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One of my friends just recently underwent an abortion, and it made me start to think. This was an unplanned pregnancy, and although she wanted the kid, medical reasons demanded that she have an abortion or risk losing her life. Some of you may argue that she should have sacrificed her life for the child, (and many that know her in real life may argue this point as well).
Regardless, she was, and still is, very shaken by this experience. Was this abortion morally permissible? Before you answer, allow me to present a situation.
One day you read in the paper, that a certain balding Canadian webmaster is dying. You have heard of this webmaster and are familiar with his cult-like following, however you yourself have never even been to, nor plan on visiting his site.
The next day, however, you wake up in the hospital, connected to a machine. On the other end of this machine lies this little balding man who is furiously searching the net for porn. Eventually one of his patrons explains that you have a rare blood type, which when hooked up to this machine, can keep their idol alive. He explains that they could not bear to see him die, so they kidnapped you in the night and hooked you up to the machine. He also explains that if you unhook yourself, this webmaster will certainly die.
Now you are faced with a dilemma. If you unhook yourself, this man you do not know or care for will die. If you don?t unhook yourself, you will be forced to spend the rest of your life in the hospital hooked up to this putrid smelling bald guy. What would you do?
I?m willing to bet that a large majority of you would have said ?sucks to be you? and gotten the hell out of there. After all, it?d be different if you volunteered, but you were kidnapped for Christ?s sake. Not only that, it?s almost 4pm and you?re going to miss a Friends re-run.
Ok, where am I going with this? Well, let?s apply this situation to abortion now. Yeah, that?s right, we?re going to talk about sex. Hide the children! I think it?s clear by now that ?being kidnapped? was my equivalent of being raped. Those who said they?d unplug themselves, must now agree that abortion is permissible in cases of rape. You most likely also considered the fact that spending your life in the hospital wasn?t best for you, thus agreeing that abortion should be allowed in cases where the mother?s life is in danger (like my friend).
But let?s expand this onto a larger scale. You didn?t CHOOSE to be hooked up to this machine, in fact your intent was to not be hooked up. Dare I say that sex with the use of contraceptives (no the rhythm method is NOT a contraceptive) signifies intent not to have a child? I think you can see how the rest of this plays out.
If we look at it on the large scale then, it would seem that abortion is only wrong in cases where the fetus was ?invited? inside the body, or to put another way a woman ?volunteered? her body as a host to the child. I?m not really sure what this will accomplish, I just hope it provides some help for my friend.
January 1st, 2005
Are you ready for 107 minutes of commercial-free, non-stop hit music? Chances are whether you just listen to tunes on your way home from work, or you?re a radio junkie that lives for Rick Dee?s Weekly Top 40 Countdown, you?ll be listening to fewer commercials on the radio these days.
With the decline in air-time the radio stations are making available to advertisements, what about the small businesses like Larry?s Body Shop that rely on radio to get their word out to the masses? Fortunately, radio remains one of the most affordable advertising mediums in North America, with the cost of airing a commercial having been virtually unaffected by the suddenly scarce advertising opportunities.
The mind boggles.
A radio station gives away its content for free, but has a very cost effective plan for their advertisers that doesn?t even come close to covering the station?s operating costs. Sounds a lot like a dotcom.
How can it be that the stations have advertising revenues less than their expenses, yet remain viable businesses? Who cares how they do it. Nelly?s fresh new song ?#1?, your new favourite, just came on.
Ah, therein lies your answer. It is a little known secret in the music industry that Nelly paid to have that song put on the air at every major radio station across the country. In fact, every song you hear over the airwaves, was paid for by the record label (who passes the cost on to the artist) to be put into that station?s playlist.
It?s all managed through a group of middlemen known as indies, which is short for independent record promoters. The way the entire system works is fairly simple; the record labels pay the indies thousands of dollars per song per station to get their goods into your head as you listen to Jim and Kim In The Morning on KISS-FM. The indie then passes on the proceeds to the radio station, but not before taking an extremely healthy cut for themselves.
You would think that the record labels would balk at the notion of having to pay radio stations to play music from their artists. The reality is that they?re quite content with the arrangement, as they now have the means to dictate what the next big hit will be. The radio stations like it, because they have found a way to create a revenue stream from the content they provide. And the public is happy they can listen to over an hour of music without hearing a single commercial.
So is it one of the world?s few situations where everybody wins? Or is it a deceptive practice, aimed not at consumer benefit, but rather is a tool of the labels to push their artist?s records up the sales charts?
Should the corporations behind all this be ashamed of their conduct? Have the record labels played the FCC, Congress, and indeed the people for fools by using morally questionable, and borderline criminal, payola tactics all in the name of getting a record up to number one?
Then again, two is not a winner. And three nobody remembers. Eh, eh!
January 1st, 2005
War makes people afraid. When people are afraid they are easier to control. The key to keeping people under control is to perpetuate fear.
War helps the economy by driving the manufacture of extra military products and encouraging people to spend more.
War is humanity at its most primal and tribal state.
War makes politicians look good.
War is the extreme of separatist thinking.
War makes people feel safe in their fear. War makes people think that good is being done.
War is the destruction of people and property, in the name of political, social, religious and conceptual endeavors.
War is horrible and gray.
War drives hatred.
War considers murder and torture an “expenditure”.
War makes people lose family members and friends.
War is hell.
War leaves agonizing and unforgettable impressions that haunt those who serve in it until the end of their lives.
War manipulates the perceptions of people through the use of propaganda.
War unlocks the potential in some people to sodomize children with their guns, kill innocent people at point plank range and rape civilians.
War allows children to be napalmed.
War allows the unthinkable to be justified.
War protects the borders of countries, but aggravates the disturbance of peaceful relations amongst all countries.
War encourages those who question it to be punished as heretics.
War makes societies lose rationality or common sense.
War is a male driven, testosterone release.
War uses the young as its pawns.
War directors never understand the full implications and horrors of what they instruct.
War is divisive.
War allows people to be surrounded by the bodies, blood and guts of their friends and predecessors, invoking direct terror into them.
War is the sound of crackling bones as a soldier steps out of a watching tower onto a dead body.
War is the excruciatingly sharp pain of having a bullet go through the inside of your stomach.
War is the rupturing and burning of your insides as you inhale agent orange.
War is the pungent stench of genocide and mass graves.
War is lunacy.
War is terror.
War allows people to become prisoners of war, fighting with a bloodhound for a stale bun.
War allows people to be locked in cages that hang from trees with 20 other people, all smeared in feces and urine, sharing diseases and starving from malnutrition.
War is hatred.
War is death.
War is pain.
War is suffering.
Fuck War.
January 1st, 2005
Wanna know something? I have no fashion sense. I?m not kidding, I wear orange and blue, khaki and grey, even pink and green. I?m a fashion disaster.
Now that I think about it, I have no taste in music either. My car doesn?t bump, I can?t dance to save my life, I don?t enjoy dancing at clubs. I definitely can?t hear Jimmi.
Save for hockey and tennis, I have no athletic ability. I?m no ?baller?, I ain?t got no game, I can?t take you to the hole, I can?t even jump. I?m a chump, if I score on you, you suck.
I drive a piece of shit car, and I know it?s a piece of shit. I can?t afford anything better than a piece of shit.
I am inadequately equipped. Ladies know this just by looking at me.
I do not enjoy math, I am no good at math.
I do not own my own business.
I do not go to a big name college.
I have loose morals.
I really have no fashion sense.
Truth is, I?m a cracker. That?s right, I?m white. It?s ok though, I?m cool with it.
I don?t complain when people get jobs over me because of their roots. I understand that I don?t deserve the job. After all, I?m just your ordinary run of the mill white boy. I?m a dime a dozen.
I cool with the fact that white guys like me don?t have our own TV station, national awareness months, magazines and radio stations geared toward us. I don?t need them, I?m ordinary. I?m the majority.
I?m cool knowing that some of you will call me racist, even though I just put myself down in the previous twenty-seven statements. I know that those of you who do completely missed the point of this article. But I can deal with it. I?m white. I?ve been dealing with it all my life.
January 1st, 2005
Since our audience is mostly Americans, most of you probably don?t have any idea how the Australian government works, or what is going on at the moment. Basically, our Prime Minister similar to your president. The only person who can sack our Prime Minister is the Governor General, and the only person who can sack the Governor General is the Prime Minister.
So here is the current situation. The Governor General covered up a big statutory rape/sexual abuse case between a 40-ish year old head priest of Brisbane (capital city of Queensland, State) and his 15 (at most) year old girlfriend. Everyone wants him to resign, but he won?t, and the Prime Minister won?t sack him. Why?
Rewind a few months to the Australian elections. The Prime Minister had a very tough stance on refugees, at there was some boats in our waters full of them. So what happened? The Prime Minister relayed information and photos that showed the refugees throwing their children off the boat. The public were outraged, surely we did not want people in our country that would do such an act.
And now the truth comes to light. Their old wooden boat was actually sinking, and the refugees were actually trying to save their children. We then saw the actual photos, as opposed to certain sections of it that we saw during the elections. Yes, the camera was zoomed right out and there was the boat sinking, and the navy trying to rescue them.
So the Prime Minister lied to us to win an election (I?m not that surprised) and the only man who can fire him has shown the world he condones sexual abuse and is hoping the aforementioned Prime Minister doesn?t fire him.
I say bring back Bob. Bob Hawke, Australias favorite Prime Minister, who when he was PM he also managed to get the Australian record for drinking a yard glass. Bob 4 Life.
Later,
Kung Fu
January 1st, 2005
As a child, I wanted nothing more than to become a professional athlete. It was all I ever hoped for, it was all I ever thought about, it was my life dream. I would practice, I would pretend, I would fantasize, and I would take my vitamins. Then one day, my dream was crushed. I still remember that fateful day vividly.
It was a cool calm summer day when Coach took me aside. He was an older man, getting on in years now. By the look of him he had once been in prime athletic condition, but the years weren?t kind to him. A short man, mostly grey hair, wrinkled skin; the kind of man who always gave off a warm fuzzy glow; the kind of man everybody always felt better when they were around. Today, however, he had that look of fire in his eyes, his brow wrinkled, for the first time showing a little bit of worry on his once calm, aged face.
As we stood there, under the shade of the old willow tree that grew behind the north end zone I looked at his furrowed brow, I gazed deep into his big brown eyes and felt a single tear slowly roll down my cheek. I knew what he was going to say. ?You don?t have to tell me Coach,? I said, ?I?m off the team aren?t I??
He opened his mouth as if to say something then quickly pursed his lips again. His eyes now open wider, the wrinkles slowly fading away; it was if he was almost choking himself. He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled and then said the words that will forever remain deeply engraved within my memory.
?You were never on the team,? he said ?You made that uniform you?re wearing out of some rags and towels, and that?s a toy space helmet you?ve got on your head. You show up at practice everyday and steal our ball, and make us chase you to get it back. You run out onto the field and tackle people at inappropriate times, and worst of all, this is a girls league.?
It was all true what he was saying, and yet as I stood there and looked at him I was overcome with thought. There is something special about this coach, there is something brewing inside that ingenious head of his. He sees something in me, some kind of raw talent that he can shape and mold into a superstar, I knew I had potential. If I worked hard, ate a good diet, stayed with it and kept my mind sharp everything would be ok. A smile slowly drew itself upon my face and I hastily turned around towards the practice I had left. Suddenly I saw a tall man that I had never seen before. He was much younger than coach and dressed all in blue. That?s when I felt the cold steel of the handcuffs firmly tighten around my wrists.
January 1st, 2005
I was at the local Uni Bar with my mates and we were chatting and talking crap, and the usual stuff you do at a bar. One of our friends, Lauren, was receiving text messages from her ex-boyfriend. He was making her feel guilty for their break up and what not. Anyway, so she goes: “fuck these complicated guys with issues”. She looks at me and Judda and says “yeah, I much prefer guys like you two without issues”.
Judda says “yeah, we like boobs and beer”. I add in “We like football and porno, and books about war” (From the song: Dennis Leary – Asshole).
This got me thinking. I thought, well yeah, being uncomplicated is certainly preferable. But take it once step further, think about being ordinary.
I mean, lets take a really smart guy. He sees the issues that other people have. He wants his life to mean something, but he doesn’t really know what he could do to a world with so many problems. He realises love is probably just a chemical thing. He worries so much about his children, is he doing the right things by them so they emotionally develop fully? And what is the meaning of life anyway? What is he here for?
Then take an ordinary guy. He works because he has to. He biggest concern is why his wife seems a bit irritated. Happiness to him is providing for his family, the occasional beer and watching the footy.
Who would you rather be? Stressed, working a desk job, wanting to help the world… or plain and content. Well just in case you are, let me recommend you the CBDDY: thc a flower. To help you properly take this, DocMJ has a team of doctors that are compassionate and focused on helping you achieve your wellness goals with medical cannabis.
Just an average bloke.
Later,
Kung Fu
January 1st, 2005
I was cleaning out my basement after what we like to call the ?great sewer backup that soaked my basement in feces for 3 days? when I came across an old book I read back in high school. It was called The Stranger by Albert Camus. If you?re not already familiar with him, Camus was an existentialist and perhaps one of my all-time favorite philosophers.
Anyway, the main character of this book, Meursault, is a typical existentialist. So extreme is he that most of his life progresses without emotion. He does not judge the quality of actions nor does he care about the future. He is only concerned with the fleeting present. His mother dies yet he is unable to cry at the funeral, he even goes as far as to have sex shortly after with a girl whom he just met. Meursault?s life is driven by physical stimuli and physical responses and his devotion to the truth. He refused to conform to society by hiding his feelings, and therefore becomes a martyr.
Despite what else happens in the book, Meursault?s views on life are not only true, but depressing as well. When you get right down to it, the universe really is benign and indifferent. It doesn?t make one lick of a difference to anybody but you whether or not you live or die. We are all insignificant. We are mortal, the universe is permanent. The universe is forever.
Nature gives us pleasure throughout our limited lifespan, however as it did in Meursault?s case nature can also be destructive. Nature does not care about us, nature does not give a shit what happens. Nature isn?t good, it isn?t bad, and it doesn?t have feelings. It?s just there, it always was there, and it will be there long after we aren?t.
Accepting this is the first key to being able to squeeze pleasure and sensation out of each fleeting moment. Not being able to look beyond this pleasure and sensation however is the first step down the road to self destruction.
Is this the life society has dictated for us? Are we to lie about our feelings in order to succumb to society?s rituals? When asked if he loves his mother, Meursault says he was ?fond? of her, and that he ?loved her in ways people love their mothers? but no more. If King Lear had taught us anything, it?s that however true this answer may be, it surely won?t get us anything in the long run.
Meursault is a prime example of the major problem affecting the world today. Ask yourself, how committed are you to your own ideals? How far would you go before being forced to succumb to the rituals of society? Are your ideals worth dying for?
Camus once said ?there is only one true philosophical question and that is Suicide: whether or not the human life is actually worth living?. What do you think?
January 1st, 2005
Everyone wants a magical pill to be invented that makes weight loss easy. The market these days for miracle cure after miracle cure is amazing. Nothing like this has ever been shown on TV, but here at dotCULT pharmaceuticals we have invented quite possibly the best weight loss program you could ever hope for:
Step 1. Today, by exercising, burn off more fat/energy then you put on through eating.
Step 2. Repeat.
Amazing, isn?t it?
Later,
Kung Fu
January 1st, 2005
It?s hard to pick between the PlayStation 2 and GameCube without knowing what type of gamer you are. The best advice I can give you is to read this, read reviews of games over at gamespot.com then make up your own mind.
PlayStation 2
At this current point in time, its pretty obvious to see that the PlayStation 2 has the best games. With titles such as Final Fantasy X, Metal Gear Solid 2, Grand Theft Auto 3 and ICO it is easy to see that they have the upper hand.
A lot of people are quick to point out the PlayStation 2 is technologically inferior to the other two consoles. While this is true, it isn?t that bad. The X-box can push approx 25 million (in game) polygons per second, and the PS2 can do around 10 million. Although this seems a huge difference, keep in mind that the Nintendo 64 could do around 600,000 you will see that the difference isn?t super noticeable. Besides, gameplay is far more important over graphics.
Really the only downfall of the PS2 is that it is not a party system. It has 2 controller ports, and although it is possible to buy peripherals that will extend that, many developers do not bother making their games 4 player. For more online gaming option you should check firework frenzy.
So why do people buy it?
To put it simply, at the moment it has a huge range of game, and by far the biggest quantity of AAA titles.
Why would I buy it?
If you?re into single player games.
My advice?
Look, to most people the PS2 is going to be the console of choice. It isn?t mine ? but I will explain that later. If you play a lot of single player games, then get it. If your going to spend a lot of money of multitudes of games, then get it. At the moment it?s the best console.
GameCube
The GameCube is the party system. Super Smash Bros. Melee is the best multiplayer game out there, and probably the best fighter. Super Monkey Ball another great multiplayer game, and Wave Race: Blue Storm also is good fun.
Rogue Leader is fantastic, and Pikmin is an good original game, but the problem with GameCube is that apart from the games I?ve just mentioned, there is not much out on the system. It?s known as “the drought”.
A lot of people claim that Nintendo is a kiddy system. While it?s true that for kids, this is the best console, to dismiss it for adults is silly. Nintendo are doing a lot to remedy this situation, and perhaps the 3 most hyped games are all adult orientated, that being Eternal Darkness, Resident Evil and Metroid Prime. And let?s not forget that Final Fantasy is now coming to the GameCube. Also, I could get into a debate about what a ?kiddy? game is, but I?ll leave that alone for now.
So why do people buy it?
People have a lot of faith in Nintendo. They have always made fantastic games, and most people are confident that their coming games (Zelda, Mario, Metroid Prime, Eternal Darkness and StarFox) will be AAA, as they always have been in the past. Or maybe, like me, they pretty much only play Multiplayer games. The GameBoy Advance/GameCube connectivity is also a big bonus.
Why would I buy it?
Because you love multiplayer. Or maybe you have confidence that Nintendo will duplicate their past glories. Or maybe you want the cheapest system, with the best controller.
My advice
I personally think that by the end of the year this will be the best system. That being said, I do not know for sure, and it would be an expensive mistake for you to make. Because of Nintendo?s past glories, and because 80% of my games are bought just for multiplayer this is my system of choice. Like I said, it depends on your gaming style.
Stay tuned for part 3 when I look at the future of the consoles, online gaming, the GameBoy Advance and the last final irony.
Cop ya,
Kung Fu
January 1st, 2005
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