A flotilla of ships carrying approximately 600 Palestinian activists and aid to Gaza was attacked by the Israeli Navy. The point of the flotilla was to raise awareness of the Israeli blockade of Gaza, started in 2007 because of Hamas' takeover of Gaza and which has caused a humanitarian crisis (as described by the UN) in the Palestinian region. 9 activists were killed. The exact details of the confrontation are not so clear.
The Israeli government claims that soldiers that rappelled down from helicopters were immediately attacked by the Muslim activists and had their guns stolen. It is on that basis that Israel claims that the activists shot first, incurring an Israeli response in kind. Several Israeli soldiers were injured, along with dozens of activists.
The activists on board claimed that the soldiers began firing immediately as they rappelled from the helicopters, ensuring an aggressive response from the activists. There is also a claim that the Israelis fired on the main ship before boarding it, wounding the captain.
Unfortunately, this is a serious incident which should be investigated by an independent party, or even several independent parties rather than the Israeli state. What is especially of concern is that the ships were boarded in international waters, so there is seemingly no reason that Israel should have boarded the ships in the first place. There were no ammunition weapons found on any of the ships, only small things like slingshots and switchblades. What kind of provocation a small, unarmed flotilla could invoke in this situation is beyond me.
The questions that need to be answered in this muddled situation are such:
1. Why did the Israeli navy attack the flotilla in international waters, and who gave such an order and for what reason?
2. Who actually shot first?
3. As Israel has allowed ships to pass through before, why not allow a peaceful delegation of activists with essential supplies through?
4. For what reason, if any, did the Israeli navy feel under pressure to act?
5. Did any of the activists actually take the soldiers' weapons and begin firing?
6. Were the activists provoked into action, or were the soldiers?
This is something that does not bode well for Israel at all, as this denigrates their international image to that of an evil dictator of the Middle East region.
I'd actually like some feedback on this one, as the repercussions of this event will be widespread and fierce.
That's all for now,
Das Flüg
Monday, May 31, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Movie Review: Adam
I remember seeing the trailer for Adam a while ago and thinking that this was a very unique movie that deserved to have itself seen by a broad audience. On that, I was right.
Adam, played by British actor Hugh Dancy, is an electrical engineer with Asperger's Syndrome living in his recently deceased father's apartment. (For those that don't know, Asperger's Syndrome is a condition where the subject has difficulties understanding sub-textual meanings in social situations, such as sarcasm.) A girl, Beth, played by Australian actress Rose Byrne, moves into the apartment below his. Needless to say, this is a romantic comedy, though not of the typical archetype; because of Adam's Asperger's, each of his scenes is a unique surprise because of his unpredictability. This is especially poignant when Adam first invites Beth into his apartment, displaying his vast knowledge of cosmology.
Dancy's portrayal of Adam is superb and thoroughly enjoyable, though some of the writing at times seemed a bit forced. His character is a difficult one to explain, especially because he is somewhat emotionally unavailable.
It is a shame that this movie didn't get much coverage because of its independent movie status. Rent it, stream it, whatever; you'll like it.
Not my best review, but I'm tired.
Das Flüg
Adam, played by British actor Hugh Dancy, is an electrical engineer with Asperger's Syndrome living in his recently deceased father's apartment. (For those that don't know, Asperger's Syndrome is a condition where the subject has difficulties understanding sub-textual meanings in social situations, such as sarcasm.) A girl, Beth, played by Australian actress Rose Byrne, moves into the apartment below his. Needless to say, this is a romantic comedy, though not of the typical archetype; because of Adam's Asperger's, each of his scenes is a unique surprise because of his unpredictability. This is especially poignant when Adam first invites Beth into his apartment, displaying his vast knowledge of cosmology.
Dancy's portrayal of Adam is superb and thoroughly enjoyable, though some of the writing at times seemed a bit forced. His character is a difficult one to explain, especially because he is somewhat emotionally unavailable.
It is a shame that this movie didn't get much coverage because of its independent movie status. Rent it, stream it, whatever; you'll like it.
Not my best review, but I'm tired.
Das Flüg
Monday, May 24, 2010
110 days of summer (or so)
Oh, summer. What a lazy, enjoyable time. I suppose that it's about time that I started paying attention to politics again since I don't want to let my mind languish and puppies.
In all seriousness, tensions between North and South Korea have never been this high since the end of the Korean War. The South has just cut off all trade with the North, which is approximately one-third of all of its trade. The North's largest trading partner is China, and the United States is looking to China to support trade sanctions against the North, effectively backing the North into a corner. These actions are being taken because a recent investigation showed that a North Korean torpedo sank a South Korean ship in late March. Some believe that a war is likely, though this is improbable; the United States has approximately 29,000 troops along the North-South border, and if the South is attacked by the North, the United States has long held the South's defense as an obligation. Essentially, a war would be suicide for the North.
So, what will happen? No one knows. Don't listen to any pundits, because they don't know any more than any other random person does. North Korea has always been a mystery since they sequestered themselves all those years ago, and their motives are not always clear. We will just have to wait and see, though what is likely to happen if China approves of sanctions is (if Kim Jong Il is rational) that North Korea will bargain and/or negotiate with the greater world. If not, well...it doesn't look good.
Aside from the serious matters, my movie pick of the week is Black Dynamite. It is a parody of the blaxploitation films of the 1970s and is a very well done parody. You should realize that the entire film is a satire and that none of it should be taken very seriously. Actually, don't take it seriously at all.
That's all for now,
Das Flüg
In all seriousness, tensions between North and South Korea have never been this high since the end of the Korean War. The South has just cut off all trade with the North, which is approximately one-third of all of its trade. The North's largest trading partner is China, and the United States is looking to China to support trade sanctions against the North, effectively backing the North into a corner. These actions are being taken because a recent investigation showed that a North Korean torpedo sank a South Korean ship in late March. Some believe that a war is likely, though this is improbable; the United States has approximately 29,000 troops along the North-South border, and if the South is attacked by the North, the United States has long held the South's defense as an obligation. Essentially, a war would be suicide for the North.
So, what will happen? No one knows. Don't listen to any pundits, because they don't know any more than any other random person does. North Korea has always been a mystery since they sequestered themselves all those years ago, and their motives are not always clear. We will just have to wait and see, though what is likely to happen if China approves of sanctions is (if Kim Jong Il is rational) that North Korea will bargain and/or negotiate with the greater world. If not, well...it doesn't look good.
Aside from the serious matters, my movie pick of the week is Black Dynamite. It is a parody of the blaxploitation films of the 1970s and is a very well done parody. You should realize that the entire film is a satire and that none of it should be taken very seriously. Actually, don't take it seriously at all.
That's all for now,
Das Flüg
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Caught redhanded
So, my Google Adsense account was suspended. Apparently Google didn't enjoy the fact that I was getting an abnormally high amount of money from advertisement clicks, so they became suspicious and suspended my account. I do have the option to appeal the suspension, and if I were a different man I would, but I won't. I know what I did was wrong, and I accept that. Time to move on and also accept my manically depressing unemployment.
So, summer vacation. As of right now, and probably for another week or so, I will not pay attention to any world news, any political happenings or any TV pundits. No, I'm just going to kick back and feel a good peace of mind. Ignorance is bliss, after all. Maybe I'll take some time to write a novel. Or clean my room. Either one works.
Or, I could just keep watching Firefly, which I have found to be extremely entertaining. Too bad it only had 14 episodes.
Oh, I hope you like the new layout. Give me some feedback on it!
That's all for now,
Das Flüg
So, summer vacation. As of right now, and probably for another week or so, I will not pay attention to any world news, any political happenings or any TV pundits. No, I'm just going to kick back and feel a good peace of mind. Ignorance is bliss, after all. Maybe I'll take some time to write a novel. Or clean my room. Either one works.
Or, I could just keep watching Firefly, which I have found to be extremely entertaining. Too bad it only had 14 episodes.
Oh, I hope you like the new layout. Give me some feedback on it!
That's all for now,
Das Flüg
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Movie Review: From Dusk 'Till Dawn
(1996, Robert Rodriguez)
To say that I am a fan of the zombie/vampire/werewolf monster genre is an understatement. I love when a movie can take the concept of any of those mythical monsters and turn it into a captivating story. From Dusk 'Till Dawn delivers on every level that I was hoping it would.
Some may know of director Robert Rodriguez from his Spy Kids movies; others may know him from his Mariachi trilogy, or even from his work in Sin City or his double-feature exclusive with Quentin Tarantino, Grindhouse. In the tradition of his more violence-explicit works, he packs the screen with enough excitement for a room full of vampires.
The screenplay itself was written by Quentin Tarantino, and it shows: several camera shots are idiosyncrasies that only Tarantino would use, and the overall style of dialogue would seem familiar to any fan of Tarantino. Tarantino himself is in the movie as Richie Gecko, playing the brother of George Clooney's character Seth Gecko. Both of them are criminals, though Richie is only slightly more deranged (when I say slightly, I mean crazy enough to go streaking in the Thanksgiving Day Parade). Both men had robbed a bank and were on the run to Mexico in an attempt to flee from the entire state police force of Texas. On the way, they force Jacob Fuller (Harvey Keitel) and his two children, Scott and Kate (played by Ernest Liu and Juliette Lewis) to ferry the two brothers across the border in the family's RV.
Needless to say, when all the characters think themselves safe, they were extremely wrong. The use of some over-the-top characters adds a good bit of humor to the film to give a satisfying feel to the movie overall. The action, make up, and overall ridiculousness of the movie makes it a very good summer action flick, especially if you aren't looking for anything too cranial after ending a semester in college.
In fact, I would recommend watching all of Rodriguez's and Tarantino's movies (minus the sequels to the original Spy Kids) because they are all well-written and show what can be done with relatively little budgets (the older movies especially); for instance, Rodriguez's first movie, El Mariachi cost only 7000$ to make. Rodriguez actually raised 3000$ of that by being a lab rat for clinical tests of a pharmaceutical.
Oh, and these vampires can kick the asses of those pansy Twilight vampires. What kind of vampire sparkles in the sun anyway? (Answer: The not-an-awesome-vampire kind.)
I really need a social life.
Das Flüg
To say that I am a fan of the zombie/vampire/werewolf monster genre is an understatement. I love when a movie can take the concept of any of those mythical monsters and turn it into a captivating story. From Dusk 'Till Dawn delivers on every level that I was hoping it would.
Some may know of director Robert Rodriguez from his Spy Kids movies; others may know him from his Mariachi trilogy, or even from his work in Sin City or his double-feature exclusive with Quentin Tarantino, Grindhouse. In the tradition of his more violence-explicit works, he packs the screen with enough excitement for a room full of vampires.
The screenplay itself was written by Quentin Tarantino, and it shows: several camera shots are idiosyncrasies that only Tarantino would use, and the overall style of dialogue would seem familiar to any fan of Tarantino. Tarantino himself is in the movie as Richie Gecko, playing the brother of George Clooney's character Seth Gecko. Both of them are criminals, though Richie is only slightly more deranged (when I say slightly, I mean crazy enough to go streaking in the Thanksgiving Day Parade). Both men had robbed a bank and were on the run to Mexico in an attempt to flee from the entire state police force of Texas. On the way, they force Jacob Fuller (Harvey Keitel) and his two children, Scott and Kate (played by Ernest Liu and Juliette Lewis) to ferry the two brothers across the border in the family's RV.
Needless to say, when all the characters think themselves safe, they were extremely wrong. The use of some over-the-top characters adds a good bit of humor to the film to give a satisfying feel to the movie overall. The action, make up, and overall ridiculousness of the movie makes it a very good summer action flick, especially if you aren't looking for anything too cranial after ending a semester in college.
In fact, I would recommend watching all of Rodriguez's and Tarantino's movies (minus the sequels to the original Spy Kids) because they are all well-written and show what can be done with relatively little budgets (the older movies especially); for instance, Rodriguez's first movie, El Mariachi cost only 7000$ to make. Rodriguez actually raised 3000$ of that by being a lab rat for clinical tests of a pharmaceutical.
Oh, and these vampires can kick the asses of those pansy Twilight vampires. What kind of vampire sparkles in the sun anyway? (Answer: The not-an-awesome-vampire kind.)
I really need a social life.
Das Flüg
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Movie Review: Battle Royale (Batoru Rowaiaru)
To start off, this is a Japanese movie that came out in 2000, so it is very likely that the actors, director, producers, etc. will be unknown to you.
I had heard of this movie before, mostly from friends more into Japanese entertainment, but once I saw that Quentin Tarantino loved this movie, I felt that I had almost an obligation to see it. The movie didn't disappoint, though I warn those with weak stomachs and limited imaginations that it isn't for them. The movie's premise is that Japan's economy collapsed, leading to an unemployment rate of 15% and many disgruntled families. Children had lost respect for adults, and classrooms were always empty. In response to this, the Japanese government passed the Battle Royale act, essentially mandating that one high school class out of 43,000 be sequestered to an island where they will be forced to kill each other or be killed by the overseers of the exercise. The kids are assigned weapons at random, ranging from an uzi to a paper fan. The film focuses on two kids, played by Tatsuya Fujiwara and Aki Maeda as two friends who are simply trying to survive without killing. The game is made even more haphazard with the inclusion of two "transfer" students- one of whom played the game before, and one of whom signed up for fun. Needless to say, they are the most dangerous players.
The film has a Lord of the Flies-esque feel to it, as children became something entirely apart from themselves. Those whose nerves became the most frayed became the most likely to kill among the original students. Even those who formed packs did not entirely trust each other, and it was interesting to see how each student would react under the stress of certain death. Obviously, I do not condone the act of one child killing another, but there is a certain psychological aspect that everyone can appreciate: how they would act under the same conditions. Makes you think, eh?
I have no idea if this movie is available in video stores, but I recommend it. The ending will certainly leave you satisfied.
I suppose that movie reviews will be a new thing for me, since I have so many to watch.
That's all for now,
Das Flüg
I had heard of this movie before, mostly from friends more into Japanese entertainment, but once I saw that Quentin Tarantino loved this movie, I felt that I had almost an obligation to see it. The movie didn't disappoint, though I warn those with weak stomachs and limited imaginations that it isn't for them. The movie's premise is that Japan's economy collapsed, leading to an unemployment rate of 15% and many disgruntled families. Children had lost respect for adults, and classrooms were always empty. In response to this, the Japanese government passed the Battle Royale act, essentially mandating that one high school class out of 43,000 be sequestered to an island where they will be forced to kill each other or be killed by the overseers of the exercise. The kids are assigned weapons at random, ranging from an uzi to a paper fan. The film focuses on two kids, played by Tatsuya Fujiwara and Aki Maeda as two friends who are simply trying to survive without killing. The game is made even more haphazard with the inclusion of two "transfer" students- one of whom played the game before, and one of whom signed up for fun. Needless to say, they are the most dangerous players.
The film has a Lord of the Flies-esque feel to it, as children became something entirely apart from themselves. Those whose nerves became the most frayed became the most likely to kill among the original students. Even those who formed packs did not entirely trust each other, and it was interesting to see how each student would react under the stress of certain death. Obviously, I do not condone the act of one child killing another, but there is a certain psychological aspect that everyone can appreciate: how they would act under the same conditions. Makes you think, eh?
I have no idea if this movie is available in video stores, but I recommend it. The ending will certainly leave you satisfied.
I suppose that movie reviews will be a new thing for me, since I have so many to watch.
That's all for now,
Das Flüg
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The End
Well, my 20th birthday came and went. It was silent, kind of like carbon monoxide poisoning, except I'm not dead. I am one year closer to it though.
My 20th birthday means the end of my carefree teenage years, essentially the only life that I have ever known. Let's face it: I had no clue what life was before I was 11.
So, what now? Do I keep chugging along, hoping one day to trip over some opportunity? Honestly, I have never really challenged myself to accomplish anything. I barely ever tried when I played soccer in high school because making the team was an accomplishment enough for me. I didn't start studying in high school until junior year because it took me 2 years to realize that all of my grades mattered. I fucked up on a lot of things, and I have no one to blame but myself.
Time to grow up and face the music, kid; you're not one anymore. I have no endogenous feeling of jocundity or joy. I'm just existing and I don't like it.
Give me a reason, for fuck's sake.
No, I'm not drunk. Here's something cheerier:
Das Flüg
My 20th birthday means the end of my carefree teenage years, essentially the only life that I have ever known. Let's face it: I had no clue what life was before I was 11.
So, what now? Do I keep chugging along, hoping one day to trip over some opportunity? Honestly, I have never really challenged myself to accomplish anything. I barely ever tried when I played soccer in high school because making the team was an accomplishment enough for me. I didn't start studying in high school until junior year because it took me 2 years to realize that all of my grades mattered. I fucked up on a lot of things, and I have no one to blame but myself.
Time to grow up and face the music, kid; you're not one anymore. I have no endogenous feeling of jocundity or joy. I'm just existing and I don't like it.
Give me a reason, for fuck's sake.
No, I'm not drunk. Here's something cheerier:
Das Flüg
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wham, Bam, Marjoram
So, there is good news: I finished my paper ahead of schedule. Of course, that could mean that I rushed my way through it, buuuuuuuuuuuuuut let's not worry about that for now. I still have 2 exams left, both of which will require intense concentration, sleepless nights and hours upon hours of tortuous brain calisthenics. Or, I could just spend my time watching movies, like The Men Who Stare at Goats. Honestly, that movie was hilarious. Watch this:
George Clooney with a mustache and long hair is hilarious. I think that accurately describes the movie well enough.
Also, I didn't know that Marjoram was basically Oregano until about 10 minutes ago. Until then, it was just something that I put on my pizza.
Well, this was a boring post. Here's something cute!
That's all for now,
Das Flüg
George Clooney with a mustache and long hair is hilarious. I think that accurately describes the movie well enough.
Also, I didn't know that Marjoram was basically Oregano until about 10 minutes ago. Until then, it was just something that I put on my pizza.
Well, this was a boring post. Here's something cute!
That's all for now,
Das Flüg
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