Monday, August 23, 2004

Get Serious


Sex in the City © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I'm going to have to include Church billboards on my list of weird things to capture on film. This one tops my list of just plain stupid. Can anybody seriously think Sex in the City is pornography at this point in it's life cycle? All the good stuff was on HBO and long gone. What is left is pretty damn tame. Heck, even the "damns" are removed. Does anybody really things this female oriented “porn lite” hurts people? Does pornography hurt anyone? (My libertarian streak is showing) Perhaps it causes the occasional friction burn? Who knows, but this is and will always be the dumbest billboard post I've ever seen.

More Band Stickers


Sticker Wars © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

This one is located on the corner of Orangethoup and Knott Ave in Buena Park. I have no idea what most of them mean. Are the any bright sticker readers out there in blogland that can help decifer these stickers? Take your best shot.

Hmmm, he might be ugly


UglySteve © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

This is one of my favorite shots of my brother in law Steve. He's so qute, you should see him in person!

Slow Children


Slow Children © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Nothing is more annoying that these damn SLOW CHILDREN signs. This family has them nailed to the tree in front of their house, in the chair seen here, and has actually tried to get neibors to hang them on trees. And for what purpose? To tell the world their children are slow?

and... Do you think you can fix the friggen mailbox?

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Old Band Stickers


Blue © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I wonder how many of these bands are still in business. It's quite common to see these types of stickers on public utilities. My area seems to collect them. One street is for Ska bands, the next is for Rock bands It’s kind of fun discovering which band owned a particular street. I'm sure all these bands are defunct by now. It’s still fun finding new caches of old stickers.

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Kenny's Car on a Summer Night


Kenny's Car © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

What can I say? I like cars (kind of), I love So Cal summers, and I love taking pictures. Every now and then, I take one that talks to me. Like this one. I don't know what it is about this picture that appeals to me, I just think it’s soothing.

Cruise poster in Paris Metro


Cruise in Metro © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I shot this on my last trip to Paris. It was a poster of Tom Cruise through a passing Metro. Cruise is hard to see, but he's there on the left. I love the color.

New funk generation band


Drummer © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I watched this guy play for thirty minutes on my last trip to San Francisco in July. He claimed that the SFPD was out to get him. They wanted to shut him down. The crowd laughed. Everyone thought it a part of his act. Heck, they way he told it, it was funny. Then the cops came. Or should I say, the big fat nasty cop came. She treated this poor guy like a common criminal. It was embarrassing to watch. Fortunately, the crowd of people who had been enjoying his music spoke up for him. The cop left after admonishing the drummer to stay behind “the property line”. It was stupid, no, I take that back, it was very stupid. We were on at a public square on Market Street. People were hanging around enjoy the sunshine and show. Fortunately, the drummer played on. He was good. I dropped a fin on him before I left.

Robyn E. Blummer - Heroine of the month

Robyn E. Blummer came out as an atheist on August 8, 2004. Congratulations Robin, coming out is a brave move, and a dangerous one. The typical response is lost friends, alienated family members, and reams of hate mail. Of course, the ultimate response to finding out one is an atheist is termination. For some reason, people, especially Christians, equate atheism with immoral behavior (As if they have a lock it.). Their unthinking reaction is often extreme and often results in very unchristian behavior. I hope you are able to avoid the backlash. I see from your follow up article that the volume of hate mail has been low, but with the web considered, I am sure your email box will soon be full.

I’m going to watch your column from now on. I also plan to read your previous articles. I hope other reasonable people do the same.

Good luck.

Robyn E. Blummer can be reached by email at atblumner@NOSPAMsptimes.com drop her a note to encourage her if you get a chance.



Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Sooner or later...


Paster Brad © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Everybody smokes a cigar with me. Brad here enjoys one from time to time. Most of my friends do at one time or another. Let's just call it a male (or female) bonding ritual.

Paster Brad "passthebread' Hightower has a blog. Give it a read if you dare.

Would you eat here?


Eat Here © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I drove past this figure in Orange County today. It was outside an Italian restaurant. It did not look inviting.

Carson Ugly # 4


Tree in a box © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Every day I pass this tree and wonder, did they plan this? A single tree, on a desolate stretch of road, protected by barbed wire and a brick enclosure. It's so out of place, yet so common. We are in Carson after all.

Monday, August 16, 2004

Firpo Speaks

The John and Ken Show

The John and Ken radio show interviewed Firpo Carr on December 4, 2003. The 14-minute interview will give you a good idea of how Carr taught his comparative religion class at the UOP. It was difficult to get a word in edgewise with Carr. He would resort to well rehearsed rhetoric and effectively stifle any opposition to his point of view. Give it a listen here. Pay close attention to the end. Carr admits his PhD is from Pacific Western University, a known diploma mill. Carr tries to equate his degree to one earned via the internet from a prestigious university. My problem is that Carr earned his degree before the internet boom. Hmmmm.

Sunday, August 15, 2004

Dr. Firpo Carr

Every now and then, I type the name of someone memorable into Goggle to catch up on things. Dr. Carr was memorable. He taught a bizarre comparative religion course at the UOP in Fountain Valley. I struggled through it despite its overt Jehovah’s Witness bias.

Dr. Carr was a character; I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out if he was for real or not. I came away with the impression that he was deeply religious, and dedicated to his faith. He was also close-minded and a proponent of some of the most fringe theories related to religion that I have ever heard.

I’m going to do a little digging and start posting Dr. Carr related articles on my Blog. It should make for some good reading, especial if he really is involved with wacko jacko, he should be getting lots of press.

Interesting link to Jackson and Carr

"Dr." Firpo Carr, a Typical Watchtower Apologist (not sure if this is legit or not)

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Fahrenheit 9/11 Review

I finally watched Fahrenheit 9/11. There is no doubt Moore is a powerful storyteller. His ability to bring together disparate pieces of a story to promote a point of view is amazing. I found myself entranced by what I was seeing. That is until I asked, “What am I seeing?” Moore’s movie jumps all over the map in its effort to foster regime change and hatred for the Bush administration. The only thing missing from this two hour plus lovefest, were statements regarding the Bush family’s bathroom habits. It really was overwhelming

At some point during the movie, Moore had inserted the nose ring and was leading me towards the only obvious conclusion allowable under his editorial vision. Bush must go. As the lights came up, I half expected to see a ballot box waiting for me so I could cast a vote for regime change. I mean really… are people that dumb? This film is a documentary in the same sense that a crack whore is a virgin – that is to say not at all. I left the movie feeling manipulated. I hate feeling manipulated.

What is a documentary anyway? Wikipedia tells us “A documentary is a work in a visual or auditory medium presenting political, social, or historical subjects in a factual and informative manner". Does Fahrenheit 9/11 qualify as a documentary? No, I don’t think so. Moore stacks the facts in his favor. He is very selective about what he shows us, and what he does not. The most blatant example is Moore’s expose of the Coalition of the Willing. He mentions Iceland, Costa Rica, and several other smaller militarily challenged countries, while leaving out the United Kingdom, Spain, and Japan. What is average Joe Trailer Park led to think? Whatever Moore wants them to think! Fahrenheit 9/11 is full of this type of manipulation.

Is Fahrenheit 9/11 a documentary?

Is Moore a documentary filmmaker?

Leni Riefenstahl made “Triumph of the Will” for Hitler. It was clearly intended as a documentary, yet it ended up as the archetype for propaganda films. Of course, if you were a German in the 30s, her work was “the truth”. What we see in Fahrenheit 9/11 is Moore’s "truth". Who (or what) is his Hitler?

By the way, Wikipedia tells us Propaganda “is a specific type of message presentation, aimed at serving an agenda. Even if the message conveys true information, it may be partisan and fail to paint a complete and balanced picture. The primary use of the term is in political contexts and generally refers to efforts sponsored by governments and political parties”.

-Sounds like a good description of Fahrenheit 9/11 to me.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Jury Duty part II

Today I finished jury duty by letting a man go free. He was charged in the North Court of Orange County with misdemeanors battery and child abuse. The case was an embarrassment. The prosecutor presented no real evidence. The story was a classic "he said" - "she said" drama. The jury was asked to decided which party was telling the truth. With no reference point and no evidence, it was impossible. The attorney for the defense was no better than the prosecutor. His presentation was bizarre, unfocused, and hard to understand. It was a misdemeanor court, with a "b" team prosecutor, public defender. and a retried in place Judge. The mother had children by two men but was never married. The father of her other children is in prison. The man accused of hurting the mother and the two year old son they share, is unemployed, draws disability (for two years), is not supporting his son or mother financially, and appears to be a former gang member. He was also a convicted felon (assault with a deadly weapon) for a gang related fight in 98. The mother is no better. Her sister was shot in their front yard. It was gang related. Neither mother or father was believable, nor were any of the other witnesses except a nine year old boy, only what he said made no sense.

Hell the judge fell asleep during the trial (several times). I was in a trailer park court, with trailer park lawyers, and trailer park parents. It really sucked. Did I mention that the court facility had ZERO security.

After the trial ended, the prosecutor actually asked us how she could improve her efforts. When we said "present evidence". She looked mystified. God help us.

The Skeptics Society and Skeptic Magazine

This website is wonderful. The magazine is even better. It is dedicated to "the promotion of science and critical thinking, and to the investigation of extraordinary claims and revolutionary ideas" If you ever wanted an answer to why people believe weird things, this is the place to go.

Jury Duty (sucks)

I was called to Jury duty yesterday. So far, my luck with regard to jury duty has been poor. I have served on 9 cases over the last 15 years, a few of them, including a child rape case, took weeks to hear. It seems that whenever I get in the box, I fit the perfect jurist description because I never am challenged. The same was true yesterday, called to the first case of the day, I was seated in the first roll call, then sat in the jury box for three hours while the lawyers kicked every single other potential jurist off the panel. They worked through the entire 42-person jury pool, and then brought in 10 more. I survived to the finish. My tenth case started after lunch. I cannot comment on the case at the moment, but will in the future.

The thing I hate about jury duty is the idiots that attempt to serve but cannot see past their own bias. The worst offenders start off by stating, “... only God is can set in judgment”. What follows is usually both entertaining and disappointing. The judge will take about civic duty and fulfilling your duty to help make the government work. The judge will normally go out of his or her way to explain you are not judging the person, but instead judging the evidence and the veracity of the case. The potential jurist will then launch into some irrational pseudo religious justification for their beliefs, at which time those watching will try not to laugh, and the judge will kick the idiot off the jury. It happened four times yesterday, each argument just a little different, yet each person just as much a nut ball. A spoke with a few of my fellow jurists during a break, a few we devout Christians and were deeply embarrassed by what they had witnessed.

Of course, I did not mention the racists. I will save that one for tomorrow.

Sunday, August 08, 2004

5-Minute Video of George W. Bush on the Morning of 9/11

While doing some surfing, I came across a great link to the Presidents reaction upon learning about the attack on the World Trade Center. I've heard stories and seen a few stills, but had not watched the whole video segment. Thanks to the Memory Hole, I was able to watch this now famous five minutes for myself.

Of course, now that I have, I don't get all the noise out of Kerry recently. An aid whispers in his ear, he waits for more information, reads to the kids, is perhaps worried about the extend of the attack or it's scale, then moves on to decisively address the situation.

I could Monday Morning quarterback this and come up with a senerio where if (I were president), I would immediatly repsond to the situation, marshal forces, take action etc... but, it would be no differnet that when I watch the Lakers and yell at Kobe for shooting a low percentage shot when he should have passed to Shaq.

I am reminded of the words of Teddy Rosevelt. "It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out where the strong man stumbled, or where a doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, and who comes up short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause. The man who at best knows the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, fails while daring greatly, so that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who never knew victory or defeat."

Kerry could learn a few things from Roosevelt.

Michael Moore - Pantagraph story grows and grows

This story will not die, and thats a good thing. Michael Moore needs a little attention drawn to his creative story telling techniques. My only wish is to see that this story gets a little more attention, and an explanation. Of course, Moore will never respond because in his world, his words (or pictures) are the truth. In my world they are fiction.

Friday, August 06, 2004

Super Freak is dead

I can remember dancing with a crowd of 300 other high School students to Rick James singing 'You and I" in 1979. It was funky and different, and absolutely something I could not dance to. But, the girls liked to dance to it, and I liked the girls, so I danced. At the time, James was fresh and new. His song "Mary Jane" was banned at Artesia High school because it promoted drugs, so of course we did whatever we could to buy an LP or tape, then played it did it died. James was very cool, but real men listened to Led Zeppelin.

James became Super Freak a few years later, by then I was into punk, Super Freak did not get much airtime on KROQ, so I remember it only as a genre type hit and a favorite at many wedding receptions.

It was interesting watching James fall over the years. Every few years he made the press for beating a hooker, taking drugs, and oh yes… torture. I think he had a real bad drug problem. The press says he died of a pre-existing medical condition. Does drug addiction count?

Back in 79, we danced to Rick James; the next song would be Boston "More than a feeling". We danced to anything back then, but danced to nothing well.

I seem to collect an artist after he or she dies. Therefore, I imagine I will secure all of the Rick James MP3's I can (legally of course) and give them a listen to see what sticks.


Tacky


Tacky - © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I don't know what to say here. Tacky seem right. I smoke cigars, but I'd pass this shop up even if I'm jonesen for a fix.

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Eat less beef, get more sex


Peta Love © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I don't know what these two were thinking. The crowd thought they were nuts. Their basic argument; vegetarians make better lovers. But why? All these two did was pose for pictures and hand out fliers.

I shot this on Market Street in San Francisco last Friday. I've tried to find somebody else who has posted it, but so far nothing. While I was shooting a news crew took a few pictures, but I was not able to see the spot.

Isolation


Isolation © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I shot this early in the morning in San Francisco. I could not help but feel this man's isolation, nor could I ignore my own.

Jews for Jesus


Run © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I can only think of one thing when I see these young earnest zellots. Run for your life. This poor smuck was cornered. I was close enough to hear the conversation. It started with "When you die..."

Run away, run away!

Carson Ugly #3


Carson Ugly © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

It's been quite a while since I posted a Carson Ugly picture. This one presented itself as I walked near my place of employment. I was immediately struck by the general ugliness, and utter lack of utility. These gates have never been used, behind them are derelict mini vans, various dead cars, dead trees, and other unmentionable crap. Carson has no building codes or standards to speak of if it's ok to have something like this facing a major public street, 1 mile from the civic center.

I think I'm going to go ahead with a complete series on the city. It might just be the ugliest city in LA.

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

Newspaper Hits Michael Moore for Copyright Infringement

I love it! Moore fakes a newspaper headline used in his movie Fahrenheit 9/11. I guess he manufactured a headline, based on a smaller headline from a different edition’s opinion section. The article says more used:

“…"Latest Florida recount shows Gore won election." The paper contends that the headline actually appeared on Dec. 5, 2001, in much smaller type, and above a letter to the editor”

I think manufacturing evidence to support bias in a documentary film moves the documentary into being classified a work of fiction, perhaps the Acadamy Awards will agree? Of course, there is always the blatant misleading to consider.

Monday, August 02, 2004

Michael Moron - a great site

I love this site. It uses Moore's tactics against him. The tag line for the site is:
"Michaelmoron.org - the official website for those who are sick and tired of Michael Moore and his extreme left-wing political agenda."

The site encourages it's visitors to dig up the dirt, then post it in the forum. It's members only, but worth the effort. Some people actually hate Moore, they can be considerably less than objective in their postings.

After joining and sampling the comments, I am disappointed. Most are fat jokes. Hell, I'm fat. The last things I want to hear is fat jokes.