Another great week for new DVD releases
Just in time for some of your holiday vacation movie watching pleasure: A slew of great new DVD releases are on tap this week, including one of the year's best comedies, a spy thriller sequel and an animated sequel that kids and adults will probably love.
The new DVD and Blu-ray releases this week include The Bourne Legacy (starring Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross), Ted and Ice Age: Continental Drift. See? I call that a banner DVD release week!
I've seen two of the three films I just mentioned: Ice Age: Continental Drift and Ted, and both were great. Let me make this crystal clear though: Ted is an extremely raunchy, totally offensive and completely politically incorrect movie. Seriously, this is not a movie for the kids and call be a prude if you want, but I'd keep the tweens away from it as well. For the rest of us, it's funny as...well, you get the idea.
Ice Age: Continental Drift is a cute movie. If you like the other Ice Age films, you'll like this one too. It is what it is -- an entertaining animated movie for children. I thought it was cute, and I got dragged to it by my eight-year-old neighbor. Get this one for the kiddos, especially if they're driving you nuts over the holidays.
Finally, last but certainly not least, the next chapter in the Bourne film franchise, The Bourne Legacy, is also new on DVD this week. I'll be honest, I loved the three Matt Damon Bourne movies so much, I almost wish they'd left well enough alone. Friends offered up mixed reviews: Some loved it, and some thought it was just okay. No one said they hated it, so take that for what it's worth. I'll see it, though I stayed away from it in theaters.
Okay movie freaks, what will you be seeing next?
Saying farewell to 'Gossip Girl'
I'll admit it: I'm a Gossip Girl fan. I've been a fan for over a year, after I spent a weekend sick in bed and watched season one on Netflix. Since then, I've caught up of course, thanks to some late night Lunesta fiesta TV watching sessions. I'm thankful the CW does a thorough summary of the previous episode, because half the time I can't remember what I watched. Hey, sue me, I have insomnia!
Sadly, Gossip Girl is coming to an end. Next week's series finale, entitled "New York, I Love You XOXO," should be epic. I expect great things, after hanging in with this Upper East Side gang for so long. Namely, I expect Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf to get married and live happily ever after. Or else.
Let's hear it Gossip Girl fans: Do you think the series finale will end well for our pair of silver spoon, star-crossed lovers? After all this time and all this turmoil, will Blair and Chuck finally say their "I dos" and merge their formidable empires? And while I'm asking, if they *do* get hitched, will they live at the Empire?
Here's one thing I do know, and it's a huge spoiler, so stop reading now if you don't want to know. Don't say I didn't warn you. Apparently, we're finally going to find out the identity of the real Gossip Girl. What if it's really Kristen Bell?! Kidding. Kind of. Nate has all the evidence to out GG. Who do we think it is? Is it a character we already know, or someone we've not yet met?
Another tidbit that I'm excited about: Many of the former Gossip Girl stars are rumored to be in the series finale, including Connor Paolo (Eric van der Woodsen) and Taylor Momsen (Jenny "Little J" Humprhey).
The Gossip Girl series finale (snif) airs next Monday, December 17, 2012, at 8 p.m. EST. Until then, XOXO.
Profile: Angel Resendiz
- Full Name – Angel Maturino Resendiz
- Nickname – The Railroad Killer
- Born – August 1, 1960
- Location of Activity – US and Mexico
- Years of Activity – 1997 - 1999 (possibly earlier)
- Number of Kills – 15 known
- Date of Death – June 27, 2006
- Cause of Death – Lethal injection
Angel Maturino Resendiz, better known as The Railroad Killer, was an illegal immigrant from Mexico who took his killing on the road. He would travel the railroads to get around and, whenever he needed money for something, find a victim. Unlike many serial killers, Resendiz had no overwhelming urge to kill or psychological problems that drove him on. He killed for money, pure and simple.
Resendiz began his life in Izucar de Matamoros, Mexico. Little is known of his childhood, other than that his mother sent him off to live with another family and that they paid little attention to him. He was left to wander the streets as if he were homeless, starting early into his life of crime.
Before he was known as The Railroad Killer, Resendiz obtained quite the list of criminal charges against him. His first arrest was in 1976 at the age of 16, when he was found to have entered the United States illegally. He would repeat this time and again, being caught and deported only to return and continue the cycle a short time later.
Eventually, he was arrested for assault and car theft in Florida. He earned a 20 year sentence for that crime, though only served 6 years before being deported once again. In addition, he spent a year-and-a-half in a Texas jail, one year in prison in New Orleans, two-and-a-half years in St. Louis and more.
Resendiz’s first known killing occurred in August of 1997, though later he would confess to at least six others that took place before that time. His methods of killing were random. He would take a train into town, kill someone and rob them and then hop on another train to leave.
Murder weapons generally consisted of whatever happened to be lying around, usually a blunt object of some kind. Later, he would begin sexually assaulting his victims as well. Whatever money he could find on his victims he would use to get by. Sometimes he would break into someone’s house and kill them, then using their home as a place to stay for the night. Often his stolen bounty would be used to fund his drug and alcohol addictions.
Finally, the police found Resendiz’s sister and used her to find him. She helped them convince him to give himself up. In July of 1999, The Railroad Killer was behind bars in Texas. He was sentenced to death for his crimes and died seven years later from a lethal injection.
When I talk about something I love
There’s always controversy, and I’m tired of it. Why don’t we keep the conversation surrounding pot meaningful? Especially with the recent legalizations in Colorado and Washington, I’m loving the increasing amounts of thoughtful, mindful, and intellectual discussions about marijuana within cannabis culture.
Since more and more of us regularly light up the ganja while maintaining functional, “normal” lives as students, office workers, artists, etc., an increasing diversity of stories will emerge since everyone has their own experience with it. Some grew up around weed, with their parents letting them discover it for themselves when appropriate. Others started smoking during a devious phase surrounding adolescence. Those that started smoking during the 60s might have kept up the habit, or decided to revisit it in retirement.
I was not exposed to weed until college really. It was not a rebellious thing, or an abusive thing. My best girlfriend offered it to me, and I never looked back. In hindsight, I think college might have really beat me up without it. I found quiet when I smoked marijuana. Before I first lit up, I was going in all directions at a thousand miles per hour all the time and had not yet stopped to reconsider what I was doing, reevaluate my routine, or remind myself of my priorities.
And smoking weed did that for me. It forced me to slow down and reprioritize. Take care of yourself. Get enough sleep. Eat good meals regularly. Go play outside. It was all so obvious, but I needed to get high to remember what my body needs, and I still do sometimes. Smoking weed is not just a recreational habit or a medicinal habit for me though. It is also very social. Sharing the love of weed in a group helped me find the other people who also took the time to slow down for a second and smell the roses, which can be harder than it should be when you live or work in a very past-paced context. Meeting a new friend in a smoking circle, or finally connecting with a new acquaintance after sharing a bowl together, is one of my favorite things.
So when the only media I see about marijuana is a political controversy, I lament the fact that hardly anyone acknowledges the way it connects people, or gives them peace of mind, or is really really meaningful to some of us.
To the day when a toast can be given over a joint just as easily as it can be given over a glass of wine or champagne—here here.
Do you know who Al Walser is?
The 2013 Grammy nominees were announced last week, with at least one surprise, particularly in the electronic dance music category. Along with the expected superstars like Avicii and Skrillex, there was a name unfamiliar to most in the EDM scene: Al Walser.
Who is Al Walser? Good question, one that many seasoned music journalists and fans of EDM struggled to answer in the days following the announcement. Walser, it turns out, is a DJ and producer and native of Liechtenstein. As a relative unknown, his nomination has sparked controversy as to the reason he was nominated.
The most reasonable explanation comes from the Huffington Post where writer Dan Weisman suggests that Walser may have essentially spammed his way into the list of nominees. How? By using their own social site, Grammy365. This particular controversy is similar to that which erupted around the DJMag’s Top 100 DJs poll where Swiss DJ Miss Diamond apparently gamed the poll to secure herself a position in the list.
Weisman‘s Theory
Walser posts regularly to Grammy365, ensuring that Grammy voters recognize his name. The problem is that not many Grammy voters are familiar with EDM and when voting in the category may have voted on initial name-recognition alone. Most voters are older people with no interest in EDM or in most of the lesser known categories, so voting without knowledge of exactly what is being voted on is not unheard of.
Walser has denied the allegations and has threatened to call his lawyer in regards to the rumors. They are only that, just rumors and theories, but they do offer a convincing explanation of why a relatively unknown DJ/producer has been able jump ahead of so many EDM artists who have struggled to gain their followings.
Recreational Marijuana: The Packaging of Pot
Recreational marijuana users got a big rush with the 2012 election results, as both Colorado and Washington voters approved measures legalizing recreational use. The states face the task of implementing the new policies, ironing out the details of how pot will be sold and taxed.
Observers are also waiting for the other shoe to drop: How will the federal government react to legalization of recreational use? According to a New York Times article from December 6, “Senior White House and Justice Department officials are considering plans for legal action against Colorado and Washington.”
But let's push aside the bureaucratic stuff and focus on the fun: What kind of packaging are we likely to see for kind bud? Or even average grade weed, for that matter?
Turns out some very sharp graphic designers gave considerable thought to this long before voters in Colorado and Washington gave the high sign to recreational use at the polls.
Way back in prehistory (June, 2010), internet marketing guru Brad Gosse asked some graphic designers to come up with pot packaging ideas. His designer pals created concepts that ran from the whimsical (Mari & Juana slims for women) to the hilarious (Space Cake Mix).
In 2009, the venerable graphic design trade magazine Print set the same task for designers. The results were more cold and corporate looking. For example we're offered a plastic container labeled G3 that looks like deodorant or soap could spill out of it. Sure, one designer used the colors of the Jamaican flag in packaging, but it's stuffed with graphs that make it look like an annual report for Monsanto stockholders (if Monsanto was in the marijuana business).
I propose a different solution to the problem of pot packaging. Give it some street cred. Delegate the dope packaging art job to America's alternative cartoonists! Visualize a standard pack of twenty doobies designed by This Modern World's Tom Tomorrow. It would drip with irony. It would amuse and entertain. How about How about a Matt Groening (The Simpsons) grahic on a quarter ounce pouch? You could depend on Matt (hey, he's a reggae fan) to catch the zeitgeist, the buzz, if you will. Lesser known artists like the prolific John Porcellino (King Kat comics) could bring their fresh approach to the task.
Mature recreational users will remember the heyday of underground comics from the late 60s and early 70s, and the riveting work of the artists of the day—Robert Crumb, Trina Robbins, Spain, S. Clay Wilson and Bill Griffith (Zippy). These pioneering cartoonists blew the doors off convention. They certainly explored recreational use, to say the least.
Why not give today's alternative comics artists a chance to knock us out with some great artwork on behalf of legalized recreational use.
A Prospect for an Ace, III
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Q. You said there were two reasons that people overreact to the Royals' deal ... what's this shtick about people overrating Wil Myers?
A. Let's run today's mailbox at Bill James' place:
Bill any thoughts on why the Phillies just trade for Michael Young? The NL doesnt have a DH and Michael Young cant field.
Asked by: Steve9753
Answered: 12/9/2012
1) He's a very respected clubhouse guy. 2) They could have a different evaluation of his defense than you do.
It is precisely here, in this barren wilderness, that we find the water of life as it pertains to the human condition. "THEY COULD HAVE A DIFFERENT EVALUATION THAN YOU DO."
James, as a Boston VP, understands that there are 30 different evaluations of any given player. This is the attitude that fans disallow. All front-office execs understand that, which is why the comments from inside baseball are less shrill than those from outside baseball.
Baseball is a game that will humble you -- provided that there is accountability for decisions. GM's have their won-loss records entered into almanacs. Bloggers who rip trades do not, and so if they declare Tim Lincecum the most overhyped prospect in the history of baseball, they're no less eager to offer opinions the next time. Baseball is not a game that humbles pundits like Dr. D. It only humbles GM's like Dayton Moore, whose results can be assessed.
.............
The Royals never gave you the sense that they thought Wil Myers was Mike Trout. Do you remember the Mike Timlin + Paul Spoljaric for Jose Cruz Jr. trade? Seventeen years on, it gives Dr. D the heebie-jeebies to remember the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Armstrong, after Cruz Jr. turned out to be a mediocrity, said something beautiful about Cruz-as-major-star. "We NEVER thought Cruz was going to be that kind of player."
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Q. So Dr. D would have made this trade?
A. Assuming that he wasn't in love with Wil Myers, and assuming that he was planning to re-sign James Shields: yes, probably.
I wouldn't bet anything I was afraid to lose, that Kyle Seager isn't going to produce more club-controls WAR than Wil Myers. Would you be interested in the Mariners trading him for Jered Weaver? And then putting Franklin or Liddi in there?
The WAR/$ paradigm has, um, WARped fans' judgment as to what a club-controls player is worth. A Kyle Seager is worth a whale of a lot. But he's not vastly more precious than Justin Verlander, just 'cause Verlander is paid fairly.
There are more prospects where Kyle Seager and Mike Zunino and Jesus Montero and Wil Myers came from. There aren't more Cy Young contenders where Shields came from.
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Q. What does this trade mean for the Mariners?
A. It doesn't follow that since the Royals got Shields, that they wouldn't have considered a younger, club-controls pitcher. They wanted Niese from the Mets. Still, you get the idea that Dayton Moore is trying to press for a contender sometime before The Twelfth Of Never. As he should.
It doesn't bother me in the least that we don't get Myers. I just saw him as becoming another Ackley, another hot prospect that everybody lost interest in as soon as he took two years to develop. Those two years would be better spent on Nick Swisher, Josh Hamilton, or Curtis Granderson.
Interesting deal this week. Hot prospect for a great pitcher. And five years on, if Shields has made three All-Star teams and Myers' career OPS+ is 105 like Adam Jones, I'm sure they'll still be writing it as a Rays win.
.
Your loyal fan,
Dr D
Outer shells
Whoever said that scarves and accessories aren't jewelry didn't know what he was talking about. The Hermes Twilly proved ages ago that scarves go everywhere jewelry goes: around the neck, the wrists or even the ankles. That means that while it's technically a garment, the scarf has the same effect as a great piece of jewelry.
And with that, here's a scarf and accessory brand that will light up your silhouette as much as any of the best baubles you've got in your jewelry box. Have a look at these hot items from the Italian line, artillerylane.
The genius behind artillerylane's scarves lies in a small strip of leather that holds the scarf in place. The result is a centuries-old piece with an entirely new look. Other scarves include original extras like buttons, laces and clips. How cool is that?
And because artillerylane's products are handmade in Italy, you know what that means: the best materials (wool, cottons, and leather) combined the finest craftsmanship on the planet. With artillerylane you're truly getting a little bit of the best from the boot.
artillerylane produces more than just scarves. Check out the key rings below that double as a necklace and a belt clip.
artillerylane was started in 2009 by Michea, Daniele and Nicolo, three young entrepreneurs in Verona who sought to create products that produces a harmony between fabric and leather. With minimalist designs, an unmatched talent for selecting materials, and a fashion sense so elevated that it could only come from Italy, the designers have brought their brand to several boutiques throughout Italy.
But don't worry. You don't have to travel to il bel paese to get your own artillerylane accessories. Just head over to their website and their Boticca shop. You'll be glad you did.
Enjoy!
Non-Australian Winter News
Tacoma Rain asks: Should I care about Eric Farris?
Short answer: No.
Longer answer: He has no power to speak of. He's good at avoiding strikeouts, but he doesn't walk enough to make that very useful. If he brings any meaningful value, it will have to be with his glove. Warm body ... roster filler ... whatever you want to say.
***
Item: Maurcio Robles designated for assignment to make room for Jason Bay.
Robles was certainly on the 40-man-roster chopping block, although most might have had Yoervis Medina as more likely to go first. Robles was once a top-10 prospect as a lefty with heat, but he's had a long road back from elbow surgery.
He struggled most of the year, and, after starting the season in Tacoma, dropped a level down to AA Jackson. In June, however, he started striking guys out again and didn't give up an earned run. In the last three months his K/9 was 10.96 and his ERA was 4.01.
Robles is now pitching in Venezuela, and has a 2.45 ERA in 18 appearances. But he only has 7 strikeouts in 13.2 IP.
The thinking is, presumably, that most teams don't have a spot on their 40-man roster to take a chance on a guy like Robles, and they can probably sneak him through waivers. If he clears waivers, they can retain him as a minor-leaguer who is not on the 40-man roster. [This happened earlier this year when Chih-Hsien Chiang was DFA'd to make room for Oliver Perez. (Although Chiang became a free agent at the end of the year, and signed with Texas, that was a different deal.)]
***
And speaking of Yeorvis Medina ...
Medina's K/9 for June-July-August-September was 10.98 and his ERA was 1.10.
I know there's the impression that Medina is worthless ... but he was actually one of the best pitchers in Jackson in the second half.
In Venezuela, his ERA is 2.82 in 20 appearances.
That being said, he's still probably next to come off the 40-man roster (though I would continue to advocate for Carlos Peguero), when Nick Swisher or someone else is added.
***
Item: Guti lighting up Venezuela
Does it mean much? Not really. But healthy Franklin Gutierrez is a very good player ... he just hasn't been seen much lately.
So how about this:
16 G, 18-for-59, 4 doubles, 1 HR, 8 BB, 16 K
.305/.388/.424
Adding a solid all-around performance from Guti would be a welcome addition.