Talk About A Fairytale Ending...

Superman Renounces His American Citizenship

In a clear example of art imitating life, yesterday's release of Action Comics #900 has Superman doing the unthinkable:  He announces that he is giving up his status as an American citizen.

Superman has always been iconic as an "American" hero.  After all, he has stood for "truth, justice, and the American way".  Well, not any more.  Now, led by conscience perhaps, he believes that he should be a global protector, instead of a hero of just one nation.

In the following panel, he is speaking with the President's National Security Advisor, and getting flack for showing up in Tehran to aid demonstrators against the Iranian regime.

I can't see why it took 900 issues for this to happen.  In the "real world", Superman would have seriously had to have been an asshole to be hanging around Metropolis for the last 80 years, and not do a thing to help out anyone besides Americans.  I've caught myself wondering a few times during my childhood why he never left town.

Bryan Singer touched on this issue a bit when he directed 'Superman Returns' in 2006.  There was a line from Perry White, the editor of the Daily Planet, where he asked, "Does he still believe in truth, justice, and all that stuff".  He specifically left out "the American way."  Singer recognized that Superman had transcended past the point where he was only an "American hero".  He was a hero for all of us.

It's about time that DC got the hint.

Video: 'Transformers 3: Dark Of The Moon' Trailer ***NEW***

The following trailer was leaked this afternoon.  The movie looks much more interesting than 'Revenge of the Fallen'.  It premieres on July 1st, in 3D.


Transformers 3 Dark of the Moon by teasertrailer

Money, And Dignity, Is No Object When It Comes To Royal Wedding Souvenirs

In a little more than 12 hours, Prince William (the bald one) and Kate Middleton will be married at Westminster Abbey.   It will be the first time that a "commoner" has married a prince in such close proximity to the throne in 350 years.  She is practically guaranteed to become the Queen of England (as long as William remains King) at some point in her life.

Speaking for myself, and the vast majority of the world, we really could care shit less about the wedding.  I am not getting up at 5AM local time to see a wedding between two people that I know absolutely nothing about.  There are a select group of people in the United States, those with a 13:1 feline ratio or higher, that will be up bright and early tomorrow morning in full regalia, watching the ceremony on NBC.

If you are reading this, and are unsure whether you are one of those people or not, take a look at this picture.  If your kitchen does not look like this, just stay in bed.

And the souvenirs.  Oh god, the souvenirs.  I wouldn't say that they border on tacky.  They've crossed the border and are living as undocumented workers, somewhere in Northern California.  Here are some of the best of the worst.

From GDHA (the UK subsidiary of GE), comes the scariest damn refrigerator you've ever seen.  Imagine forgetting that you've purchased this model, and stumbling upon these British mugs, half asleep, at 3AM, when all you wanted was some leftover pie.  I'd piss myself.

Pez, the Austrian candy maker, made a single set of commemorative "William & Catherine" Pez dispensers.  I think they look more like Sam Donaldson and Katie Holmes, than they do the royal couple, but that's just me.  The set was auctioned off, with proceeds to be given to the Starlight Children's Foundation in the UK.  They sold for $13,500.

This mug was obviously made in the United States, or possibly under a rock.  The "royal couple" in this case, is said to be "Will & Kate", but William's little brother Harry is pictured.  Perhaps, the mug is supposed to be marketed to the "Eh, whatever." demographic.

Tomorrow, the United Kingdom has the day off.  Yeah, the wedding is that big of a deal.  One of the hottest collectibles in the London area is a plate that would speak for me, if I was living there:

It's nice when an event brings the world together, isn't it?

Old Magazine Ad: "Don't Let Daddy Lick Me Again!"

This commonplace ad (from the 50s, I presume), is so downright disturbing today that it wouldn't even be considered for print.  First, it's an ad for a child's laxative.  And, to get the point across that it tastes good, they show that you don't have to physically abuse your child with the back of a hairbrush to make them take it.

Talk about "beating the shit out of your kids".  My, how advertising has changed.  To think, if half of the country freaked out over pink nail polish, how would they have reacted to this?

Video: Woman Gets Punched By Officer While Boba Fett And Stormtrooper Looks On

I couldn't make this up if I tried.

At an Atlanta area IHOP, on Sunday morning, at 4:00AM, a disagreement broke out between a woman and an off duty Atlanta police officer.  According to eyewitnesses, she was yelling at other patrons, and was asked to leave by the officer.  She refused.  That brings us to the video your're about to see.

Oh, fair warning.  This particular IHOP is apparently a fueling station for the Empire.  The gentleman taking the video is the "Hip Hop Stormtrooper".  He's sharing a table with Boba Fett, the galaxy's most dangerous bounty hunter.  I always pictured Boba Fett as...taller, and not as scrawny.



Did you see how hard the cop punched that girl at the :45 mark.  Damn.  Atlanta PD has released a statement regarding the incident:

"The officer involved in the arrest and confrontation with a patron at the IHOP in Buckhead has been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an investigation by the department’s Office of Professional Standards. Use of force by police officers is a matter the department takes seriously, and the OPS investigation will determine if the officer acted within established guidelines. Chief Turner has pledged to have the OPS investigation concluded in 10 business days.”

Just imagine what that place looks like after hours on Halloween night. 

Tweet Of The Day, Part II

From Oscar winner/diva Cher:

Tweet Of The Day

From Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong.

America's Chief Export: Syphilis

In the last decade, the UK has brought us some decent television.  With just 'American Idol' and 'The Office', remakes of British TV shows take up a large portion of many of American's weekly viewing.  And, don't get me started on 'Doctor Who'.

I guess it's time that we return the favor.  Premiering on May 24th, on MTV UK, is the British version of 'The Jersey Shore'.  It's called 'The Georgie Shore'.  Here is a preview.



I'm not kidding.  This is a real show.  On the cast bios, "Gary, 23" reads as follows:

"he has a manhood that’s the size of a TV remote control (he even has photographic evidence) and being “mint” in bed… or so he says!"

Maybe the Mayans were right about the whole "2012/End of the world" thing.  I need to take a shower. 

TLC's 'Extreme Couponing' Or, As I Call It, 'Grocery Hoarders'

I wrote a post a couple of days ago on TLC's apparent fascination with little people.  Most reality shows today can be sorted into one of four genres:

• Little people
• Pawn shop/Auction
• Extreme food/Gluttony
• Hoarding

In the last year or so, hoarding shows have become very popular.  It started with A&E, which used to stand for "Arts & Entertainment", debuting their provocative series 'Hoarders'.  'Hoarders' did a very good job at bringing a camera into the homes and lives of a group of people that are rarely seen and widely misunderstood.  It was educational, sometimes sad, and many times, simply disturbing (If you have a chance, watch the episode where the guy hoards thousands of rats.  Jesus!).

Last season, TLC (which ironically stands for "The Learning Channel") jumped on the hoarding bandwagon, and came out with 'Hoarding: Buried Alive'.  It was a much more exploitive version of the A&E original.  It had no substance.  It comes across as a "let's point and look at the freaks" type of program, with no interest in the lives in the people involved or closure in the situation.  

Three weeks ago, TLC premiered their new series 'Extreme Couponing'.  It is made with the intention of being inspirational to people, and to show viewers what can be done if you put your mind to something.  There have been shoppers featured on the show that have had over $990.00 in groceries, and have walked out of the store paying $9.00 after coupons and "club card" discounts.

The problem I have with the show is the obvious mental problems most of these people have.  Many of them truly believe that god is physically assisting them through their shopping process.  Such as this woman:

It's not necessarily the soccer moms evoking god that I have a problem with, which happens more often than you might think.  It's the greed and sheer gluttony that these people display that make me nauseous.  

The woman in the clip above, the one that god was helping collect the coupons, was helping her daughter in law start a stockpile of goods on a recent grocery trip.  Keep in mind, with god's help, she already had a reserve of over 2,000 packs of batteries, over 100 bottles of laundry detergent, and 300  2 liter bottles of Sun Drop soda, not to mention thousands of dollars of additional products.  During her shopping trip, she bought 114 bottles of Excedrin PM (every bottle the store had) and  54 more bottles of Purex laundry detergent.  How much did she give her daughter in law?  Four bottles of Excedrin and five bottles of detergent.

Another woman in a past episode purchased 70 bottles of yellow mustard, clearing out the store.  She's the only person in the family that likes mustard.  Why?  Because, with a coupon, she could get it for $.39, instead of the regular price of $1.69.

Another has collected over 1400 packages of toilet paper, under her son's bed.  Another lady has over 700 packages of diapers in her garage, yet she is single and doesn't have any children.  Why?  Because she can.

There are a couple of exceptions to the rule, however.  Jessica, a mother of four, had her grocery budget reduced to only $160 a month after the recession hit.  She used coupons to make up the difference in her budget.

Others, like Nathan, use coupons to donate food and other goods to local food banks and to troops overseas.

For the most part, though, many of these people are mentally ill.  In tonight's episode, someone goes dumpster diving, yes, dumpster diving, for coupons.  Is it really worth 30 cents off of a stick of deodorant to jump into the trash for a coupon?  I'm all for saving money.  I saved $23.00 using coupons the last time I went to the grocery store, but isn't this crossing the line?

Finally, A Children's Book I Can Relate To

You know you've wanted to say it.  I've said it to myself practically every night for the last year and a half.  Now, you can tell your precious little boy or girl to "Go the fuck to sleep", without feeling like a horrible parent.

Via Amazon:

"Go the Fuck To Sleep is a bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes don't always send a toddler sailing off to dreamland. Honest, profane, and affectionate, Adam Mansbach's verses and Ricardo Cortés' illustrations perfectly capture the familiar—and unspoken—tribulations of putting your little angel down for the night, and open up a conversation about parenting in the process. Beautiful, subversive, and pants-wettingly funny, Go the Fuck to Sleep is a perfect gift for parents new, old, or expectant. Here is a sample verse: 

The cats nestle close to their kittens now.
The lambs have laid down with the sheep.
You're cozy and warm in your bed, my dear
Please go the fuck to sleep."

Adam Mansbach advised that this is his "first children's book. You probably should not read it to actual children, and if you do, he cannot be held legally responsible."  


The book is not scheduled to come out until October, and it is already the #1 bestseller on Amazon's "Parenting and Families" list.  It looks like I'm not alone at night.

Just Let It Die, Already

Earlier this morning, in an effort to get Donald Trump to shut the hell up, President Obama released his birth certificate to the media.

Let's just say, if the birthers are anything (besides dumbasses), they're consistent.  Within hours of the press conference, they were picking apart the document.  Although, some websites, such as Buzz Feed, were obviously making fun of their allegations, there are dozens of new conspiracy theories that have already sprung up since Obama's morning press conference.

"It Gets Better" - From A Gay Witness's Perspective

As a response to the epidemic of suicides among LGBT teens in our nation, Dan Savage started the "It Gets Better" project last September.  Since then, thousands upon thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered individuals, as well as a large number of straight allies, have recorded videos to tell young people that the challenges that they face will, in time, get easier to deal with.  Videos have been submitted by Lady Gaga, employees of Google, Apple, and Pixar, 'Glee's' Chris Colfer, and even President Obama.

As someone that grew up as a bisexual kid and a Jehovah's Witness, I had a unique set of circumstances to deal with.  As I've said in the past, I really didn't even know that bisexuality was an option when it came to my sexual orientation.  When at the Kingdom Hall, I had only heard about people that were "homosexual", and people that weren't.  I wasn't allowed to say "gay" or "lesbian" in my mom's house, because "those are the words they want to be called".  It was bigotry beyond belief.  It wasn't until I was in my twenties before I was able to clear away all of the religious bullshit, and figure out my sexuality on my own terms.

It's nice to know that I wasn't alone.  I have found a number of "It Gets Better" videos produced by people that grew up as Jehovah's Witnesses.  Finally, someone that has been in my shoes.  Someone that has been told, word for word, the same line of crap about who they should be and who they are supposed to love.

The first video comes from Johnny.  He shares his experience of having to come out as gay to the body of elders during his Freshman year of high school, and the consequences that came with it.  FYI: The clip has very low audio and is hard to hear, unless you turn your volume up all the way.  

The second video that I would like to share is from Philip.  He relates a childhood experience that hit really close to home for me.  It was a picture in the "Revelation" book that turned his world upside down.  I remember the illustration vividly.  I recall having the same fears that he did when seeing it.  He offers some very practical and honest advice for any teenager, Witness or not, that feels like they have nowhere to turn.

The final video that I would like to post is from Spencer Oakes Dawson.  He came out to his Witness family when he was 15.  As you can imagine, it wasn't pretty.  

As the video progresses, not only do you see Spencer reading some of the prepared script, but his friends relate his experience as well.  This is a wonderful way to prove a point that people fresh out of the organization need to see.  Yes, when you're disfellowshipped, or come out to your Witness family, you are alienated by everyone you've even known.  Your friends and family turn their back on you.  In time, you find new friends.  You find people that will care about you unconditionally.  Spencer's my hero.

It may not seem like it at first, but for those of us that are in the LGBT community, after walking away from our lives as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, things do get better.  In time, you find a peace with yourself and with the world that you are never allowed to have from within the religion.

For those of you reading this that are still Jehovah's Witnesses, or just need someone to talk to, help is available for you.  ***You can always go to The Trevor Project at www.thetrevorproject.org, or call them at 1-800-4 U TREVOR.***  They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide counseling and support.

You can also visit A Common Bond.  It is a support website that has been set up for members of the LGBT community that have been/are affiliated with Jehovah's Witnesses.  They know, more than anyone, what you are going through.

Of course, if you are reading this, and just need someone to talk to, you can always send me an email or find me on Facebook.  Or, send me a comment.  All comments are confidential and go to my email inbox to be moderated before they are published.  I understand that sometimes you just need to get something off of your chest.  I am here to help.

There was a time in my life, where I was made to feel so ashamed about who I was, that I contemplated suicide everyday for a number of years.  Thankfully, I'm still here.  I didn't have videos like these to watch 20 years ago when I thought I was the only one in the world that was feeling the way that I did.  The internet was still years away from existence.  These videos are saving the lives of kids like us...like some of the kids that we grew up with.  We didn't have someone to tell us that "it gets better".  We just prayed that it didn't get any worse.

Sony: 'PS3 User Info Has Been Compromised'

The news for Sony, and for 70 million of their Playstation Network users, continues to get worse as days go by. On April 20th, the Playstation Network, which is the hub of the PS3 experience, suffered an "illegal intrusion".  The network was, essentially, hacked into by an unknown individual.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with a PS3, the network (or PSN) is about 80% of what makes a PS3 a PS3.  The PSN is the only way to play a game online versus another user.  It is also the only way to download updates or additional content for a game that you own.  The PSN is also the system that allows you to purchase new games and movies that are downloaded directly onto the hard drive of your PS3.

There are a number of applications that are unable to work if the PSN is offline, such as Hulu, Netflix, and Sony's new music subscription service Qriocity.  I have read, however, that some people have had relative success getting Netflix to work, even with the PSN offline.  My Netflix account is temporarily on hold, so I can't test this myself.  If you have a PS3, give this a shot:

When you open the Netflix App, you will be prompted to log on to the Playstation Network.

Attempt to sign-in. The sign-in will fail

Press the O button to go back to the previous screen.

You will get another request to sign-in.

Attempt to sign-in again. The sign-in will fail again.

Press the O button again - you will now have access to Netflix.

From what I have read, you will not be able to add anything to your queue, but you can at least watch what you have in your existing Instant Queue.

Yesterday, Sony announced that their network would be down 'indefinitely'.  It appears that Sony is going to have to rebuild it from the ground up.  Today, an update was posted, clarifying the date of the "intrusion" (sometime between 4/17 and 4/19), and admitting that they are now facing the worst case scenario:

"we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, out of an abundance of caution we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained."

I like how in one sentence they say that "there is no evidence that credit card data was taken".  Then, in the very next sentence, they practically say, "but, yeah, your credit card information was taken".

The update goes on to advise customers to change their password information once the PSN is back up and running.  It also talks about steps that customers can take to protect themselves against identity theft in the event that their credit card information was compromised.

As of Midnight April 27th, Sony has no ETA when it comes to having the PSN online and operational.

If there is one positive thing to gleam from this experience, at least I'm not paying $60 a year to play online on my PS3, like I am for my XBox Live membership. 

Experience Human Flight

I have always equated skydiving with the fall.  Dropping at roughly 120 mph from an airplane at 8-10,000 feet had never sounded like pleasant experience.  An adrenaline rush?  Yes.  Cheating death?  Absolutely.  But peaceful, even otherworldly?  Not in a million years.  Then I saw this advertisement for Melbourne Skydive Centre, in Australia.



I'm a believer.  What an ethereal experience.  I realize that this is an advertisement, and the point of an advertisement is to sell a commodity.  But, to take a product like skydiving, and present it in a way that is contradictory to the world's expectation of it...that is simply brilliance in both film making and marketing.

Don't tell my wife, but is going to be my reward for losing another fifty pounds.  At that point, I will be at a weight where I can go on my first tandem jump, and fly for the first time.