Dr Who and Ashes to Ashes

The New Doctor

So, we have the new doctor.  And I really like him. I do. I know a lot of my friends are not totally happy with him, but I like him, mostly because of how he relates to his new companion.  She is what really makes this season tick.  Most importantly, we like where the story appears to be heading.  Steven Moffat is the new producer and he wrote the BEST episodes of the previous 4 seasons.  So, double plus good.

Year One Movie Review

If you have not yet seen Year One and you are a freethinker, you should see this movie.  It is a slapstick, lowbrow comedy with a surprising amount of religious commentary in it.  In other words, along with all the sex jokes, ridiculous situations and an excellent underplayed performance by Michael Cera, you also get to romp through various stories in the Bible, except that nothing miraculous happens and the gods are strangely absent.

My favorite bits were the portrayal of Abraham and a wonderful exchange in Sodom where a local man tries to explain to our heroes that rain comes from virgins – and that’s why they need to sacrifice them. Duh!!! Where else would you get rain from? Now stop ruining the sacrifice. This is seriously a Freethought comedy and entirely enjoyable at the same time.  I highly recommend it.

The Librarian – Humanism in Conflict

I finally got to watch this wonderful movie the other day, The Librarian - Quest for the Spear. It stars Noah Wyle, Bob Newhart and Jane Curtain among others. It is a delightful movie. Think reluctant and super geeky Indiana Jones done as a comedy. It is a lot of fun.

But here is the conflict for me.  The bad guys in the movie are the Serpent Brotherhood.  They are named after the snake in Genesis because they think that sacred knowledge should be shared and used by all mankind.  And, well, as a Humanist, I agree with that.  In fact, the only problem I have with THE Library is that it seems like a total waste that only a select few get to see what’s in it. They have a lot of books in there.  As a Humanist I firmly believe knowledge should be shared and used, that is what Libraries are for after all. So, I kind of agree with the Serpent Brotherhood. That knowledge belongs to humanity and shouldn’t be locked away.

Things that are annoying me

2/11/10

Normally, I am pretty easy going.  But in the past few days there have been several things that have REALLY annoyed me.  And, I feel sort of petty about some of them, because, they don’t really matter all that much. But they are all REALLY annoying.  So here we go.

Not doing drugs is a moral imperative

12/7/09

Doing illegal drugs kills people.  Maybe not you.  Maybe not anyone you know personally.  But the drug wars that go on in Afghanistan and Mexico and elsewhere to control the illegal drug trades are deadly.  Just look at what life is like in Ciudad Juarez!  If you are doing illegal drugs, you are responsible for what is happening there.  Don’t want those deaths on your conscious?  Then DON”T DO ILLEGAL DRUGS!  And by the way – these wars are spilling over into America.  So get your moral head on straight.  Doing illegal drugs is not a harmless crime.

[Photo is of a man cleaning blood from the sidewalk where 17 people were shot in Ciudad Juarez this past Sept. By AP Photos]

12/3/09

Ok - so I am an atheist and I don't believe in things like demons. But I am going to let you in on a secret. Many atheists love the idea of supernatural things even though we know better. Case in point. I saw Paranormal Activity and boy - what an ookey movie.

Gates, Crowley and Racial Profiling

7/23/09

Ok – so if you have any friends of color – you know this happens.  Racial profiling is very common.  People get pulled over for driving while black all the time and for those of you who haven’t experienced that, it is VERY different from being pulled over for any other offense. There is an assumption of guilt that cops have when looking at people of color. And then, some cops are just ignorant. For instance, I have a friend here in Tampa who is stopped every night by the same stupid cop outside his own home just because he happens to live in a rich neighborhood.  And every night when he asks the cop, in his British accent, what the problem is, the cop apologizes because obviously, my friend is educated because of his British accent and not part of the local riff raff.  My friend actually thinks it is funny that after all this time this particular copy doesn’t recognize him as a resident.