WAR REPORTING: A JOB FOR PLUMBERS, NOT REPORTERS

ITEM: Joe the Plumber tells a group of journalists covering the conflict in Israel and Gaza that the media should not be allowed to report on war.

“I think media should be abolished from, you know, reporting. You know, war is hell. And if you’re gonna sit there and say, ‘well, look at this atrocity,’ well you don’t know the whole story behind it half the time, so I think the media should have no business in it.”

Which is why he’s been hired by conservative media outlet Pajamas Media to cover the war in Gaza. You know, fairly.

Evidently, he’s started by picking fights with Israeli reporters. Which is how Stephen Crane and Ernie Pyle used to cover wars, after all, so why not?

I suspect this is going to be one of the trade-offs of Obama winning the election – four years of Joe The Plumber on TV every time he opens his mouth and says whatever fool thing pops into his head – and being taken seriously by the 46% of the country that wanted McCain to be president.

That and Sarah Palin claiming the media hates her because she’s not a Kennedy.

Which is silly. If the mainstream media was biased against her, would George Stephanopoulos have nailed Obama to the wall asking hardball questions on Sunday?

“I will ask you again, Mr President-elect, and please, I must insist on a straight, clear answer: Portuguese water hound or labradoodle?”

FACT: USA Today did a whole page on the water hound/labradoodle controversy. So you know it's important.



Just shoot me,

This is dF

JUST WHAT WE NEED, ANOTHER BEST OF 2008 LIST: THE FILMS

As usual, I’ll defer to experts like thelastaerie  for “real” lists of what was or wasn’t worth watching in 2008.

For me, it was an even slower year for movies than 2007. I barely saw 20 films in 2008, and most of them were average to poor – so much so that the second half of this year’s list is there mainly to pad it out to ten. But that’s what happens when some of the biggest cinematic events of the year are sequels to film franchises that ended two decades ago. And the rest are remakes.

It doesn’t help that many films I’d consider seeing tend to go straight to video here – which is fine, except that we really don’t have a decent movie rental option where I live (or something like Netflix), and then there’s the stupid Regional coding issue. The way around this previously was cheap VCDs, but those are being phased out in favor of DVDs. Because they cost more. Obviously.

Anyway, here’s what I got.

DISCLAIMER: Based on films I actually saw, not on what you think should win at the Oscars or whatever. Also (because someone’s going to ask) the reason Iron Man isn’t on here is because I didn’t see it. Which is also why Zombie Strippers isn’t here either.

TOP 10 DEF FILMS OF 2008

1. No Country For Old Men   
2. WALL•E
3. The Dark Knight
4. Wanted
5. Kung Fu Panda
6. Get Smart
7. Cloverfield
8. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
9. Son Of Rambow
10. CJ7

MOST UNNECESSARY FILM OF 2008

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

WORST MOVIE OF 2008

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

( Blah blah blah blah blah ... )

I want my money back,

This is dF

HELL AIN’T A BAD PLACE TO BE

By order of dr_nebula:

===============================

Your result for The Sexual HELL Test...

HELL LEVEL 3

Raw score: 86%

There's a special place in Hell for you: the basement penthouse. You scored the nastiest possible score on the Sexual Hell Test. You have no sexual restraint whatsoever. You'll take pleasure however you can get it, and my guess is you get it a lot. If for some reason you don't right now, you will soon, as people in your category only tend to spiral down ever deeper into the abyss of carnality and delicious sin. Congratulations.

I, personally, think that this category is the best. Paradoxically enough, sexual liberation and indulgence can only bring you closer to purity.

AVOID: all but level 3 hellions like yourself. You wouldn't want to ruin anyone, now would you?

Take The Sexual HELL Test at HelloQuizzy

=============================================

Yr prayers are pretty much wasted on me, in other words.

Which probably comes as a surprise to no one here.

I’m a baaaaaaaaaaad boy,

This is dF