Issue 160

News/Film Idea of the Day: What to Call the New Flu?
Well, as it turns out, my mother has had the Mexican Flu for a few weeks, and this happened around the same time I got my nasal vaccine for it. Allright, enough about the family life, what is this Mexican Flu, Derek? Well, let me explain, as I have had to do several times before. It is what I call the recent flu Pandemic, which many people have called the H1N1 flu or the Swine flu. Here I will explain, from my background of researching previous flu pandemics for my unfinished update of The Seventh Seal, why I think that the two popular names of the flu pandemic are imprecise and insufficient. Swine Flu first: Well, the reason is twofold, the first of these is that the disease is not the same strain of H1N1 found in pigs, nor has it been transmitted through pigs, despite the misinformation which came out at the start of the pandemic. The second reason I find the term "Swine Flu" inappropriate is that there was already an outbreak of actual swine flu in 1976. Fortunately, it was contained within Fort Dix, but that didn't stop a public panic about preventing the disease which ultimately led to a vaccine which ultimately killed more people than the flu itself. So, it's probably too soon to reuse the name on an outbreak that isn't even swine flu! Now, H1N1, the disease is certainly of that strain of influenza, but my problem with that name is that there have are actually several different strains of H1N1, including the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic that will be the centerpiece of the update. However, I ultimately decided on the name "Mexican Flu" primarily because it was first discovered in Mexico, and so, with what I mentioned in mind, I suppose it would make more sense to call it "the Mexican Flu" than H1N1 or Swine Flu.

Band Name of the Day: Discontinued until further Notice.

Film Review of the Day: Singing Detective. By this point, I think it's safe to say that this TV miniseries is likely the pinnacle of British Dramatic Television series. The series switches between the present, where detective author Philip Marlow (No relation to Raymond Chandler's private eye) is undergoing treatment for psoriasis and some psychiatric treatment to help him along, his unproduced screenplay, the Singing Detective, whose protagonist has the same name as its author, and his own childhood, and especially the increasingly blurry line between the three, complete with several musical numbers from the 1940s being performed by nurses in the 1980s.

Quote of the Day: "I've not seriously doubted since that afternoon that any lie will receive almost instant corroboration, and almost instant collaboration, if the maintenance of it results in the public enjoyment of someone else's pain, someone else's humiliation."
_______Philip Marlow.

Link of the Day: The rantings of an psychotic Slovenian New York lawyer.

Issue 159

News: Kirk Cameron/Ray Comfort's "Origin of Species."
In roughly a week, apparently on the 19th, Ray Comfort (a New Zealand evangelist so laughably absurd that it's hard for me to believe that he actually expects people to believe him), and Kirk Cameron (actor) are sponsoring a book handout of Darwin's "Origin of Species," in a special edition published by Ray Comfort's publishing company Living Waters. What makes this edition different from the many other editions published by Imprints like Signet, Dover, Penguin, Vintage Classics, and even Barnes and Noble Classics? Or the many etexts of the book? Well, it turns out that this is an abridged version (all other versions are unabridged), and in the place of the missing chapters, is a 50-page introduction by Ray Comfort. In the introduction, according to Kirk Cameron, is information on Darwin's dated views on women and race (please remember he was living in Victorian times, and not in the 2000s, and that even by those standards, his views were pretty advanced), the "undeniable link between Hitler and Darwin" (Jesus, where to begin: First of all, there is no evidence that Darwin had much of a significant direct influence on Hitler, second of all, even if there were, it should be clear to anybody who took the time to look into the theory that Hitler would have understood Darwin no better than he understood Nietzsche, Third: Are you really telling me that you can divorce the Antisemitism of Adolf Hitler from the Antisemitism of Christian Europe?, and Finally: None of this actually negates the truth value of the theory), and scientists who believed in God (it should be noted that of all the scientists Kirk Cameron mentioned in his video, only two were alive to read Darwin's book, and even those two likely had more nuanced views than Kirk implies, and even then all those scientists just had their names listed; no quote mining, just listing.) And, according to Kirk Cameron it presents a clear Gospel message; and they say that Intelligent Design isn't religious. And on Thursday, it will apparently be given to students in the top 50 colleges, and it seems likely that a lot of these copies will likely be discarded because "our future doctors, lawyers, and politicians" they hope to reach will likely realize that these editions (since they're abridged and the introduction is little more than drivel) are worthless. They seem to think that this will change the minds of people who have (apparently to them) never heard of intelligent design. Of course, the fact is that they have most likely heard of it, and if not from people like them, from shows like Family Guy or the Simpsons, which ridicule it. And apparently, Kirk Cameron appears to be hoping to see Darwin's works being banned. The fact is that book banning does not work that way. If a book is banned in a college, it really only means that their library has removed it from circulation. And, of course, there is no way that one of the libraries of a top college will accept it as a book in the first place, so there is no way it will be banned.

Band Name of the Day: The New Earth Army.

Film Idea of the Day: Already Written: a couple celebrating their 25th anniversary go to a diner and confront their inner demons.

Film Review of the Day: The Men Who Stare At Goats. This is one of the most quirky films of the year. It concerns a journalist who meets a soldier who claims to be telekinetic, and a soldier in a special Hippie division of the Army. He can allegedly kill a goat with a thought. Believe me, the movie finds a way for the premise to make sense. Incredibly, much of it is actually true. Go see it. I would think that the sheer oddness of the premise is enough to recommend it.

Quote of the Day: -Lieutenant Colonel Django used funds from the project's black budget to procure prostitutes...
-That's a lie!
-...and to get drugs for himself and his men.
-That... well, the hooker thing is definitely a lie.
_____________________________My favorite part of "The Men Who Stare At Goats"


Link: Here is the full text of Ray Comfort's version of Origin of Species (complete with introduction and missing chapters)