Ramblings of a Crowe

First Photos

Just a quick blog before I go off to work and then head to Seattle for a few days.

I got my camera! Big thanks to J and my mom for pitiching in so I could buy one! It's awesome! There's a crap load of buttons and stuff, but I imagine I'll figure it out as I go. I took a few photos with it yesterday so I figured I'd share them with you.

It's a momentous event.

Stolen SideKick has a Happy Ending

Last Thursday, the story of the lost Sidekick began meandering toward a conclusion. The police arrested Sasha and charged her with possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, a misdemeanor. (The police have possession of the Sidekick and plan to return it to Ivanna.) Sasha was released, but was not available to comment.

Taken from the New York Times

Nice to see justice served for once. The little thief got what was coming for her. Maybe next time she finds someone's shit she'll either leave it alone or give it back. And her stupid brother, who according to a comment from his mother is in trouble with his superior officers in the Army, might learn that being a soldier in the US Army doesn't give you a free pass to threaten people with violence. Rambo, you are not, dumbass.

As for the mother, she left us with this parting comment:

"I never in my life thought a phone was going to cause me so many problems."

Yeah, well genius, maybe you shouldn't buy obviously stolen goods from crooked cabbies or people on subway platforms or where ever the hell you got it (make up a story and stick to it!).

I can't wait to see if these idiots try and sue Evan. That will be a riot.

More Icons!

I've had these made for awhile. Figured I should post them...or something. More here.

Another year...

I managed to get another year under my belt. Let's see if I can make it another 10!

1, 2, 3... GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MeatWheat is Murder

LOL

Why Cats Are So Damn Scary

Think your dog is a badass?

Meet Jack, the fifteen pound declawed tabby cat.

Learning Important Phrases in Another Language

...is very important folks.

So here I give you one phrase that will drive you through life. Memorize is. Study it. Learn it. USE IT!

Here are the many translations. Go forth and learn!

Oh Stolen SikeKick, you're so CRAZY!

Stolen SideKick is heating up!

"I'd rather BURN $100 than give it to you. The SAD fact was that I was just hoping to teach you a lesson in civility to a fellow human being. If you had turned in the Sidekick, I was PLANNING on buying Sasha a BRAND NEW ONE with the money people have donated..."

"...Enjoy being in the news..."

LOL

Three Seconds

A goldfish has a memory of three seconds.

Can you imagine how scary that would be? Every three seconds it would be like, "WTF? Where am I? What am I doing here?"

I'm glad I'm not a goldfish.

Circumcision Cures Gayness!

"DEAR ABBY: I have reason to believe that a young man in my family may be gay. (He is 15.) I have been thinking a lot about it lately, and have been wondering if circumcision would cure it. What do you think? --"

.
.
.

Yes, because foreskin makes men gay. And if you're a lesbian, removing the entire vagina is recommended. It's also said that if you stick a long needle through your eye into your brain and spin it around a bit, you won't have to worry about being a stupid moron. (<-sarcasm disclaimer, because obviously there are people in the world dumb enough to believe this)

How not to steal a cellphone

This is halarious!

The best part is the myspace pages and the blurb left by sexysasha:

yoooo u stupid ass pp better stop messing wit me id have ya fucking phone ya better stop messing wit me ya dont no who u messing wit so leav me the fuck alone iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii donnnnnnt haveeeee yourrrr fuccckkkiiingggg phone soooooooo leav me aaaaaaalllooone

What a winner Sasha is...

And her boyfriend...Christ. WTF? "I enjoy having fun to the max. But I can be kinda dangerous because the military trains you to be a violent killer." Yeah, because the military people in my family and that I know have been CRAZY I KILL U MOFOS!

Where is Darwin when you need him? Too late, they already popped a sprog out. *sigh*

There's even a song about it!

FDA Approved!

The FDA approved Gardasil, the vaccine that will help prevent four types of HPV, the human papilloma virus. As many know, this virus causes cervical cancer in women. Nearly 4,000 women die each year because of cervical cancer, much of it caused by HPV.

This is the first vaccine that actually prevents cancer. A break through if you ask me. Hopefully this will open doors to more vaccines for other types of cancer and diseases.

We can only hope.

Real World

This show is a train wreck. You just can't look away from the catastrophe that it's become. A long time ago, I actually enjoyed it. The Real World was funny with all those different people trying to live and work together. The drama wasn't too over the top and when it was, it was a treat to watch (like that dude who got kicked out of the house for attacking that other girl...I think his name was like David or Kevin...).

But now--

Who thought it was a good idea to put a crazy anorexic girl on the show? When I see her, I just cringe. When she talks I keep waiting for her teeth to drop out of her head. When she goes into one of her hyperventilating panic attacks (which is any time she gets upset about something), I wonder if this is 'it' for her.

Obviously, this girl shouldn't be on a reality show that embraces insensitivity and meanness. She needs to be institutionalized. Seriously. Before she kills herself from either starving, a heart attack, or giving herself the flesh eating virus by picking her arms until they bleed then ripping the scabs off when she's upset.

If she was just an anorexic, I don't think it would be such a big deal. Unfortunatly, every episode has a point where someone says something Paula doesn't agree with and she goes into some hyperventilating panic attack where-------she--------can't--------form------a-------sentance----- properly. Or she's sitting in the phone room or at the table picking her arms bloody.

And if being mentally ill wasn't bad enough, she's a glaring moron too. She admits she's sick, admits she needs help, but does nothing to help herself. She drinks herself into a stupor, ends up screaming (or trying to), and then expects everyone to apologize to the poor sick girl. Oh, she is seeing a shrink, but somehow she seems to be able to warp her sessions into "It's OK to be me" instead of "It's not OK to be like this". You're missing the point of counseling, dumbass!

It might help if she got a new shrink. Any Dr. who thinks it's a good idea for her 'abusive put me in traction' boyfriend to come and visit should lose his/her license. Or maybe this is new therapy? Beat my ass until I realize it actually hurts?

Jesus Christ.

I understand that shock TV sells, but I think this is a new low for MTV. Paula needs help. Long term, heavily medicated, locked up help. I'll admit I've laughed at a few of the other people on the show who have had problems, but Paula isn't funny or entertaining. She's just painful.

Vid:
One of her housemates decides he's had enough of her pity party and gets personal back

It's 666 today!

So I had to go ahead and make a post on such a historical day.

I really didn't give it much thought until I got home. Doesn't the '06' in 2006 sort of throw things off anyway? I mean it's really only 6/6/06, not 6/6/6 right?

And who cares anyway. If I remember right the entire 666 thing is a wild allegory that actually refers to Nero. When written in Hebrew, the numerical value of Nero's name adds up to 666---a code, since they didn't dare speak badly about him publicly. For those who aren't familar with Nero and his opinion of Christians, I suggest doing a bit of reading. You'll soon understand why they'd think a man like him was the Anti-Christ.

FFXIII Complexity

So, after looking at some of the amazing screens of the Square's PS3 series, I'm practically drooling. Stunning graphics. Stunning characters. Stunning action.

At least from what we've seen so far.

From what I understand, FFXIII will consist of three games:

Final Fantasy Agito XIII
Final Fantasy XIII
Fantasy Versus XIII

The combined name of this series is:
Fabula Nova Crystallis (Tale of the New Crystal)

It's been said that though there are three games, the characters, the worlds, and storylines will be unrealated to one another.

FFXIII trailer

Exorcism of Emily Rose

I'm not a believer of Hell. Hell is a concept created by Christianity to strike fear into the faithful. I do however believe in evil, and that there are perhaps things out there that are not human that wish us ill will. But for the most part, I think evil is a human concept, brought upon ourselves by our greed, desire, and lack of compassion. The fact we need something to steer us away from our faults and explain things that were a direct cause of our own negligence or lack of compassion is, to me, evil in itself.

But what happened to this girl, Anneliese Michel (real name)? Her story is horrifying, even looking at it from a medical perspective. Was she psychotic? Was she truly epileptic? Did she suffer from several mental illnesses at once? Were her fits a direct effect from her belief in faith--people have done crazier things in the name of their religion. Or was she truly possessed by something?

In 1969, in a small town in Germany, Annelise Michel began suffering from night seizures. Her body became rigid, she couldn't speak, she complained of being unable to breathe and a great pressure on her chest. She was diagnosed with epilepsy by a clinic in Würzburg.

She was sent to a psychiatric hospital and stayed for a year, where she began seeing demonic faces during her prayers. Her stay at the hospital didn't help her condition. She became depressed. Eventually she also became frustrated with medical intervention, as the demonic faces never stopped haunting her and her symptoms never got better.

Still suffering from major seizures, she returned to school in 1970 and attended college in 1973. She was prescribed the drug Tegretol, which she took almost up until her death, when she could not eat or swallow anything.

Her depression worsened. Her frustration with medical intervention only compounded the problem. She became convinced she was possessed by demons and over time couldn't bear the sight of holy objects or sacred places.

In 1974 Pastor Ernst Alt requested to perform an exorcism. The request was rejected and the church recommended Anneliese lead a more pure and spiritual life. Meanwhile, at her house she was insulting her parents, beating on the walls with her nails, tearing down holy objects, biting people, eating bugs and eventually drinking her own piss. She refused to eat, telling everyone the demons wouldn't let her. She soon began self mutilating her self and defecating on the floor while tearing her clothes.

In 1975 the church decided to allow the exorcism. It was believed that Anneliese was possessed by several demons, of whom included Lucifer, Judas Iscariot, Nero, Cain, Hitler, and Fleischmann (more on this later). From September 1975 to July 1976 two sessions were held each week. During this time Anneliese returned to school and church.

But despite regaining a small piece of her life back, the episodes didn't cease. She would still find herself paralyzed and falling unconscious. She didn't eat for weeks, and her knees ruptures from the series of genuflections she did during her prayers.

On June 30th, 1976, Anneliese was totally emaciated, running a fever, and suffering from Pneumonia. Unable to move on her own due to exhaustion, Anneliese's parents helped her perform the motions of the exorcism. Anneliese was recorded saying to the exorcists, "Beg for Absolution." The next day she died in her sleep.

And then came the trial. Forensic evidence stated that she died of starvation. Her sister testified that Anneliese refused to go to a mental home again where she would be sedated and force fed. Psychiatric doctors claimed that the church was responsible, that because of Anneliese's strong faith, she just accepted their theory that she was possessed and that in itself only compounded pre-existing medical problems and psychosis. The defense brought tapes of the exorcism, which included the 'demons' arguing with each other. Her parents and pastor were found guilty of manslaughter and made to serve six months in prison. And easy sentence considered by many, other's thought it too harsh.

Personally, I think that everyone, from her parents to the doctors that first treated her were at fault for this poor girl's demise. Demonic possession to me smacks of religious fanaticism. Since when are people like Hitler, Nero, and Judas demons? Evil men, definitely, but demons? Perhaps I just hold too tightly to the theology that 'demons' are the fallen ones and gods of old turned out by Christianity--not just bad men who did bad things. And why would Lucifer bother himself with some unimportant girl? Doesn't he have better things to do--being the Prince of Darkness and all?

It should be noted that the drugs Anneliese was prescribed had serious side effects. Zentropil, which causes severe neurological disorders including sleeplessness and headaches. At the same time she was taking Zentorpil, she was prescribed the anti-convultant, Aolept. She began her treatments of Tegretol in 1973. This drug shouldn't be taken by women of childbearing age, as it reduces the flow of redblood cells. Also, in some cases side effects include blurred vision, sunlight sensitivity, vertigo, loss of appetite, dry mouth, and a plethora of others. Oddly enough, an autopsy report showed that Anneliese did not suffer from epilepsy. There was no evidence of if even after a microscopic brain scan.

It's obvious what she died from. Starvation, exhaustion, and illnesses her body could no longer fight off. But what killed her? Everyone who had their own agenda, right down to the church with their religious fanaticism to the doctors misdiagnosis. And Anneliese herself, with her strong faith and conviction that she was indeed, possessed by the devil.

That, my friends, is evil in my opinion. Maybe darker forces had a hand in it somewhere, but I doubt the devil was living inside this girl.

****

As for the movie, I enjoyed it. I was expecting another ridiculous thriller with spinning heads and bodies contorting as they come down the stairs. Nope. Nada. A lot of screaming and some over the top scenes with Emily leaping through the windows and speaking in Aramaic, but hey, it's the movies.

I'm glad they left out the bit about Hitler and Nero, because I would've turned it off right about then. Lucifer was still there, but as ridiculous as I find the idea of him possessing some no-name Bavarian girl, it was more bearable than a bunch of wicked dead men. They also added Belial, some of you might know him by the name Baal. This raised my brows too, since some texts say he's one of the Four Big Wigs down in Hell. I find it hard to believe he'd be interested in harassing some unimportant girl, but who knows. Legion (lesser demons) was also included in the movie possession, the one aspect I found believable.

I enjoyed the court case which was peppered with flash backs. The story was well told, though it leaned more towards Emily being truly possessed. I think it would've been a better movie if it had been unbiased, leaving the conclusion up to the watcher instead. Was she really inhabited by demons or was she a epileptic driven to psychosis by her medicines and faith. Far more food for thought there than OMG big bad demons got that girls body. I just don't understand the logic. My brain keeps asking why would they want it?

The shadowy figure stalking the lawyer and priest did nothing for me. And the rattling of doors and stopping of clocks was creepy, but kind of stupid. And the old doctor getting hit by a car made me jump, then go "WTF?" How pointless. What did creep me out was when Emily was able to enter a church, clearly possessed. That bothered me. I was always under the illusion that demons couldn't stand in a house of God. If that's not true and there really are demons, there's no place we're safe from them. Kinda disturbing.

The acting was excellent. Emily was a picture of insanity. Just beautiful. The prosecuting attorney did an amazing job coming off as a condescending prick. I had issues with the Defense lawyer. She was a bit dry for my tastes.

Overall, this was a good movie. I recommend watching it if you like the court type stories. It wasn't a mystery, nor a horror flick, but somewhere in the happy middle.

Walmart is Oppressing Christians

Go here. Read it. Keep reading. Go on...just do it.

Laugh your ass off.