receiving mail but now I almost dread it. The last time I visited my GP I went for a blood test. Now, I couldn't have it in-house because my insurance didn't cover that (wtf??) so I went to another outside company. It was under my own recommendation that I have my blood tested as I wanted to check my cholesterol because a) it's nice to keep a check on that kinda thing, and b) my uncle had had a heart attack and there is a history of heart attacks in my family (he is fine now, btw). So, I figure I better get myself tested. Then two months later I get the bill from said company because apparently my health insurance doesn't cover silly tests like cholesterol testing, despite my valid reasons for it.

This shows that the health care industry isn't concerned about diagnosing potential problems early and thus saving the patient their health and their money but instead are content for people to become sick and THEN offer the specialists and treatment...at a price of course.

I saw a recent figure about where folks spend most of their money when it comes to health care and the highest percentage was on prescription drugs. Not surprising as Americans are given prescriptions to help them deal with an existing problem and can gain instant relief, or some relief. However, if you are on a tight budget, why would you pay over $100 to have a test that may or may not tell you that you have a problem if you Doctor hasn't suggested it but it may be hereditary?

Public Enemies

Due to the hotness of my house and the coolness of a movie theater I decided to check out this also quite cool movie, Public Enemies, at the new Cinemark cinema in Barboursville.

I knew going in the movie would be over 2 hours long but it really didn't feel that way. The pace was good and covered a lot of different events, spending the right amount of time on each gun fight or escape but also allowing us to see a lot of character interaction. Depp and Bale looked comfortable in these roles and really bought the characters to life.

One downside for me was that Michael Mann assumes you actually know something about Dillinger. Which I really didn't. I knew some basics, but the movie starts off from the point that you knew a little about public opinion of him and the state of the country at the time as it doesn't go out of it's way to drive these home. At times this meant that I felt disconnected to Dillinger and really just rooted for Purvis trying to capture him.

A solid crime drama movie that recreated the 1930's beautifully but do your homework on Dillinger first (apparently Mann really went to town with his research particularly accented by the fact that the "woman in red" wears orange) and then you may enjoy the movie more.

Glorious Air

Yay! The A/C man is finally here and finishing up as I type. It was up to 84 degrees last night when I went to bed so it is not a moment too soon. I expect to crank the air down to about 50 and enjoy the chill.

Then promptly complain about the cold and put a sweater on.

Missing out

It looks like WV actually ended up in the black last Fiscal year. A surplus of 2.5 million-ish. My idea is to loan it to California at a ridiculous interest but who knows when would see that again. Regardless of the surplus, I think WV can do better. We could start with license plates. It seems to be some sort of payment dodge that a lot of people take advantage of. When I walk out into my parking lot I see North Carolina plates, Ohio plates, I see South Carolina plates, even Florida plates but precious few West Virginia plates. I'd kinda understand if I lived on the border of any of these states but I'd say even Ohio is an hours drive. It irks me when my plates are Wild and Wonderful and my money is going toward Joe Manchin's pockets Wv roads and the folks next door are funding some other state to save a few bucks.

At least with dem tolls going up we can get some of that out of staters money heading our way.

Michael Jackson

Where are you AC?

No, I'm not referring to the much loved character from Saved by the Bell (who really should have had a spin-off...perhaps one where he ran for congress... "AC in DC" anyone? no? ok). I'm talking about the other A/C. The one that keeps me nice and cool and at a constant 69 degrees all year round no matter what it's like outside. It went out a couple of days ago and I'm still struggling to cope with it's loss. It's weird because in England we never had A/C. I didn't know anyone who did, no matter how rich or fancy their house was. There just really isn't much of a need for it. It can get to be very hot during the summer but often it's just for a few weeks and then it's back to more comfortable weather...or rain. The other reason was that most houses there are made of brick and so at least the downstairs of my house would actually be fairly cool even on the hottest days. We didn't even have ceiling fans though (nor did anyone else) so night was really the worse. It felt like the heat didn't abate any during the night and opening up my windows just let in the moths rather than the cool air. These past few days here without A/C have brought some of these less than fond memories streaming back. I've just become to accustomed to living in a climate controlled house.

The repair guy showed up today to take a look at things. Looks like the compressor is no longer working. We had problems on July 3rd with the same thing but I managed to "Man-up" and fix it by flicking a few breakers till the compressor jumped to life, but now it's completely packed in. He should be back any minute to tell me either a) he got it started or b) it will be another two days of hotness and bare-chestedness around the house (by me, not Ms. Allclick).

Well, at least the cats seem to be enjoying the heat.

MGMT - "Kids"

Heard this the other day and thought it was worth a share. This video has a pretty interesting story too. From the Youtube site:

"Just to set the story straight: the facepainted kids in the video are a boy and girl from Los Angeles, two friends of mine, names Raf and Abby. MGMT was not involved in the making of this video, however, they became involved down the line.
The story goes like this:
December 2007: Rushing to make a due date for a USC Music Video class, I ask my friends Raf and Abby to appear in my video. I like the way they bounce off of each other despite completely different personality types, and think they both have interesting faces. Raf didn't want to shave so I didn't push him. We shot in one night, I cut overnight, turn it in and call it the worst thing I've done so far.
January 2008: On a whim one night while visiting home in Austin, Texas, I throw the video on Youtube just for kicks.
April 2008: Ray Tintori, who has directed 3 official videos for MGMT, finds my fan video online and invites myself and my two actors to come to New York to appear in MGMTs next official video for Electric Feel.
May 2008: We go to New York and have a great time on the set with the band and all their friends. "

Searching

After accidentally (I swear!) typing my blog address into the google search engine rather than the address bar I discovered two interesting things.

1. Apparently, I'm worth $1481.9 USD.

And


2. You can find a quick link to Queers United.