sundries

[rm]

All hail the 80s! Yesterday at Inception we saw trailers both for the Wall Street sequel and for Tron: Legacy. Child of the 80s that I am, I was rolling around in my seat in utter pleasure. Also, The Town looks really good. Of course, we also saw a trailer for Eat, Pray, Love which made both Patty and I want to kill people a lot.

Man stabbed at ComicCon: cue panicked analysis of geek subculture? Or perhaps a discussion about all bloggers being liars? You see, the story at CNN and the eye-witness accounts are really different. Discrepancy story via yendi.

Bird shit drives Kings of Leon from the stage.

Threat Down: Bears - Bear goes on joyride, trashes car.

The Web means the end of forgetting. I haven't read it yet, but expect the usual NYTimes alarmist crap about how the wacky Internet will destroy your life. On the other hand, maybe it will actually explore what nearly unavoidably documented personal legacy means to a culture that venerates self-invention and practically demands everyone have lots and lots of alter egos.

Sissy Bounce in New Orleans -- this article is really interesting, but fair warning as it is about gender, identity and race, among other things, the New York Times is often baffled and condescending.

Shirtless bartenders: tacky, health hazard or targets of homophobia?

Hey, so Target is opening a new store in New York today. It's also been contributing money to an anti-gay politician in Minnesota. So, you know, be aware when you make your shopping choices, because we're not talking just any anti-gay politician here but a guy who likes to hang out with some dude who says that Muslim countries are even more moral than US Christians because they execute gay people.

Target has responded to say they donate political funds solely based on their retail interests and no other issues; seems logical and harmless really, til you think about it. I AM YOUR RETAIL INTERESTS.

We're going to a wedding in August, so obviously we don't feel this way, but keori has a point. Also, especially that thing about having a bachelorette party in a gay bar -- that shit is annoying. At best.

xtricks is is helping fandom understand how "teh butt sex!" really works. Also known as "if you're not willing to shove peanut butter up your own ass, please stop writing fic where someone uses it as lube." (xtricks doesn't quite say this, but that's the message, and yes, I have seen badfic where someone uses peanut butter as lube). Anyway, his post is both useful advice for smut writers and HILARIOUS.

On Buffy, it's time for Buffy and the Slayerettes. Wow, one thing I'll say for this season is there is a lot of great speechifying. One of the things I love in film and TV more than anything are call-to-arms speeches. The thing is, very few actors can pull them off. I get annoyed with the nearly perfect Gangs of New York for just this reason -- I don't believe DiCaprio when he does this. And let's not even get started on Oliver Stone's Alexander.

What's remarkable about these episodes of Buffy is she has two of the speeches in nearly back to back episodes and KNOCKS THEM OUT OF THE PARK. Xander then has a great, tender (albeit slightly over-written) one to Dawn. And I am ALL OVER THIS SHIT, even if lots of other things are going on on Buffy that are annoying right now.

I love Kennedy though (and I think they are doing a lot of smart, subtle things with her -- i.e., the one Slayerette who's actually had decent training is the one with cash; that really says something and speaks to the clearly class-focused world of the Watchers) and Patty reports fandom loathed her at the time for being too perfect and annoying. All I could think really, was "fuck you, Torchwood fandom and your shit about Gwen." I AM SO SICK OF FANDOM'S MISOGYNY. Anyway, I think it's great to see a character who has lost a love to death moving on to a new relationship -- we don't get that on TV a lot.

All the Slayerettes amuse the crap out of me. The southern girl who was really dead and a project on the First Evil was the fuck fantastic -- what does the devil do but tell lies and sow doubt?

Comments

[firefly124.livejournal.com]

Basically when Wal Mart comes to an area they start a process in motion that makes it increasingly difficult for anyone to be able to afford to shop anywhere else. That's not just ethically crap, but is really bad for the economy.

That pretty much describes what has happened around here. When we moved to CT in 1999, there were loads of little independent shops and a few of the basic chain stores that most New England towns had, such as Ames and Caldor. Caldor was gone very shortly after we got here. Ames held on another couple of years. Then WalMart moved in. Even without the pricing business, they were bound to take over just by being a 24hr store in an area where the main employers are the casinos and hospitals, hence lots of shift workers thrilled to be able to shop at strange times, me included, unfortunately.

So going back to WalMart because Target pulled this wtfery would make my skin crawl and won't be happening, but I'll be making more of an effort to find other options, wherever they may be hiding.

[rm.livejournal.com]

That, and because of the wages they pay, they become a major employer with employees who can't afford to shop anywhere else. As other things close, they employ more people -- it's a really, really vicious circle. It's not just that they are effective competitors, it's that like dealing with a predatory, highly mobile, extra-national economy of its own.