Links of the Week

GOP Only for Rich Tax Cuts
The GOP's current platform comes down to "we are not democrats". When asked for a specific plan on how to turn the economy around, the best they can come up with is "tax cuts", specifically make the Bush Tax Cuts permanent. The only problem with this plan is it clearly has worked in the previous 10 years and added around $2.5 trillion to the deficit. Considering the party's sudden love for deficit reduction, further tax cuts present a problem since there are no means to pay for them. Basically a tax cut = increased deficit. So you think when they actually put forth a tax cut plan they would device a means to pay for it right? Nope, as the lovely chart on the right illustrates, their plan isn't really any different than the Democrat, at least until you hit the $500k threshold. The Democratic plan pays for itself and may reduce the deficit because the rich don't benefit anymore than any other tax group. The Republican plan basically goes "you rich? Here have more money!". It’s that trickle down axiom of there that has never worked. After all, what happens to a tax cut that doesn't get spent? It doesn't trickle down. What happened to the previous 10 years of tax cuts? As the economy shows, they clearly didn't trickle down. Instead of listening to the Limbaughs of the world that have 99% opinion and 1% fact, look at the facts. Ignore my words, just look at the chart and noticed the huge difference and ask yourself "does this make any since?" and "Isn't this the opposite of fiscal responsibility the GOP claims to believe in?".

Links of the Week

Lego London Tower Bridge
The pic is an upcoming piece from Lego that when completed has 80 windows, 40'' long, 17'' high with mini Lego vehicles, working drawbridge, tan bricks, arches, and more. The 4,287 piece structure should be hitting Lego online and Lego stores soon. No details on costs but guessing a few hundred.

Weird Science vs. Real Genius Geek-Off
It has been 25 years since these two classics came out and Moviefone decided to determine which is the superior movie based on the good guys, bad guys, "future stars", the ladies, science, geek factor and quotability. Hit the link to see if you agree with their analysis that Real Genius is the better geek film.

Republicans for Rich Only
In one of the things that baffles me, the GOP continues to get support from the middle class and the poor despite the fact that the party policy comes down to a collective "f%^k you". The party talks to them a lot but if every really look at their record they have done nothing for a majority of Americans in decades now. Sure they talk a good game about tax cuts but the only ones that have ever seen any real tax cuts is the rich. If you make over $250k a year, the GOP is your best friend. If you don't, you really have no reason to support them from a financial and economic standpoint. Another example of this is going on now. The states are essentially going bankrupt. All 50 of them. Police officers, firefighters, teachers and more are getting laid off (which is bad for the economy). Odd little cuts are being made like unpaving roads, cutting off lampposts, and more in a bid to shave money off the budget. This isn't "wasteful" spending being cut now but essentials that are needed for safety. So what does the GOP do? They say no. Their "solution" yet again. Make permanent the Bush tax cuts despite the fact they will ADD $700 billion to the deficit and did NOT help the economy in the previous 10 years. Basically their solution is "hey it didn't work for 10 years, let’s try it for another 10 just to make sure!" and people are buying it. It truly boggles my mind that people just cannot see something that simple and reject it as stupid and not working.

California Gay Marriage Ban Lifted
The Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker has ruled earlier this week that the California law banning marriage was un-Constitutional and has now ruled that marriage can resume on August 15th. It is a major victory for gay rights movement and a major defeat for the mostly conservative contingent that has been working hard for years to codify a country wide ban. Ironic considering the conservative "movement" has been making talking about how the Constitution has been circumvented by Obama (while unable to provide specific examples and supporting the Bush's patriot act), that the country is going fascist (while supporting an actual fascist immigration "show your papers" law) and claiming love for the Constitution (while trying to overturn the 14 and 17th amendments. Its real simple, if you love the Constitution, you have to support equal rights. If you support equal rights you have to support gay marriage. You can't really have it both ways regardless of the mental gymnastics used to attempt to justify it. But if there is a real constant in politics, it’s that a conservative is by definition a hypocrite.

Harry Potter 7 Split Revealed
The final story of Harry Potter is being split into two films. Part 1 this Christmas and Part 2 next Summer. The point the movies will break has finally been revealed by Entertainment Weekly in this week's magazine article about the movie. It seems it will occur around Chapter 24 (out of 36) when Voldemort captures the Elder Wand. This leaves the Gringotts break-in and Battle of Hogwarts as the main pieces of Part 2.


He Who Yells Loudest Is Still Stupid
Knowing they have no plans beyond stop taxing the rich, the GOP keeps bouncing from scare tactic to tactic to get the ignorant to vote for them. Their entire 2010 campaign comes down to "be scared of stuff, vote for me and I will cut rich people's taxes to protect you!" The new meme is "terror babies" or "anchor babies". The idea is people are having babies here so that 20 years from now they will attack the United States. In a bizarre interview with Rep. Louie Gohmert basically yells his way through the interview on the idea that yelling really loud means he is right. Asked for evidence of his assertion he can provide none yet mentions it must be true cause of an airplane conversation. It is the usual GOP nonsense of lying but making it seem true with repetition and yelling a lot. After 10 years of this you would think people would stop falling for it. Sadly no. Hit the link to watch the rather insane exchange. The GOP, "we hate everyone but the rich...vote for us."

2010 San Diego Comic-Con 80 Plus Panel Videos

It is a few weeks late but finally able to post the links to 80 panels from the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) that were recorded and posted on line. Big thanks to all the uploaders.

The lengths vary from as short as 10 minutes to a full hour, usually the difference related to how much copyright footage was show during the panel. Because of that material you will often find a reference to a clip but that get shown as had to be edited out per SDCC recording rules or avoid DCMA takedowns. The panels cover TV, movies, toys, comics and video games. I have watched most but not all. Probably my favorite of the bunch was Castle with Nathan Fillion kept things going with his usual wit and charm. The other ones worth watching include The Visionaries Panel with Joss Whedon and JJ Abrams, Mythbusters, Psych and pretty much all the SyFy panels.

MOVIES
Battlefield Los Angeles - Part 1 | Part 2
Captain America - Part 1 | Part 2
Cowboys & Aliens - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Green Lantern - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Red Press Conference - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
Red Panel - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
Resident Evil: Afterlife - Complete
Salt - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Sucker Punch - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Super - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Thor - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
The Avengers - Complete | Trailer
The Expendables - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3.1 | Part 3.2 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
Tron Legacy Press Conference - Complete
Tron Legacy - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Trailer

Links of the Week

GOP Holding Laws Hostage for Bush Tax Cuts
In yet another example of conservative hypocrisy, the GOP is holding pretty much all activity in Congress hostage in effort to make Bush's tax cuts permanent. Despite claiming fiscal responsibility and reducing the deficit, the previous decade of cuts resulted in around $3 trillion being added to the deficit (more than Obama is expected to add in his entire first time). If made permanent, the cuts are expected to add at least another trillion. The GOP claims it helps the economy, but considering the cuts has been in place since 2001, that doesn't seem true. Especially since the cuts only provide significant assistance to those that make $150k or more so around 10% of the country. The graph to the left is why they are fighting as the Obama plan would re-shift tax policy so that the burdens to the rich and even then not that significantly but to the GOP the rich shouldn’t even pay $1 in taxes. Then again, considering pretty much the top tier of the GOP are in those wealthy categories that benefited most under Bush, their perspective is no surprise. What is the surprise is their non-rich followers that support a policy that doesn't benefit them in any meaningful way.

Things You Didn't Know About Scientology
Hit the link to look at an amusing chart that compares science with the cult of Scientology. It includes a handy timeline of Earth's history that science believes occurred and the bat-sh$t crazy that is the cult's version along with a few myths they try to sell but isn't true.

Tom Mankiewicz R.I.P.
The screenwriter of Superman, Superman II, most of the 70s James Bond films and more died on July 31st at his home 68. He was 68.