Ray's Soapbox

PokéCast

2012-01-27T22:00:00.004-05:00

Who wants to listen to me talk for 20 minutes?

For the first time on this blog, I'm doing a podcast...and an audio memoir.

Originally I was gonna write all of this down, but I felt that this method is a lot more natural and personal. That and I'm lazy.

For this chapter of my audio memoir, I talk about my obsession with Pokémon and how it was one of the first steps to getting me out of organized religion. Please excuse the language, noise artifacts and interference, and my ongoing digression: everything is pretty much true to my knowledge and it's hard remembering stuff from that far back.

Listen to the podcast here. You're free to download it if you want, too.

EDIT: Here's an alternate download link if the original page is giving you trouble.

Aside from the beginning and end music, the music played in the background is all done by YMCK. I hope you all have a safe weekend.

Bless,

"Pocket Monsters" © 1995, 1998, 2012 The Pokémon Company & Nintendo/Game Freak/Creatures Inc.

Afro Surfer

2012-01-13T21:00:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the first blog post of 2012!

To start off the new year, I'm posting a one-shot comic I've drawn during 2007 and intended to publish in 2008 but was too lazy to get around to doing so. That and I started attending university that year. This comic is called "Afro Surfer" and the story is about...an afro surfer. I hope you enjoy it:

Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7

I also hope you all have a safe 2012.

Bless,

"AFRO SURFER" © 2008 The Ray N. Experience. All rights reserved.

Bad Necromance (NSFW)

2012-01-13T21:00:00.002-05:00

You have been warned.

I've drawn this comic during Halloween but I haven't published it yet until now.
For those of you who haven't followed me since the beginning, I've created an adult webcomic called "Pervertman!" back in 2007 on my homepage but silently discontinued it since 2009. It was about an obscene "superhero" (and I'm using the term VERY loosely) who fought crime and ironically causes more crime. Thirty-two episodes were produced, which also composed of one long storyline I've called "Chapter One". There was a "Chapter Two" planned but I really had no motivation to keep going with the series despite having a few fans of that comic. As for "Chapter One", I'm on the fence whether I should re-publish them or not. "Pervertman!" in general was fun to draw, but I wanted to draw other stuff which was just as fun.

Here's the comic. Please note that due to its adult nature, the pages will be hotlinked since this is otherwise a SFW blog. Enjoy.

Page 1
Page 2
Page 3

Again, this comic is NSFW so please read at your own risk. I can't police what people do online but I'm also not responsible if you find this comic offensive so please do not e-mail me with complaints. Like I said, it's for mature audiences only. Otherwise, enjoy.

"PERVERTMAN!" © 2007, 2011 The Ray N. Experience. All rights reserved.

Pushmo

2011-12-30T23:00:00.002-05:00

Lately I've been playing a game on my 3DS called "Pushmo". Pushmo (or "Pullblox" if you're of the European persuasion) is a puzzle-platformer with a simple premise: push and pull blocks in order to climb to the top and reach the goal. With about 200 puzzles, it's one of those games where it's easy to pick up and play but difficult to master. Priced at $6.99 in the Nintendo eShop, Pushmo contains colorful graphics, 3D that is actually HELPFUL to gameplay and best of all, endless replay value.

As you play, you'll unlock "Pushmo Studio", a level editor that lets you create your own puzzles and share them with others via QR codes. Below are five puzzles I've created that you can try out. Don't worry, they're quite easy to solve:

Raphael (TMNT)

Doraemon (Doraemon)

Nukesaku Aida (Tsuide ni Tonchinkan)

Sonichu (Sonichu)

Yawning Squirtle (Sonichu)

If you have a copy of the game, feel free to tweet me your levels and I'll probably make a follow-up post with your levels.

I hope you all have a happy new year's eve--and try not to drink too much.

PS: The game itself is rated E for Everyone, but there's some online communities dedicated to making elaborate Pushmo puzzles and quite a few of them are NSFW. Browse at your own risk.

HIKU-OSU (Pushmo/Pullblox) © Nintendo. Developed by Intelligent Systems.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

The Ray N. Experience wishes everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, and for none of the above, an enjoyable Festivus.

Bless,

Jump Festa

2011-12-16T21:30:00.003-05:00

Within a short amount of time, I've blogged about Shonen Jump three times. But this time it's not about me, but about a convention and a fan community regarding Jump.

As some of you may or may not know, the North American edition of Shonen Jump is ending as a monthly print magazine in March next year and will be re-tooled as a weekly digital magazine christened "Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha". WSJ Alpha can be rented for 99 cents an issue or a year's subscription (48 issues) can run for $26. With the new weekly digital format, there's talk about more fan involvement (like the Storyboard Contest) and maybe even original manga in the future, so the future could be pretty cool.

Speaking of fan involvement, there's an unofficial group of Jump fans on Twitter called #TEAMJUMP. #TEAMJUMP is composed of international Twitter users who love Jump and its series and occasionally interact with the Shonen Jump Twitter account.

I created six drawings on the behalf of #TEAMJUMP as gifts to the authors of the serialized works that will be covered in WSJ Alpha. I hope they like them, let alone look at them. :P

For Eiichiro ODA/ONE PIECE
click here

For Masashi KISHIMOTO/NARUTO
click here

For Tite KUBO/BLEACH
click here

For Hiroshi SHIIBASHI/NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN
click here

For Mitsutoshi SHIMABUKURO/TORIKO
click here

For Tsugumi OHBA & Takeshi OBATA/BAKUMAN。
click here

Why am I posting these images? This weekend has Jump Festa, an annual convention of all things Jump in Japan sponsored by Shueisha, the publisher of the various Jump magazines. A lot of the editors and creators of Jump will be there, so it's pretty much a big deal, not to mention lots of game and toy companies showing off their newest products. If you're there and reading this, then stop wasting your time reading my blog and go have fun--and take some pictures!

Whether you're at Jump Festa or not, try to have fun this weekend. :)

SHONEN JUMP is owned by Shueisha and Viz Media. All characters are owned by their respective creators.

I'm in Shonen Jump...Again!

2011-12-02T21:00:00.001-05:00

Shonen Jump issue 107 (January 2012) hits store shelves on Tuesday, December 6.

This issue of Jump contains my entry from the "SJ Storyboard Contest" which won a runner-up prize as well as illustrations on an article about the manga industry. Pick up a copy and help a brotha out. :)

Bless,

SHONEN JUMP is owned by Shueisha & Viz Media.

ZELDA 25

2011-11-18T20:00:00.001-05:00

25 years ago, Nintendo released "Zelda no Densetsu: The Hyrule Fantasy" as a launch title for the Famicom Disk System in Japan. A year later, it was released internationally as "The Legend of Zelda" for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was groundbreaking with its sense of exploration, puzzles, scope and being the first NES game with battery backup; this meant that anyone can save a game onto the Game Pak rather than start over from the beginning or jot down a password.

This weekend, "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" is released for the Nintendo Wii and it still gives players the same (if not greater) sense of adventure as every other Zelda game before it.

Thank you Nintendo for a series of excellent video games.

PS: Before anyone asks, my favorite Zelda games are "A Link to the Past" and "Link's Awakening".

"THE LEGEND OF ZELDA" © 1986-2011 Nintendo Co. Ltd.

Happy Halloween 2011!

2011-10-31T23:00:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone here got a bunch of candy and not rocks, Chick Tracts or apples with razor blades in them. Enjoy the quirky yōkai poster and have a good night.

I'm in Shonen Jump!

2011-10-28T20:30:00.001-04:00

It's true.

You see that issue of Shonen Jump I'm holding? It's the December 2011 issue (Issue 106) and you can pick it up from any fine newsstand or comic shop starting on November 1. I have an interview and other material published in this issue and I'll also be in the next one (Issue 107, January 2012 issue), so stay tuned.

Bless,

SHONEN JUMP is trademarked and owned by Viz Media & Shueisha.

AWA 2011: A Journey in Pictures & Convention Report

2011-10-14T23:30:00.001-04:00

AWA 2011 was pretty cool, although I do regret not being able to meet Brina Palencia. ):

Nevertheless, I did take a lot of neat pictures while I was there and you can download a huge (68MB) .zip file here.

There is also a 4 page full-color convention report. Read it here:

1 2 3 4

Just about what went on in the report was true......to the best of my memory. Special thanks to Pikaoh, Donnimon & Onna Bancho J for making that weekend more awesome than it would've been. I hope to see all of you next year.

Bless,

Anime Weekend Atlanta

2011-09-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

I will be attending Anime Weekend Atlanta from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. I won't be selling anything this time, but I still hope to have fun nevertheless. If you plan to attend, seek me out and say "Hello" to me. I'll give you a free sketch and make small talk. Convention report and pictures will be uploaded in two weeks.

Bless,

Netflix

2011-09-16T20:00:00.000-04:00

Yep. Productivity's pretty much down at this point. Sorry.

10 Years Later...

2011-09-11T21:11:00.001-04:00

...and I still haven't forgotten, even if I wanted to.

Bless,

Showcase: "La Sociedad Loca"

2011-09-02T23:00:00.006-04:00

Image courtesy of http://missignos.blogspot.com/

I'm here to showcase a comic titled "La Sociedad Loca" (Insane Society), a Spanish-language webcomic hosted on the blog Missignos.

The comic itself is a random gag strip with a few recurring characters like "Don Pikachu" and overall subject matter consists of video games, sex, drugs, Guatemalan street life, et. al. Although the comic and blog is mostly written in Spanish, there are some strips written and drawn in English since the authors, Sergio Lucero & Angel de Leon, are multi-lingual. Plus, it doesn't hurt to learn a foreign language, jotos.

You can read "La Sociedad Loca" here, and there's also a Twitter account for the comic. Sergio & Angel also have personal Twitter accounts. Feel free to follow them.

As for myself, I plan to play some more "DoA: Dimensions".

I mean, work.

Yeah. Work.

See you in two weeks.

"LA SOCIEDAD LOCA" © 2010-2011 Sergio Lucero & Angel de Leon. All rights reserved.

The reason why this blog is now published every two weeks...

2011-08-26T23:00:00.002-04:00

1. I'm working on something cool yet top secret and will reveal it to everyone this November.

2. In my spare time, I've been playing "Dead or Alive: Dimensions" and "Super Street Fighter IV" on my Nintendo 3DS online. If anyone else has a 3DS and those games, feel free to post your Name and Friend Code in the comments section. If you want to add me, my FC is 2492-4127-0331. Name's N.

See you in two weeks,

"DEAD OR ALIVE" © 1996-2011 Tecmo Koei Games Co., Ltd. Team NINJA All rights reserved.

I Was at the San Diego Comic-Con!! (Sort of.)

2011-08-12T23:00:00.004-04:00

For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter, I have tweeted last month that I was mentioned in the Shonen Jump Mangaka Workshop Panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. During that panel, the SJ editorial team and Shueisha's Deputy Director of Shonen Manga (and former Editor-in-Chief of Weekly Jump)SASAKI Hisashi reviewed a few entries sent in from early entrants of Jump's Storyboard Contest. I was among one of the entrants and so my entry was shown on Comic-Con with a critique by Mr. SASAKI. Check it out!

My bit starts at the 35:40 mark.

Transcript here for those of you who don't feel like watching the video: http://shonenjump.viz.com/content/sj-panel-sdcc-recap

Bless,

PS: This blog is now published fortnightly. Ignore the "weekly" part.

Håp

2011-07-29T23:00:00.000-04:00

For the people of Norway.

Bless,

Google+

2011-07-15T23:00:00.001-04:00

I have Google+. It's okay, I guess.

Feel free to add me to your circle if you have an account.

New Webcomic Coming Soon

2011-07-08T23:00:00.000-04:00

New web-comic project coming soon. More information to come.

HLN = Hateful Legal Nitwits?

2011-07-05T21:00:00.004-04:00

After watching Nancy Grace tonight, I've been pretty angry. Most Americans are, but my anger is for a different reason. I can understand people getting angry about today's "not guilty" verdict, but Nancy Grace like always uses her time going on with her judgmental, sensationalist pap and that's what gets me mad. The following essay was written back in 2008 about the "missing white woman" craziness, before Casey Anthony made the news for the murder case. However, this essay has been edited from its original form, mainly to fix errors, shorten length & to update outdated information. Enjoy:

I do not wish to cheapen the lives of anyone, but I'm pretty tired of the media making sensationalist news reports about missing little white girls. I try to watch the news, wanting to know about the wars happening in the Middle East or the economy, but NO. We look at a three year-old murder case that would have gone unnoticed by the mainstream media...until Nancy Grace brings it up recently and the media decides to make a circus out of it. Hell, they THRIVE on this circus because this country apparently has nothing better to do than to pay attention to this case. Nancy Grace herself makes a large deal out of this case, speculating that Casey Anthony will be declared "guilty" for the murder of her child Caylee Anthony. But...the judge's verdict happened to be a "not guilty" verdict. As you can see, the media is especially livid as a result. Especially Nancy Grace.

Nancy Grace is a hateful woman, in my opinion. She is extremely judgmental and views just about anyone who doesn't agree with own morality as scums of the Earth, and proceeds to talk shit about them while pushing her own agenda on how we should keep some derelict off the streets or something like that. Her show is the #1 source of info on missing white girls. She'd report them missing, cry about their disappearance, and gets gung-ho about trying to find and convict the perpetrator. I mean, such cases seem relatively unimportant for anyone except for family and friends of the missing person, but Ms. Grace escalates this isolated case into a national tragedy that requires the utmost judicial importance. Ok, I admit that bringing attention to missing persons cases isn't a bad thing, but think about it: just about everyone she does bring up happens to be a young white female. Disregard all others.

In short, I'd like to say: Shame on you, Nancy Grace. This is a news show, not a soapbox for your crazed obsession of missing white girls. Your actions are hateful and shameless and will do nothing to bring actual justice and instead will incite hatred among Americans. You said that there's no justice. You're right, actually. There is no justice if people actually take you seriously.

It's tragic that someone is missing, but please, give everyone, regardless of color or class, equal time, or at least put the next girl's picture on a milk carton instead of a cable news broadcast.

Bless,

The Return of Dr. Shoggoth

2011-06-10T23:00:00.002-04:00

The song posted above is another new track and is a remake of an older song specifically recorded for the new EP. Again, I designed the cover. :3

Dr. Shoggoth's first EP, "For the Blatant of It", will be out soon. In the meantime, please visit his YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe while you're at it.

Also, please tell your friends. If not, then you are scum.

Adieu,

Dr. Shoggoth

2011-06-03T22:00:00.004-04:00

Dr. Shoggoth is a good friend of mine. He makes beautiful music with a ukulele and his manic vocal cords. He also has a Twitter. Follow him plz.

The song posted above is his newest track and is quite possibly his best. Also, I designed the cover for the upcoming EP. :3

Look out for Dr. Shoggoth's first EP, "For the Blatant of It", coming soon. Meanwhile, listen to his other material here. OH, AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!!!

Arrivederci,

PS: He also covered the theme song for "Eva". If you don't like this, you have no soul and I hope you explode into a sea of Tang® .

The End of the World?

2011-05-20T22:00:00.001-04:00

If tomorrow doesn't end with a bunch of people turning into Tang® while "Komm, süßer Tod" is playing over it, I'm going to be sorely disappointed.

Help the South

2011-05-06T23:00:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day, and while this is cool and all, I'd like to dedicate this week's post to the victims of the recent tornado outbreaks down South. If anyone of you out there reading this is among the victims of this tragedy, I hope you all are getting the help you need and please stay strong and never lose hope.

If you wish to help, please visit here and here.

Feel free to distribute this poster anywhere. Have a safe weekend.

Donner Party

2011-04-29T23:00:00.001-04:00

The above image is edited for obvious reasons.

Badderhacks.net, a ROM hacking website I have some history with, has created a new ROM hack that is surely a contender for the title of the definitive ROM hack. The BHDN community has released their team effort on April 20, known to the world as "Donner Party".

Donner Party is a ROM hack of Bandai's cult game "Monster Party" and instead of playing as a child and his gargoyle friend, you play as an inbred racist with a really huge organ who descended from a family of phallophages. He starts out by using his organ to murder black people solely because his sister had decided to shack up with a Pakistani man and not him. Tired of slaying the colored, he decides to get a sex-change operation and becomes a mermaid with a penchant for striped socks. But as she decides to start her life anew, BP spills oil into the Gulf Coast, making her angry enough to exact revenge on the corporation.

I am not making any of this shit up. See?

There's other crazy characters in Donner Party, like Wilford Brimley, Glen Quagmire, Tardy the Tiger, Suicide Mouse, Custer, Lady Gaga, Sonichu, and a small Ethiopian boy infected with AIDS, all in bizarre situations. It must be played to be believed.

Badderhacks.net has done the impossible and have made a group effort in thoroughly hacking a video game for the sole purpose of hilarious, yet borderline obscene fun. So please, thank them all and visit their site. I'm also working on a new comic for them and it should be done before this year is over.

You can find the patch for the hack here, and you'll need an NES emulator, a ROM of "Monster Party" and Lunar IPS patching utility to make it all work.

Oh, and you gotta be over 17 to play. It's definitely not for kids. Play at your own risk.

Jumparodies

2011-04-08T23:00:00.001-04:00

Over the past few days, I've drawn some parody comics and illustrations based on Shonen Jump manga on Twitter. Jump was also kind enough to retweet a few of them, and I'm thankful for it. Yes, it's badly drawn on MS Paint. But people like them and that's all that really matters.

Parodies:

NARUTO: http://bit.ly/hHVFgX
ULTIMATE MUSCLE: http://goo.gl/HelGX
BLEACH: http://goo.gl/sKPXO
DRAGON BALL: http://bit.ly/htqA7H
BAKUMAN.: http://bit.ly/exzlHC

Nintendo 3DS

2011-04-01T21:00:00.002-04:00

I got a 3DS at its launch date last Sunday. That being said, I spent a lot of time on it and I have a one thing to say about it:

It sucks dick.

The games suck, the 3D doesn't work and hurts my eyes, AR cards were bent when I got the package, and the piece of shit feels flimsy and dies every now and then from shit battery life as well as the black screen of date. It even broke after accidentally dropping it today, unlike Nintendo's other shit. Fucking piece of shit. I can't even return it, and breaking it is out of the question because I'm such a jew about my shit. Buying this thing was a mistake. Fucking Nintendo. Reggie, if you're reading this, I have one thing to say to you, sir:

Check your calendar.

April fools, everyone. I actually really love this thing. Except for the battery life, of course. :P

Bless,

Help Japan

2011-03-25T15:00:00.001-04:00

I'm sure everyone knows what's going on in Japan, so I'll keep it brief. Don't know? Read here and get yourself up to speed.

Interested in helping out? Here's how.

Bless,

MomoCon 2011: A Journey in Pictures

2011-03-18T21:00:00.002-04:00

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?i0w19tdvbzv7le4 (179MB!!)

Another year, another convention filled with weeaboo madness.

Despite a confusing new venue, this year's MomoCon was pretty awesome. More people to meet, very nice cosplay, and the artists' alley was actually decent. I've also sold out of copies of "Those Naughty Rabbits!" on Saturday, and sold/traded a decent amount of copies on Sunday, and I've basically spent that money on comics, prints and other swag.

I got to meet some friends old and new, and on Sunday, me and two other friends have spent the day together. Despite some money being lost, good times were had.

Yes, this all happened.

Enjoy,

PS: For those of you who attended MomoCon, I was the man in the Red Army cap.

Meet Ray N. at MomoCon 2011!

2011-03-11T22:00:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow will be MomoCon, held this year at Tech Square in Atlanta, GA. The convention will last until Sunday evening, so if you wanna hang out, feel free to find me and say hello. I also have comics and portraits for sale, very cheap!

Hope to meet you all there,

Sneak Peek: A Book About Rabbits

2011-03-04T21:00:00.004-05:00

Here's a penciled rough page from a book that will be sold at MomoCon 2011. Interested? Then attend the con and buy it from me. More details to come next week.

712

2011-02-28T21:00:00.002-05:00

I love Shonen Knife.

I almost got to see them live once, but I've missed that chance and I still regret not seeing them live to this day.

Long story short, they were playing one night in Atlanta at a place called The Earl, and since my car was in the shop at the time, found no way to get over there. No one offered to ride me there, even after I told them that I will pay for their ticket. Combine that with the deterioration of C-Tran and I am simply S.O.L.

Here's hoping they visit Atlanta again. Or at least Athens. That would be nice.

24

2011-02-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

So I'm 24 now. Whoo.

I Need Adventure

2011-01-28T01:30:00.001-05:00

Throughout my adulthood, I've always wanted to do an adventure game. I've had an opportunity to help work on one, but laziness and anxiety set in and I couldn't ultimately get far with it. It also didn't help that I couldn't find any time for it due to other responsibilities.

Aside from "DQIX", I've been playing a lot of "Zork" lately. The game, originally by Infocom, has had a revival lately thanks to "Call of Duty: Black Ops" in which "Zork" can be played in a computer within the game. Myself, I've been replaying it on DOSBox.

What is "Zork"? It's a text adventure game. Think of "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, but with more interactivity. The game displays text, and you type down your actions in a text parser. If the command is understood, the game will then reveal what happens next, depending on your action.

Example:

"You are in an empty room, save for a table. On it, there is a glass of water."

>drink water

"You drink the glass of water."

Also, there are grues about and if you do not wish to be eaten by a grue, be sure to turn on your lantern.

Although not the first text adventure game (the honor goes to "The Colossal Cave Adventure"), the Zork trilogy started an adventure boom for the PC in the 1980s. Notable adventure games included the MacVenture titles ("Shadowgate", "Uninvited", "Déjà Vu"), LucasArts's S.C.U.M.M. adventures ("Maniac Mansion", "Monkey Island") and Sierra On-Line ("King's Quest", "Police Quest", "Leisure Suit Larry"). All of the latter games introduced graphics and sound, whereas some have eliminated the text parser and replaced it with a point-and-click interface along with preset commands.

Sadly, adventure games have had their day, but lately a few franchises have been making impacts, mainly the "Sam and Max" titles, Capcom's "Ace Attorney" games, and countless visual novels in Japan.

I'm currently reworking an old script and play mechanics for an adventure game I've been planning since last year, but I'm still deciding whether to make this into a strict text adventure or a more visual experience. If it ever actually gets made, I'll probably post it on this page. Until then, I'm still trying to finish "DQIX".

Deuces,

Dragon Quest IX

2011-01-21T21:00:00.001-05:00

I have now turned into Yoshihiro Togashi.

I bought this game a few weeks ago. And I'm still not finished with the main quest yet.

Don't bother me.

Also, buy Candy or Medicine Volume 12 today----it features a comic by yours truly. As for me, back to kill more metal slimes.

Jokémon

2011-01-14T02:30:00.005-05:00

Back in 2005, my friend Jose and I have worked on a 15 page comic in our spare time called "Jokémon". Jose wrote the plot and I helped with some of the gags, while I concentrated on the artwork. We planned to draw up two installments, a "Drugs" version and a "Sex" version, but only the "Drugs" version was finished. I've had sketches for the "Sex" version drawn back then, but they're either lost or thrown away by now. Six years later, there is still no "Sex" version available, and I doubt it'll ever be made.

What you are about to read is material that hasn't been read by anyone short of myself, Jose, and a few friends. It is the complete and unedited "Drugs Version" story, rife with violence, sexism, racism, homophobia, profane language, references to mindless sex and heavy drugs--all played for cheap laughs. In other words, this is a comic intended for (im)mature readers and NOT for children. Especially since said comic was created by two high school boys who found gay jokes and bad puns to be the pinnacle of comedy.

If all of this still hasn't deterred you from reading the comic, then please enjoy "Jokémon: Drugs Version":

fourteen (end)

I'll be back someday, one day.

2010-12-31T19:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T23:00:00.000-05:00

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or neither of the above, I hope you all have a happy holiday, regardless.

Love,

Wikileaks

2010-12-17T12:00:00.024-05:00

Apologies to Eiichiro Oda.

http://wikileaks.de/cablegate.html (One of the many mirrors. Enjoy.)

I was gonna write some journalistic spiel about how Wikileaks has made an impact on society, but really, you can read much better and more articulate articles about it on news sites and other media. In short, I will just post my opinion on Wikileaks. If you know me, the following shouldn't come as a surprise.

I support Wikileaks. I believe that, overall, they are doing a good thing by exposing damning, sinister secrets and truths suppressed by corrupt officials currently running our government, and that Julian Assange, who is being tried for allegations of "sex crimes", is actually being held as a political prisoner. I believe that freedom of information is important. Our government needs to be more transparent, less corrupt, and frankly, more honest.

I really don't see why the government is riled up over Cablegate. Sadly, most folks would rather watch "Deal or No Deal" than read these any of these cables. They're also the same people who would rather allow the TSA to invade their personal space in the name of "security" rather than boycott their pervasive procedures, and in addition supporting the notion that passing various laws that restrict personal liberty is justifiable order to fight for and preserve our "freedom". And don't give me any of that "freedom isn't free" bullshit, either; with multi-national corporations influencing national politics to benefit their needs, wars being fought for profit, and people getting arrested over publishing and possessing information that is supposed to be protected by the first amendment of the United States Constitution, I'd say that we were truly never free in the first place. All in all, it's a sad world for the common man.

Let's all hope that what's being released over the next few months help change history's course for the better.

For Bradley Manning. Hang in there, Brad.

More links:

1. The "Collateral Murder" video.
2. The Afghan War Diaries and Iraq War Logs.

A Glorious Dawn

2010-12-03T00:00:00.001-05:00

For Amanda, with billions upon billions of love. Happy birthday.

Guy Fawkes

2010-11-05T12:00:00.001-04:00

"Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent
To blow up the King and Parli'ment.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England's overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Hulloa boys, Hulloa boys, let the bells ring.
Hulloa boys, hulloa boys, God save the Queen!"

-- Traditional British rhyme

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder_Plot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_for_Vendetta

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T22:00:00.000-04:00

I hope you all had a safe night. Don't get sick eating candy, now.

My Name is Jonah

2010-10-22T15:00:00.000-04:00

There's a film in the works about a 57 year old man who is a real life warrior, adventurer, and musician. His name is Jonah. And it looks quite interesting.

I've drawn some fan art for the film, hopefully capturing the spirit of Jonah:

If you're interested in sending fan art, feel free to go ahead and do so by sending your piece to ihungerproductions@gmail.com .

You can also follow the project on Twitter.

"My Name is Jonah" © 2010 My Name Is Jonah. All rights reserved.

A brief sample of what's to come.

2010-10-16T16:00:00.000-04:00

Remember, remember the fifth of November.

Hopefully.

Borked

2010-10-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Welp, my netbook's screen is busted due to an accident last night. Using a CRT monitor right now to actually look at things since the computer itself is still functional, but as a netbook it's completely useless. Until I get this matter resolved by either getting the screen replaced or buying a new laptop, the Soapbox will be put on hiatus.

Although, I should have a poster up here by Halloween. Just follow me on Twitter to catch the update.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Have a nice weekend.

I'll Give It My All... Tomorrow

2010-10-01T15:00:00.001-04:00

I've been reading this manga online for quite a while now, and last week I finally bought a copy of the first volume at the bookstore. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed.

"I'll Give It My All... Tomorrow" is a seinen (young men's) manga by Shunju Aono. It is serialized every month in Monthly IKKI magazine in Japan, and the English online magazine equivalent in the West.

The story is about Shizuo Oguro, a 40 year-old man who decides to quit his job as a salaryman in order to find himself, much to the dismay of his aging father and simultaneously inconveniencing his teenage daughter. As the story goes on, he decides to become a manga artist, although his drawing and storytelling are quite poor, and in order to pay the bills he works at a hamburger joint where he is subordinate to men half his age. It's a series of slice-of-life tales concerning Shizuo and his musings and mishaps as he struggles to get published and fighting off mid-life crises.

The subject matter, although highly depressing, is actually quite refreshing, seeing how it's much different compared to most other manga. Many people will hate the art, although I personally like it, but it complements the writing style of this manga, and in turn produces a more natural look when reading it. I doubt kids and teenagers would like this series, since they might find the story boring or would call the art ugly, but it's pretty good for the older set, especially for people who are going through their own mid-life crises. I recommend this manga to anyone who wants to read something different in a manga and prizes writing over art.

The first volume is out right now online and in bookstores, with volume two going on sale this December. The series can also be read in monthly installments online for free here.

Overall recommend? Yes. Especially since the newest chapters can be read for free online, you won't have to worry about investing money on a book you may not like.

"ORE WA MADA HONKI DASHITENAI DAKE" ©2007 Shunju Aono/Shogakukan. English version © Viz Media.

Postal b/w I Yam What I Yam

2010-09-24T00:00:00.001-04:00

ON SALE NOW!!

ONLY $3. BUY IT NOW!

Jesus Camp

2010-09-17T00:00:00.001-04:00

I know I'm late to the party, but I finally saw the 2006 documentary "Jesus Camp", and DEAR LORD, that was possibly the scariest film I have ever watched. The documentary was infamous enough to have the camp featured in it shut down, and with good reason. Many of the children, in my opinion, appear to be brainwashed into believing far-right Christian ideology, and will even die for God. Hmmm...a religious camp filled with revolution-minded zealots that indoctrinate children to fight and die for God...where have I heard that before?

In short, the documentary is quite disturbing, but don't think that this covers fundamentalist Christianity as a whole; it's just the radical fringe movement that's giving their religion a bad name, similar to al-Qaida being one of the main causes for Islamophobia. You can watch "Jesus Camp" here. (The film is divided up into nine parts. The link takes you to the first part.)

Extremism, whether religious or otherwise, is never a good thing; Aristotle was said to apply "moderation in all things", and even the Bible stresses moderation in 1 Corinthians 9:25:

"And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."

Whether you're a Christian, Muslim, Jew, atheist, or otherwise, I think we all can agree on praying for the all of the children who went through the Kids on Fire Summer Camp and other camps like it. They'll need it.

"Jesus Camp" © Rachel Grady & Heidi Ewing. Distributed by Magnolia Pictures.

Something nice

2010-09-10T21:30:00.000-04:00

I believe this is the first 100% digital illustration that I've posted here.

I drew this with a Wacom Intuos4 and the GIMP, and it came out quite well. September 11 is tomorrow, so I decided to create something that we all need to seek out and think about, despite of all this madness.

Let's pray that we would be good to (and not kill) each other in the end.

Coming Soon...

2010-09-03T01:30:00.000-04:00

Coming this September. More to come. Save your pennies, folks.

Image © Josh Blair & ray n.

ROM Hack Showcase - Pedobear's Day Out

2010-08-13T21:00:00.000-04:00

Today is Friday the 13th.

This week, I've posted something quite relevant. The video posted above is a ROM hack of the "Friday the 13th" video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. But, rather than having Jason as the villain, this hack stars someone far more sinister.

Special thanks goes to Pope Hentai for authoring the hack and to Badderhacks.net for hosting it.

It may be Friday the 13th, but try to have a good night. :)

Our Alliance - A Lasting Partnership

2010-08-06T21:30:00.003-04:00

Recently, the United States Armed Forces in Japan posted a cute manga highlighting 50 years of the American-Japanese post-war alliance. Titled "Watashi-tachi no Dōmei", or "Our Alliance", it shows cute representations of the USA (named Usa-kun) and Japan (named Arai Anzu) living together as friends and partners and teaches readers what the alliance stands for. You can read the first chapter for free on their website here. More chapters will be posted in the future.

For a propaganda piece, it's quite cute. But, it's obvious that the USFJ omit the negative press concerning American G.I. presence in Japan, such as mass protests by the Japanese about US military bases in Okinawa and a number of schoolgirl rapes being committed by servicemen.

You can download the English scanlation here, courtesy of /a/non scanlations.

じゃあね,

Sources: 1, 2, 3 (Final source link is NSFW.)

"Watashi-tachi no Dōmei — Eizoku-teki Partnership" © 2010 U.S. Forces Japan.

Smile

2010-07-30T23:00:00.001-04:00

No, not that one.

Hello.

It's that time of year again, in which I go back to school sometime next month. Aside from preparing myself for my future classes, I'm also preparing some new illustrations to be submitted early to the college newspaper. Aside from a few political cartoons and single frame gags, I'm planning on working on a series again. Hopefully it'll last longer than "Smile".

"Smile" was a comic I wrote for my college's newspaper and it lasted only two episodes. Why? To be honest, I was late with my work. I was dropped for consistently missing deadlines, and I feel that I deserved that. Also, the comic was named after the band Brian May, Roger Taylor, and Tim Staffell formed in 1968 before disbanding in 1970 and later becoming the hit band Queen, minus Staffell.

Anyway, here's the archive of every (read: three) "Smile" comic I've drawn, including one that wasn't published. Enjoy.

SMILE 1: "Bad Days"

SMILE 2: "The Oregon Trail"

SMILE 3: "Friday Night"

The final, unpublished strip was also adapted for YouTube:

Until next time,

Achievements

2010-07-23T18:00:00.003-04:00

Hello.

I have had some achievements this week, and I'd thought I'd share. And yes, this is a shameless self-promotion post. I regret nothing.

Earlier this week, I've worked on a short test clip to re-orient myself with Flash, and the results aren't half-bad. Check it out:

Today, me and my friend and peer Josh Blair are featured on The Daily Crosshatch, a blog that covers the world of alternative comics. We have a cartoon up there, followed by some information posted about our works. And yes, this blog has been mentioned. Thanks to Sarah Morean for featuring our work! :)
You can check out the article here.

(Yes, this was a sad attempt at buttering you up, dear reader. Again, I regret nothing.)

If you want to create your own Xbox 360-style "Achievements", check out http://justasktheitguy.com/xbox-360/xbox-360-news/xbox-360-achievement-generator/.

Have a nice day,

i-Dose

2010-07-16T23:30:00.004-04:00

Above is my i-Dose log, chronicling my experiences after i-Dosing earlier this afternoon.

You are probably asking yourself, "What's an i-Dose? And why is it relevant?" I-Dosing is the act of taking virtual "drugs", using binaural brainwave audio "doses" to give your brain the similar effects drugs have, without the high monetary and legal cost, negative side-effects and overdosing. All you need are some good headphones, a computer, and the i-Doser.

An example of an "i-Dose" can be found here. Put on some headphones and zone out for the intended effect.

I-Dosing is also the subject of moral panic newscasts in the nation as a "leading teen trend that will poison our youth". Even though i-Dosing is intended for people 18 and over, there are still retarded teenagers trying it out, similar with salvia and the subsequent legislation by family-values politicians and concerned mothers to ban the substance.

Naturally, I decided to experiment with an i-Doser and see if these e-drugs were legit. Unsurprisingly, as you can see from my log above, it's all baloney. At best, it'll give you a slight dizzy effect, but that's because the music is pretty trippy. Or, I could just be doing it wrong. I don't know. I still believe that i-Dosing produces the "placebo effect".

In conclusion, the only thing more stupid than i-Dosing is actually paying for i-Doses. If you want to try i-Dosing that badly, go knock yourself out. Just don't blame me if you get disappointed or, on the off-chance that it happens, addicted.

Regrettably yours,

PS: If anything, this song produces much more euphoria and happy feelings than any of that i-Dose garbage put together. Enjoy.

Dear Mel Gibson

2010-07-09T20:00:00.003-04:00

Dear Mel Gibson,

You were a good actor.

I liked the Road Warrior.

But, you know what?

Fuck you.

I'm done.

Even though The Passion wasn't that great, I figured a film like that would have a divided base and decided to give you leniency over the direction of the film. Even though you ranted about the Jews several years back and I was uncomfortable with your actions, I decided to cut you some slack since you were drunk and it's common knowledge that people do and say stupid shit while intoxicated. But this...this is fucking horrible, even for someone with questionable values and mores such as myself. You are a mentally unstable asshole and you are beyond help. I'm done with you.

Sincerely,

Mr. N.

PS: I hope you get raped by a pack of Jews.

The Karate Kid (1984) vs. The Karate Kid (2010)

2010-07-02T22:00:00.001-04:00

Last week, I went to the movie theater and saw two flicks: Pixar's "Toy Story 3" and the remake of "The Karate Kid". I'm not going to bother writing a review for "Toy Story 3", since it was actually awesome and I recommend everyone else to see it.

As for "The Karate Kid", it's basically a remake and nothing more. I'm not going to bother writing elaborate analyses here, since there's nothing really special about the film. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't the best film of the year; it was a decent film, and if you haven't see the original 1984 version or were a fan of it, you might actually enjoy the 2010 version.

However, similar the two movies can be, there are differences, with some obvious and some slight. Although the character roles are the same, they all have different names, appearances, personalities and M.Os. Here's a short character list, starting with "role-->original character/remake character":

Underdog hero ---> Daniel LaRusso/Dre Parker
Love interest ---> Ali Mills/Mei Ying
Hero's mother ---> Mrs. LaRusso/Mrs. Parker
Asian handyman---> Keisuke Miyagi/Mr. Han
Arrogant bully---> Johnny Lawrence/Cheng
Evil sensei ---> Sensei John Kreese/Master Li

Also, the main character is a young black boy rather than a high school guido, and he's facing off Chinese kids trained in the Fighting Dragons school of kung fu, rather than fighting blonde SoCal teens trained in the Cobra Kai dojo. What's unfortunate about this is that there are many scenes involving mean-spirited Chinese kids ganging up and beating the little black kid to death. I just can't get comfortable seeing that. Also, instead of the film being set in California, it's now set in Beijing, China. Various details are also changed or updated to fit this time period, such as music and technology. But, the biggest difference is also the biggest gripe: the martial arts. Whereas the original film is accurate in which the characters are practicing various forms of karate, the remake has the characters using different styles of kung fu. Yes, the locale is China and kung fu is commonplace there, but why is the movie still called "The KARATE Kid"? That misnomer bothers me. A lot. It should've been renamed "The Kung Fu Kid", or something similar.

Plot is pretty much the exact same: Single mother and kid move to some far-away place, kid meets girl, assholes treat kid like shit, said assholes beat up kid, old Asian handyman beats up assholes, handyman and kid visit assholes' dojo and the master is an even bigger asshole, they all decide to fight once and for all at a local tournament, kid and handyman train through unconventional methods via montage, kid finds handyman drunk while lamenting about his past, the two bond even closer, they finally enter the tournament, fighting montage leaves the kid and the lead asshole in the final showdown, the asshole cheats and breaks kid's leg as instructed by evil master, kid uses special technique and wins the tournament and the girl, movie ends. It's just now about a black kid in China learning kung fu. Only real difference.

For final review, I give the original a B- whereas I give the remake a C due to it being the same, but without the neat 80s music. Good night.

Background © BIRD STUDIO/Shueisha/Banpresto

You Know You Might Be a Weeaboo If...

2010-06-18T23:30:00.003-04:00

You Know You Might Be a Weeaboo* If...

> ...You think dubbed anime is worse than Hitler.
> ...You want a Japanese waifu.
> ...You want a Japanese husbando.
> ...You believe that Japan is a magical land of whimsy where everything is just like anime.
> ...You believe that you are the reincarnated from a Japanese priestess or samurai.
> ...Your love of Japan is greater than right-wing Japanese nationalists.
> ...You listen to J-music exclusively but you don't understand the lyrics.
> ...You wish you went to a Japanese high school.
> ...You list "Japanese" as one of your spoken languages on your resume even though in reality you barely know the language and you butcher it every time you try to speak it.
> ...You import a box of Pocky straight from Japan for $6 over the Internet, rather than go to your local Wal-Mart and pick up a box for a dollar.
> ...You give your kids Japanese names even though you or your spouse aren't Japanese.
> ...You draw everything "anime" style.
> ...You and your friends eat at Panda Express, although they are a Chinese restaurant.
> ...You go to anime conventions.
> ...You buy untranslated manga, despite not knowing how to read it, just because it's in it's "pure" form.
> ...You pay more money for a Japanese beer at a bar.
> ...You sing anime theme songs at karaoke.
> ...You want a Japanese imouto (little sister) who calls you "onii-chan" (big brother).
> ...You'd give anything to live in Japan, even though you've never been there.
> ...You lurk and post on /a/.

*Weeaboo (n.) - Internet slang for someone (read: Westerner) who is obsessed with Japanese culture. Syn: Wapanese, Japanophile, Otaku.

FOOD REVIEW: Spicy Chick Fil A Sandwich

2010-06-11T23:30:00.001-04:00

FIRST-EVER FOOD REVIEW: Spicy Chick Fil A Sandwich, $2.99 plus tax, Chick Fil A.

DISCLAIMER: This review is not endorsed by nor affiliated with Chick Fil A. All my opinions are belong to me.

I'm not going to be pretentious or verbose here. I'm going to write how I honestly feel about this product in my own words. If you want a detailed essay about how food tastes, then go read the newspaper. Thank you.

REVIEW: On Monday, June 7, Chick Fil A released their new spicy variant of their flagship sandwich, the Chick Fil A chicken sandwich, to the public. I decided to try it out of sheer curiosity, and because of earlier reviews that praised the sandwich (it was given out to select people the week before the sandwich publicly came out).

The packaging was similar to the original sandwich, and as I opened it up, the sandwich was nice and hot. Two buns, a spicy boneless chicken breast, lightly breaded and cooked in peanut oil, and two pickles probably won't sound impressive in writing, but damn, when put together and eaten, the result is delicious.

Upon first bite, a rush of spice has filled my mouth and I start coughing. It isn't a tongue burner, but it will leave a good burn inside you. The taste is actually genuine and reminds me of Texas Pete or Tabasco. What's even more amazing is that the chicken must've been marinated well, because the spice isn't limited to the crunchy outside, but is also found on the juicy white meat inside as well. The pickle just adds that slight 'ting' that completes the bite. In short, three words: SO. FUCKING. DELICIOUS.

PROS: The spice makes a great addition to an already great sandwich.
CONS: The spice may either be too spicy for some, or not spicy enough for others.

GRADE: A.

FINAL WORD: For three bucks, this is a good deal. It's basically the original sandwich, but with some added spice. Highly recommended.

My Thoughts on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

2010-06-04T23:00:00.001-04:00

April 20th: A day that has always lived in infamy. Adolf Hitler's birthday, the Columbine massacre, L. Ron Hubbard Observance Day, 4/20, and now, the day the BP Oil Spill happened.

On April 20th, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, located in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded. Eleven crewmen died. Two days later, the well sank and it started gushing gallons upon gallons of oil every day. As of today (June 4), the gushing still hasn't stopped and the oil slick has reached the shores of Louisiana. Needless to say, this sucks. Countless families' livelihoods are ruined because of the oil, being that their main industry is fishing, and wildlife is ruined beyond recognition. Meanwhile, BP has tried all sorts of procedures to stop the spillage and all so far have failed, while the federal government is too slow to act on their efforts to fight this disaster.

My thoughts on the BP oil spill are pretty much similar to the majority of Americans. It's tragic, the federal government needs to prioritize, and BP is fucking up. Seriously, if this isn't the biggest case against off-shore drilling, then I don't know what is. Lord knows I'm not going to get my gas from BP ever again; they're handling the situation poorly. What pisses me off even further is that there are still some stubborn politicians who still support off-shore drilling and are still buddy-buddy with oil companies, not to mention anyone who believes that the free market will fix the problem if we give BP even LESS regulation. Also, what irks me is that the President decided to spend his holiday in Chicago rather than spend more time with the people down south and help them out. This isn't justice.

I really hope that the leak will be fixed, but I highly doubt it. Caps, illegal toxic dispersants, and the top-kill procedure didn't work, and I doubt anything BP comes up with at this point won't either. Russia even suggested dropping a nuke on the rig and drive it straight down the Earth. What in the shit is this?! I'm not a religious man, but I'm starting to believe that the End Times are drawing nigh.

In short, BP, the incoming hurricane season, and unemployment have been destroying the South environmentally and economically, and to quote Bananarama, we're in for a cruel, cruel summer.

PS: The image above was made by an individual named WtheG, and has been edited to keep this blog readable for the general public. If you wish to see the original NSFW image, click here. It honesty sums up my feelings for this madness.

Historical Revisionism

2010-05-28T23:00:00.000-04:00

Lately, I watch the news and I noticed that the state of Texas has passed new standards for their state's US History textbooks. I actually find two problems with this ruling:

1. The board, which is very conservative, voted 9 to 5 that current textbooks are too "liberal" and will revise the material in a more conservative light. This includes downplaying the slave trade, the Civil Rights movement, and the Transcendentalist movement, while promoting God, guns, and Ronald Reagan.
2. Texas has the largest amount of public schools in the nation, and therefore prints a lot of textbooks. This ruling could affect the nation's textbooks as well, since many other public schools order their books from Texas.

This is the latest textbook (pun intended) example of historical revisionism.

Similarly, there are several controversies of historical revisionism found in Japan. Such as the issue of comfort women, mass suicides, the rape of Nanking and other Japanese war crimes, all which were denied or made "justifiable" in historically-revised junior high textbooks. Unsurprisingly, teachers unions and even Japanese who lived during said historical events are crying fowl over the Japanese government's changes, accusing them of trying to indoctrinate Japanese youth with far-right nationalism.

Although far-right groups are known for revising history for their own political agendas, let's not forget that far-left groups are equally as guilty, like the Soviets. Still, historical revisionism can also be good for the purpose of clarifying historical events, especially if freed from bias and political motivation.

CASE FOR HISTORICAL REVISIONISM:
> With new, verified evidence about the historical event found, it can be clarified and revised for accuracy.

CASE AGAINST HISTORICAL REVISIONISM:
> Imposes one view of history without regarding other views or keeping it neutral from bias and inaccuracy.

In the end, I hope that the changes in Texas's history textbooks aren't permanent or at least offer differing views, if not keeping history neutral. However ugly history may be on our end, we can't deny nor change it for the sake of advancing a political agenda. For this old adage still holds true: Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it. And trust me, America's history is pretty damn shaky.

SOURCES: 1, 2, 3

Twatter

2010-05-21T23:00:00.000-04:00

I succumbed and got one now. It's useful for funny little aphorisms or short bursts of whatever. If you wish, feel free to follow me. I won't bite. ;)

Honestly, compared to other social networking sites, I used to think that Facebook was superior to this, but lately Facebook's been pretty terrible about their privacy policy. At least Twitter doesn't pretend to keep your stuff private; just recently, all Tweets will eventually be archived by the Library of Congress. Aside from PMs, all tweets are public for everyone (or your followers) to read, so there's no point in being too secretive with it. Either use a psuedonym, or don't use it at all. It's just that simple.

Next week, I'll weigh in on the pros and cons of historical revisionism.

How to Self-Publish Your Own Comic!

2010-05-14T22:00:00.008-04:00

Ever wanted to draw comics, but didn't know how?

Ever wanted to get published, but no such luck?

Are you willing to learn for free? If so, then you might just benefit from reading this comic.

This self-help comic contains eight pages of knowledge and whimsy, just like the typical Scott McCloud book.

...And yes, I totally stole his format. And I'm sorry for that. Still, he is a great man and I recommend his books to anyone who wishes to learn more about comics.

Without further delay, here's the comic:

Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Pages 4 & 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8

I hope you take some of these lessons to heart. Take care.

Pizzle

2010-05-07T23:00:00.000-04:00

Bitches love dat pizzle, mah nizzle. Fo' shizzle.

Free Comic Book Day 2010!!

2010-04-30T23:30:00.000-04:00

Free Comic Book Day is tomorrow! I'll be leaving copies of this above flier at some local comic and hobby shops around the South Atlanta metropolitan area. Go to your local comic book store and pick up some free comics (and this flier) and support your shops by buying some books as well! It's the American thing to do!

Until next week,

*I am not officially affiliated with FCBD, but I do support them 100%. The logo usage falls under fair use since I'm not profiting off of this flier. Thank you for reading.*

XENOPHOBIA NOW!

2010-04-16T21:00:00.000-04:00

A political horror story by ray n.

Dedicated to J. Robbins.

0 - PROLOGUE

The year is 20XX in a land known as The United States of America. It used to be a land known for liberty, justice, and opportunity for the poor and the downtrodden. But lately, the USA is known to outsiders as a society of angry white men and other like-minded people. What was troubling about these turn of events was that all of this could have been prevented.

I - MONDAY MORNING, 7 AM

"Hello fellow patriotic Americans! I'm your host, Beck Streicher, and you are listening to 'The Streicher Manifesto', the highest rated syndicated talk-radio program in our great country! Today we have four hours of the best live morning talk program that your local AM radio affiliate can offer! Before we start, let's take some calls, shall we? Let's see, our first caller is 'Mike' from Muncie, Indiana. Mike, you're on the air."

"Hello?"

"Yes, is this Mike?"

"Yes."

"Hello Mike! This is Beck Streicher and you're on the air on 'The Streicher Manifesto'."

"Oh, hey Beck! I love your show and I think you're a great American!"

"You're a great American too, my friend. What brings you to the 'Manifesto'?"

"Well, Beck, I'd just like to say that I lost my job to a Mexican last Friday."

"Well, that's unfortunate. What happened, if I may ask? Oh, and also, keep in mind that you're live on the air, so please keep the language G-rated, if you may?"

"Sure. But yeah, I was an electrician, makin' a living like any other decent, hard-working American citizen, until suddenly this illegal alien shows up in uniform along with my boss and the boss tells me that I'm laid off just because this damn wetback gets paid a third less than I did. And you know I'm not the only one hurtin', Beck. Lots of us REAL Americans are losing American jobs to these undocumented parasites. They're eating up our tax dollars, abusing our health care and educational systems, as well as sending all of our money back to Mexico, where we damn well know that there's corrup--"

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA...! You're getting carried away there--this is MY job, Mike. Ha ha. I thought I told you to watch your language. I know it's dumb, with the FCC over-regulating our 'supposed' freedom of speech, but we can't say the 'w-word' on the air."

"I'm sorry, Beck. Like you said, I kinda got carried away there. It's just that I think that we are losing America to all of the degenerates out there, and I'm now out of a job. I don't know how am I going to provide for my famil--"

"Ooooooh, I'm sorry Mike, but we're running out of time. However, you did raise an interesting point. Anyway, have a nice day and God Bless America. For those of you who are just tuning in, we're going to take a commercial break. I hope you stay tuned, because after the break, we will be discussing about health care reform and why the liberals want to instill 'death panels' and do away with Grandma. Don't go away--the 'Manifesto' will be back after a word from our sponsors!"

II - WAFFLE HOUSE, 10:55 AM

-sip-

"Frank?"

-sip- "Yea?"

"Quit sippin' that damn coffee. I'm trying to listen to the 'Manifesto'."

"Sorry, Jefferson." -sip-

"It's okay, Frank. There's only five minutes left before the 'Manifesto' ends, and I don't wanna miss Beck's daily end-of- show declaration. Oh, speak of the devil, he's back on!"

"...And we're back. Today, we have talked about the evils of taxes, death panels, Obamacare, and other liberal institutions such as public schools. I mean, our children aren't learning anything of importance from these dens of liberalism, and we all know that the youth of today don't have any respect for God nor our country. It saddens me, really. Instead of taking our children to the failing public school systems and teaching them about evolution, we should home-school our children and indoctrinate them with faith-based values. Before I make my declaration, let's have one last call, shall we? Let's see...'Jeremy' from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You're on the air, Jeremy."

"Thank you, Beck."

"No, thank you. What's on your mind?"

"Quite a lot of things, actually."

"Well, can you keep it short? We have less than three minutes on the air, mind you."

"I understand. I shall keep my comments brief."

"Okay. Go ahead."

"Thank you. In short, I just want to ask you: What in the hell is wrong with you? As an educator, I am appalled by your comments on the public education system. I know that it's not perfect, but the federal government has a duty to give every American child a free and decent education. Would you deny the children the right to an education?"

"Jeremy, public schools are obviously filling our childrens' heads with socialist propaganda. And you're an educator? So you're actively participating in teaching our nation's children with your communist pap? It's obvious that today's U.S. History textbooks are rife with liberal bias--don't tell me you're a history teacher, now."

"I am not. I teach 6th grade mathematics. Anyway, your claim about public schools being 'dens of liberalism' is just absurd. It's true that our schools aren't 'faith-based'--they're not supposed to be. Haven't you heard of the 'separation of church and state'? Americans are composed of many faiths, and as such, we keep a secular atmosphere to educate everyone equally--if you want to give your child a specialized education, then there are alternatives like private schools and home-schooling, like you've mentioned. And another thing, taxes are necessary for any public institution to work. Roads, parks, bridges, dams, fire departments, police stations, and even schools. Without taxes, all of these institutions would cease to exist!"

"Are you smoking dope, Jeremy? That's what the Democrats want, legalization of everything. Don't you see? These schools don't cater to the strengths of each individual student and therefore treats every single one of these kids as 'equals'. Doesn't that remind you of communism? Are you a communist, Jeremy? I don't allow communists in my show. Also, secularism is one of the big reasons why our great country is struggling today. We are a nation of God. 'In God We Trust'. Get it? Good. Now, don't ever call back again, you un-American communist. All you decent, God-fearing listeners out there, if you know of a sixth grade teacher named Jeremy in Pennsylvania, be sure to educate him on what it means to be a REAL American."

-sip- "Wow. Heavy stuff."

"You tell 'im, Beck! And quit with that damn sippin', Frank! He's about to make a declaration."

"...And now, a DECLARATION! THE GOVERNMENT IS GETTING TOO BIG AND IS INFRINGING ON YOUR RIGHTS, PEOPLE! WE NEED TO TELL THEM THAT IF THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BACK OFF AND LEAVE US ALONE BY REASON, THEN WE MIGHT HAVE TO FIGHT BACK FOR OUR FREEDOMS! BUT, WHO TO TRUST AMONG A COUNTRY OF OVER 300 MILLION PEOPLE? TOMORROW'S SHOW, I HAVE CREATED ACRONYMS ON HOW TO HELP IDENTIFY BETWEEN HONEST PEOPLE AND DEGENERATES. UNTIL TOMORROW, THIS IS BECK STREICHER, SIGNING OFF ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER PAGE OF 'THE BECK STREICHER MANIFESTO'!!"

-sip-

-------------------------------

to be continued...

The Madman Diaries IV

2010-04-09T22:00:00.005-04:00

Yes, I'm mad. And with good reason.

This. It's pretty damn horrible--the actions caught in this video are ranked within the same level of atrocity as the Abu Ghraib photos and the My Lai Massacre. Among the people killed were a journalist and a driver, and some children were wounded. It sickens me. Just because they were brown people does not mean that they were terrorists. Well, it's easy to mistake a camera for a weapon, but goddamn. Trigger-happy, much? Just like in My Lai, the party responsible for the killings pretty much got away with it.

Is there no justice in the world? Apparently.

The Internet's become pretty lame. YouTube has a new, horrible format that is less "You" and more "advertiser-friendly Facebook ripoff", and net-neutrality is going down the shitter. Parliament recently passed the Digital Economy Act, regulating how digital media will be distributed in the UK. Meaning, if you like piracy and you're British, well...you're boned.

On the subject of controversial things relating to the Internet, hentai in my CNN? It's more likely than you think. Kyung Lah, a Korean reporter who is CNN's Tokyo-based correspondent, reported about Japan's controversial eroge (erotic game) market. Among one of those games is "RapeLay", a 3D rape simulation game for the PC. Now, last year the game garnered a lot of negative attention internationally and the publisher, ILLUSION, pulled the game from the shelves after several groups were enraged about the game's subject matter, with even some special-interest groups wanting it and similar games banned entirely. Just last week, there was a report on CNN about "hentai games" and the game featured was "RapeLay". The problem with that report is that it's 1) old news, 2) not relevant to the interests of the world, and 3) harbors anti-Japanese sentiment. The latter can be blamed on both Kyung Lah's suspected bias against Japan (sadly, Koreans and Japanese in general hate each other, for obvious reasons) and the fact that a neighborhood of perverted otaku in Akihabara is now a representation of Japanese people as a whole. I am also bothered that people find eroge bothersome but do not find violent video games equally as repugnant. I mean, murder simulators are just as bad as rape simulators, right? I kind of expected this type of reporting to be found in Fox News, rather than CNN. Then again, cable news is quite sensationalist.

Also, psst, Kyung Lah had an affair with some other dude at KNBC before she got fired and then started working at CNN. Pass it on.

In lighter news, MTV's "Jersey Shore". It's full of guidos and cancer. Seriously, orange skin doesn't look healthy at all. And stop making those duck faces.

You know what else is cancerous? The Tea Party movement. Protesting against the establishment for a cause is awesome and all, but if you're among one of the many teabaggers out there reading this, stop being a tool. Seriously. Do you know anything about health care reform? Or do you just protest because you blindly follow whatever these talk-radio fascists tell you to do and sincerely believe that "socialism" is this great evil that will ruin America forever? Go read this and this, calm the fuck down, and think for a change.

Oh, and Sarah Palin is an ignorant trollop. 'Nuff said.

You'd think with all of this negativity surrounding me that I'd go mad...well, even more mad than before, but I've found something that has mellowed me out:

UKULELE = LOVE ♥♥

C'est la vie,

SOURCES: CNN, Sankaku Complex, Wikileaks, /a/, YouTube, Wikipedia.

MomoCon 2010: A Journey in Pictures

2010-03-26T16:30:00.001-04:00

I have returned to reality from the Land of Madness. MomoCon 2010 was a neat, if not tiring, experience and this year I was available for both days (unlike last year, MomoCon 2009, in which I was available only on Saturday). Lots of interesting chaps, cute girls, and lovable weirdos this year, which is strange because cons usually have ill-fitting misfits, freaks, and fatties who have no business cosplaying littering the place. However, the crazies were still present, such as a few furries, teenage girls advertising free hugs and kisses via signs before they got confiscated, boys-love fangirls who would strike the ass of anyone who asked about their yaoi paddles, and even a schoolgirl who was selling used panties in some corner somewhere.

I did get some neat things this year, mostly doujins and minicomics, and someday I might review them after I've read them all, but for right now, here is a slideshow of people and things I found interesting in MomoCon 2010.

Create a Free Slideshow

Enjoy,

Meet Ray N. at MomoCon 2010!

2010-03-19T22:00:00.000-04:00

Another year, another con. I hope that there's some good (and cheap) merch this year. Would be nice to pick up some more mini comics and doujins. If anyone is interested in hanging out with me or just stopping by to say "Hello", then use the information posted above. Photos and a written experience of the con will be posted next week.

Adios,

Life is Strange 5

2010-03-12T15:45:00.003-05:00

"Life is Strange"

Observational true-to-life tales by The Lone Observer

Encounter 5: Saturday night at a family sports bar, January 2010.
Subject: "Drunken Karaoke"

Hello. I am simply a lone observer in my 20s who happens to encounter strange people, intentional or not, for my amusement and for yours.

This encounter happened at a family-owned sports bar somewhere in the South.

In this life, I have met some strange and scary people. As bad as they are, yaoi fangirls, nymphomaniacs, manchildren and even furries weren't enough to unnerve me 100%. But, one Saturday night, I've encountered a dangerous group of people: alcoholics.

Yes, drunks. The very people that litter bars, a place I was at during this encounter, scare the living shit out of me. You would think that they are amusing when they go up on the stage and perform drunken karaoke, and that is true. But, that's only one side of the matter. Give a person enough liquor, and they will lose all inhibition and common sense, and may God help you should the person get violent or needy.

Anyway, I was there on my own, eating a plate of hot wings (I do admit, the place has really good chicken wings) and drinking glasses of sweet tea, sticking around for karaoke. I used to go there almost every week for a while to eat good food and to participate in karaoke. I never drank due to myself being the only one who can drive myself home, but despite that, it was all in good fun.

The emcee during those karaoke nights was a man we called "Coach". Nice old fellow. Nothing negative about him. Neither were most of the chaps and ladies around, such as a child who wore a cowboy hat and usually covered country songs. He was pretty cool, especially his cover of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" in the style of The Charlie Daniels Band.

I usually go up for about 3 to 4 times and sing my songs when it was my turn during the rotation, and I've always ended each night with a Blues Brothers cover, along with dancing. Tonight seemed to be a normal night, save for the influx of new people who wanted to watch a football game that was on TV. The last time a game was on when I visited the bar, it was the game between UGA and GA Tech and the majority were UGA fanatics. Not just UGA fanatics--drunk UGA fanatics. I was quite afraid, but not because of their drunkeness, but rather that I almost walked in with my GA Tech cap. I left it in the car that night because the night was quite warm and I didn't need to keep my head from getting cold. Had I worn the cap, I'd probably wouldn't be around to write this entry.

Ok, enough derailing.

As I ate my wings, an aged woman with a pale complexion and short hair emerged from a group of women who sat together at a table across from mine came up to the stage and sang some songs. She had a nice voice. After she sat back down to her table, she knocked back a few beers along with her friends. Thought nothing special about it.

Ok, now this is the part of the story where shit gets ugly.

As I sang, I heard cheering from someone in the back. When I discovered who it was, I thought to myself, "Oh no. Why him?"

This dude was someone I met in the bar weeks earlier. A tall, shit-faced Caucasian dude appearing in his mid-to-late 20s with a red nose went up to me and always asked me for $5. Presumably, he wanted to buy more drinks, despite the fact that he staggered around, had slurred speech, and smelled like beer. He would come towards me and offer to sing with me if I gave him money. I told him I don't carry cash (a lie) and that he should leave me be. Still, he'd ask me and like 2 other people for cash until I decided to just leave out of frustration. And now he's back. Fuck.

He spots me and says that he likes my voice and wants to duet with me. He is still piss-drunk. Fearing for my life, I comply, and he picks a song. He still smells like beer, but at least he's not hitting me up for cash this time.

I eventually sing two duets with him. One of his choice (I had to wing it since I was unfamiliar with his song choice), and the other being "Soul Man" (which he surprisingly did great backup vocals for). After the latter song, I sat down and I ended up talking to the old woman I mentioned earlier. Note that she is also drunk--she knocked down quite a lot of beer when I last saw her. She then initiates conversation with me.

"Hi...you have a nice voice.", she says to me.

"Thank you, ma'am", I reply. "You do too."

"You know, I usually spend my time on the Internet, looking for someone. I'm with some family and friends, having some fun. Looking for a younger man...I'm 67 years old, you know."

I freeze. "Why, Lord?"

She continues, "You have a very lovely voice..." She giggles as she leans towards me and reaches her hand towards me. "Fuck this!", I thought, and promptly got up before she got a chance to reach for my disco stick.

As I escape, the drunk white guy from earlier hugs me really hard, thanking me to sing with him and smelling like beer, and shouts "I LOVE YOU, MAN!!!"

Awkward moment.

To add insult to injury, the old woman looks on and says, "Aww. Such a nice boy.", referring to the drunk.

I call for my waitress, asked for my bill, paid for it, left a tip, and got the fuck out of there.

I climbed into my car, started it, and drove back home with just enough speed to not get a speeding violation.

I learned that night that people can be very scary and immoral creatures once alcohol drowns away their inhibitions and moral conditioning. Also, alcohol is one powerful truth serum. Just ask Mel Gibson.

-Encounter 5: END-

FOOTNOTE: I did go to that establishment one week later. Slow night, with just the kid and his folks. Sang my throat raw and my voice gave out. That was the last time I went back there, for I decided that my karaoke career should come to an end. I miss those delicious hot wings.

FreeRice.com

2010-03-05T21:30:00.001-05:00

Another week, another website.

Unlike ChatRoulette!, this site is actually humanitarian and safe for work. My friend "Bunny" referred me to this site earlier today, and I actually like its approach. FreeRice is a website that has its sponsors donate rice to needy people across the world, and in order to help, you just answer vocabulary words correctly.
It's awesome in two ways: you can help feed hungry people, and you can also increase your vocabulary skills. If you really want to help out, just grab a dictionary (or access to the online equivalent) and start playing!

http://freerice.com/ Tell a friend!

PS: "Life is Strange" #5 will be posted next week. I'm 90% sure of it. Maybe.

Stop the Radio Performance Tax!

2010-02-26T22:00:00.001-05:00

http://www.noperformancetax.org/default.aspx

Go here. Go now. Write to your congressman or whoever and demand that radio shouldn't be taxed. The RIAA and its ilk don't need any more money. Fuck them.

Thank you in advance.

My feelings on the Chris Handley case and "obscene" cartoons.

2010-02-26T21:30:00.005-05:00

DISCLAIMER: This post contains subject matter that will be upsetting for some of you. If you are under the age of 13 or are easily offended, then I suggest you stop reading after this sentence and go elsewhere. You've been warned.

First, read these articles in order to get you up to speed:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-05-20/christopher-handley-pleads-guilty-to-possession-charges
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-02-11/christopher-handley-sentenced-to-6-months-for-obscene-manga
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/editorial/2010-02-24

Now, I can't say I condone lolicon and shotacon, and trust me, neither do many others, and I am certainly not defending the idea of violating anyone sexually, real or not, but I cannot condone the actions that the United States court system has screwed over Chris Handley. I feel as though he was singled out for possessing "sick" books.

I believe he got a raw deal. Simply because he was guilty or a nonexistent crime. The "crime" is owning books that were deemed "obscene" in Iowa. This is why I really hate "states' rights". Currently, there are state laws and there are federal laws. States are allowed to set up rules of obscenity, ordinances, ages of consent, although for obscenity, most states usually follow the Miller Test to determine what constitutes as obscene. As for states' rights, Southern states were allowed to segregate and lynch black people through "Jim Crow" laws up until 1954 when the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation was unconstitutional as it violated the 14th Amendment. Because of that analogy, it should be noted that federal law pretty much overrides state law, especially if the law is constitutional, being law of the land and all.

Oh wait, nevermind. I forgot that the PATRIOT Act and the PROTECT Act pretty much fucked everything up pertaining to individual civil liberties.

Still, shouldn't THE FIRST AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION be precedent to a state obscenity law when it comes to this case!? From what I remember, free speech is protected, as well as freedom of expression, press, religion, and protest. This means that even lolicon manga is also protected speech. Now, some of you may not agree with me. I'm fine with that, but it's still legal, unlike actual child porn. Most people (such as this court and even countries like Australia and the Philippines) don't think that lolicon/shotacon and CP are different. As in content, they're right. But there is a BIG difference, and the reason WHY actual CP is illegal:

BECAUSE CARTOONS ARE JUST LINES ON PAPER.

They're fictional. Child porn, on the other hand, is reviled and illegal for obvious reasons. It involves actual children, and whether it's a nude picture or if there's penetration involved, the child has gone through sexual abuse by various parties; it is very unlikely that children consent to being exploited.

Cartoons are fiction. They are exaggerations of real life, if anything. I'm not saying that Chris Handley is a child molester; in fact, he was an upstanding citizen with a clean record. He never even possessed actual child porn. He just got careless. There are worse people out there in the world, such as actual rapists, terrorists, serial killers, and Wall Street losers. Yet they single out a nerd who reads comic books with fictional girls in it. All is right with the world.

I remember reading that people who look at nude bodies, let alone pornography, will become sex perverts. Same is said about lolicon/shotacon; if you look at it, you'll become a pedophile. This is bullshit. If this is true, then by that logic, anyone who has ever watched a horror movie will be a psychotic murderer. Yet "Saw" is protected under the First Amendment and is widely seen in theaters, with children actually watching it. Personally, I find violence a lot more disturbing than simple nudity; we were born nude--it is how we naturally look. However, murder is a learned act. But according to society, killing is less harmful in children's minds than a pair of breasts. Hm.

Still, I'm glad that after the trial, Handley did get off relatively easy (six months prison, a $200 fine, 3 years monitoring, and 5 years probation) for someone who was going to be convicted of a sex crime. It's also cool that he wouldn't have to be registered as a sex offender. But all of this shouldn't have happened in the first place. The whole trial wasn't necessary. If anything, the first amendment is dead, and we have seen proof of it. Wait, correction, WAS. That died when protesters were silenced by martial law, the formation of the FCC, and the unfair obscenity trial against cartoonist Mike Diana. I wouldn't be surprised if similar bullshit happens in the future in which an individual's life is ruined in the guise of "protecting" society; it can happen to anyone.

In short, I just have this to say: Fuck you, Iowa courts. Fuck you.

If you still care about your personal freedoms, support the ACLU:
http://www.aclu.org

If you read and/or collect comics and want to avoid another similar case from happening to yourself or anyone else, support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund:
http://www.cbldf.org/

FINAL WORD: Cartoons are still just lines on paper. It's how you make of them. Nothing to go to prison for, really.

Until next time, stay safe.

UPDATE (2010-3-6): I've received an e-mail sent to me a few days back from Eric Chase, Chris Handley's defense attorney from the case and he has given me his commentary to share with you all, the readers:

March 2, 2010
Los Angeles, California

On February 11, 2010, Christopher Handley was sentenced in Iowa for possession of Manga books and magazines. The prosecution, which began in 2006, was based on the notion that the cartoon images were obscene. My name is Eric Chase, and I am Chris Handley's attorney. I have been reading some of the comments about Chris' case and have noted some considerable confusion about the process that Chris went through as well as the state of obscenity law in the United States. In the hope that it will help others avoid Chris' situation and aid the understanding of those outraged by the outcome, I feel it appropriate to now explain the case from our perspective.

Of all the comments I have come across, perhaps the most interesting to me was one made shortly after Chris entered his guilty plea. It was a criticism of a statement I made in a Wired magazine interview. I said, "Obscenity is the only law I'm aware of, if a client shows me a book or magazine or movie, and asks me if this image is illegal, I can't tell them." The criticism was, "Lawyers who specialize in obscenity cases…track jury verdicts and can tell you with nearly 100% reliability whether what they're looking at would be ruled obscene by a jury…."

First, the idea that any lawyer can tell anyone with anything approaching 100% certainty what a jury will decide about anything is just plain silly. Jurors are people. As such, any trial lawyer will agree that the only thing predictable about juries is that they are unpredictable. Second, look at the Max Hardcore case. He was represented by Louis Sirkin, who is widely regarded as the top obscenity lawyer in the country. He is the lawyer who won Free Speech Coalition v. Ashcroft in the U.S. Supreme Court. Max Hardcore was a prolific producer of "cutting edge" pornography that many found disgusting. For example, it included urination as a form of degradation role-play. However, it occurred between, was distributed by, and was purchased by consenting adults. Despite Mr. Sirkin's exceptional arguments regarding artistic merit, freedom of speech, and community standards, Max Hardcore was convicted by a jury and was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison. (On its initial appeal, the verdict was upheld but it has been remanded for re-sentencing). In fact, that verdict, which is as ridiculous as the prosecution of Chris Handley, was particularly disheartening as we considered plea offers.

In understanding Chris' situation, you have to understand the Ashcroft opinion, which has been universally and tragically, at least for Chris, misunderstood. That case held that sexual images of virtual minors could not be prosecuted as child pornography. However, it did not hold that virtual child pornography was legal. Rather, it expressly stated that those depictions could be prosecuted as obscenity under the Miller standard. In short hand, Miller's three prongs require for conviction a finding that a depiction is 1) sexual in nature (prurient); 2) patently offensive; and 3) lacking in serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. The first two prongs are judged by community standards and the third by an objective standard.

Chris, like most everyone else who had only heard about Ashcroft from news accounts that shoddily reported that the Supreme Court had "legalized virtual child porn," believed the magazines were legal when he bought them. As importantly, Chris was not a collector exclusively of lolicon. He was a collector of all things manga. Of the thousands of books and magazines found by the Feds at Chris' home, only about twenty had questionable content and ultimately only seven were charged as clearly depicting the violent sexual abuse of obviously very young children.

What Chris did not know was that in direct response to the Supreme Court's suggestion in Ashcroft, Congress passed 18 USC 1466A, which criminalized as obscenity a laundry list of virtual depictions, including comics, that portray the sexualization of children. The big difference between 1466A and the general obscenity statute is that the former carries a 5 year mandatory minimum sentence for the more serious charge of "receipt" (and is cross-referenced in the Federal Sentencing Guidelines to child pornography so it gets the same presumptive sentence as if it were real child porn). Now, "receipt" is an odd charge that is applicable in nearly every possession case. Simply, you can't possess something without first receiving it. Yet, receipt carries the 5 year mandatory minimum sentence, while possession does not. If the case had gone to trial, the jury would have been prohibited from hearing about the minimum applied to the receipt charge, and thus, would not have considered it in determining which, if any, of the charges to convict him of. Through its choice to create two crimes with vastly different sentences for the same conduct, Congress gave to the prosecution an invaluable tool (quite similar to extortion) in obtaining pleas.

So, Chris had the following difficult options. He could defend the images which, when projected on an 8'x8' screen on a courtroom wall, an Iowa jury certainly, and any jury probably, would have likely agreed they "do not want in their community". (I note that a ban on "kids having sex" pictures, even when only drawn, appears widely supported even by many otherwise apparently liberal bloggers.) His second choice was to have the receipt charge and its mandatory minimum dismissed and focus at sentencing on his personal situation, which certainly did not merit serious jail time. His ultimate sentence was 6 months with a recommendation that his term be served in a halfway house. Unlike Max Hardcore, who opted for the trial (remember, his prosecution was equally, if not more, offensive to notions of free speech), Chris will likely never have a jail door slam behind him.

I know the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and others concerned about the defense of comic books specifically, and free speech generally, are upset that the case did not go to trial. They are right to be. The Miller obscenity test is vague, indecipherable, and clearly chills protected speech. Among its most frightening aspects is that its "community standards" element may allow "moral majority" communities to dictate to the rest of us. The extortionate tool given to prosecutors through the receipt charge, with its mandatory minimum, gives incentive to defendants to not mount appropriate "community standards" or "serious artistic value" challenges.

In defense of Chris Handley, given his choices, I suppose all I can do is ask: What would you have done?

To the CBLDF and other commendable defenders of free speech whom we may need now more then ever, there is some hope on the horizon. Louis Sirkin and Max Hardcore are currently waging an important battle in their appeal of his conviction on the issue of what the appropriate community is for the Miller test. The argument, with which some courts have already agreed, is that in an interconnected internet world, you can't allow the most repressive of "communities" to dictate what is available to everyone else. There exists a split among Federal Courts of Appeal in different parts of the country that the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to address and resolve. It may even be that Max's case is a better platform for the battle than would have been Chris' in that it does not involve the explosive element of "children" and instead can focus entirely on the fundamental shortcomings of obscenity law in its current state.

However, though it would be great for Max Hardcore, who would get a new trial, a win on the "which community" question will have little practical effect at future jury trials on obscenity. A Bible belt jury will be "instructed" to apply a national standard instead of their county's. So what? As they always have when asked what they believe community standards should be, they are still going to apply their own personal standards. This suggests a more fundamental problem with the Miller test.

That problem, which the Supreme Court has contorted to overcome in upholding the Miller test, is vagueness. "Void for Vagueness" is a constitutional doctrine that requires that a criminal law's proscriptions be ascertainable so that a person is put on notice before he or she acts about whether his or her contemplated action will violate the law. To the extent that the response to my Wired statement is correct about being able to tell ahead of a trial what a jury will find obscene, it is only correct about the extreme depictions that have, so far, been the focus of prosecutorial attention. As I have read the reaction to Chris' plea and sentence, I have seen a questioning of the legality of everything from Nabokov and "American Beauty" to Japanese Yaoi, which depicts figures that are androgynous, hairless, and clearly childlike, but not clearly children. If you asked me today whether it is legal to sell Yaoi on the Internet knowing that it would be available in Iowa or most anywhere in the south, I am not sure what the answer would be.

I am, however, certain from comments I've read that some who have heard about Chris have already destroyed literature that certainly should not be considered illegal. That "chilling effect" on free speech is precisely the reason for the vagueness doctrine. So, the question should not just be which community is being polled, but how can we rely on polling at all when such an important right is at stake and the poll results change each time they are taken?

However, the fight for a national standard is the one that has currently been joined. For now, let us wish Mr. Hardcore and Mr. Sirkin well, and let us also wish well to all those who continue the fight for all of our fundamental liberties. While we're at it, let us also wish well to Christopher Handley.

Eric A. Chase, Esq.
United Defense Group, LLP
Eric.Chase@UnitedDefenseGroup.com

The Moment I Realized That I Am Officially Old

2010-02-26T20:00:00.000-05:00

Based on a true story.

Chatroulette!

2010-02-12T17:30:00.000-05:00

What can I say? It's scary. And funny.

Seriously. Chatroulette! is a lot like Omegle, where two anonymous strangers are paired in a chat session at random. Thing is, Omegle came first, since it's basically anonymous text chatting. Chatroulette! has that, but with webcam and mic support. To put it in another way:

AIM + Anonymity + Random = Omegle

and in turn,

Omegle + Skype - private accounts = Chatroulette!

Now that you know how it works, I'll let you know why Chatroulette! is both scary and funny in my book. Chatroulette! is totally random. And anonymous. Anonymity without fear of retribution on the internet usually leads to either fucked up behavior or trolling.

By fucked up behavior, I mean finding an obscene amount of penises. It seems that every fourth or fifth video I come across is a random man masturbating from the waist down. I don't know why one would enjoy masturbating on cam--I guess some do it for thrills, but I think most do it out of pure boredom or shock value, since other targets I have found are either drunken frat boys, potheads, guidos, jailbait camwhores, and funny black guys; just rarely do you find any regular people to talk to or a pair of boobs. Another scary thing about it is that the same pair of boobs could be from some teenage girl who obviously has no business exposing herself on the internet. I've also encountered some annoying looped GIFs (think of 4chan's /gif/), a "suicide" (it's a man who's hanged himself, but the clip wasn't real after seeing it on multiple occasions and from a second opinion), and losers who hold up signs requesting boobs and not boners (lol).

You would think after seeing 39 penises in an hour that I would avoid Chatroulette! for life, but no. I come back to it every now and then. Why? Because there's trolling involved. Go to YouTube. Look up "Chatroulette reactions". Watch them. It's gold. Usually, what you do to elicit hilarious reactions is to air something unbelievably funny, scandalous, or gruesome, and let it play rather than your webcam. Then just sit back and watch the hilarity. Or, you can just wear a disguise (such as an Islamic "terrorist"), play some Arabic chanting in the background, and type "ALLAHU AKBAR!!!" on the text field and elicit some responses there. Be warned though, people switch out pretty fast. It's not easy to have everyone see you stuff; it's like fishing--there are long spells of boredom (and penises)until you score a bite, whether it'll be a reaction from trolling or a nice live pair of tits and then some.

For those who are feeling adventurous and armed with a webcam, go play some Chatroulette! at http://chatroulette.com .

PROTIP: Like everything else, don't be a retard and reveal your real name, address, shoe size, etc. The point of Chatroulette! is to remain a "stranger". If you want to try, but are afraid of showing yourself to the world, wear a disguise, such as a pair of sunglasses or bandana, and use the text feild to type your words, rather than speaking them via mic.

For added fun, try Omegle as well. Say you're 14/f/ca if some creep asks "A/S/L?". Or just spam "NIGGERNIGGERNIGGER" until they quit. Or actually have a conversation with the person. Whatever works.

Have a safe day,

Dog Days

2010-02-05T20:00:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry that Life is Strange #5 isn't up this week. I hope you'll forgive me because I've been preoccupied in the past 2 days with a doggie.

How did I get one? On Wednesday, my mother picked him up from someone and we took him in. He was a small grayish-black Westie, and he was cute and oh so energetic. We gave him a bath, a makeshift habitat for him to sleep in and a dish of water and some Beneful for him to eat. That same night, we discussed about the dog and we realized that we could not keep him due to the fact that we wouldn't be around to look after him as much as we needed to and that we simply cannot afford to care for him. After the discussion, I made the decision to not give him a name. Why? I've learned in life that if you learn the name of someone or have named something on your own, you'll grow attached to him/her/it. And if you lose said person/thing, the pain of loss will worsen. This was true when I had pets as a child, with a dog when I was seven, and a few guinea pigs when I was 9 and 10. Dead pets suck; the more you had, the worse you feel after each has bit the dust or run away. Same rules apply to people. This is possibly why I don't have many friends.

Anyway, my mother found someone who would take him in permanently, so we will be rid of him tomorrow. Again, I have no attachment to this pup, but the experience was something that will stay with me for life. Today, I did make it a point to play with him since he'll be out of my life tomorrow. Playtime was fun, although it was pretty damned cold and damp outside.

Here are some pictures I took from the times we went outside. To be honest, most of them suck due to the fact that he just wouldn't keep still:

Here, here, here, and here.

If you don't believe me about him being energetic, watch this. I should warn you though--the following video contains unhealthy amounts of cute:

As I type this, he is asleep in his habitat. This is his final night here, and after he leaves tomorrow, he will be missed. Probably. Not.

Bless,

Into the Never

2010-01-29T22:30:00.000-05:00

I planned on posting "Life is Strange #5" this week, but sadly I've been spending my free day playing video games. Sorry.

However, I'd like to use this space to promote something for a good friend. If you like short stories and poetry, then you'll like Dawn Jones' "Into the Never: A Collection of Poetry & Short Stories". Her first published work, this trade paperback contains 82 pages of her poems and short stories about various human emotions collected together to share with the reader, such as love, longing, disappointment and despair. To order the book, as well as read an excerpt online, click here.

Later days,

Into the Never: A Collection of Poetry & Short Stories © Dawn Jones.
Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen Mae Hashutsujo © Osamu Akimoto/SHUEISHA. Used without permission. :P

Discoveries as a Youth

2010-01-22T20:00:00.000-05:00

We all discover new things in life as we grow up. It's a fact of life. I'm not exempt from that fact. In less than a month, I turn 23 years old. Even though I'm still "young", I am starting to feel quite "old". As such, I've been more lethargic on lazy weekend days and I've been reflecting on my past about the little things I've discovered, good and bad. I know I will continue to make more discoveries in the future, but back then, my past discoveries seemed like such a big deal. I believe everyone has done that, reflecting on their first achievements and disappointments, and I also believe that some of our discoveries are common. With that said, here's a list of notable discoveries from my youth, both good and bad, in no particular chronological order:

- Learning that the stove burns you when it's hot.

- Same as above, but with the iron.

- Finding the Warp Zones in "Super Mario Bros."

- Finding out Santa Claus isn't real.

- Learning that Skittles couldn't be grown after planting and watering them outside like the TV commercial.

- Falling in love for the first time with the cute girl in my 2nd grade class.

- The pain of rejection after being turned down by the cute girl in my 2nd grade class.

- Learning that cooties aren't real.

- Suddenly being attracted to girls when 6th grade hit.

- Discovering Channel 99 on basic cable.

- Masturbation.

- Learning that the Church is a lie.

- Learning that everything I learned in high school was a lie.

- Learning that the cake is a lie.

-Learning the rules of The Game, and lost it for the first time.

If you grew up during the 90s, I'm sure some of them might be relevant to you.

Hasta~

Haiti Needs Your Help

2010-01-22T19:00:00.001-05:00

Sorry for being a week late due to technical problems, but the people in Haiti still need help. I hope you all do your part.

Bless,

Twenty Going on Forty.

2010-01-08T21:30:00.002-05:00

Better late than never, I suppose.

I was going to upload these two images last month, but my PC was on its last legs. Since the holidays, I got a new one, so I finally took the time to scan and uplaod these drawings. These drawings are for the 20th and 40th anniversaries of two of my favorite cartoons, "The Simpsons" and "Doraemon", respectively. As you notice, the Simpsons picture is drawn quite closely to the real thing, whereas I took liberties with the Doraemon one. Instead of a cute robot cat and a group of kids, everyone is portrayed as disturbing adults. By the way, for those of you who can't read moon-runes, the text reads: "Congratulations on your 40th anniversary, Doraemon!!"

Yes, I'm a nerd.

Take it easy~

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T01:30:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it. The future is now. 2010 was a year most often used in SF stories I grew up reading/watching and I am now living through that year. Really, I'm quite disappointed that we don't have jetcars and such, but at least we have the robot helpers (at least in Japan) and video phones (Skype). Two out of three ain't bad, I guess.

Stay safe, and don't drink too much!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T02:00:00.000-05:00

I hope that you all have a Merry Christmas. May your day be filled with happiness and really cool things.

Bless,

Saying Goodbye to Endorsement Deals

2009-12-11T22:30:00.001-05:00

Tiger Woods fucked up. That is all.

Divorce Plus

2009-12-04T21:30:00.003-05:00

Last week, one Japanese man married a certain video game.

This week, another Japanese man was divorced because of said video game.

...wait, what?

Yes. It seems that Konami's best-selling dating sim "Love Plus" has made an impact in Japan's romantic scene again. This time, the game is responsible for destroying a union, rather than create one.

Granted, "Love Plus" has interefered with many social lives (to the point of selling over 100,000 copies and having hordes of players treat their games like actual girlfriends) and even relationships to the point where there are accusations of infidelity (one man was caught with his DS red-handed by his wife and was forced to get rid of his game), but this time an anonymous 29-year-old Japanese systems engineer has been the first casualty of "Love Plus" that resulted in his 28-year-old wife divorcing him. Then again, it wasn't just the game, but also mostly because of him coming home late at night and the now ex-wife becoming angry about that fact. The man was finally fed up with his wife's anger towards him and lamented that he'd rather have "Nene" greet him home rather than his wife, and BANG. Roneriness.

The interesting part of the story is that his "girlfriend" in "Love Plus" is "Nene Anegasaki", the SAME girl that Sal9000 married in last week's post. What's even more interesting is that exactly one week after Sal9000's marriage to Nene (November 22), the anonymous blogger's tale of his divorce was posted online (November 29). Given what was just written, this means that Nene has been two-timing her husband to be with another man, which resulted in that other man's wife divorcing him. Ouch.

CONCLUSION:

Until next week, take care of yourself and each other.

Sources:
http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2009/12/01/we-divorced-because-of-love-plus/ (NSFW)
http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2009/10/30/love-plus-adultery-nearly-ends-in-divorce/ (NSFW)
http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2009/10/02/love-plus-sells-100000-who-needs-real-women/ (Again, all SC links are NSFW.)
http://anond.hatelabo.jp/20091129153106 (The original blog post by the divorcee. In Japanese.)

LOVE PLUS © KONAMI CORPORATION.

Marriage Plus

2009-11-27T22:00:00.001-05:00

Silly, silly Japan.

For a country deeply rooted in tradition, hard work, and honor, Japan happens to outdo every other country on the planet with its sheer insanity. For instance, their exports range from "normal" to goddamned strange. Sure, we get awesome things like Godzilla, Nintendo, and Toyotas, but on the other hand we also get tentacle-rape hentai, Hard Gay, and "Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo". People in Japan are known for being reserved, courteous, conservative, and somewhat xenophobic, but that doesn't stop them from doing really crazy shit. Otaku (geeks) are pretty much the worst offender, discarding social norms with their obsessions ranging from anime and manga, video games, plastic models, and even guns.

Marriage is a sacred institution that bonds two people in a vow of love. Traditionally, the bond is shared between a man and a woman, although in some areas, people who share the same gender are able to marry. Nontheless, some believe it should remain between a man and a woman, fearing the institution will become perverted and thus opening the floodgates of other marriages, such as marriages between animals, children, and inanimate objects.

Well, that last one...actually came true.

On November 22, 2009, a Japanese man known as "Sal9000" married his Nintendo DS. Yes, you've read that correctly: Dude married a video game.

The video game in question is "Love Plus", a dating simulator for the DS by Konami. The game is played in the first-person, as you are a young man looking for a girlfriend. There are three different girls to court and ask out and you'll eventually end up with one of them. The game is well-known for being a hit in Japan, and for creating several controversies, including players obsessing of the game's characters and buying them actual gifts as well as resulting in many jealous girlfriends and a divorce.

Back to the topic, Sal9000 decided to make an honest woman out of "Nene Anegasaki", one of the three girls in "Love Plus". The ceremony wasn't held in Japan, since marriage laws don't apply to virtual women, and was instead held at a church in Guam. What's also sad is that the ceremony had invited guests consisting of friends and family, and even Nene's "friend" (another "Love Plus" girl inside the game) offering words to the happy "couple". What's even sadder is that the ceremony was streamed live on Nico Nico Douga (aka, Smile Video), a Japanese video site similar to YouTube.

Here is a summary of the video in question, courtesy of BoingBoing Video:

Myself, I wonder what will the honeymoon be like? A luxury suite for two at a Guam hotel and then some hot and steamy sex? If so, I wonder how Sal9000 is going to penetrate his DS? I mean, there are slots and ports, such as the charger port and the stylus slot, but I seriously doubt anyone can consummate with a DS, unless the man has some serious micropenis. And will Nene reciprocate the love by digitized moaning?

Ok, I think I'm getting carried away here. Oh well. At least I'm not like all of these other otaku in Japan who are pressuring the Diet to pass legislation on allowing them to marry 2D characters. Speaking of...I bet a lot of otaku are going to be super pissed due to the fact that a good third of "Love Plus" players are "dating" Nene, only to learn that she is now a taken woman.

Well, may God help Sal9000 should his game save ever should happen to erase.

Sources:
http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2009/11/19/otaku-marries-nintendo-ds-nene-is-my-wife/
http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/man-marries-a-videogame/1376577
http://gamerlimit.com/2009/11/man-marries-his-ds-in-guam/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10404956-71.html

Video: BoingBoing Video and Nico Nico Douga.
LOVE PLUS © KONAMI CORPORATION.

The Madman Diaries III

2009-11-13T23:00:00.003-05:00

I was out shopping one day, and I thought of something quite peculiar...

Sale for hand sanitizer, with two bottles being sold for the price of one. I normally buy hand sanitizer, and having run out of the stuff a few days ago, I decided to buy the two bottles. As I left the store, I remembered that the hand sanitizer was on a sales display. I never thought there would be an abundance of sanitizer, just waiting for people to score as the hottest item at the store. Why is hand sanitizer so popular nowadays?

Oh, wait.

H1N1.

I'm so slow.

Ever since the H1N1 flu scare earlier this year, people have been washing their hands more often and buying bottles and wipes of hand sanitizer. In addition, my school has various hand sanitizer depots scattered around the halls. One can battle the Pig AIDS by either keeping themselves sanitary by washing and sanitizing their hands often, or take the vaccine. Myself, I don't trust that vaccine. A buddy of mine got ill after taking said vaccine. Hell, conspiracy theorists believe the government is using the vaccine as a front to implant tracker chips into folks intravenously.

Well, I believe that is bull.

I mean, that sounds quite ridiculous.

However, what's NOT ridiculous is that the H1N1 flu is concocted by none other than THE HAND SANITIZER INDUSTRY! Before H1N1, not many people bought hand sanitizer. Core customers were just germophobes and people going on trips to places that may not have clean running water. After a field agent for the industry went to Mexico and unleashed the man-made strain onto the world in 2009, people were getting sick and even more people were getting paranoid. This drove hand sanitizer sales up. Thousands of people are now dead because of an industry that no one gave a damn about as early as last year decided to earn profits for their shareholders.

Big Brother isn't the threat; it's Purell®.

C'est la vie,

PS: Disregard all of that, I suck cocks.

MOVIE REVIEW: "This Is It"

2009-11-06T20:00:00.002-05:00

MOVIE REVIEW:

"Michael Jackson's This Is It" (2009)

Rated PG. 111 mins. Colour. USA. Limited time engagement, but at time of review posted it is still in most theaters. Will end its run the following Wednesday. (Nov. 10)

WARNING: May contain spoilers..........aw hell, I'm not gonna lie to you. It DOES contain spoilers.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
CREDITS:

Director: Kenny Ortega

Starring: Michael Jackson (R.I.P.), Kenny Ortega, Orianthi Panagaris, and many others.

Producers: Paul Gongaware and Randy Phillips

Cinematography: Kevin Mazur

Studio: AEG Live and The Michael Jackson Company, LLC.

Distribution: Columbia Pictures

(Info from Wikipedia.org)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, this review is going to be different than my other ones. For one thing, this film doesn't suck. Second, the film is more of a documentary. It can also be viewed as a concert as well, with all of the rehearsal footage. And finally, despite being a fan of MJ, I'll try to not make the review seem biased. No promises, though.

The film is staged mostly at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, where MJ was rehearsing for his "This Is It" tour, a set of 50 consecutive concerts at London's O2 arena. Sadly, MJ died before he could perform, just 18 days shy of the first performance date. Given this information, this film chronicles MJ's final days alive.

The content of the film is mostly rehearsal footage, and while it sounds unimpressive in words, what I have seen was pretty amazing. Jackson, who was 50 years old at the time of filming and had an emaciated appearance, actually still had the magic. During sets, he would dance along with the backup dancers, who were all 20-somethings, and he STILL busts harder moves. To be honest, I thought his age and health would hinder his abilities, but I was proven wrong. He truly was, is, and forever will be the King of Pop.

Fun fact: Jackson's personal trainer at the time was Lou Ferrigno. Yes, the Incredible Hulk whipped MJ into epic-dancing shape. And I applauded Ferrigno for that. Go Lou.

But yeah, aside from the sessions (MJ was a strict yet compassionate perfectionist), the audiovisual stuff was awe-inspiring. MJ's vocals and moves, the backup musicians and dancers, the CGI in the background...all impressive. Everyone worked really hard. And these scenes are all REHEARSALS. Imagine if MJ was still alive to perform the concerts...it would've been amazing. I now understand why people paid through the nose for concert tickets when he announced his "This Is It" tour.

I did enjoy the song in the end, entitled "This Is It". Although, I've heard that it was possibly a mix from an older, unreleased song, and that it didn't contain the "touch". Still, it was a fitting end to the film.

I know this review isn't traditional, but keep in mind that neither is the film. It's more of an experience for a Michael Jackson fan, if anything. I just hope it comes out on DVD in the near future. To hell with the compilation album, though. I don't feel like paying Sony more money just for another compilation with ONE new song in it ("This Is It"). I can just score the MP3 online instead. The companion book looked neat, however, since there's stills from the film in it. But, if anything, this film is the best bet, as well as the most affordable, compared to a $15 book and a $17 compilation CD (or $70 for the "collector's edition"!).

Also, Orianthi Panagaris is an extremely talented guitarist. Just sayin'.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FINAL SCORE: A- (It was pretty impressive, overall. Although I can't help but feel bothered that this film was released a bit too soon, without MJ's final approval. Since he's deceased, though, the whole point is moot. Nevertheless, it's still something that MJ fans will love.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Well...that's all for my review. Thank you, good night, and take care of your eyesight.

Bless,

Burning the Midnight Oil

2009-10-30T01:30:00.000-04:00

The Ray N. Experience wishes you a Happy Halloween. Remember to bring along some hand sanitizer on your travels, whether it's a party or trick-or-treating; candy is handed out quite liberally and germs can be spread just as easily, what with the H1N1 scare and all. As for myself, I'm not sure what to do tomorrow. I do have a mask, but I have no concrete plans other than work on some homework and other routine things. Have I gotten too old for Halloween?

Although I don't have any plans for Halloween, I do have plans today. You may notice that this week's post is up earlier than I normally post as of late, and there's good reason. I plan on watching the Michael Jackson documentary "This Is It" at the theatre and watch MJ's final days of rehearsal. Should be cool, I hope. Will post a review next week.

Speaking of hand sanitizer and H1N1, the week after next, "The Madman Diaries III" will be posted and the content will be about those very subjects. After that, I'll be free out of advance ideas, and I'm too busy/lazy to come up with new content for the next post. Hopefully Thanksgiving Break will hit and I can take a week off from posting without feeling overly guilty about it.

Also, before I'm done for tonight, the illustration above is lovingly colored by the amazing Van Krause. I just drew it. But yeah, please give Van Krause some thanks. He's helped me out when I'm busy with other things and he's made of all kinds of awesome. Again, thank you, Van Krause! Remind me to get you something nice! ♥

I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween! Seriously, if something bad happens to anyone, I'll have less readers. And that's never a good thing.

Bless,

PS: I want a caramel apple. Hold the razor blades. Thank you.

Life's a Total Drag, Man

2009-10-23T23:00:00.001-04:00

Hello dear reader.

Life is full of experiences. Some of them are pretty out there. Last night was one of such trippy experiences.

I attended a drag show. And I don't mean drag racing.

I mean "drag" as in drag queens and drag kings. I.e. cross-dressers. (Or "okama" for you weeaboos out there.)

Last night, I attended my college's first annual drag show. It was organized by the school GSA and other groups and the event was named "Kings & Queens: It's a Drag Affair". I've heard of drag shows among the LGBT community, and aside from watching transvestites on "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "One Piece", I've never been to one. For those of you who frown upon the very idea, I'll just tell you two things: We have the freedom to express ourselves, and that Bugs Bunny was often in drag and nobody made a fuss over it. Moving on...

There wasn't a program with a list of all of the performers, and my short-term memory is horrible, so I couldn't type up anything detailed, but I can offer a brief synopsis of what went on last night:

I entered the show, and it started at around 6:30 PM (there was a delay). Numerous technical difficulties aside, the show was quite interesting. Not only were there men out there in drag, there were also "kings" performing (women in "drag" as men), and they all performed quite well. Two of my classmates performed and did quite well. There were both "Amateur" and "Professional" divisions, yet they were all pretty great. One of the amateur "kings" performing was very convincing, and "he" ended up winning the title of King. The performer's name? "Logan Trap". Heh.

The Queen award was given to "Trinity", a trio of dancers who performed Beyonce's "Sasha Fierce" routines, including "Single Ladies". There were also a "Prince" and "Princess" awards handed out, and door prizes to the audience who had winning tickets. I didn't win any door prizes. But, I DID win a free drink token to a local bar in Atlanta named "Mary's" (had to be carded prior to winning the token). Problem is, I rarely drink. Who wants a free drink token?

In the end, I had fun. It was a bit alien and trippy for me, but I enjoyed what I saw. It's not exactly like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", but it's equally as strange and musical. Two noted guests were the MC, "Miss Terra Cotta Sugarbaker", and the guest judge, V-103's "Miss Sophia". I had my picture taken with the latter, and she was quite nice. I took an insane amount of pictures and they can all be viewed above. Will there be another show next year? I'm not sure, but I'm looking forward to it. The show was quite fabulous for only five dollars.

Enjoy the pictures and have a safe weekend.

Choose Love.

2009-10-16T23:30:00.005-04:00

Inspired by a poster I found online about a year ago (which I couldn't locate now), this is an illustration for "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered History Month". Since 1994 (in the US), LGBT History Month observes the history of gay rights movements and individuals who were pivotal to the movement. Also, on the 11th of October is National Coming Out Day. If you're a student at a high school or a university, please support your school's Gay-Straight Alliance, and for the rest of us, we should love our homosexual brethren, not discriminate against them. We should judge someone by their character, and not by their ethnicity, religion, color, political affiliation, or sexual orientation.
For more information about LGBT History Month, visit http://www.glbthistorymonth.com/glbthistorymonth/2009/.

Bless,

PS: On a completely unrelated note, "Captain" Lou Albano (1933-2009) died earlier this week. He was known for being a pro wrestler, manager, promoter, collaborator with Cyndi Lauper, and the voice and live-action actor of Super Mario from the "Super Mario Bros. Super Show". He died of natural causes. He was 76. Goodnight sweet prince.

The Madman Diaries II

2009-10-09T19:30:00.001-04:00

I've found this on a forum the other day, and it made me think...

WHAT THE FUCK.

SERIOUSLY?!

Conservapedia, a neo-con wiki, undertakes a project to REWRITE the Holy Bible, believing that it was mistranslated as too "liberal".

Abraham Lincoln, founder of the Republican Party, and Jesus Christ, Son of God, must be facepalming up in heaven right fucking now. Meanwhile, Ronald Reagan's ghost gets a boner. The Bible, the holy book of Scripture and God's Word...LIBERAL?! That's like the equivalent of the CEO of McDonald's becoming the head of the FDA and ruling that Big Macs are vegan health food! I mean, I don't personally believe that the Bible is the word of God, but is written by men to suit the agendas of men and the King James Version was probably translated to suit the king's needs at the time, but seriously...how can JESUS CHRIST be considered too liberal?! I mean, sure, in the book of Acts, he and his followers had their own settlement and it worked like a commune, and Christ also taught others to love your neighbor and even your enemy. I mean, love to your fellow man...aren't these GOOD things?! This is pretty fucking sad. I'm not a religious person, but I do realize that the Bible is a significant book with some good stories that do help people. It also contains inaccuracies, of course, and things that are seen as archaic and offensive in these modern times, but it's pretty fucking sad to see a group of people wishing to change the Good Book to suit their neo-con agenda in the name of "American values". I hope the fine folks at Conservapedia will be happy defiling the Bible to their greedy, xenophobic, Objectivist needs. Five bucks says that Leviticus will contain 2000% more anti-homosexual rhetoric and that Ayn Rand and Ronald Reagan will be considered prophets.

C'est la vie,

For more information about the Conservative Bible Project, click here.

Wish List 2009

2009-10-02T22:45:00.006-04:00

It's that time of year again. Holiday season isn't until a few more months, but stores are already getting prepared. I try to not be such a materialistic person, but goddamn there's a lot of cool shit out there this year that I want, but couldn't afford. If you're feeling quite charitable, please get me one of the following:

-A one year subscription to Shonen Jump
-R. Crumb's Illustrated Book of Genesis (as of yesterday, I scored it. So VOID.)
-Shinchan DVD box sets
-Cromartie High School complete DVD box set
-Hissing Fauna Are You the Destroyer? (of Montreal)
-An actual Death Note
-DEVO Energy Dome (hat)
-DJ Hero (Xbox 360)
-The Blues Bros. (DVD) (VOID. Picked it up for five bucks. WOOT!)
-The Rocky Horror Picture Show (DVD)
-Breakfast in America (Supertramp)
-Microsoft Points
-Xbox Live Gold 1 year subscription
-The White Album (The Beatles)
-Tickets to the "This Is It" MJ movie.
-Money

The list will be edited when I score an item (will be marked VOID) or if I feel that it isn't that important. But, I will get you something nice if you give me a gift. ;)

Bless,

A Memorial to Yoshito Usui (1958-2009)

2009-09-25T23:33:00.007-04:00

I was upset when I found out that Yoshito Usui, creator of the manga "Crayon Shinchan", died on September 11, 2009, from a hiking accident in Gunma prefecture. He was one of my favorite cartoonists, and I decided to create a tribute for the man. Forgive me if the art or writing isn't good. Also, I don't own the rights to the characters, but I hope to use them in this tribute without any fuss. I hope you all enjoy reading this, and I offer my condolences to Usui's family.

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

Sailor Bob

2009-09-18T22:23:00.002-04:00

Random illustration of my friend Bobbie.

To tell the truth, I didn't know what to write about this week, so I just took a request. I hope she likes it. I wish I colored it better, though. Anyone want to be my colorist? There's a donut in it for you. ;)

Here's hoping I have some material next week. Any requests?

Bless,

"Where Were You During 9/11?"

2009-09-11T23:54:00.003-04:00

Today is September 11th, 2009, eight years since both towers of the World Trade Center fell that one dark morning. Every year since that tragedy, people always ask me, "Hey, Ray. Where were YOU when the towers fell?" It may not be interesting, but I'll answer that question.

Flashback to September 11, 2001. I was only 14 years old and in my freshman year in L______ High School. It was going to be an ordinary day at school, as I sat down in my first class (a Spanish class) and awaited instruction from the teacher. While I sat down, someone entered the classroom and said something about the World Trade Center being attacked. To be honest, I didn't know nor care to know the importance of the towers until that day. Sure, I remembered seeing the towers in films and postcards and in that one "Simpsons" episode, but I never really saw it as a big thing. It wasn't until the start of the second class of the day (Euclidean Geometry) that I saw them fall for the first time. I remembered I had a test that day and I didn't want to take it. So I decided to use the knowledge of the towers falling to distract her long enough to forget about the test, whether it was true or not. At first, my dyke of a teacher didn't believe me, but after egging her on for a few minutes, she gives up and turns on the TV. We turn to CNN, and we see the second tower just getting hit. She goes "Oh my Lord..." with a dropped jaw and everyone in the room was wide-eyed, glued to the TV set. We just witnessed America getting attacked.

As the day went by, each subsequent class was pretty much us watching live coverage of the attack site, which would later be referred to as "Ground Zero". There were no assignments or tests that day. Instead, everyone was in total shock about the day's events.

After I returned home, my siblings and I watched TV coverage of the attacks from all of the networks, still refusing to believe that the attacks happened. Later that night, then-President George W. Bush gave a speech about the days attacks. Whether people liked or disliked the president, one thing was clear: politics was thrown out of the window that night as America was united, fearing that another force would strike us again.

About 3000 people died in those attacks, including the passengers of the planes that were hijacked to hit the towers as well as casualties in the Pentagon, which was also hit. Whether you would like to believe that terrorists masterminded the attack or that it was an inside job masterminded by the Bush administration, one thing was clear: 9/11 happened and was the first day of a new era.

Never forget.

The Madman Diaries

2009-09-04T02:36:00.001-04:00

I just noticed something...

If you're a young white male living in the South and you're looking to get laid, all you have to do is JOIN THE ARMED FORCES. I don't know about you, but ever notice that a lot of girls down here in the South, especially white girls, LOVE a man in uniform? You will always see a young serviceman with his "high school sweetheart", or the equivalent, by their side anytime before or after they go out to war.

I can try that method, but lo, I am neither white nor willing to join the military. I also happen to be a conscientious objector to war. It also doesn't help that I harbor pessimistic attitudes towards the South.

C'est la vie,

Wishful Thinking

2009-08-28T21:44:00.002-04:00

You know, I'm not sure what to write about lately. I've been going through a creative block that affects both my writing and artistic capabilities. I've been regressing back into "wish-fulfillment mode". So many things I want, it's no wonder that desire is the root of all suffering.

It would be nice to not have to worry about money anymore.

I'm currently craving lasagna.

Fix the dent in my car.

My brain needs to go on vacation.

I wish to have a muse. Someone to model for my pieces and inspire me to work better. It's really hard drawing nudes without someone to model for you. (See above illustration.)

"Doonesbury" should have a new animated special. It's been 30 years, Mr. Trudeau.

I want a hug.

TV lately has been fixated on swine flu, the deaths of high-profile people, missing white women, angry old white people wanting to lynch a congressman at every town hall meeting in the country, and the ever loving serial that is the Obama family's everyday lives. Stop it.

Gas really needs to be cheaper. Seriously.

Where can I find a magic lamp? A shooting star? Or some Dragon Balls? OK, now I'm bummed. Have a nice day.

(inb4 grow a pair)

So Long, Internet. We Hardly Knew Ye.

2009-08-21T00:32:00.004-04:00

The Internet as we know it is dying.

I'm dead fucking serious.

Why? There were two big things that happened in recent history that support my hypothesis.

REASON WHY THE INTERNET IS DYING #1: Net neutrality is gone, as evidenced by AT&T blocking parts of 4chan to their subscribers on July 27th 2009, due to a purported DDoS attack from a 4chan server. Although the block lasted less than a day, it was still evident that large ISPs like AT&T have the power to censor websites they don't like. I fear that in the near future, the government will allow ISPs to block websites that restrict unpopular speech for the guise of "national security". Since when did the global Internet become annexed by China?

Sources:

http://encyclopediadramatica.com/AT&T_Blocks_4chan (Link may be NSFW.)

http://www.pcworld.com/article/169100/atandts_4chan_block_raises_issue_of_net_neutrality.html

REASON WHY THE INTERNET IS DYING #2: No more anonymity. Apparently, you can get sued for defamation of character by calling someone famous a skank. And lose the case. And be forced to identify yourself to said skank and the courts. What bothers me is that the blogger was using Blogger, a free web log service owned by Google, and that Google pussied out and gave in to the demands of Liskula Cohen and her lawyers. What also bothers me is that why would Cohen become butthurt over comments from a BLOG? And it's not even a high-profile blog like The Huffington Post, for fuck's sake! BLOGS FOR THE MOST PART HAVE NO CREDIBILITY WHATSOEVER. HELL, EVEN THIS BLOG, A SOAPBOX AT THAT, HAS NO ACTUAL CREDIBILITY. I'M JUST A MAN IN MY MID 20'S WITH AN OPINION. THAT IS ALL.

Oh, and Miss Cohen, you are a thin-skinned, skanky, artificial, superficial, butthurt old hag who doesn't know the difference between a snarky comment and real defamation. Good day to you, madam.

Sources:

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/01/05/2009-01-05_model_liskula_cohen_sues_google_over_blo.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/18/liskula-cohen-ex-model-wi_n_261847.html

http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/Liskula_Cohen (Link especially NSFW and snarky to a T.)

Yes, corporations and the judicial system are fucking up our once beloved Internet. If those things weren't enough, feminist groups and apparently the UN are trying to force Japan to ban hentai (drawn pornographic images) in anime, manga, and the Internet (video games with similar themes have been banned months ago followed by pressure of similar groups), in the guise that said images demean and objectify women. Now, I'm not an expert in feminism, but since when do cartoons hurt women directly? Yes, they are perverted, but it's just drawings. Nothing more. What's ironic is that Japan, despite their proliferation of said cartoon smut, has one of the LOWEST rates of violence and sex crimes on the planet. Maybe, just maybe, those cartoons help every pervert get off, and will have no drive to exact their jollies upon women.

Source:

http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2009/08/21/un-demands-hentai-ban/ (Link may be NSFW.)

Now remember, the UN is pressuring that idea towards Japan, not us, so there's not much to worry about when it comes to freedom of expression and speech when it comes to the cartoons and the Internet. But with the last two things that happened recently (AT&T and Cohen), I fear that it may happen soon, especially if legislation to ban said images is presented in a manner that will "protect" the children. Look, kids need to be protected from drugs, rapists, and murderers, not cartoons found on the Internet that their parents were too lazy or stupid to block in the first place.

If you are a parent with very young children reading this, then please remember that television, computers, and video games are NOT babysitters. AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND WHOLESOME, BE A PARENT TO YOUR KIDS!! ONE SMALL ACT OF PARENTAL SUPERVISION WILL RESULT IN YOUR SON NOT ABUSING DRUGS, YOUR DAUGHTER NOT GETTING PREGNANT, AND THE REST OF US NOT GETTING OUR RIGHTS TAKEN AWAY.

Thank you for reading. Have a good night.

PS: Wait...I use Blogger. Fuck.

MOVIE REVIEW: "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra"

2009-08-14T19:09:00.003-04:00

MOVIE REVIEW:

"G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" (2009)

Rated PG-13. 118 mins. Colour. USA. In theaters at time of review posted.

WARNING: May contain spoilers..........aw hell, I'm not gonna lie to you. It DOES contain spoilers.

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CREDITS:

Directed by Stephen Sommers

Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Bob Ducsay, and Brian Goldner

Written by Stuart Beattie, David Elliot, and Paul Lovett (screenplay); Michael B. Gordon, Stuart Beattie, and Stephen Sommers (story)

Based on the Hasbro toy line, comic books, and animated series of the same name.

Starring, with the Joes:

Dennis Quaid as General Clayton Abernathy / Hawk - Charismatic leader. Still retains the awesome from the cartoon.

Channing Tatum as Conrad Hauser / Duke - Jarhead who used to fuck Baroness. Main character.

Rachel Nichols as Shana M. O'Hara / Scarlett - Lovely redheaded genius girl. Ripcord hits that at the end of the film.

Ray Park as Snake Eyes - Mute ninja.

Marlon Wayans as Wallace Weems / Ripcord - Pilot, sidekick and comic relief. Loves white wimminz.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Hershel Dalton / Heavy Duty - Another black dude. Looks like he eats tigers.

Saïd Taghmaoui as Abel Shaz / Breaker - Computer hacking Moroccan. Loves Dubble Bubble.

Karolína Kurková as Courtney A. Kreiger / Cover Girl - Hawk's concubine. Becomes an hero.

Brendan Fraser as Sergeant Stone - Forgotten actor. No relevance whatsoever.

Also starring, are the Cobras:

Christopher Eccleston as James McCullen / Destro - Arms-dealing Scotsman turned Doctor Doom wannabe. Sounds like Scrooge McDuck.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Rex Lewis / The Doctor / Cobra Commander - Main villain of the movie and bioengineered nanotechnology. Used to be the Baroness's brother who supposedly died four years ago. Yeah, I spoiled it just now. Sue me.

Sienna Miller as Ana Lewis / Anastacia DeCobray / The Baroness - Evil brunette chick (sans accent) who used to be blonde and not evil. Is related to both the hero and the villain. Go figure.

Lee Byung-hun as Thomas Arashikage / Storm Shadow - Japanese ninja who is basically the evil version of Snake Eyes, seeing as they both trained together. Was actually played by a Korean.

Arnold Vosloo as Zartan - Master of disguise and all-around retard. Whistles "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" constantly and is now Obama.

And finally, Jonathan Pryce as the President of the United States. Yes, Obama is still a white man in this movie. And apparently an impostor by the end of the movie.

Music by Alan Silvestri

Cinematography by Mitchell Amundsen

Editing by Bob Ducsay and Jim May

Distributed by Paramount Pictures

(Info from Wikipedia.org)

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REVIEW KEY:
A = This movie is awesome and is a must-see. Proof that there is a God.
B = This movie is pretty good. Good to watch on matinee.
C = Average movie. Has its good and bad points. Rentable.
D = This movie is basically run-of-the-mill and not very noteworthy. Save it for the dollar theater.
F = Avoid this movie, for it is a bomb. Proof that there is no God.

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SPOILER-FREE SYNOPSIS:

An elite military unit comprised of special operatives known as G.I. Joe, operating out of The Pit, takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer.
(Synopsis from IMDB.com.)

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SPOILER FILLED REVIEW:

Ok, let me get this out of the way. I'm not much of a fan of "G.I. Joe". I was born in the late 80s, so I rarely watched the cartoon growing up, but I do have a general knowledge of the plot and characters, so I'm not totally clueless on the subject.

The movie starts in the past, back in France about 400 years ago. McCullen's ancestor get caught trying to sell arms to both sides and is punished by wearing a metal mask for the rest of his natural life. Fast-forward to the present. Apparently, the current McCullen, also an arms dealer, still holds his ancestor's grudge and does the same shit for profit. He runs M.A.R.S., a weapons and defense manufacturer, and he tries to sell warheads manufactured with nanotechnology to NATO, which he succeeds.

Note: Nanobots, when activated, can eat through anything. So, when a warhead is fired at something (like a tank), the nanobots will be released upon impact and will disintergrate the tank until it's gone. To prevent nanobots from eating unwanted material, just deactivate them via remote control. They also cannot live above the Earth's atmosphere. And now you know, and knowing is half the battle!

Cut to Duke, all-American tough guy and hero of the movie. He and his sidekick Ripcord are on a mission to transport the warheads to NATO, but shit goes wrong when Baroness and Storm Shadow come out of nowhere with a number of henchmen and begin to fuck shit up. After a brief confrontation, Duke notices that the Baroness was his ex-fiancee Ana and that the villains fail to steal the warheads. As the villains disappear from the scene, it is revealed that the mastermind of the attack was McCullen himself, who ordered his subordinates to steal back the warheads in hopes of conning NATO out of their money. It is also revealed that the henchmen are infused with The Doctor's nanotechnology (the same kind used for the warheads) in order to give them superhuman strength as well as obedience and termination if they didn't work out as planned.

After the initial conflict, Duke and Ripcord are confronted by Hawk, who takes custody of the warheads and trains them into becoming Joes. They meet the other Joes, and then via tracking device on the warhead case, the villains attack the Joes' base hidden in the Sahara. After that battle, the villains steal back the warheads and decide to go to Paris, France in order to activate the nanobots housed in the warheads. Duke's backstory relating to the Baroness is shown, showing that her brother Rex was with Duke four years ago at Afghanistan while fighting terrorists. Needless to say, Rex was caught in a bombing and was presumed dead. Duke feels guilty, doesn't confront Ana, and as a result, Ana becomes an emotional wreck and remarries a French scientist. As for her turning evil, I'll get to that in a bit.

The Joes chase the villains down to Paris, where they plan to fire a warhead at the Eiffel Tower in order to trigger a chain reaction to destroy the city in one fell swoop. The warheads get activated (reluctantly) by the Baroness's husband (who gets killed by Storm Shadow right after) and the Joes pursue the pair via automobile and supersuits. Duke and Ripcord get outfitted in said suits and they chase down the pair through the streets of Paris. After the long chase, the warhead is fired and the tower is hit, but was soon deactivated by Duke to prevent total damage. Also, the streets of Paris are a mess due to the chase and the Joes are blamed for it. Duke is taken to the villains' secret base hidden deep underwater in Antarctica while the rest of the Joes are detained by French authorities.

Ok...I'm tired, so I'll sum the end up. President hides away, but gets replaced by Zartan; the Joes infiltrate the villain base; Hawk doesn't die after an assassination attempt; Ripcord flies a plane, destroys the warheads that were fired, and gets the girl; and Duke learns that Rex was the Doctor all along (he survived) and had brainwashed Ana into being evil. One epic battle and escape later, the Doctor becomes Cobra Commander and McCullen becomes Destro, with mask and all, like his ancestor. They get captured by the authorities, but Cobra swears vengance. And the President is a lie, for he's a jolly good fellow.

All in all, a standard action movie with good effects and acting. Here's hoping the sequel will be just as good.

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PROS: Plenty of action, decent special effects, good use of the "G.I. Joe" license, and some funny moments here and there.

CONS: Longer than it should be, plot wasn't very inventive (but decent nontheless), liberties taken with the license, smells of sequelitis, and gets predictable at times (especially the ending...well, to me).

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OVERVIEW: All in all, it's another action movie. It's not bad, but it's not exactly a masterpiece, either. I myself have found it within the same level as the first "Transformers" film: had appropriate action and effects and was a good adaptation of the original property. I recommend anyone who is either a "G.I. Joe" fan or an action junkie to check out this movie. Hey, you could do worse. (I'm still tormented by my memories of watching "Dragonball Evolution".)

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FINAL SCORE: B- (Not perfect, but hey, this movie was a good "G.I. Joe" story and deserves its due.)

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Well...that's all for my review. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave em in this here blog. Thank you, good night, and if you're thinkin' 'bout my baby, it don't matter if you're black or white.

Bless,