The Vice Presidential Action Rangers

Kat Von D is a racist, or at least one in secret.

2011-07-15T00:24:00.000-07:00

Recently TLC has began running promos for the new season of LA Ink, the first season to include Kat Von D's new "soulmate" Jesse James. This got some of our more investigatory Action Rangers to thinking, and put together a piece that sadly proves something many of us didn't want to believe. Some of us, didn't want to believe because shes a female in charge and thus a kind of role model, others because they are also tattoo enthusiasts, and others simply because Kat Von D is super hot, and don't want to yank it to a nazi. Yes, that's right, a Nazi. Read on to see what has been deduced.

Deductive reasoning dictates that a pattern is the strongest proof towards the truth. Now in 2008 Kat Von D was accused of giving the Jewish Ami James a head shot with a swastika and a burning Star of David and it read, "Burn in hell jewbag." She denies ever writing it, but Miami Ink artist Chris Garver stated that Kat Von D herself handed him the head shot to give to Ami. After Ami received it, he requested TLC investigate and they say they did and found no evidence she did it. The specifics of their "investigation" were never made public, but comparisons to other autographs of hers find enough similarities to determine she did indeed author the hate speech. So did TLC do an investigation, or did they just take her at her word because her new show was set to premiere just one month later, which means it would have already been sold to advertisers and pulling it would have meant sending back A LOT of checks. We may never know.

Now time has passed and Kat's show thrived along with her popularity and the photo was all but forgotten, but THEN she begins dating one Jesse James. A man who has also been accused of being a secret nazi/white supremacist/etc. In 2010 a photo surfaced of Jesse James wearing a gestapo hat and giving the heil sign with one arm, while using his other hand to give himself a hitler mustache. He states it was a "joke", but to whom is the joke intended? What is the punchline? What part of any of it was meant to be funny?

Within weeks of his photo scandal, Jesse James himself admitted to cheating on his wife, Sandra Bullock, with Michelle Mcgee. A self professed "alt model", she ALSO denies being a nazi of any sort, though DOES admit to believing that antisemitism, concluding she doesn't consider it the same thing nor that its even a form of bigotry. She has also taken photos in a gestapo hat AND a nazi armband, lists mein kamph as one of her favorite books, has WP tattooed on her legs, AND an iron eagle and swastika tattooed near her nether regions. If that's not enough, her ex-husband claimed that she is in-fact a white power supporter.

White supremacists hiding their affiliations isn't a new practice. Since the downfall of the third reich and the waning of the KKK, supporters found themselves more and more ostracized, so in order to spare themselves the scorn their beliefs produce, many would hide in plain site like cowards. The german government recently published a paper on over 140 new symbols nazi sympathizers are using to hide themselves in plain site. Sadly in America, more of these types can be found on some within the punk and rockabilly communities due to some of those styles and music being adopted by white power supporters. This is NOT to say the entirety of these communities shouldn't be trusted or are hiding anything, but it's like the old saying goes, "It's not that all priests are pedophiles, it's that pedophiles are becoming priests."

So is it easy to speculate that those in the public eye, with more to lose if their unfavorable beliefs were brought to light, would deny them and hide them in order to keep their status-quo? Yes, yes it is. People are capable of doing a lot more to protect a lot less. Is it mere coincidence that these three people, who all deny being nazi-lovers of any sort, have their lives intertwined and have so much evidence against them? Is it fair to use association as evidence against them all? Yes, yes it is. Association proves pattern, pattern establishes motive, and motive dictates truth.

SO in conclusion it can be positively stated that Yes, Kat Von D is more than likely a nazi sympathizer, white power supporter, and general ignorant sack of shit. Are her beliefs illegal? No. Are they awful and ignorant and just plain wrong in any sense of the word? Yes. Regardless, we may never get a full fledged confession because like all secret sympathizers, she doesn't want anyone to know it, for fear she would lose her fans, her show, her shop, her sponsorships, her endorsements, and all the money they produce.

Fuck You DC

2010-12-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

After our sabbatical in an ashram in Dwarka, we returned at peace with the universe, ready to begin anew with less rage over the worlds ills. ONLY TO HAVE DC PULL SOME BULLSHIT.

As many know DC has two toys lines. One called "DC Direct" and one called "DC Universe". Why the two opposing lines? To rip you the fuck off, that's why!

The Dc Universe line has garnered much acclaim in its 16 runs, with it's detail, obscure characters, and build-a-figures, BUT has been criticized for sometimes repeating some figures by DC Direct. So, what does DC do to quell this type of chatter? Just run with it, copy an entire fucking line, and hope you're too stupid to realize that you already bought it.

Many a loyal customers have anxiously awaited Series 17. Hoping to see their favorite characters, curious to see which c-list heroes get a shot, and excited about the NEW build-a-figure. Well over this holiday weekend those hopes were dashed like a kid at Christmas who just got the same present as last year.

Take a look.

We admit it's hard to mess up Wonder Woman, but why does The Atom look like a tribal elder one minute, and then a 70s disco club dancer the next? Or Lex Luthor who smiles like hes possessed by the crystalline orange ring of avarice, only to then look like a jello mold with a dolls head stuck on top. Though, our "favorite" is Scarecrow, who goes from looking creepy and awesome to looking like he just got tazed. So yeah, thanks DC, for half-assing it all the way to the bank. Pricks.

Parents demand government save them from their own kids

2010-09-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

Zevo-3 Skechers Cartoon: FCC Asked To Block New Series

NEW YORK — An advocacy group on Tuesday asked the Federal Communications Commission to block a soon-to-debut TV cartoon show starring characters first created to market Skechers footwear to children.

Unless banned, the group said, the show could pave the way for Ronald McDonald, Tony the Tiger and other iconic cartoon pitchmen to become stars of their own series – potentially inundating children's television with what amounted to full-length commercials. (were these group members Amish before and just NEVER saw a TV until they saw this cartoon commercial?)

The complaint was filed with the FCC by the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, targeting a series called "Zevo-3" that's scheduled to premiere Oct. 11 on the cable network Nicktoons. Its three teenage, super-powered heroes – tasked to save New Eden City from evil monsters – have previously appeared in comic books and TV ads promoting Skechers' line of children's shoes.

The main characters "are walking and talking advertisements for specific lines of Skechers shoes," said the complaint. It depicted "Zevo-3" as "the first children's television program starring characters that are known to children only as commercial logos and spokescharacters."

Specifically, the complaint said the half-hour show would violate a federal requirement in the Children's Television Act that that no cable TV operator shall air more than 12 minutes of commercial matter per hour during children's programming. The show also would violate the FCC's requirement of a clear separation between commercial content and programming matter, the complaint said.

Kristen Van Cott, co-executive producer of "Zevo-3" and a senior vice president of Skechers Entertainment, said she and her colleagues had worked hard to ensure the show conforms with FCC provisions and were confident it would air on schedule.

"Skechers Entertainment is tremendously proud of 'Zevo-3,'" she said in a statement. "It's a fun, action-packed and beautifully animated series."

There are no overt pitches for Skechers' products in the cartoons, and Van Cott said the plot lines "often reflect issues that kids deal with on a daily basis – from peer pressure and bullying to relationships with family and friends."

A spokesman for Nicktoons, David Bittler, responded concisely to the complaint: "This show does not violate the Children's Television Act."

Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, said she did not know what timetable the FCC might set for considering the complaint.

"It's our hope they'll act quickly and decisively," she said. "We believe that the show violates several of the few existing rules we have to protect children from over-commercialization." (more like protect parents from nagging kids. So lazy.)

According to background in the complaint, there were plans back in the early 1990s for children's TV shows based on commercial spokescharacters – one that would have featured Chester Cheetah, who pitched Frito-Lay products, and another that would have starred Cheesasaurus Rex, a cheese-colored dinosaur who appeared in ads for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Plans for both shows were dropped after an advocacy coalition raised objections with the FCC. (WTF! I could have been watching a badass cheesasaurus rex cartoon! You Bastards!)

"Now Skechers and Nicktoons are attempting to escalate commercialization on children's television," the complaint said. "If they are successful, we can expect other companies to follow suit. (So. Deal with it. Its spelled N.O. Try it, unless you just GIVE your kids full access to your bank account?)

"A McDonald's show featuring Ronald McDonald, a Burger King show featuring the King, a Kellogg show featuring Tony the Tiger these are just some the possible children's television programs we may see in the future." (I used to have the Ronald Mcdonald cartoon halloween special on VHS and you know what? I STILL get excited when happy meal trick or treat buckets come out every year.)

The three heroes of "Zevo-3" – Z-Strap, Elastika and Kewl Breeze – were created by Skechers several year ago to promote sales of shoes to children, and each is linked to a particular shoe.

"For children, these characters have become the embodiment of the shoe lines they represent," said the complaint. "So much so that retailers report that kids often ask for a shoe by character name rather than the shoe model." (Yes PLEASE U.S. Government, Its not enough to save them from junk food and uneducational cartoons, you must also save them from the SHOES!)

Back in the olden days, cartoon characters used to hawk their advertisers products right on air. PLUS really popular characters got their OWN products. I used to eat super mario/zelda cereal. It was two cereals in one box separated right down the middle. It is bsolutely abhorrent when parents do this. They pull this defenseless, "woe is me" garbage, because if the government doesn't ban something, then OMG their kid might ASK for whatever that something is! Then what on earth will the parents do?! Hmmm how about SAY NO!”

The VPAR Civil War

2010-05-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

This post has little to do with the news of the day but more so to do with the issues we face internally here due to what I consider to be a bane to the existence of humanity itself; Apple. Now I as current President of The V.P.A.R. used to work for the company and so every time they come out with a new product, I'm reminded of those days when we would spend countless hours trained on how we were the best and everything else was shit. That's the Apple model. If its not Apple, its not worth wiping your ass with. Pretty egotistical but that's how they like it. But I digress.

Some of our Action Rangers are fervent Apple supporters, while others are vehement Apple detractors. This argument has raged since our group was founded and never more so has the argument gotten so heated as when the iPad debuted. Now as current president I have pulled rank and have posted in the past on how Apple, especially the iPad, suck.

Despite the post, I choose not to get into arguments with fellow Action Rangers on the topic because as Ive told them, they treat Apple like a religion. When they ask to clarify I make this point, a point I have made ad nauseum, including just recently in relation to this story.

“Religion is simply defined as having a strong belief or faith in something that can not be proven. Faith is described as belief in something that normal reason would stand against. Apple cultists buy apple products when normal reason and fact tell them that there are better, less expensive, and less imposing products available. So it is absolutely right in stating that Apple super fans are religious.”

Despite this argument, my fellow VPAR, who are apple-ites, disagree. Well here for my own pleasure, thanks to the rank I hold, are some more bits of evidence that Apple-ites are infact, cultists. It's nothing big, nothing spectacular, just some back and forth on a news item about how Steve Jobs emailed Gawker writer Ryan Tate and the two got into it over the future of technology.

Myself:

“the iPad is just a gimmicky piece of junk that is nothing more than another way for you to buy stuff from itunes and the apps store. It doesn't have the functionality or power of a laptop, or the mobility of a 4G phone. It's literally in a class by itself because its a class that doesn't need to exist. There's a reason why similar tablets have been getting canceled left and right. The only thing it revolutionizes is a new way for you to be fooled into buying more stuff from Apple and deluded into thinking your on the cusp of technology. Piece. Of. Junk.”

Reply from cultist 1:

“Name a book reader that comes close.”

My response:

“Your argument is based on the idea that book readers are something wanted, akin to that of laptops and high end cell phones. They absolutely are not. Phone and laptop technology moves forward regardless. Book readers are a choice. One many people wouldn't ever want to make at all because there wasn't really anything wrong with the design of the book. Its not like millions of americans were dying under the weight of their vast libraries. Try again.”

Reply from cultist 2:

“Gee...then don't buy one. But the people who have bought one don't really give a s.hite what you think.”

Ooooh, smarmy little fucker isn't he? My reply to Apple-ite 2:

“Of course they don't care. Obviously anyone who buys one is either not smart enough to know they've been had, or are apple cultists who don't have the ability to see reason. My problem is with Steve Jobs and how his push forward is pointless, consumerist garbage. He is literally making technology, the future, and the world, worse. But your a fan his and his junk so like you said, you wont care because like I said, your not too smart and can't see reason.”

Lets see what happens now when my fellow Rangers read this absolutely benign, self serving, inconsequential, nerdgasm of a post. In conclusion, I get it. Apple products are like childrens toys. Bright and shiny and sleek and futurist looking. They are designed that way. Designed to feed your base instincts for something "better", even if it only LOOKS better. If I had money to waste I might pick up a macbook, or a G5. But most people don't. In the end my point is this. To all of the die hard Apple cultists. It's a fucking handheld store. Get over it, and yourself, because it's not the future.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled posts. Hazza!

Danny Shea is a lying petty douchebag

2010-05-10T03:30:00.001-07:00

My time flies when you try and change the course of the world. Some of the things going on have been so overwhelming some of our members wonder, why bother? Even I succumbed to this feeling of dread. Between the inaction by our government, Obama being middle to right on most of this policies, including supporting offshore drilling before AND after the BP spill, and Net neutrality taking a gut punch. It's been a tough road. But then something, snapped. Something made us realize that letting it weigh on us is lame, as we many Action Rangers gather for the very reason of not just taking it, but rather of standing united and saying, "Oh thats how you SAY its going to be? Well fuck you too!" Our voices will be heard and we start again today! Our linchpin was a fucker over at Huffpo named Danny Shea. Now so incredulous and bullshit ridden were Danny's comments that we just couldn't take it anymore. It literally was the last pile of crap we were willing to shovel our way through. We wrote a letter to the editor so to speak and we will place it here for you now. First though, some backstory. Danny "Im a Lying Asshole" Shea posting a "winners of the week" section on the Media Tab of huffpo he edits in which he wrote this about Conan O Brien,

Conan O'Brien
Finally able to make his case, Conan broke his silence on "60 Minutes" — and delivered ratings to boot. And he effectively got his message across: he's a good Catholic boy who would never have done that to Leno.

Can you sense the tone Danny Shea is setting? Oh but it didn't end there. Danny Shea also thought it prudent to get some help from a fellow misanthropic tool named Daniel Frankel who posted some information on the ratings concerning Conans 60 Minutes interview.

Conan O’Brien’s post-“Tonight Show” whine on “60 Minutes” helped spark CBS to a win in total viewers Sunday night, but it was the buoyancy of “Desperate Housewives” that gave ABC the victory in the all-important adults 18-49 demo.
Here’s a look at the ratings highlights:
‘HEARTBROKEN’… BUT WITH $32 MILLION: O’Brien’s exclusive interview bumped “60 Minutes” 38 percent week to week to a 2.2 rating/8 share in adults 18-49 and 13 million viewers. That was still 12 percent below “60 Minutes’” season average, however.

Notice it being called a whine, and the headline making a point to note that I guess its impossible to be heartbroken when you have money? Obviously Shea doesn't like Conan but this next bit of fake bullshit takes the cake. Somehow Conan also makes the "Losers of the Week" and with literally NO facts behind it other than what Danny Shea pulled out of his ass. Read on.

"Yes, he made his case on "60 Minutes" — but it may have backfired. The more time he spends complaining about how Big Bad Leno stole the "Tonight Show" from him, the less America remembers why they loved him on it...and the less they look forward to his launch this fall on TBS. Plus, NBC made a splash by saying that he lied during the "60 Minutes" interview."

This was the "Are you fucking kidding me?!" moment here at VPAR headquarters. Which prompted this letter to Danny Shea and Huffpo on his job performance, to say the least.

Why are you so impossibly bad at your simple job of editing a web page? I am seriously asking you that. On what basis do you think that Conan's one interview may have backfired? What poll numbers do you have that show people won't look forward to his TBS debut because of his ONE interview? How can people possibly be tired of hearing him talk about it after one interview to begin with? Who told you America loves him less, the more he gives insight on one of the biggest entertainment stories of the year? You literally have to be making this up as you go along and I'm asking at what point did you decide that being a huffpo editor meant you didn't have to do your job well.

What proof do you have, as a supposed journalist, that it wasn't NBC lying to save face and not Conan who was? Also, why the mean spirited dig at Conan's religion? What is it you have against Conan anyway? Because of how much money he made? Are all you "media" writers so jaded that the concept of someone in show business standing up for something more important than themselves is lost on you? Does it make you uncomfortable that someone isn't as petty as you, so you have to tear them down?

What I love is how you completely ignore Jay's role in all this. Jay wouldn't have stood by and let NBC try to bump the Tonight Show when he wasn't doing well. For a year Letterman beat Leno when he debuted The Late Show, and NBC never once tried to bring Johnny back for a half hour. Even if NBC did, Johnny wouldn't have taken it, because he wasn't the type to cut off a guys knees like that. Conan made the mistake in believing that the previous Tonight Show host would stand with him in not letting the Tonight Show be shuffled around like some mid-season sitcom. Leno took it without any regard, and then played it off like nothing is his fault. Like I said, I love how you seem to ignore all of this.

As far as the late night mess, what happened happened. Nothing can change it now. But when I go to a trusted news site I want news, not your made up speculation garbage, so I ask again, what about Conan makes you want to purposefully be bad at your job? Huffpo is moving quickly into being the number one online news source and if you can't act like a professional then why be there?

We hope this finds Danny well and that the next time he decides to make up garbage for the sake of his own pathetic ego, he'll remember hes a journalist and should act accordingly. Until next time, we remain your guide to all things awesome and the light on all things full of crap. <3

Beauty like nothing on earth

2010-04-26T03:20:00.000-07:00

The VPAR has been on vacation as of late, and while traversing space and time we came across this. The Hubble Telescope decided to celebrate its own 20th Birthday with a photo of what is now called the Carina Nebula.

Our shock comes from the fact that something so gorgeous can exist. We asked each other could it really be real? As its vivid colors look like something a digital artist would whip up with CS4, but no dear Rangers, this is absolutely genuine.

So Whats a Nebula you ask? Well its basically the name for a cloud in space made up of dust, different gases and plasma. What makes nebulas special is that they are the birthplace of stars. They can be so because they are huge, and the Carina Nebula is 3 LIGHT YEARS TALL. Expect this gorgeous dream of color and creation to effectively retire the Eagle Nebula from the many posters, t-shirts and geek tailored products it adorned.

I dreamed a dream

2010-04-14T02:17:00.000-07:00

We have long been fans of the artists Faile and Bast both together and on their own and now they have teamed up again to make our dreams come true like none could ever have imagined. What is it that has the entire VPAR complex in an uproar of excitement? Take a look.

Yes those glorious bastards built an arcade with function cabinets that play specially made mini-games. GOD EXISTS SAY I! *whew* Sadly the piece has ended its run but expect it to show up elsewhere as the games weren't just destroyed by any means. Check out the website dedicated to the show and wish it travels to other galleries. We will that's for fucking sure.

These are the dark times

2010-04-08T03:18:00.000-07:00

No sooner do we post bail for punching the judge in the isohunt case in the nuts, than an appellate court decides he wants to know the feeling of fucking the entirety of modern society. But the judge alone can't be blamed for this, no he can't indeed. For he is but a pawn working towards the vile machinations of one empire who since they oozed their way from the depths of hell, have been our arch nemesis. I call the out into the light Demon! Back to the bowels of Hell with you and take thine greed and shitty broadband speeds with thee! Cursed be the day when satans poison tongue first spoke the name, COMCAST!

Since John Adams first created our noble order to ensure the well being of all things kickass and awesome, prophecies were foretold of a dark beast that will test not just our league of Action Rangers, but humanity as a whole. It seems now those warnings have bore fruit. The future is grim my fellow rangers. Isohunt has gone lite, Mininova is a husk of its former self, Piratebay nears its last days and Demonoid is in the crosshairs. Now not only are the tools we use on deaths bed but the whole of internet existence hangs in the balance.

At this rate internet service in this country will operate like cable television. You pay for website packs. The more you pay, the faster CERTAIN websites will go, and the websites that don't pay comcasts strongarm fee's to be included in said packs, will see loading times slow to a crawl. It's a sick, sick dystopia we march towards and something must be done.

Below is the news piece in full, and below that are links to save the internet.com and how YOU can help yourself in making sure you don't get royally screwed. Europe and Asia are laughing at us with broadband speeds 30 to 50 times faster AND cheaper too. Lets agree were all tired of being fucked with by private corporations who literally just want to rape us of as much money as they can for as little service as possible.

WASHINGTON — A federal court threw the future of Internet regulations into doubt Tuesday with a far-reaching decision that went against the Federal Communications Commission and could even hamper the government's plans to expand broadband access in the United States.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the FCC lacks authority to require broadband providers to give equal treatment to all Internet traffic flowing over their networks. That was a big victory for Comcast Corp., the nation's largest cable company, which had challenged the FCC's authority to impose such "network neutrality" obligations on broadband providers.

Supporters of network neutrality, including the FCC chairman, have argued that the policy is necessary to prevent broadband providers from favoring or discriminating against certain Web sites and online services, such as Internet phone programs or software that runs in a Web browser. Advocates contend there is precedent: Nondiscrimination rules have traditionally applied to so-called "common carrier" networks that serve the public, from roads and highways to electrical grids and telephone lines.

But broadband providers such as Comcast, AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. argue that after spending billions of dollars on their networks, they should be able to sell premium services and manage their systems to prevent certain applications from hogging capacity.

Tuesday's unanimous ruling by the three-judge panel was a setback for the FCC because it questioned the agency's authority to regulate broadband. That could cause problems beyond the FCC's effort to adopt official net neutrality regulations. It also has serious implications for the ambitious national broadband-expansion plan released by the FCC last month. The FCC needs the authority to regulate broadband so that it can push ahead with some of the plan's key recommendations. Among other things, the FCC proposes to expand broadband by tapping the federal fund that subsidizes telephone service in poor and rural communities.

In a statement, the FCC said it remains "firmly committed to promoting an open Internet and to policies that will bring the enormous benefits of broadband to all Americans" and "will rest these policies ... on a solid legal foundation."

Comcast welcomed the decision, saying "our primary goal was always to clear our name and reputation."

The case centers on Comcast's actions in 2007 when it interfered with an online file-sharing service called BitTorrent, which lets people swap movies and other big files over the Internet. The next year the FCC banned Comcast from blocking subscribers from using BitTorrent. The commission, at the time headed by Republican Kevin Martin, based its order on a set of net neutrality principles it had adopted in 2005.

But Comcast argued that the FCC order was illegal because the agency was seeking to enforce mere policy principles, which don't have the force of regulations or law. That's one reason that Martin's successor, Democratic FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, is trying to formalize those rules.

The cable company had also argued the FCC lacks authority to mandate net neutrality because it had deregulated broadband under the Bush administration, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in 2005.

The FCC now defines broadband as a lightly regulated information service. That means it is not subject to the "common carrier" obligations that make traditional telecommunications services share their networks with competitors and treat all traffic equally. But the FCC maintains that existing law gives it authority to set rules for information services.

Tuesday's court decision rejected that reasoning, concluding that Congress has not given the FCC "untrammeled freedom" to regulate without explicit legal authority.

With so much at stake, the FCC now has several options. It could ask Congress to give it explicit authority to regulate broadband. Or it could appeal Tuesday's decision.

But both of those steps could take too long because the agency "has too many important things they have to do right away," said Ben Scott, policy director for the public interest group Free Press. Free Press was among the groups that alerted the FCC after The Associated Press ran tests and reported that Comcast was interfering with attempts by some subscribers to share files online.

Scott believes that the likeliest step by the FCC is that it will simply reclassify broadband as a more heavily regulated telecommunications service. That, ironically, could be the worst-case outcome from the perspective of the phone and cable companies.

"Comcast swung an ax at the FCC to protest the BitTorrent order," Scott said. "And they sliced right through the FCC's arm and plunged the ax into their own back."

The battle over the FCC's legal jurisdiction comes amid a larger policy dispute over the merits of net neutrality. Backed by Internet companies such as Google Inc. and the online calling service Skype, the FCC says rules are needed to prevent phone and cable companies from prioritizing some traffic or degrading or services that compete with their core businesses. Indeed, BitTorrent can be used to transfer large files such as online video, which could threaten Comcast's cable TV business.

But broadband providers point to the fact that applications such as BitTorrent use an outsized amount of network capacity.

For its part, the FCC offered no details on its next step, but stressed that it remains committed to the principle of net neutrality.

"Today's court decision invalidated the prior commission's approach to preserving an open Internet," the agency's statement said. "But the court in no way disagreed with the importance of preserving a free and open Internet; nor did it close the door to other methods for achieving this important end."

http://www.savetheinternet.com/

great now we gotta defend home wreckers. THANKS regular press.

2010-03-25T04:04:00.000-07:00

Yknow we VPAR try to be as fair as possible and believe that truth stands above all things. So when we see national "news" outlets all run the same bogus story over and over, we get just a little pissed. YES Michelle Bombshell is a homewrecker and kind of sleazy for sleeping with a married man, but she is not a Nazi. How are we so sure of this?
Our crack team of investigative journalists tracked down some information that proves this very statement. It just so happens one of our members is friends with a model who took a similar picture with the same photographer. So when the story broke and everyone flipped the fucked out, especially being that its like, a 2 year old photo. and THEN no one bothered to correct the callous charges because apparently, Jesse James cheating with a Nazi is a "better" headline than if he just cheated with a tatted up alt model. Well you can say that member got pissed, because when truth is stamped out for the sake of headlines, we are all fucked.

The photographer whose idea was the Nazi pinups was Robert Alvarado and knowing his photos might cause a stir when he took them YEARS ago, he made this statement:

"This is not an apology, it is a preface.

Please note that I do not seek to glorify war or the actions of the political leaders of the Third Reich. War is a terrible loss for both friend and foe as many survivors will attest. Growing up right after WWII, I was drawn to the imagery of Third Reich. The images they used, Iron Cross, Swastika and colors made them appealing to me in a graphic way. Sooooo... one of my projects was to see what I could do with those images and colors in a pin-up way. I have talked to a few friends (Jewish also) and everyone has encouraged me in this project. All I really wanted to do was to incorporate those images into my pinup art and see what happened. What am I trying to say... Just what it would be as if the Nazi's did Pin-Up, and sometimes more. And please... I am not a racist. Pushing it a little... yes, hopefully not too much. This is about Art. I mean no harm to anyone. I also realize that some of you are unable to get past the swastika and what it represented. I would just ask that you please try and view this in an artistic way

Again... this is about Art.

Robert Alvarado"

Here are some of Mr. Alvarado's pics in question.

So are all these models Nazis too???

I wonder if any actual nazis got mad at Alvarado for the picture of the nazi girl being taken hostage by the other girl, becauuuuse it could represent them as not being powerful? Beholden to their enemies in WW2? Supporters of lesbianism? OH! or maybe it doesn't mean SHIT.

Since the bogus accusations broke, Mr. Alvarado has stayed quiet on the subject, no doubt because A) he doesn't want any flack and B) Michelle Bombshell tried to throw him under the bus already in an attempt to save face. Though a stupid decision, who can blame her? Everyone is calling her a NAZI.

In closing we are not going to argue whether or not the WP on her legs means white power or wet pussy because we CAN'T verify that, and we aren't going to discuss her facebook as once saying she liked mein kamph as we'd be surprised if she read AT ALL and that given her book list, she's very much about the extreme "image" of a tattoo model. Our point here today was about the photos used to pigeon-hole our perception for no other reason than greedy info-tainment. So remember that before you vilify a person, first pay attention to if what they are being vilified for is actually true because a mob mentality is a sad and stupid thing. Just ask the tea-baggers.

Relevancy does not equal ice cream cones

2010-03-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

Its nice to see these pervs passing as artists brought to task. Especially Richardson. The article below forgets to mention another such skeez Merlin Bronques. For a long time they both have been indie-darlings and for no other reason than they wore old clothes and convinced young girls that not only does that make them cool, but that fashion apparently starts with no clothes at all. Lets make one thing clear. Shooting in black and white, simple nudes, or with a polaroid camera doesn't make you a photographer. It makes you lazy. And constantly taking photos of girls nude for a "point" you've made 100 times over, DOESN'T make you cutting edge, it makes you a pervert.

There is nudity in photography. Fashion is about whats new and provocative and both done well can inspire you and take your breath away. But then sleazy a-holes like Richardson, Bronques, and Charney use that as a line to get your shirt on the floor. So though they deserve to be called out, The VPAR asks please don't use this as a railroad against truly inspired fashion photography. Instead remember pervs in fashion is much like what Catholics said about pedos. "The problem isn't that all priests are pedophiles, its that pedophiles are becoming priests."

Skeezy Guy Syndrome: Where Porn Meets Fashion

Early on Friday, Page Six reported that photographer Terry Richardson found himself at the wrong end of a tongue-lashing from supermodel Ria Rasmussen at a March 8 fashion event in Paris.

Rasmussen, upset that she’d been featured in Richardson’s 2004 book “Terryworld” alongside young-looking (and just plain young) women depicted in compromising and sexually implicit positions, told the photographer she found his work “utterly degrading.”

“I told him what you do is completely degrading to women,” she recounted to Page Six. “[I said] I hope you know you only [bleep] girls because you have a camera, lots of fashion contacts and get your pictures in Vogue.”

As far as I’m concerned, Rasmussen is not wrong. Richardson is part of a particularly insulting subset of the fashion industry — a group I like to call: The Skeezy Guy. In an industry known, if not quite lambasted for its overuse of underage girls, The Skeezy Guy is an unfortunately prevalent phenomenon. Generically identified as middle-aged modelling agents who take advantage of impressionable and barely-teenaged girls who are often countries away from home, The Skeezy Guy actually comes in many different forms — one perfect example of which is Terry Richardson.

Richardson is known for his over-saturated, Polaroid-esque and often very provocative images featuring beautiful young things in varying states of undress. (Sometimes props are involved; Richardson seems to have a particular fondness for ice cream cones. Also: bukkake.)

While provocation certainly falls under fashion’s purview, provocation with no purpose — or, worse yet, at the expense of dignity — is just cheap and often offensive.

Richardson’s styling as well as his choice of subject, which Rasmussen describes as “girls who appear underage, abused, look like heroin addicts,” are becoming more and more ubiquitous. The most obvious doppelganger is, of course, American Apparel, whose founder Dov Charney just so happens to bear an eerie resemblance to Richardson.

This thing looks like that thing: Terry Richardson and Dov Charney

American Apparel’s in-house advertising team (art-directed, naturally, by Charney) equally blurs the line between pornography and fashion photography — so much so that a recent ad was banned in Britain for “sexualizing a child.” The “child” was, in fact, a 23-year-old model, but it was no accident that she looked younger than 16.

Charney, who at one point faced more than five sexual harrassment lawsuits in a three-year period, often argues that he’s empowering women and celebrating their sexuality. (“Some of us love sluts,” he once claimed during a legal deposition.) Richardson does the same. And these two are not alone. Joining them in my personal Skeevy Guy Hall of Fame is Purple magazine editor Olivier Zahm.

Zahm, who also runs the mag’s blog Purple Diary, often features decidedly NSFW images of women flashing their chests or rolling around an office space on the site. As for why, Zahm recently explained the inspiration for Purple Diary to Style.com:

To me love and sex is the most beautiful thing on earth, you know. It’s more beautiful than a landscape, so I love to keep pictures of the girls in these private moments because they are giving you the most beautiful side of themselves. It’s like a gift from God. It’s beautiful. I’m not New Age, I’m not mystical, I just really love it, and it’s so beautiful to capture with a camera that I really want to share that, you know…And also, Purple is a lifestyle. With my magazine, what I want to do is personally to be more free, and I want people to be more free, to open their possibility of contact, of sex, of love. I want that. This is important to me. I consider that Purple is a free lifestyle. Not in a stupid way, not in a childish or immature way, in a mature way now because I’m 45, 46. So the blog is also this vocation to see what constructs a lifestyle, to see what could be. If my life would be perfect, it would look like the Purple Diary.

While it’s wonderful that these men are so madly in love with women, I just can’t help but wish they’d want to celebrate more than just the female form — or, barring that, celebrate it in a less degrading way.

Unfortunately, one of the key attributes of The Skeezy Guy seems to be cowardice. When confronted by Rasmussen’s ire, Richardson chose to just run away. The next day, Rasmussen’s agency received phone calls from the spurned photographer claiming he’d been slandered in front of his “clients.” As Rasmussen put it, “It was the most cowardly thing I have ever seen.”

But the fault (and cowardice) doesn’t only lie with these men; until the rest of the industry realizes that blow jobs, though perhaps effective, aren’t necessarily the best way to sell products, men like Richardson, Charney, and Zahm will always have a home in fashion.

WoW is a drug? wow...

2010-03-10T02:25:00.000-08:00

18 days since the last post?! Unforgivable. This will be rectified immediately. As we speak Action Rangers responsible are being discharged, their badges taken, their jetpacks confiscated, and their 20% discount at Chipotle revoked. Our apologies. Now back to work.

An article ran recently about how video game developers are no longer striving towards making the best game possible, but making the most addictive game possible. It can come off as almost blasphemous in our circles, but it WILL make you uncomfortable.

5 Creepy Ways Video Games Are Trying to Get You Addicted

So, the headlines say somebody else has died due to video game addiction. Yes, it's Korea again.

What the hell? Look, I'm not saying video games are heroin. I totally get that the victims had other shit going on in their lives. But, half of you reading this know a World of Warcraft addict and experts say video game addiction is a thing. So here's the big question: Are some games intentionally designed to keep you compulsively playing, even when you're not enjoying it?

Oh, hell yes. And their methods are downright creepy.

#5.

Putting You in a Skinner Box

If you've ever been addicted to a game or known someone who was, this article is really freaking disturbing. It's written by a games researcher at Microsoft on how to make video games that hook players, whether they like it or not. He has a doctorate in behavioral and brain sciences. Quote:

"Each contingency is an arrangement of time, activity, and reward, and there are an infinite number of ways these elements can be combined to produce the pattern of activity you want from your players."

Notice his article does not contain the words "fun" or "enjoyment." That's not his field. Instead it's "the pattern of activity you want."

"...at this point, younger gamers will raise their arms above their head, leaving them vulnerable."

His theories are based around the work of BF Skinner, who discovered you could control behavior by training subjects with simple stimulus and reward. He invented the "Skinner Box," a cage containing a small animal that, for instance, presses a lever to get food pellets. Now, I'm not saying this guy at Microsoft sees gamers as a bunch of rats in a Skinner box. I'm just saying that he illustrates his theory of game design using pictures of rats in a Skinner box.

This sort of thing caused games researcher Nick Yee to once call Everquest a "Virtual Skinner Box."

So What's The Problem?

Gaming has changed. It used to be that once they sold us a $50 game, they didn't particularly care how long we played. The big thing was making sure we liked it enough to buy the next one. But the industry is moving toward subscription-based games like MMO's that need the subject to keep playing--and paying--until the sun goes supernova.

Now, there's no way they can create enough exploration or story to keep you playing for thousands of hours, so they had to change the mechanics of the game, so players would instead keep doing the same actions over and over and over, whether they liked it or not. So game developers turned to Skinner's techniques.

This is a big source of controversy in the world of game design right now. Braid creator Jonathan Blow said Skinnerian game mechanics are a form of "exploitation." It's not that these games can't be fun. But they're designed to keep gamers subscribing during the periods when it's not fun, locking them into a repetitive slog using Skinner's manipulative system of carefully scheduled rewards.

Why would this work, when the "rewards" are just digital objects that don't actually exist? Well...

#4.

Creating Virtual Food Pellets For You To Eat

Most addiction-based game elements are based on this fact:

Your brain treats items and goods in the video game world as if they are real. Because they are.

People scoff at this idea all the time ("You spent all that time working for a sword that doesn't even exist?") and those people are stupid. If it takes time, effort and skill to obtain an item, that item has value, whether it's made of diamonds, binary code or beef jerky.

I have easily 500 hours in Zelda bottles.

That's why the highest court in South Korea ruled that virtual goods are to be legally treated the same as real goods. And virtual goods are now a $5 billion industry worldwide.

There's nothing crazy about it. After all, people pay thousands of dollars for diamonds, even though diamonds do nothing but look pretty. A video game suit of armor looks pretty and protects you from video game orcs. In both cases you're paying for an idea.

Happy anniversary, honey.

So What's The Problem?

Of course, virtually every game of the last 25 years has included items you can collect in the course of defeating the game--there's nothing new or evil about that. But because gamers regard in-game items as real and valuable on their own, addiction-based games send you running around endlessly collecting them even if they have nothing to do with the game's objective.

It is very much intentional on the developers' part, an appeal to our natural hoarding and gathering instincts, collecting for the sake of collecting. It works, too, just ask the guy who kept collecting items even while naked boobies sat just feet away. Boobies.

As the article from the Microsoft guy proves, developers know they're using these objects as pellets in a Skinner box. At that point it's all about...

#3.

Making You Press the Lever

So picture the rat in his box. Or, since I'm one of these gamers and don't like to think of myself as a rat, picture an adorable hamster. Maybe he can talk, and is voiced by Chris Rock.

If you want to make him press the lever as fast as possible, how would you do it? Not by giving him a pellet with every press--he'll soon relax, knowing the pellets are there when he needs them. No, the best way is to set up the machine so that it drops the pellets at random intervals of lever pressing. He'll soon start pumping that thing as fast as he can. Experiments prove it.

See? Proof.

They call these "Variable Ratio Rewards" in Skinner land and this is the reason many enemies "drop" valuable items totally at random in WoW. This is addictive in exactly the same way a slot machine is addictive. You can't quit now because the very next one could be a winner. Or the next. Or the next.

"Holy shit! We almost won."

The Chinese MMO ZT Online has the most devious implementation of this I've ever seen. The game is full of these treasure chests that may or may not contain a random item and to open them, you need a key. How do you get the keys? Why, you buy them with real-world money, of course. Like coins in a slot machine.

Wait, that's not the best part. ZT Online does something even the casinos never dreamed up: They award a special item at the end of the day to the player who opens the most chests.

And that's hardly the most ridiculous aspect of the game.

Now, in addition to the gambling element, you have thousands of players in competition with each other, to see who can be the most obsessive about opening the chests. One woman tells of how she spent her entire evening opening chests--over a thousand--to try to win the daily prize.

She didn't. There was always someone else more obsessed.

So What's The Problem?

Are you picturing her sitting there, watching her little character in front of the chest, clicking dialogue boxes over and over, watching the same animation over and over, for hour after hour?

If you didn't know any better, you'd think she had a crippling mental illness. How could she possibly get from her rational self to that Rain Man-esque compulsion?

BF Skinner knew. He called that training process "shaping." Little rewards, step by step, like links in a chain. In WoW you decide you want the super cool Tier 10 armor. You need five separate pieces. To get the full set, you need more than 400 Frost Emblems, which are earned a couple at a time, from certain enemies. Then you need to upgrade each piece of armor with Marks of Sanctification. Then again with Heroic Marks of Sanctification. To get all that you must re-run repetitive missions and sit, clicking your mouse, for days and days and days. Boobies be damned.

Once it gets to that point, can you even call that activity a "game" anymore? It's more like scratching a rash. And it gets worse...

Keeping You Pressing It... Forever

Now, the big difference between our Skinner box hamster and a real human is that we humans can get our pellets elsewhere. If a game really was just nothing but clicking a box for random rewards, we'd eventually drop it to play some other game. Humans need a long-term goal to keep us going, and the world of addictive gaming has got this down to a science. Techniques include...

Easing Them In:

First, set up the "pellets" so that they come fast at first, and then slower and slower as time goes on. This is why they make it very easy to earn rewards (or level up) in the beginning of an MMO, but then the time and effort between levels increases exponentially. Once the gamer has experienced the rush of leveling up early, the delayed gratification actually increases the pleasure of the later levels. That video game behavior expert at Microsoft found that gamers play more and more frantically as they approach a new level.

Eliminating Stopping Points:

The easiest way is to just put save points far apart, or engage the player in long missions (like WoW raids) that, once started, are difficult to get out of without losing progress.

But that can be frustrating for gamers, so you can take the opposite approach of a game like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, where you make the levels really short so it's like eating potato chips. They're so small on their own that it doesn't take much convincing to get the player to grab another one, and soon they've eaten the whole bag.

Somewhere in that bag is an angry dinosaur and a kidnapped princess.

By the way, this is the same reason a person who wouldn't normally read a 3,000-word article on the Internet will happily read it if it's split up into list form. Are you ignoring boobies to read this? I've done my job!

Play It Or Lose It:

This is the real dick move. Why reward the hamster for pressing the lever? Why not simply set it up so that when he fails to press it, we punish him?

Behaviorists call this "avoidance." They set the cage up so that it gives the animal an electric shock every 30 seconds unless it hits the lever. It learns very very fast to stay on the lever, all the time, hitting it over and over. Forever.

"Get back to Excitebike!"

Why is your mom obsessively harvesting her crops in Farmville? Because they wither and rot if she doesn't. In Ultima Online, your house or castle would start to decay if you didn't return to it regularly. In Animal Crossing, the town grows over with weeds and your virtual house becomes infested with cockroaches if you don't log in often enough. It's the crown jewel of game programming douchebaggery--keep the player clicking and clicking and clicking just to avoid losing the stuff they worked so hard to get.

All Of the Above:

Each of those techniques has a downside and to get the ultimate addictive game, you combine as many as possible, along with the "random drop" gambling element mentioned before (count how many of these techniques are in WoW). They get the hamster running back and forth from one lever to another to another.

If the levers are far away, they may drive their adorable cars from one lever to another.

So What's The Problem?

We asked earlier if the item collection via obsessive clicking could be called a "game." So that raises the question: What is a game?

Well, we humans play games because there is a basic satisfaction in mastering a skill, even if it's a pointless one in terms of our overall life goals. It helps us develop our brains (especially as children) and to test ourselves without serious consequences if we fail. This is why our brains reward us with the sensation we call "fun" when we do it. Hell, even dolphins do it:

This is why I haven't included games like Guitar Hero in this article. They're addictive, sure, but in a way everybody understands. It's perfectly natural to enjoy getting good at something. Likewise, competitive games like Modern Warfare 2 are just sports for people who lack athleticism. There's no mystery there; everybody likes to win.

But these "hit the lever until you pass out from starvation" gaming elements stray into a different area completely. As others have pointed out, the point is to keep you playing long after you've mastered the skills, long after you've wrung the last real novel experience from it. You can't come up with a definition of "fun" that encompasses the activity of clicking a picture of a treasure chest with your mouse a thousand times.

This is why some writers blasted Blizzard when WoW introduced a new "achievement" system a couple of years ago. These are rewards tied to performing random pointless tasks, over and over again (such as, fishing until you catch a thousand fish). No new content, no element of practice, or discovery, or mastery was included. Just a virtual treadmill.

Or a hamster wheel.

Of course, game developers (and various commenters, I'm sure) would correctly point out that nobody is making the players do it. Why would humans voluntarily put themselves in laboratory hamster mode? Well, it's all about...

#1.

Getting You To Call the Skinner Box Home

Do you like your job?

Considering half of you are reading this at work, I'm going to guess no. And that brings us to the one thing that makes gaming addiction--and addiction in general--so incredibly hard to beat.

As shocking as this sounds, a whole lot of the "guy who failed all of his classes because he was playing WoW all the time" horror stories are really just about a dude who simply didn't like his classes very much. This was never some dystopian mind control scheme by Blizzard. The games just filled a void.

Why do so many of us have that void? Because according to everything expert Malcolm Gladwell, to be satisfied with your job you need three things, and I bet most of you don't even have two of them:

Autonomy (that is, you have some say in what you do day to day);

Complexity (so it's not mind-numbing repetition);

Connection Between Effort and Reward (i.e. you actually see the awesome results of your hard work).

Notice that pants are not necessary for job satisfaction.

Most people, particularly in the young gamer demographics, don't have this in their jobs or in any aspect of their everyday lives. But the most addictive video games are specifically geared to give us all three... or at least the illusion of all three.

Autonomy:

You pick your quests, or which Farmville crops to plant. Hell, you even pick your own body, species and talents.

Annoying your Facebook friends with updates is a really annoying talent.

Complexity:

Players will do monotonous grinding specifically because it doesn't feel like grinding. Remember the complicated Tier Armor/Frost Emblem dance that kept our gamer clicking earlier.

Connection Between Effort and Reward:

This is the big one. When you level up in WoW a goddamned plume of golden light shoots out of your body.

This is what most of us don't get in everyday life--quick, tangible rewards. It's less about instant gratification and more about a freaking sense of accomplishment. How much harder would we work at the office if we got this, and could measure our progress toward it? And if the light shot from our crotch?

The beauty of it is it lets games use the tedium to their advantage. As we discussed elsewhere, there's a "work to earn the right to play" aspect of World of Warcraft, where you grind or "farm" for gold for the right to do the cool stuff later. The tedious nature of the farming actually adds to the sense of accomplishment later. And it also helps squash any sense of guilt you might have had about neglecting school, work or household chores to play the game. After all, you did your chores--the 12 hours you spent farming for gold last Tuesday was less fun than mowing the fucking lawn. Now it's time for fun.

So What's The Problem?

Video game designer Erin Hoffman said it perfectly: "Addiction is not about what you DO, but what you DON'T DO because of the replacement of the addictive behavior." She was talking about how the attraction of a simple flash game like Bejeweled depends entirely on how badly you want to avoid doing the work you have open in the other window.

Wait, what was I saying again?

The terrible truth is that a whole lot of us begged for a Skinner Box we could crawl into, because the real world's system of rewards is so much more slow and cruel than we expected it to be. In that, gaming is no different from other forms of mental escape, from sports fandom to moonshine.

Heroin: It's pretty much WoW in a syringe.

The danger lies in the fact that these games have become so incredibly efficient at delivering the sense of accomplishment that people used to get from their education or career. We're not saying gaming will ruin the world, or that gaming addiction will be a scourge on youth the way crack ruined the inner cities in the 90s. But we may wind up with a generation of dudes working at Starbucks when they had the brains and talent for so much more. They're dissatisfied with their lives because they wasted their 20s playing video games, and will escape their dissatisfaction by playing more video games. Rinse, repeat.

And let's face it; if you think WoW is addictive, wait until you see the games they're making 10 years from now. They're only getting better at what they do.

local school officials abuse their power?? The hell you say!

2010-02-20T01:21:00.000-08:00

(When Frontline did a story last month about technology and one portion was on laptops in school and about how teachers monitor what students are doing in the class, we saw this coming. I personally laughed the whole fucking way through reading this story. It actually broke a few days ago, but at that point there was no response from the school so we sat on it until they slithered out a statement. Fucking hilarious.)

PHILADELPHIA – A Pennsylvania school district accused of secretly switching on laptop computer webcams inside students' homes is under investigation by federal authorities, a law enforcement official with knowledge of the case told The Associated Press.

The FBI will look into whether any federal wiretap or computer-intrusion laws were violated by Lower Merion School District officials, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the investigation, told the AP on Friday.

Days after a student filed suit over the practice, Lower Merion officials acknowledged Friday that they remotely activated webcams 42 times in the past 14 months, but only to find missing student laptops. They insist they never did so to spy on students, as the student's family claimed in the federal lawsuit.

Families were not informed of the possibility the webcams might be activated in their homes without their permission in the paperwork students sign when they get the computers, district spokesman Doug Young said.

"It's clear what was in place was insufficient, and that's unacceptable," Young said.

The district has suspended the practice amid the lawsuit and the accompanying uproar from students, the community and privacy advocates. District officials hired outside counsel to review the past webcam activations and advise the district on related issues, Young said.

Remote-activation software can be used to capture keystrokes, send commands over the Internet or turn computers into listening devices by turning on built-in microphones. People often use it for legitimate purposes — to access computers from remote locations, for example. But hackers can use it to steal passwords and spouses to track the whereabouts of partners or lovers.

The Pennsylvania case shows how even well-intentioned plans can go awry if officials fail to understand the technology and its potential consequences, privacy experts said. Compromising images from inside a student's bedroom could fall into the hands of rogue school staff or otherwise be spread across the Internet, they said.

"What about the (potential) abuse of power from higher ups, trying to find out more information about the head of the PTA?" wondered Ari Schwartz, vice president at the Center for Democracy and Technology. "If you don't think about the privacy and security consequences of using this kind of technology, you run into problems."

The FBI opened its investigation after news of the suit broke on Thursday, the law-enforcement official said. Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman may also investigate, she said Friday.

Lower Merion, an affluent district in Philadelphia's suburbs, issues Apple laptops to all 2,300 students at its two high schools. Only two employees in the technology department were authorized to activate the cameras — and only to locate missing laptops, Young said. The remote activations captured images but never recorded sound, he said.

No one had complained before Harriton High School student Blake Robbins and his parents, Michael and Holly Robbins, filed their lawsuit Tuesday, he said.

According to the suit, Harriton vice principal Lindy Matsko told Blake on Nov. 11 that the school thought he was "engaged in improper behavior in his home." She allegedly cited as evidence a photograph "embedded" in his school-issued laptop.

The suit does not say if the boy's laptop had been reported stolen, and Young said the litigation prevents him from disclosing that fact. He said the district never violated its policy of only using the remote-activation software to find missing laptops. "Infer what you want," Young said.

The suit accuses the school of turning on Blake's webcam while the computer was inside his Penn Valley home, allegedly violating wiretap laws and his right to privacy.

Blake Robbins told KYW-TV on Friday that a school official described him in his room and mistook a piece of candy for a pill.

"She described what I was doing," he said. "She said she thought I had pills and said she thought that I was selling drugs."

Robbins said he was holding a Mike and Ike candy, not pills.

Holly Robbins said a school official told her that she had a picture of Blake holding up what she thought were pills.

"It was an invasion of privacy; it was like we had a Peeping Tom in our house," Holly Robbins told WPVI-TV. "I send my son to school to learn, not to be spied on."

Neither the family nor their lawyer, Mark Haltzman, returned calls from The Associated Press for comments this week.

The remote activations helped the district locate 28 of the 42 missing computers, Young said. He could not immediately say whether the technology staff was authorized to share the images with Matsko or other officials.

Either way, the potential for abuse is nearly limitless, especially because many teens keep their computers in their bedrooms, experts said.

"This is an age where kids explore their sexuality, so there's a lot of that going on in the room," said Witold Walczak, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which is not involved in the Robbins case. "This is fodder for child porn."

(Here's how we believe the exchange went between Vice Principal Lindy Matsko and the student Blake Robbins.)

Lindy Matsko: Have a seat Blake. Can you explain what these are? (places down photos)

Blake Robbins:...what the fuck...is, is that me? in my room?? Where did you get this?! Are you spying on me from my window?!?

LM: Yes that is you Blake. In your room. We monitor students laptops from time to time to check if they are missing and we spotted you at home with some red pills of some kind.

BR: Woah woah, you monitor our laptops?! You mean you people are watching us all the time at home?! What are you, pedos?!

LM: Don't change the subject! Are those pills?! Are you a drug dealer?!

BR: *whew* Ok lemme say three things. One, No I am not a drug dealer because, Two, THOSE are mike and ikes candy, and Three, I'm going to SUE THE EVER LOVING MOTHER FUCKING SHIT OUT OF ALL OF YOU! Do you have any idea the privacy and invasion implications this has?? The kind of laws you're breaking??

LM: They are school property laptops, we can do what we like.

BR: OK you say that to the judge and see if he doesn't laugh his ass off.

LM: Now listen young man

BR: NO YOU LISTEN. I'm going to go call my mom now, who is then going to call her lawyer, the local news stations, and the FBI and by the time this is all over, you'll be lucky if they let you inept perverted fuckers stay on as crossing guards. PEACE. *storms out*

(At least, that's how we HOPE it happened. ^_^

Thank you for joining us for another edition of VPAR Theater. Tune in next blog when we act out how the Supreme Court came to its decision in the corporate funding of elections case. Here's a hint. Scalia eats the whole time and Clarence Thomas locks himself in the bathroom. Goodnight. ~O_^ )

It's beautiful...

2010-02-15T18:56:00.000-08:00

The hubble telescope took this picture of Saturn. Rarely do you see images of both Saturn and its rings, but luckily here it is. In all its blue glory. Saturn doesn't actually blink like that, its a sped up image. The blinking on top os saturn is its own version of the Northern Lights. It really quite amazing. That's all until the annual tf update. Go forward fellow rangers.

The Demon Comcast rises AGAIIN! and an honorary vpar answers the call!

2010-02-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

Y'know between Obama's centrist turn, The Supreme Court allowing corporations to buy elections, The loss of Ted Kennedy's seat, and Senator Shelby making it clear he is bought and paid for, We Action Rangers have had little to be excited about politically. But fortunately we found a small morsel to smile about.

Its no secret that we Action Rangers loathe Comcast and their underhanded practices, megalomaniacal business model, or just plain douche like ability to fuck over everyone in their grasp. We have long reported every single dickfaced thing they've done and now with their attempted merger with NBC, their dick shaped face will have an even longer reach. Here's a quick list of what they've done, and what they will be capable of if they are allowed ANOTHER chunk of the media pie.

1) Comcast Buys Influence
The communications industry is, after all, second only to Big Pharma in Washington influence-peddling. Comcast spent more than $5.5 million in campaign contributions since 2006 alone to have their way in Washington. That's not counting more than $50 million they've spent on lobbying in the past three years!

2) How Much Is Enough?
Comcast earned more than $3.6 billion in profits in 2009 while claiming they didn't have enough money to invest in faster Internet networks ... and while raising rates as much as 50 percent over the past five years in some markets.

3) Fat Cat CEO
In 2008, CEO Brian Roberts was ranked as one of five "Highest Paid Worst Performers" in America. 2008 income: $40.8 million. Sitting on Capitol Hill yesterday, he raked in more than $100,000.

4) Bad Customer Service
Comcast ranked second only to AOL in poor customer service, according to a 2009 Zogby/MSM Money poll. Comcast service is so bad they drove a 75-year-old woman named Mona Shaw to wreck one of their stores with a hammer.

5) Comcast Lies and Plays Dirty
In official 2006 testimony, Comcast Vice President David L. Cohen said: "If Comcast were to try to 'deny, delay, or degrade' the Internet experience that our more than 9 million cable Internet customers have paid for, how can we possibly expect to keep them as customers. ... Any provider that does not meet the needs of users will suffer from a serious backlash from consumers and policymakers." Well his company answered his own question by their very business practices. Comcast on a regular basis works to make sure they have no competitors of any kind in the areas they do business, leaving customers to take either them or no one as their cable provider.

Then in 2008, after being caught illegally blocking content Cohen admitted: "Comcast may on a limited basis temporarily delay certain P2P traffic." That's the same year Comcast was caught paying for seat fillers at a public FCC hearing into their illegal Internet blocking. Only this year, after being censured by the FCC, did Roberts admit to the company's "mistake."

6) Comcast Censors Political Speech
Comcast prevents ads from running that criticize the company's political friends. They even fired a newscaster who dared to question an award they were bestowing on Bill O'Reilly.

7) Comcast Blocks Independent Voices
Despite digging up our city streets and enjoying a near-monopoly for decades, Comcast has consistently tried to shirk its community responsibilities - including trying to kick public, educational and government channels into the cable-tier equivalent of Siberia.

8) Goodbye Free Online Video
If this takeover goes through, Comcast will likely pull free NBC content from sites like Hulu and put them behind a "paywall." In Thursday's congressional testimony, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts claimed he wouldn't, but he left wiggle room for his "TV Everywhere" scheme that would force you to pay for a cable subscription to watch your favorite Comcast- and NBC-owned shows online.

9) Launching a Merger Wave
Think this deal stinks? Just wait. If approved, a Comcast/NBC deal would set off a wave of mega-deals as other companies try to keep up. If this deal goes through, you can be sure Verizon-Disney or AT&T-Viacom won't be far behind.

10) Comcast Can't Be Trusted
It's clear Comcast will say and do anything to sell this deal and try to keep Congress and the federal regulators from getting involved to safeguard the public interest. The spin cycle is already starting.

But luckily one of our own is in the fight and he isn't going to take any bullshit. Honorary V.P.A.R. Al Franken grilled both NBC prick Jeff Zucker and Comcast's CEO as a member of the judiciary committee and made it clear he won't just roll over for the sake of campaign dollars.

Here's hoping that Franken can gain some traction and get some of his colleagues to join because this deal juust about everybody. Cant figure out what to do? Email your congressman and senators. Its important they know that the people who vote for them do not want this. So get to it! XD

Why The iPad Is Crap Futurism

2010-01-29T01:58:00.000-08:00

(A great article by io9 about not just the iPad, but where our technology and us with it is headed. Personally I think it sheds a light on just how retarded most of Apple's products actually are.)

The real question about Apple's new multi-touch pseudo-computer, dubbed the iPad, is not whether it sucks or rocks. What all of us really want to know is whether it will change the future. The answer? Yes, but badly.

The iPad And The World Of Tomorrow

To break it down: The iPad looks basically like an iPhone, but with a 9.7 inch screen. It runs the same software as the iPhone, can connect to the internet, and seems to work nicely for reading books, newspapers and magazines, watching video, checking Google maps, reading your email, surfing the web, and casual gaming. Like the iPhone, it has no keyboard - you can touch-type on the screen. (It also has a keyboard attachment that you can buy separately.)

Why is this outsize version of the iPhone so important that the internet basically exploded over it yesterday? Mostly because Apple's last two new mobile devices - the iPod and the iPhone - changed the way people think about computers. They really did change the future, by making it glaringly obvious that computing devices are not all desktop PCs - they can be specialized music players, or telephone/internet toys that put the web in your pocket. They are the beautiful, cool poster gadgets for the mobile computer generation; they are what we imagine when we think of tomorrow's machines.

The Mythical Convergence Device

The iPad promises to be just as revolutionary as its predecessors, for one reason. It embodies, as much as possible, the "mythical convergence device" that technophiles have been craving for almost two decades. The convergence device, which people began to discuss seriously in the 1990s, would be a unified gadget where you could consume many kinds of media, especially TV and the web, with the same gadget.

This is exactly what the iPad does, helped along by the fact that so much television is available online already. And you can add books to this convergence, too (possibly even with a Kindle app). The iPad is also the perfect shape for a convergence box. Its screen is about the size of a quality paperback or small television set. There's none of that scrunching your forehead as you peer into the teeny screen of the iPhone to read a book or watch YouTube.

What I'm saying is that the iPad appeals to a very deep and longlived fantasy in the consumer electronics world: A device that does it all. At least, if all you want to do is consume media.

And there's the problem.

Reinventing The Television

Apple is marketing the iPad as a computer, when really it's nothing more than a media-consumption device - a convergence television, if you will. Think of it this way: One of the fundamental attributes of computers is that they are interactive and reconfigurable. You can change the way a computer behaves at a very deep level. Interactivity on the iPad consists of touching icons on the screen to change which application you're using. Hardly more interactive than changing channels on a TV. Sure, you can compose a short email or text message; you can use the Brushes app to draw a sketch. But those activities are not the same thing as programming the device to do something new. Unlike a computer, the iPad is simply not reconfigurable.

The iPad emulates television in another way, too: You can channel surf through the Apps Store, but you can't change what's playing. Every single app that's available for the iPad has to be approved by Apple first, just like apps for iPhones. That means censorship of "offensive" apps, no apps that compete with Apple (i.e., no Google Voice), and no random app somebody wrote to do whatever obscure shit you want to do. So you've got thousands of channels and nothing on. You can only keep flipping through the channels, hoping in vain to see something other than reruns of Cheaters and Alf.

If you want something new, there are very limited ways of getting it. You can write an app, and it might be accepted to the Apps Store. Or you can write your own (unacceptable) app and hand it out to a few friends, if you and they are technically savvy enough. But most users won't be in that position.

As futurist Jamais Cascio told io9:

This is Apple's big push of its top-down control over applications into the general-purpose computing world. The only applications that will work with the iPad are those approved by Apple, under very opaque conditions. On a phone, that's borderline acceptable, but it's not for something that is positioned to overlap with regular computers.

The iPad has all the problems of television, with none of the benefits of computers.

Back To The Shopping Mall

So if it's not a computer, what exactly is the iPad? It could be just a really tarted-up ebook reader, which would make sense if you consider that the iPad is competing with Amazon's Kindle. So it's a reinvention of the book, a fairly old technology, but in a gleaming new package. Except that package isn't even very new, as futurist and science fiction author Karl Schroeder pointed out. He told io9 that the iPad isn't about brilliant hardware innovation, and that in fact the device doesn't even use state-of-the-art ebook tech like e-ink.

Speaking to us via email, Schroeder said:

What Apple has done (again) is seize the moment with a combination of a device and a business model . . . even if e-ink provides a better reading experience for books (reading on an iPad will continue to literally mean staring into a lamp, just like reading on a computer screen), it doesn't matter because it's the total package of iTunes, iBookstore, 3G, games, apps etc. that will pull ebook readers along with it. Consider that the iPad is a closed platform that doesn't even multitask; if the technology mattered, those would be major considerations for the buyer. But they won't be, because when you buy an iPad, you buy access to the whole Apple business ecology.

Looked at from this angle, the iPad isn't so much new technology as it is a shiny, pretty doorway to a mall where you can buy everything from books to movies.

The iPad hasn't brought us forward into the future. It's taken us backward to a world of strip malls and televisions.

Another Vision Of The Future

So the iPad takes us back to the 1980s, or maybe even the 1950s. It's likely to be a device that changes our future, but what that means is we're facing a tomorrow where true innovation is sidelined by a device that represents a convergence of old media and shopping.

But as John Connor would say, we can change the future. That might be as simple as pushing Apple to change its App Store policies to make iPads less like TVs and more like computers. As Lifehacker's Adam Pash put it, "The App Store isn't exactly the problem-it's the way Apple runs and limits the App Store." He suggests that Apple could create a special "Restricted section" for its App Store. He continues:

Rather than reject applications that it feels may confuse the user (like they claimed Google Voice or Google Latitude might), or applications that allow users to access naughty pictures, or even applications that it hasn't had time to vet for the App Store proper, [Apple] put those applications in the Restricted section. Before a user is able to install applications from the Restricted section, that user has to agree that the application may confuse their feeble minds, offend their delicate sensibilities, or even slow down their device. Is this such a problem? . . . Even better, [the iPad] could work like the package manager it actually is and allow users to add their own trusted repositories as sources for other applications . . . The point is, users should at least be allowed to flip some switch, somewhere on the machine, that says, "Hey computer, I'm an adult, and I take responsibility over how I use this machine."

A convergence device that can also be reprogrammed the way computers can? Now we're in the twenty-first century.

Another possibility would be for developers and investors to focus on hardware that truly is innovative and futuristic. Schroeder says:

There's really nothing in the iPad that's new; if you want truly new, disruptive tech that would be at a similar price point if commercialized, look at Pranav Mistry's SixthSense and related projects.

SixthSense is a gesture-controlled mobile device with a projector - you can see its telephone app at work above. You project the phone onto your hand and press the buttons. You can also use gestures to take pictures. This is truly the next step in mobile computing, and will likely revolutionize computer networks in ways we can't yet imagine.

What Is To Be Done?

I know a lot of otherwise-savvy consumers and hackers who are already drooling over the iPad and putting in their orders. They hate the idea of a restricted device, but they love the shiny-shiny. I'm not saying that they should deprive themselves of this pretty new toy. What I am saying is that this toy represents a crappy, pathetic future. It is no more revolutionary than those expensive, hot boots I bought at Fluevog, and only slightly more useful.

The only way iPads can truly become futuristic devices is if we hack them so that we can pour whatever operating system we want inside. We need to jailbreak these media boxes so we can install the apps we want, not the ones provided by the Apple shopping mall.

Do not be content with a television when you can have a computer.

Do not be content with yesterday's machines, because the future is before you. Ready to be hacked.

(as a former employee of Apple, getting them to open their machines to tinkering like a PC is as far from reality as one can go. Apple's entire business model is 'were what is new'. Apple will deride its own former products to make way for its younger evolution. Not only to keep with its delusional aesthetic that it creates the future, but as a way to keep you buying a brand new machine, instead of just an upgraded component. Expect Apple to continue just polishing their junk and then expecting you to thank them for it.)

It's The Tomorrow Show with Conan O' Brien!

2010-01-11T21:43:00.000-08:00

17 years later and still NBC hasn't learned a goddamn thing.

This week NBC announced that though they believed in their "experiment" to move Jay Leno into primetime was a good idea, the amount of pissed off affiliates was too much to bear and are pulling the plug, aaand shoving said plug into Conan O' Brien's face.

NBC announced that it will enact a clause in both Leno's and O'Briens contracts to allow NBC to move Lenos show to 11:35pm, and shorten to a half hour, while moving the Tonight Show to 12:05am. Away from the start time it's had for like, 50 years.

Why is this happening? Two reasons.

1) Your Local NBC station flipped the fuck out. Local affiliates make alot of their money from ad dollars from their local news broadcasts. So they need a strong lead-in show with high ratings to increase the amount of people who will watch the local news. Ever notice how within seconds of a 10pm hour long drama ending, the news starts up with some gripping headline of shock and crime? Now you know the reason. To try and suck all those viewers of the show that just ended into watching that news broadcast, including the commercials aired during it. OK. Well The Jay Leno Show did so poorly viewership wise, that the local affiliates saw upwards of a 50% drop off in viewership. Which made their local news adspace less profitable. Now even though the Jay Leno Show was making NBC money because its operating costs were still lower than the adspace revenue during its own broadcast. That doesn't do dick for the local WBNC's, KNBC's etc, around the country.

2) NBC is greedy. 17 years ago NBC created one of the most dramatic news stories of the past 20 years in TV by not only not giving Letterman the Tonight Show, BUT also trying to nail him to the wall with his own contract and keep him firmly at Late Night. Basically telling him tough titty we got paper with your ink on it. From that point it caused a year long battle over the Tonight Show, which ultimately led to David Letterman leaving to CBS and leaving NBC coming off like assholes. Today isn't much different. Instead of the plethora of options available to them, NBC has decided it would rather have 4 unhappy late night hosts, than 3 and one guy off happily in the hands of the enemy. Is it business? Yes. Is it also a dick move? Yes.

This isn't new for NBC. Back when Jack Paar left the Tonight Show, they gave him a prime-time show like Jay Lenos, except it only ran on fridays. It seems NBC has an almost devious inferiority complex when it comes to late night television.

Of all the options available to them,

-Give Leno a show just once a week like Paar from 10 to 11. Thus easing the pressure on affiliates.
-Give Leno a half hour during earlier primetime in any of the 4 slots between 8 and 10, 5 days a week.
-Give him a show on any of the other channels in NBC's lineup.
-LET LENO GO.

They decided on the option that speaks directly to how they will screw anyone to make sure no one else gets who they feel is theirs. The whole reason ANY of this ever happened was because when O'Brien was up for renewal, he asked for a guarantee of getting the Tonight Show at some point or he would walk, so NBC forced Leno to set a retire date against his wishes, because god forbid they lost Conan then, But God forbid they lost Leno too (who began talking with ABC about taking Kimmel's timeslot), so *poof* The Jay Leno Show.

Since the news, rumors have come in that O'Brien wants out of his contract, and FOX is courting him openly as they've never had a handle on late night and feel his demographic will play best there.

The smallest, sad little WTF part of all this is, if it happens as NBC wants it, "Later" now called "Last Call" will be canceled after 22 years. Was it the best show? No not at all, but the WTF moment is that NBC wont even let Carson Daly go either! They're keeping him there with no foreseeable job to do.

Now we VPAR have no qualms with Leno or his skills as a host, and we know its what he lives for, But Leno loves the Tonight Show and we expect he'll walk before he harms it, his friend Conan, or let himself be seen as an usurper once again, if even on the surface.

Good luck guys, and fuck NBC.

UPDATE: Conan O'Brien has since put out a statement saying the same thing. That the Tonight Show is too cemented as an institution to just shuffle around. Below is his full statement.

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

Lets hope Jay takes the hint and steps up.

Addendum: Alot of sensationalist "news" outlets have been reporting this story as Conan O'Brien is leaving NBC and lets be clear, that is not true. He made clear he won't do the show at 12:05am. Right now its still on at 11:35pm which is why he's still doing shows. Its up to NBC to decide what to do with Leno, and frankly Leno isn't dumb enough to think he'll have much of a career if he took the Tonight Show back IF Conan walks, after all this. But given the higher ratings this is giving Conan, you can bet NBC will drag their feet in a decision so as to reap the benefits. Popeater is reporting that Leno is furious with NBC for staying silent while HE gets painted as the bad guy in all this and HE'S thinking of walking. But though it seems logical, it's Popeater so who can really believe it? Though Mike Ryan there wrote a piece about Leno that we VPAR DO NOT agree with in its ultimate point, but the reality concerning how Leno deserves some sympathy rings very true. More to come were sure.

do I want the meal with that? FUCK NO!

2010-01-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

Holy shit was a holiday season. We hope all you fellow action rangers had a great vacation. We werent due back until this coming Monday, but this bit of news had to be shared, given how much junk we our members consume on a weekly basis.

Didn't think the fast food industry could get any grosser? Well it can.

This time, it's not the food, but the soda fountains to be worried about. According to Tom Laskawy, a media and technology professional and blogger for grist.org, a team of microbiologists from Hollins University found that 48% of sodas tested from the fast food fountains contain coliform bacteria, which is typically fecal in origin. And most bacteria found were antibiotic resistant, as icing on the cake.

The microbiologists published their findings in the International Journal of Food Microbiology. They tested 90 beverages from 30 soda fountains. Their abstract states:

...Coliform bacteria was detected in 48% of the beverages and 20% had a heterotrophic plate count greater than 500 cfu/ml. [...] More than 11% of the beverages analyzed contained Escherichia coli [E. Coli] and over 17% contained Chryseobacterium meningosepticum. Other opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms isolated from the beverages included species of Klebsiella, Staphylococcus, Stenotrophomonas, Candida, and Serratia. Most of the identified bacteria showed resistance to one or more of the 11 antibiotics tested.

Laskawy notes that only one recorded outbreak linked to a soda fountain has occurred, and that was ten years ago. But on a smaller scale, these bacteria could cause sickness on an individual level that can go unreported.

the best protest EVAR

2009-12-23T23:00:00.000-08:00

We are thinking of having a support drive. Having our french VPAR handing out miniskirts for the cause. VIVENT LA REVOLUTION! XD

French youth across the country are rebelling against various new school dress codes that ban low-slung trousers, short garments and piercings, and even holes in trousers and garments above the knee.

At Lycee Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire in Essonne, south of Paris, 300 of the 2,100 students came to school wearing short shorts or mini-skirts. And at Lycee Condorcet d'Arcachon in Gironde, 200 students protested in the streets. One student said, "We're at school, we don't want to feel like we are in a prison," according to the Independent UK.

Lycee Saint-Jean-Hulst in Versailles, has taken a different approach in dealing with sartorial rebels. Girls wearing short skirts are given overalls to change into, and boys sporting saggy pants are lent a pair of suspenders.

Op-Ed: Not to mention the disposable income. XD

2009-12-21T01:06:00.000-08:00

update: (lets just be clear this is no way means that VPAR are against children. Have all you like. They're cool. Its an op-ed so stop emailing.)

I feel the need to relay a large point I made earlier.

Anyone having kids today does so out of pure selfishness. I was then asked to consider the joy and happiness a child can bring.

That's right. YOUR joy. YOUR Happiness. What about theirs? And there-in lies the many problems.

Kids today are bombarded with way more information than they can process. Between 24 hour non-stop, on-demand whatever they want on TV and the internet, their forcefully raised way too quick. Even if you work to keep them shielded from something, their friends are seeing it so the effort is futile.

Not to mention the effect it has on their egos. Kids today play little league games with no winners, play soccer games where everyone's a "hero." Because god forbid a child learns how to properly deal with loss. Then between their 800 facebook friends, their 5000 myspace friends and their 300 followers on twitter their psyches are built to think people give a crap about the mundane shit they do. Now more than ever the illusion of the "american dream" of fame and fortune is perceived to be reachable because they've seen no talent nothings "achieve". Bathroom mirrors and digital cameras are two of the biggest culprits for your kids inflated sense of self.

There's no more social conscience. Even adults today spend hours trying to find the right ringtone or laptop color that will tell the world who they REALLY are. Kids are so self involved and cold in this century of electronic detachment that they'd eat each other alive for a chance to meet a member of the Twilight cast.

And so how do we handle it when the little starlets can't cope? Well its a product of a chemical blah blah, their midichlorian level is too high, A.D.D. this, Autism that, and so here's some pills, this will fix it aaaannd BOOM, nothing is their fault.

But SOMEONE has to be to blame and between Tyra Banks and every "DR" with a book, everything always ends up being the parents fault. You'll never win. You miss a soccer game because you had to work and before you know it your daughter has daddy issues and is dating a guy twice her age and your son is in therapy 5 times a week and can't get a hard-on.

But NONE of that even matters because with the current state of global warming and the little were actually doing about it, kids born today will spend the second half of their life in fucking Waterworld. And Kevin Costner's hot-air balloon wont fit everybody.

So no, I don't want kids.

well NO SHIT

2009-12-18T10:48:00.001-08:00

A New Poll taken this week shows that a large majority of americans would reject a health care reform bill that has neither the public option or Medicare expansion but STILL has a buy-in mandate. NO DUH. Why is the mandate SO unpopular? Well right now Senate leaders are all over Washington trying to spin that they finally have a healthcare reform bill they can pass, as long as they remove the public option and the Medicare expansion because, After all, they say that even without them, the bill still "covers" 30 million more Americans.

What they are talking about is that "individual mandate." That's a section of the bill that requires every single American buy health insurance or break the law and face penalties and fines. So, the bill doesn't actually "cover" 30 million more Americans -- instead it makes them criminals if they don't buy insurance from the same companies that got us into this mess."

Will Obama next make us ship packages only with Fedex and not the post office? Will we have to call blackwater when we hear a burglar, instead of the police? What ELSE do we have to do that will just rip us off while lining the pockets of private industry?

We've reported in the past that we were always skeptical of Obama given the remark made by his college professor that while at Harvard everyone thought Obama was a republican. Now it seems those inklings bore fruit as he has proven that while campaigning for the little guy, he really intended to work for the big corporations.

This bill as it stands isn't popular with too many people outside of the healthcare industry and their whores. Howard Dean has taken quite a bit of shit for commenting that the bill in its current version should be killed. Despite being ridiculed by the same White House that championed him just a year ago, he refuses to stop his criticism and we appreciate that. Here's an excerpt from his most recent op-ed piece.

The truth is that health care reform was probably doomed to be deeply imperfect. As Ezra Klein pointed out a few weeks ago, we're basically in a hostage situation: progressives really, really want to cover the uninsured, while centrists whose votes are needed can take it or leave it. So the centrists have a lot of power -- which in the case of Joe Lieberman means the power to double-cross and indulge his pettiness.

Now, in a hostage situation there are times when you have to just say no -- when giving in, by encouraging future hostage-takers, would be worse than letting the hostages perish. So the question has to be, is this one of those times? I don't think so, given the history: as Kevin Drum points out, health reform has come back weaker after each defeat. I'd also point out that highly imperfect insurance reforms, like Social Security and Medicare in their initial incarnations, have gotten more comprehensive over time. This suggests that the priority is to get something passed.

By all means denounce Obama for his failed bipartisan gestures. By all means criticize the administration. But don't take it out on the tens of millions of Americans who will have health insurance if this bill passes, but will be out of luck -- and, in some cases, dead -- if it doesn't.

Currently the White House is said to be FINALLY getting off their ass and trying to make the senate bill closer in form the the house bill which had a public option in it, BUT that the WH is just working to make the private plans we HAVE to buy more affordable and are happy to let the Public Option and Medicare buy in die....What an asshole...

We ask that if you are so inclined, email your house rep and make it clear you will not tolerate having to buy overpriced shitty private insurance healthcare.

Never forget, knowledge is power, and the power is YOURS! XD

tripping the light fantastic

2009-12-16T21:18:00.000-08:00

We V.P.A.R. have always been supporters and lovers of light graffiti, now we have some like-minded individuals who feel the same. Some l.g. artists realized that light graffiti looks a little like the things we've seen in so many science fiction films and have created accordingly. Below are some highlights of the new standard.

hasidim but i dont believe 'em.

2009-12-08T17:17:00.000-08:00

We are here today to hand out yet another prestigious honorary Vice Presidential Action Rangers Membership. We are proud to honor the guerrilla line painters of Brooklyn New York, who are letting the religious nuts know that public streets DON'T have a dress code.

Below is the story. Here's hoping the lanes keep getting repainted as long as they need to. Viva La Resistance!

The war over Williamsburg has taken yet another turn.

In response to last week's removal of the bike lanes in the traditionally Hasidic neighborhood in Brooklyn, a group of local bike riders took it upon themselves to repaint the bike lanes running down Bedford Avenue.

The Hasids had asked the city to remove the bike lanes from the neighborhood, claiming the influx of bikers posed a "safety and religious hazard."

In an interesting twist, the group of guerrilla line painters reportedly included members of the Hasidic community who are not opposed to the lanes.

Last year the religious group complained to the community board that many of the young, female cyclists who rode through the neighborhood were "hotties," who "ride in shorts and skirts," both of which are against their dress code.

According to the New York Post, "a source close to Mayor Bloomberg said removing the lanes was an effort to appease the Hasidic community just before last month's election." No word yet on if the lines will be removed again.

(Below is a video of the heroes in action.)

for all your vampire hunting needs...

2009-12-07T17:33:00.000-08:00

Now we VPAR like to mix it up and we can't think of anything mixier? than some proof that either vampires actually exist, or at the very least suckers hundreds of years ago too.

Maybe they were advertised just like crap is today.

"If you're hunting just a couple of vampires a week, then the standard kit will do nicely but if you are a connoisseur in the trade of vampire slaying then might I recommend our premium 'bloodletter' kit. It comes in this stylish mahogany box, and numbered for authenticity. Also, If you order now, we'll throw in a second bottle of holy water! That's a 2 copper piece value, free!"

Ripleys Believe It or Not has 30 authentic kits touring there museums all over the U.S.

Rick Warren: Whaaaat a dickface.

2009-12-01T23:39:00.000-08:00

Rick Warren, that flip flopping tub of goo who contradicted himself so blatantly before his inaugural invocation is back in the news, this time for not even coming out against a proposed law that would murder people. So fetus's, no. Homo's, yes?

Rick Warren, the pastor who delivered the invocation at President Obama's inauguration, is once again on the defensive -- this time for his work with a Ugandan pastor who would like homosexuality to be punishable by death.

Rick Warren seemed to question the fuss. "Globally last yr 146,000 Christians were put to death because of their faith. No one, except Christians, said anything," (who are these christians in question who died? where did this happen? What planet?)

Newsweek tried to get Warren's reaction to the anti-gay work of Martin Ssempa, a Ugandan pastor who has come to his Saddleback Church multiple times. (Warren has distanced himself from Ssempa in general terms, saying the Ugandan minister does not represent him or his church.) Warren wouldn't reject the idea:

But Warren won't go so far as to condemn the legislation itself. A request for a broader reaction to the proposed Ugandan anti-homosexual laws generated this response: "The fundamental dignity of every person, our right to be free, and the freedom to make moral choices are gifts endowed by God, our creator. However, it is not my personal calling as a pastor in America to comment or interfere in the political process of other nations." On Meet the Press this morning, he reiterated this neutral stance in a different context: "As a pastor, my job is to encourage, to support. I never take sides." Warren did say he believed that abortion was "a holocaust." He knows as well as anyone that in a case of great wrong, taking sides is an important thing to do.

Ssempa has also burned condoms "in the name of Jesus," helping roll back a highly successful anti-AIDS campaign in Uganda. (becaauuuse christians like aids? I don't get why he would do that...)

the dark shall RISE AGAAIIIN!

2009-11-25T00:29:00.000-08:00

November hasn't been good to us as of late. Little to nothing of value to speak of, that is until, THIS happened. Some of the first photos of Tim Burton's showing at MoMa came out. The exhibit features everything from props and character designs from his movies, photography hes done and even sketches he kept from when he was very young and it all answers the age old question, Yes, you can be born goth. For all the east coast action rangers, we envy you and the rest of us hope the exhibit goes on tour. In the meantime, here it is.

This kid is badass!

2009-11-12T17:16:00.001-08:00

Behold! The newest Honorary Vice Presidential Action Ranger. XD

Via Queerty comes a story from the Arkansas Times about Will Phillips, an elementary school student who refuses to say the pledge of allegiance in school because of discrimination against gay people:

"I've always tried to analyze things because I want to be lawyer," Will said. "I really don't feel that there's currently liberty and justice for all."

After asking his parents whether it was against the law not to stand for the pledge, Will decided to do something. On Monday, Oct. 5, when the other kids in his class stood up to recite the pledge of allegiance, he remained sitting down. The class had a substitute teacher that week, a retired educator from the district, who knew Will's mother and grandmother. Though the substitute tried to make him stand up, he respectfully refused. He did it again the next day, and the next day.

A columnist for the Arkansas News has stood up for Phillips against his angry substitute teacher. Predictably, fellow students have taunted the kid and called him a "gaywad," but he says he doesn't see his quiet act of protest ending any time soon.

UPDATE: the kid has since done a CNN interview.

Vimeo Update!

2009-11-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

This update was a long time coming, and in the hopper for a bit because we wanted the last post to sink in. Though frankly the state of things is so macabre that here it is, helping you forget the sky falling around you! So lets do it! XD

The Astronomer's Dream (2009) from Malcolm Sutherland on Vimeo.

ARS ELECTRONICA animation festival 2009 - TRAILER from Claus Helfenschneider on Vimeo.

Hecq Vs Exillion - Spheres Of Fury from Tim.Chris.Film on Vimeo.

this is pretty funny

King Bleso - Peaches & Gumbo from zava on Vimeo.

Showdown with Zeus -- a lightning storm timelapse from Lucasberg (Joey) on Vimeo.

I Love xkcd from NoamR on Vimeo.

JESUS2000 from jesus 2000 on Vimeo.

enjoy

Barack Obama: Too conservative for liberals, too black for conservatives.

2009-10-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama is actively discouraging Senate Democrats in their effort to include a public insurance option with a state opt-out clause as part of health care reform. In its place, say multiple Democratic sources, Obama has indicated a preference for an alternative policy, favored by the insurance industry, which would see a public plan "triggered" into effect in the future by a failure of the industry to meet certain benchmarks.

The administration retreat runs counter to the letter and the spirit of Obama's presidential campaign. The man who ran on the "Audacity of Hope" has now taken a more conservative stand than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), leaving progressives with a mix of confusion and outrage. Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill have battled conservatives in their own party in an effort to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Now tantalizingly close, they are calling for Obama to step up.

"The leadership understands that pushing for a public option is a somewhat risky strategy, but we may be within striking distance. A signal from the president could be enough to put us over the top," said one Senate Democratic leadership aide. Such pleading is exceedingly rare on Capitol Hill and comes only after Senate leaders exhausted every effort to encourage Obama to engage.

The president's retreat leaves Reid as the champion of progressive reform -- an irony that is not lost on those who have long derided the Majority Leader as too cautious.

"Who knew that when it came down to crunch time, Harry Reid would be the one who stepped up to the plate and Barack Obama would shy away from the fight," emailed one progressive strategist.

Outside Congress, anger trumped confusion. On Saturday, the activist group Progressive Change Campaign Committee - which just days earlier had targeted Reid in a separate campaign, took out a television advertisement in Maine accompanied by an "emergency petition." Titled, "Time to Fight," the spot featured a former Obama campaign volunteer pleading with the president not to abandon the public plan.

"If this once-in-a-generation opportunity to pass a public option goes down the drain after we were just a couple votes away in each house of Congress, everyone will remember exactly who was and was not willing to fight when it counted," said the group's co-founder, Adam Green, when asked why he aired the ad. "Our grassroots pressure is an attempt to get President Obama to live up to the mandate for sweeping change that was given to him in the 2008 election."

MoveOn.org rallied its base on Friday. "The President has said many, many times that a public option is the best way to keep insurance companies honest and lower skyrocketing health care costs. Senate Democrats are ready to fight for a public option--if the White House gives up now, it would be a tragic mistake," said an e-mail to the group's membership.

It is not philosophical, one White House aide explained, but is a matter of political practicality. If the votes were there to pass a robust public option through the Senate, the president would be leading the charge, the aide said. But after six months of concern that it would be filibustered, the bet among Obama's aides is that Reid is now simply being too optimistic in his whip count. The trigger proposal, said Democratic aides, has long been associated with Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

"He's been so convinced by his political people from the beginning that we can't get a bill with a public option, he's internalized it. Even though it's now become obvious we can get a bill without selling out the public option, he's still on that path," said a top Democratic source. The White House, he said, continues to assure progressives it'll improve the bill in conference negotiations between the Senate and House, but advocates are unconvinced.

"If we're this close in the Senate and they're not helping us, I have a feeling they could screw us in the conference," said one.

Advocates of a public option consider a "trigger" the equivalent of no public option at all. A trigger would implement a public option only if insurance companies failed to meet certain benchmarks over time and it would only be implemented in the regions of the country where those benchmarks weren't met. The Medicare prescription drug proposal passed in 2003 includes a "trigger," but the public provision has never been activated despite soaring drug costs. The industry can help craft the trigger language and can game its stats to prevent it from becoming reality.

"The current state of our health system should be trigger enough for anyone who's paying attention," said a congressional aide in the middle of the health care battle. "The American people pulled the 'trigger' in November."

The intellectual father of the public option, Yale Professor Jacob Hacker, told HuffPost that the trigger proposal is a betrayal.

"The trigger is an inside-the-beltway sleight of hand that would protect private insurers from the real competition that a strong public health insurance option would create," he said in an e-mail. "It is unworkable in the current Senate bills, unwise as public policy, and unwanted by the substantial majority of Americans who say they want a straight-up public option."

(Barack Obama needs to remember that the President should lead the charge from the beginning, not only lead if he feels its an easy victory because the votes are already there. LBJ never backed down due to being short on votes. He did his job, he lobbied congress better than anyone on K Street and Barack Obama is president because of it. You don't fight the fights you can win, you fight the fights worth fighting.)

I'm sorry you were raped, sorry it didn't happen sooner so we could save more money! DENIED!

2009-10-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Christina Turner feared that she might have been sexually assaulted after two men slipped her a knockout drug. She thought she was taking proper precautions when her doctor prescribed a month's worth of anti-AIDS medicine.

Only later did she learn that she had made herself all but uninsurable.

Turner had let the men buy her drinks at a bar in Fort Lauderdale. The next thing she knew, she said, she was lying on a roadside with cuts and bruises that indicated she had been raped. She never developed an HIV infection. But months later, when she lost her health insurance and sought new coverage, she ran into a problem.

Turner, 45, who used to be a health insurance underwriter herself, said the insurance companies examined her health records. Even after she explained the assault, the insurers would not sell her a policy because the HIV medication raised too many health questions. They told her they might reconsider in three or more years if she could prove that she was still AIDS-free.

Stories of how victims of sexual assault can get tangled in the health insurance system have been one result of the Huffington Post Investigative Fund's citizen journalism project, which is calling on readers to provide information and anecdotes about the inner workings of the insurance industry. The project aims to uncover details and data that can inform the larger debate over how to fix the nation's health care system. As the Investigative Fund reported in September, health insurance companies are not required to make public their records on how often claims are denied and for what reasons.

Some women have contacted the Investigative Fund to say they were deemed ineligible for health insurance because they had a pre-existing condition as a result of a rape, such as post traumatic stress disorder or a sexually transmitted disease. Other patients and therapists wrote in with allegations that insurers are routinely denying long-term mental health care to women who have been sexually assaulted.

Susan Pisano, spokeswoman for the health insurance industry's largest trade group, America's Health Insurance Plans, said insurers do not discriminate against victims of sexual assault and ordinarily would not even know if a patient had been raped.

"These issues you are bringing up, they deserve to be brought up," said Pisano. "People who have experienced rape and sexual assault are victims and we want them to be in a system where everyone is covered."

Turner's story about HIV drugs is not unusual, said Cindy Holtzman, an insurance agent and expert in medical billing at Medical Refund Service, Inc. of Marietta, Ga. Insurers generally categorize HIV-positive people as having a pre-existing condition and deny them coverage. Holtzman said that health insurance companies also consistently decline coverage for anyone who has taken anti-HIV drugs, even if they test negative for the virus. "It's basically an automatic no," she said.

Pisano, of the insurance trade group, said: "If you put down on a form that you are or were taking anti-HIV drugs at any time, they [the insurance companies] are going to understand that you are or were in treatment for HIV, period," she said. "That could be a factor in determining whether you get coverage."

Some doctors and nurses said that the industry's policy is not medically sound. "The chance of a rape victim actually contracting AIDS is very low. It doesn't make any sense to use that as a calculus for determining who get health insurance," said Dr. Alex Schafir, faculty instructor at Providence St. Vincent Hospital in Portland, Ore.

Nurses who deal with sexual assault cases say the industry's policy creates a significant problem for those treating women who have been assaulted. "It's difficult enough to make sure that rape victims take the drugs," said Diana Faugno, a forensic nurse in California and board director of End Violence Against Women International. "What are we supposed to tell women now? Well, I guess you have a choice - you can risk your health insurance or you can risk AIDS. Go ahead and choose."

Turner, now a life and casualty insurance agent, said she went without health coverage for three years after the attack. She second-guesses her decision to take the HIV drugs. "I'm going to be penalized my whole life because of this," she said.

Several women told the Investigative Fund that after being sexually assaulted they had been denied care or ruled ineligible for health insurance because of what were deemed pre-existing conditions stemming from their assaults -- particularly post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

A 38-year-old woman in Ithaca, N.Y., said she was raped last year and then penalized by insurers because in giving her medical history she mentioned an assault she suffered in college 17 years earlier. The woman, Kimberly Fallon, told a nurse about the previous attack and months later, her doctor's office sent her a bill for treatment. She said she was informed by a nurse and, later, the hospital's billing department that her health insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield, not only had declined payment for the rape exam, but also would not pay for therapy or medication for trauma because she "had been raped before."

Fallon says she now has trouble getting coverage for gynecological exams. To avoid the hassle of fighting with her insurance company, she goes to Planned Parenthood instead and pays out of pocket.

A New Mexico woman told the Investigative Fund she was denied coverage at several health insurance companies because she had suffered from PTSD after being attacked and raped in 2003. She did not want to disclose her name because she feared that she would lose her group health insurance if she went on the record as a rape victim. "I remember just feeling infuriated," she said.

"I think it's important to point out that health plans are not denying coverage based on the fact that someone was raped," said Pisano of the insurance trade group. "But PTSD could be a factor in denied coverage."

"That might not be a discriminatory action, but it certainly would seem to have a discriminatory impact," said Sandra Park, staff attorney at the Women's Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. "Insurance discrimination against rape victims will only further discourage them from coming forward to law enforcement and seeking medical help."

Even when patients have coverage, there are fundamental disagreements between insurance companies and doctors about what mental health treatment is medically necessary. The Investigative Fund spoke with doctors, psychologists, and licensed clinical social workers around the country who work regularly with victims of sexual assault. They said that their patients have been experiencing an increase in delays and denials, particularly for talk therapy.

"There's a lot of anger about this in the medical community," said Dr. George Shapiro-Weiss, a psychiatrist in Middletown, Conn. "You don't realize what an Alice in Wonderland web this has become."

"A lot of my patients are being told that their treatment isn't medically necessary," said Keri Nola, an Orlando, Fla., psychologist, who said about 75 percent of her patients are victims of sexual violence.

Several therapists cited problems with managed care companies that specialize in mental health. Such firms generally work under contract with health insurers to hold down costs while still authorizing appropriate care.

Some therapists and patients said the managed care companies have cut off necessary treatment for sexual assault victims in the name of cost containment. "The companies are peppering them with questions about their symptoms, and about their histories, and asking, 'Well, are you sure you really need therapy?'" said Jeffrey Axelbank, a New Jersey psychologist. "For someone who has been traumatized, it can feel like another trauma, and it makes the therapy less effective."

Pisano, of the insurance association, said it was not fair to draw a larger pattern from such anecdotal evidence. "These situations are evaluated on a person-by-person basis," she said. "There is nothing routine about this."

Jim Wrich, a Madison, Wis., a consultant who helps employers evaluate the companies that manage their mental health care, said his work has made him wary of the industry. "This is absolutely routine - these denials," Wrich said. "The default position is to reject care."

Magellan Behavioral Health Services, Inc., one of the nation's largest managed-care companies with more than 58 million customers, said that it does not routinely turn down treatment requests from victims of sexual assault or other clients. "We're not denying care. We are exercising our responsibility to make sure that medical necessity is met," said Dr. Lawrence Nardozzi, Magellan's medical director. "I think the process works well."

Asked if cost is a factor in the company's decisions, Magellan spokeswoman Erin Somers said: "If all the safeguards are in place to determine whether treatment is medically necessary and appropriate" then "the cost takes care of itself."

A former care manager for Magellan said in an interview that she felt pressure to deny care for cost reasons. Lois Gorwitz, a psychologist with thirty years of experience who went to work for Magellan in California in 2000, said her superiors would tell her: "We are not denying this person treatment, we are denying them their benefit. If they want the treatment they can still pay out of pocket." But, Gorwitz said, "You know that means that the person is not going to get the treatment because they can't afford to pay out of pocket."

Gorwitz quit after two years. "It's a very uncomfortable feeling of not being able to offer help," she said.

Asked for a response, Magellan's Somers said, "I think you should keep in mind that there have been a lot of changes at Magellan in the last seven years. I think the people who work at Magellan now are not having that experience."

Times bygone

2009-10-15T05:11:00.000-07:00

Today is a sad day indeed my fellow action rangers, as "Captain" Lou Albano passed away. He died of natural causes at the age of 76.

Now he is best known as a wrestler from the 70s and 80s but oddly his most iconic was his portrayal of Mario on the Super Mario Bros Super Show.

As a kid this show was every kind of amazing. First of all, just the title. I'd run around excited as kid yelling, "its time for the super mario brothers SUPER SHOW." Second it was the first time that the iconic Mario was a living person, not a cartoon or some pixels. A real person who would tell jokes and do funny antics and talk about loving italian food and pizza. I naturally thought back then that doing the Mario was a legitimate dance craze. The show didn't run long due to Lou wanting to focus on wrestling, but it reran for years after and cemented mario as being a fat italian in red overalls. So much so, that when Mario debuted on the N64, People were pissed he was so thin, and that his overalls were blue. Never realizing until later that they were always more often blue.

In the end all of Lou's fans owe him thanks for being a character we could love and enjoy. Whether in wrestling or on TV, he always hammed it up, for us. So thank you Lou.

In honor of his legacy I think we should all, one last time, do the Mario.

They should be THANKING loggers for making it so they can get a notebook for 76 cents at walmart. >_>

2009-10-13T01:01:00.000-07:00

Decline of a tribe: and then there were five

The last surviving members of an ancient Amazonian tribe are a tragic testament to greed and genocide

By Guy Adams

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

They are the last survivors: all that's left of a once-vibrant civilisation which created its own religion and language, and gave special names to everything from the creatures of the rainforest to the stars of the night sky.

Just five people represent the entire remaining population of the Akuntsu, an ancient Amazonian tribe which a generation ago boasted several hundred members, but has been destroyed by a tragic mixture of hostility and neglect.

The indigenous community, which spent thousands of years in uncontacted seclusion, recently took an unwelcome step closer to extinction, with the death of its sixth last member, an elderly woman called Ururú.

"I followed the funeral," says Altair Algayer, a local representative of Funai, the Brazilian government agency which protects Indian territories. "She died in a small house. We heard weeping and rushed over, but she had already died." Ururú's death means the entire population of the Akuntsu now consists of just three women and two men. All of them are either close family relations, or no longer of child-bearing age – meaning that the tribe's eventual disappearance is now inevitable.

The slow death of this indigenous community is far more than an unfortunate accident, however. Instead, it represents the long-planned realisation of one of the most successful acts of genocide in human history. And the fate of the Akuntsu is seen by lobby groups as an object lesson in the physical and cultural dangers faced by undiscovered tribes at so-called "first contact".

Much of the Akuntsus' story is – for obvious reasons – undocumented. For millennia, they lived in obscurity, deep in the rainforest of Rondonia state, a remote region of western Brazil near the Bolivian border. They hunted wild pig, agoutis and tapir, and had small gardens in their villages, where they would grow manioc (or cassava) and corn.

Then, in the 1980s, their death warrant was effectively signed: farmers and loggers were invited to begin exploring the region, cutting roads deep into the forest, and turning the once verdant wilderness into lucrative soya fields and cattle ranches.

Fiercely industrious, the new migrant workers knew that one thing might prevent them from creating profitable homesteads from the rainforest: the discovery of uncontacted tribes, whose land is protected from development under the Brazilian constitution.

As a result, frontiersmen who first came across the Akuntsu in the mid-1980s made a simple calculation. The only way to prevent the government finding out about this indigenous community was to wipe them off the map.

At some point, believed to be around 1990, scores of Akuntsu were massacred at a site roughly five hours' drive from the town of Vilhena. Only seven members of the tribe escaped, retreating deeper into the wilderness to survive.

Those seven were not formally "contacted" until 1995, when Funai investigators finally made it to the region and were able to have a 26,000-hectare area of forest protected for them. They included the late Ururú, who was the sister of the tribe's chief and shaman, Konibú.

"We know little of what Ururú's life was like," says Mr Algayer, who was among the Funai team that first discovered the tribe. "In the 14 years that we have been with her, she was a happy, spontaneous person ... She recounts that she had four children who were all shot dead during the massacre. We don't know who her husband was or how he died."

One other member of the group of seven, known as Babakyhp, was killed in a freak accident in 2000, when a tree blew over in a storm and landed on her hut. The others, who still survive, are Pugapía, Konibú's wife, who is roughly 50 years old, their daughters, Nãnoi and Enotéi, who are around 35 and 25 respectively, and a cousin, Pupak, who is in her forties.

Evidence of their suffering is visible in bullet wounds which both Konibú and Pupak showed to cameramen making a documentary about their struggle – Corumbiara: they shoot Indians, don't they? – that was filmed over the last 20 years and has just been released in Brazil.

It is also evident in a simple fact: on its own, the Akuntsu gene pool cannot allow it to survive another generation. Since tribal custom will apparently not allow outsiders to marry in, it is therefore effectively doomed.

The Akuntsu story is not unique. Even if they escape persecution, communities that have never encountered the outside world often face tragedy. Typically they lose between 50 and 80 per cent of their population in a matter of months, since they have no immunity to common diseases.

Ancient ways of life are also frequently corrupted by the arrival of outsiders. Though indigenous tribes rarely have much interest in material possessions, and often don't understand the concept of money, their traditional clothes and rituals are vulnerable to change.

Campaigners now hope the fate of the tribe, which will be publicly highlighted by Ururú's death, will persuade the Brazilian people to further strengthen government protections for indigenous people.

Stephen Corry of Survival International, a human rights organisation that has been working with Funai, said: "The "Akuntsu are at the end of the road. In a few decades this once vibrant and self-sufficient people will cease to exist and the world will have lost yet another piece of our astonishing human diversity.

"Their genocide is a terrible reminder that in the 21st century there are still uncontacted tribes in several continents who face annihilation as their lands are invaded, plundered and stolen. Yet this situation can be reversed if governments uphold their land rights in accordance with international law.

"Public opinion is crucial – the more people speak up for tribal rights, the greater the chance that tribes like the Akuntsu will in future survive."

a la mode: sexiness

2009-10-07T00:24:00.000-07:00

Once again we find it befitting to award the best of the best with the highest honor we have to bestow. Lifetime membership to our organization. *cough* OK not like, a gift certificate but still pretty awesome.

A change in programming to note. We have decided to make this a bi-monthly affair. At first we thought there were plenty of these to go around and there is, but we didn't want any previous winners to feel like they are just a drop in the bucket. So 6 a year feels exclusive enough without too long an interval in between. We hope. OK lets start the show!

With over 80 sets to her name, Toryn is one of the hardest working Godsgirls there is, and we are always grateful for it. Her fun, natural beauty is the classic girl next door. The girl next door who you'd wish would accept any of your marriage proposals. The girl next door who, like in so many movies, you wish you had some kind of "in" or cool trait to get her attention. Well, you get the point. Godsgirls is where it is today because of the work done by girls like Toryn. Who with her smile, form, and deep dark eyes, made sure the site never went stale. She hasn't had a new set in sometime but we wait with bated breath.

Every now and then a girl comes along who when you look at her pictures you don't know if your just looking at a beautiful girl, or actual living art. Coley is one of the few who blur that line each more and more each time. By looking at her you'd think she herself was the origin for the word "statuesque". If she were alive centuries ago, there's no doubt we'd see her portrait hanging in a museum today, no doubt the muse for many a legendary artists.

Congratulations to the winners and as always, thank you. XD

why there will never be a live action pokemon movie.

2009-09-29T01:33:00.000-07:00

The question has been posed more than once, wondering if there will ever be a live-action pokemon movie. And why not? It's an established franchise, it is an incredibly profitable brand with popularity that stretches all over the globe. It's characters are household names to young and old. Why the very word pokemon has taken its place in the universal lexicon. This franchise is just BEGGING for the big screen treatment isn't it?

NO. NO it isn't. And thank god for it. To anyone who has ever taken more than just a passing glance at the pokemon themselves, they'd notice that pokemon are WEIRD looking. Weird is the nicest of words. A kind of weird that when a digital animator tries to re-create them to real world specs, would cause him to shoot himself in the face.

Words like freaky, odd, or insane come to mind. Phrases like acid trip, or unstable mental capacity spring up too. Sure in the cartoon and game they're cute and adorable and fun and catching them all easily becomes an addiction but to try and make them real? Weeelll the hurdles the pokemon creators made for themselves might just be too arduous. Here's some examples.

Here's a Pikachu. Which looks like it puts on makeup every morning.

Heres a Lugia. Actually this looks kind of cool, maybe the next one will too.

Ok...nevermind...Imagine the hell created by a charmander skittering about with its tail on fire. Insurance companies wouldn't even cover you if you trained one.

Here's a cubone who when made to look life-like, is the only pokemon who murders some other animal in order to use its bones as weapons and armor. No that won't scare kids at all.

Ah metapod. Literally a bug cocoon with eyes...staring at you...constantly...it won't stop...please make it stop!

Whew glad thats over. Ok here's a beedr..JESUS CHRIST!! Kill it! Kill it!!

Is..is it gone? ok, *whew* here is a vulpix. Which basically in real life looks more like something a toxic waste dump would try to cover-up than a fantastical animal.

Ok next we have, oh jeez!

I don't know what this is, it isn't mine, someone must of mixed it up..who put this here?! Moving on moving on..

Here is a mudkips. Adorable if you enjoy tracks of slime all over the place.

So cute....

A kyogore. Try catching that shit.

O_O ....BWWAAAARGGGHHLPPH! uh ahuh...this is, this is a weezi..BLOOORRPLHKCH!

Oh thank god. A shaymin. Ok this is do-able. This could be in a movie.

And heres an umbreon. Though quite frankly in real life, this would probably eat the shaymin.

Heres a tauros. Which isn't that offensive though im sure one of the movie tie-ins would be "tauros burgers" served at mcdonalds.

A pidgey. This one actually looks like a real, normal bird. Maybe this could actually work ou...

DEAR SWEET JESUS GOD WHY!!!

Ok so it should be clear a live action pokemon movie should NEVER happen...EVER.

But that doesn't mean pokemon can't branch out into other areas!

HELL YEA! XD

feels like making love

2009-09-19T04:43:00.000-07:00

It is once again that time of year. The time when we wonder what were gonna wear...9 months from now...YES it is New York (Mercedes Benz) Fashion Week. (love that money!) This year is a bit different than usual. GONE are the gigantic couture monsters with a new desire to design "green", whatever that means. Dresses made of bamboo leaves and compost supposedly. Below are the highest of highlights. Behold and CONSUUUME!

YIGAL AZROUËL

VIVIENNE TAM

WENLAN's TWINKLE line

TONI FRANCESC

TOMMY HILFIGER

TIBI

TADASHI SHOJI

RALPH LAUREN

NICOLE MILLER

MONARCHY COLLECTION (sucker for pinstripes)

LACOSTE

GOTTEX

CYNTHIA STEFFE

CUSTO BARCELONA

CHRISTIAN SIRIANO

CHOCHENG

CESAR GALINDO

CARLOS MIELE

Betsey Johnson

BADGLEY MISCHKA

ARGENTINE DESIGNER COLLECTIONS

ANNA SUI

ANDY & DEBB

internet companies dont consider online gaming broadband cuz they dont want to be forced to upgrade their slow speeds in order to get stimulus money

2009-09-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

The games industry is unhappy that AT&T, in comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission, described real-time online video gaming as an "aspirational service" of broadband communications and not a core need.

The dustup comes as the FCC is seeking to define the term "broadband," which isn't just an academic debate. The definition the FCC uses will be part of the National Broadband Plan the agency is writing and, you guessed it, there's money involved with that. About $7 billion in federal stimulus funding, to be exact.

Here's AT&T's comments to the government, according to Ars Technica, which reported the controversy today:

For Americans who today have no terrestrial broadband service at all, the pressing concern is not the ability to engage in real-time, two-way gaming, but obtaining meaningful access to the Internet's resources and to reliable email communications and other basic tools that most of the country has come to expect as a given.

As you can imagine, the Entertainment Software Association didn't take too kindly to AT&T's position. Last week, the ESA's Kenneth L Doroshow, a senior vice president, told the FCC:

What AT&T describes as aspirational services are no less important to the future of the Internet than email and web browsing were to the past and are today. Online video games are a meaningful part of our participative culture. They remove geographic barriers, connecting people from across the country and around the world. They teach cooperation, cultivate leadership skills, and empower users to express their creativity.

AT&T's comments are not entirely hostile to online gaming; but the company is arguing for a definition that includes "the capabilities needed to support the applications and services Americans must access to participate in the Internet economy." That includes using email, instant messaging, and basic Web surfing. AT&T characterized them as things the public would use "to learn, train for jobs, and work online." The ESA's Doroshow pointed out that video games are used in schools and in employee training.

Ars delves into the studies and research showing gaming's place as either a want or a need. The bottom line, the FCC has not made any decision on this definition, and AT&T's influence, substantial though it is, is only in the context of a public comment on a federal study. It's in no position to make the choice itself.

But, yeah, it's not nice if your broadband provider tells you that a big reason you're shelling out so much for the service isn't really an important use of it.

skateboard art. skater art. skart?

2009-09-11T03:39:00.000-07:00

the Pravus Gallery is having their annual skate deck artshow, now in its 3rd year! whooo!!! XD

Here is a sample of the completely awesome deck sweetness.

goooo riiiight noooooow... @_@

amalga-mania!!

2009-09-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

So many things going on of note, so little content to give each one their own post. So lets smush'em up into one post!! WHEEEE!!

first off

BROADBAND PROVIDERS WANT TO LEGALLY MAKE BROADBAND SLOWER, SUCKIER.

This isn't news to anyone who follows our posts. US Broadband is slower than many other countries, and our broadband providers want it to stay that way. They're pushing for standards in the FCC's definition of "broadband" that are over 350 times slower than Japan's speeds.

Comcast, for example, argued for the definition of "basic" broadband to be a paltry 0.256 Mbps downstream and upstream. Verizon aimed for 0.768 Mbps downstream and 0.200 Mbps upstream. Japan's rate? 92.8 Mbps. Korea has 80.8 Mbps and France offers 51 Mbps.

So what it all boils down to is this: these companies want stimulus funds, (sans Verizon, who are not seeking stimulus funds and are ok with sucking on their own dime...great thanks Verizion...) but they don't want to, you know, improve their services with these funds. Instead, they want money for continuing to rank near the bottom of internet speeds offered by major industrialized nations. Here's hoping the FCC sees through their complete bullshit and forces them to raise the bar if they're getting any taxpayer money.

GARDENS CAN GO UP TOO

We've always been supportive of moss walls in homes. They clean your homes air, they cool the temperature in the home, and they look badass. Now designer Patrick Blanc has taken that one step further and decided the outside of buildings can be functional too. He has put a 12,000 plant garden onto the Athenaeum Hotel in London.

Blanc uses a kind of techno-trellis as the underlying structure: A plastic-coated aluminum frame is fastened to the wall and covered with synthetic felt into which plant roots can burrow. A custom irrigation system keeps the felt moist with a fertilizer solution modeled after the rainwater that trickles through forest canopies.

But plants for this vertical landscape must be chosen with care. Because the walls are so high, conditions vary widely. The shade at ground level is perfect for rare Asian nettles; on the brighter upper stories, plants that usually cling to windblown cliff faces brave the blustery British breezes.

NEW OKAMI COMING TO THE DS!

Its called Okamiden and even though it'll be on the DS, we hope for badassness and here is a pic of some screens.

...no one said these bits would be life changing >_<

SPACE IN 3D!...wait...isnt it already in 3D?

as one of the vpar's goals is to maintain the space/time continuum, this naturally interests us. A video discussing the science behind the hubble space telescope and the images it has taken, and how they were used to create a 3d "map" of space thus far. Yes it sounds boring but its interesting as fuck. you WILL feel insignificant.

MAURICE SENDAK FINDS SOULMATE IN SPIKE JONZE

Who isn't excited about the Where the Wild Things Are movie? If you're not then Mr. Sendak may change your mind. Here's an extended interview shown in theaters of Maurice Sendak giving his blessing.

there was going to be a political piece in here. But it was just too depressing so fuck that today.

YEA-UHH!!...we hope...

2009-08-31T07:41:00.000-07:00

We may be losing Pirate Bay, but Isohunt seems to still be kicking. Let us pray. -_-

File-sharing sites haven't had a great year, especially in court, but on Wednesday they received a smidgen of good news.

The Motion Picture Association of America asked a federal court to rule that Isohunt was liable for copyright violations committed by its users, but the judge in the case was unconvinced. In his order, U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Wilson said the studios had yet to prove the the Isohunt's users had broken U.S. law.

Lawyers for the MPAA, the trade group representing the six major Hollywood film studios, are trying to convince the judge that Isohunt encouraged and contributed to the infringing activity of users. Wilson gave the MPAA until Sept. 15 to file a brief that convinces him direct infringement at the site was committed by those in the U.S. Apparently, Wilson has questions about whether U.S. residents have pirated content using Isohunt.

"United States copyright laws do not reach acts of infringement that take place entirely abroad," Wilson, wrote in his order.

A spokeswoman for the MPAA did not immediately have a response.

The significance of the judge's order, at least from the point of view of Ira Rothken, Isohunt's attorney, is that MPAA's investigators have struggled to draw specific examples of infringement occurring in the U.S.

"Our view is that it would be difficult if not impossible," Rothken said, "to be able to trace any direct infringement to the users of the Isohunt's site in a manner that would hold Isohunt responsible for the infringing conduct. I think the judge's order will hopefully demonstrate to the court that Isohunt, besides lacking knowledge of direct infringement, can't possibly be held liable for users conduct, especially since any such conduct occurs after they leave the site."

Rothken is hoping to argue Isohunt's case before a jury, something that no other BitTorrent sites have managed to do.

"I believe there has not been a single case in U.S. law where there has been a decision on the merits of a Torrent search engine," Rothken said. "We're cautiously optimistic Judge Wilson will deny plaintiff's motion for summary judgment and ultimately there will be a trial on the merits."

Some of the cases that have gone against BitTorrent or file-sharing sites Sweden-based BitTorrent search engines, The Pirate Bay, was brought up on criminal misconduct charges and Torrentspy's case was decided on a discovery sanction. Some of the issues in the Usenet.com case closely resemble Isohunt and TorrentSpy's, although the company is not a BitTorrent tracker or search engine.

Usenet.com is a company that enabled users to access the Usenet network and it too lost on a discovery sanction.

Most of these companies claim to do nothing more than help people locate files. One question often asked by readers is how is this different than what Google offers? One can find plenty of infringing content using the behemoth search engine.

"I believe the difference is that for one reason or another courts seem to place greater social importance on the Google search engine," Rothken said. "Courts also tend to frown on search engines created to find specific file types like .torrent files. And other than that there is no difference (Isohunt and Google)."

I cant even think of what to put here

2009-08-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

Alot of people will be saying the usual one liners and phrases about Ted Kennedy that have been said about him since he got sick. That hes a Liberal Lion, that his passing marks the end of a Dynasty, and so on. Which one suits the situation best, who knows. All that makes the most sense to say here is that it's tragic, and Ted Kennedy never getting to vote on Healthcare is a testament to the kind of feet dragging that is the norm in D.C.

Since he was diagnosed with his brain tumor he made it clear nothing would stop him from voting on healthcare reform because he knew President Obama would make it happen. Well since then we've seen what a solid blue majority can do and no doubt Ted Kennedy was in his hospital bed fuming at all the crap that has gone on recently.

We can go on about his record, and quote his colleagues, and go over his career, but what stands out most was his ability to stand tall and proud no matter what. He fought hard for liberal causes, never letting anyone make it a dirty word in his eyes, never backing down to the powers that be who tried to undermine what he truly believed in. That's why he was called a Lion, because he roared loudly and defiantly in the name of the common man.

In these crazy times of meandering, middling, and doddering, the loss of Ted Kennedy hurts just that much more.

Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy

(February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009)

we'z all gonna daaiiii!!!

2009-08-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

While perusing the news of JUST TODAY we came across a trend that we felt had to be mentioned. Professing that the fit has hit the shan would be an understatement. Now sure someone can say, "news is usually bad as it is meant to get someones attention", and that is true but this isn't gunshots or gang violence, this is real facts that will affect us pretty goddamn seriously. Where to begin..

Hurricane Bill was downgraded and some people felt relieved that maybe this was a trend? That maybe global warming isn't so bad or not necessarily the cause? Think again futhermucker!!

Storm winds got so bad late last week in New York that it caused trees to snap in Central Park. CENTRAL PARK. The park that is central to one of the most condensed cities in the world. Usually such severe weather like windstorms don't make it into big cities because, like gigantic trees do in the forest, skyscrapers act as wind barriers. So for the winds and storms to be so bad they crack large trees? THATS a problem.

Its not just The city that never sleeps with storm issues. A small, though still pretty fugging rare, tornado did damage to homes in south paris. But thats not all! Paris itself is also seeing record temperatures as well as Rome. So much so, that cops in rome will be handing out bottled water.

Next on this world tour is Alaska, where acidity levels in the water are getting so bad from Co2 levels that it will effect their fishing industry, which next to oil, is pretty much all they have. Not to mention kill off hundreds of different species in those waters, BUT Alaska still has tree killing beetles.

Speaking of those murderous beetles who cant die now due to milder winters and thus are flourishing like locusts, They seemed to have teamed up with wildfires to make the greatest villain team-up ever. The beetles eat up and kill the trees, the trees of course stop producing oxygen and taking in CO2 and basically become standing tinder, and can now more easily catch fire, then pollution from the fire makes the Co2 levels even worse. OH WAIT! What's that in the sky?! Is it a bird? A plane? No! It's a middling, ineffectual politician who will do little to nothing about it....great...

Speaking of those who can do something about all of this, what are WE, the human race doing to stop, sequester, slow down, or end any of this? Let's check.

Wildfires in Athens burned up so much forest that Athens as a whole will suffer huge downturns in their air quality, as those trees will no longer be able to take in CO2 and produce oxygen. (duh) In the past business developers in Athens have purposefully started fires in order to buy the land later for development. Hmmm not very helpful...

China urges it will "do its best" to move closer to climate control, being that their country produces almost as much CO2 as us, and are TRYING to beat us by building a new coal fired plant a week. But admit they will not agree to any fixed caps. Hmmm doesn't SEEM very helpful...

In the US, wall street is repackaging the idea of selling debt, the problem that got them into trouble to begin with. WHY is that prevalent here? Because the economy tanking is the reason that climate change wasn't the first crisis handled when Obama took office. Dozens of pundits and politicians stated that the environment can wait until after the economy is fixed, forcing better pundits and politicians to make the case that a green economy COULD fix it faster. Hmm...still no help here...

Oh and poachers are selling endangered monkeys online...........FUCK!

So there it is, just TODAYS news. Lets hope tomorrow has some yknow, HOPE in it. In the meantime rest assured, the VPAR will be here.... to go play Wipeout HD on xbox live to help forget this depressing shit. SALUTATIONS AND GOOD DAY!

CONSUME! chibirama

2009-08-22T23:21:00.000-07:00

Kidrobot in their awesomeness has decided to figure the fuck out of futurama, all chibi style, which frankly is cooler than if they were regular 6 inch action figures.

These can't be purchased fast enough. XD

exclusivity to help grow membership?? yeaa...good luck with that...>_>

2009-08-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

California Republican Party leaders, in a move that could reshape state primary-election politics, are preparing a move to bar decline-to-state voters - now 20 percent of the electorate - from casting a GOP ballot in statewide and legislative primaries.

The proposed bylaw to the state Republican platform, which delegates will decide at the party convention next month in Indian Wells (Riverside County), has riled some business leaders and Republicans.

They say it could be disastrous for the party's future and could relegate Republicans in the state to "permanent minority" status by keeping independent voters from supporting Republicans in primary elections.

Flashreport.org publisher Jon Fleischman, the Southern California state party vice chair, said his proposal, which would take effect in 2010, would strengthen the GOP. It calls for extending a ban on independent voters in presidential primaries to all statewide elections, including the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races.

It "makes it clear that if you are a Republican, you're eligible to vote in the primary," he said. "We think we have great candidates - but it's not the role of someone who's not in the party to have a say in who that party puts forward."

But the plan is causing a stir among some business leaders and GOP insiders.

"We think this is the worst thing (the party) could ever do," said Rob Lapsley, spokesman for the California Chamber of Commerce. "Republicans ... need every vote they can possibly get from independents."

California Democrats who have welcomed independent voters in their primaries have benefited, Lapsley said, because those voters tend to stay with the party in general elections.

The GOP plan allows conservative party insiders to shape critical 2010 races, said strategist Patrick Dorinson. "They want to pull up the ladder to the tree house where they play," he said. "They're treating the GOP like it's a club where they all make the rules for everyone, and the signs says, 'No girls allowed and no Latinos.' "

In the gubernatorial race, he said, "this is their way of helping (State Insurance Commissioner) Steve Poizner, who is in real trouble. ... They think this is a way to stop (former eBay CEO) Meg Whitman and (former Rep.) Tom Campbell," both moderates expected to get independent support. Also at stake: the 2010 U.S. Senate race, where ex-Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, expected to appeal to moderates and independents, is preparing a GOP primary run against Irvine Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, a favorite of grassroots conservatives, he said.

But supporters of the plan say it would strengthen the party and encourage independents to join the GOP. Fleischman denied that party leaders are aiming to boost certain candidates and said the plan has long been debated.

"I hope if someone wants to be the standard bearer for the Republican Party, they would believe the choosing of a nominee should be the work of Republicans," he said.

But any change might be short-lived. To secure the vote of Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria (Santa Barbara County), in February's budget deal, the Legislature placed an open-primary measure on the June 2010 ballot. If passed, the top two vote-getters in state primaries - even members of the same party - would face each other in the general election.

You'd think the republicans would be out of nose to cut off, but their face just keeps asking for it. XD

our healthcare sucks? sucks how? like its not good, idk maybe cuz im british im a little fucked up wtf sucks about it, tell me!

2009-08-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

Britons reacted with outrage Friday at American criticism of the country's health care system and defended their cradle-to-grave medical coverage on Twitter, television and in the tabloids.

Right-wing attacks on President Barack Obama's health reform plans have struck a nerve in Britain, where residents broadly take for granted their universal coverage under the state-funded National Health Service — and look askance at the millions of Americans without insurance.

"Land of the Fee," declared the Daily Mirror in reference to the United States' high-charging health model. The London newspaper called the "lies and distortions" being circulated in the United States about the National Health Service "truly sickening."

"Jaw droppingly untruthful," said the British Medical Association's chairman, Hamish Meldrum.

"NHS often makes the difference between pain and comfort, despair and hope, life and death," Prime Minister Gordon Brown tweeted. "Thanks for always being there."

Even British health campaigner Kate Spall — who criticizes NHS failings in U.S. television ads produced by Conservatives for Patients' Rights, a lobby group that opposes Obama's plans — declared that the group had misled her and was distorting her true views. Spall's mother died of kidney cancer while waiting for treatment.

"There are failings in the system but I'm not anti-NHS at all," Spall told the British Broadcasting Corp.

"I help the vulnerable patients in our country that come to me for help, those that have been denied treatment," she said. "So the irony is, the people that are falling through the net in the U.S. are patients that I would support anyway."

Britain's opposition Conservative Party is distancing itself from its maverick member of European Parliament, Daniel Hannan, who has criticized the NHS on U.S. news programs.

Conservative leader David Cameron dismissed Hannan as having "eccentric views."

In an e-mail to Conservative Party workers published on his blog, Cameron said millions, including his own family, were grateful for NHS-provided care.

"Just look at all the support which the NHS has received on Twitter over the last couple of days," he wrote. "It is a reminder — if one were needed — of how proud we in Britain are of the NHS."

The NHS, founded in 1948, is the cornerstone of the United Kingdom's welfare state.

About 12 percent of the UK's 61 million residents have private insurance, but the vast majority rely on state-funded emergency care, surgery and access to family doctors. Even those who complain about the system say they want it improved, not dismantled.

British officials acknowledge that their system has been struggling to cope and faces a 15 billion pound ($24 billion) deficit.

minorities dont believe in global warming? no. no i dont think so.

2009-08-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

When the truth isn't on your side, AND popular opinion is against you, AND you can't gain any ground with anyone of any value, AND you are literally on the wrong side of history, well then, THATS when you lie like a motherfucker. Like literally a bastard who fucks peoples mothers who everyone will hate. How do you do this? Well like THIS.

Virginia Democratic congressman Tom Perriello was having a rough time deciding whether to support Obamas climate change bill as his district leans red. Well a company called Bonner and Associates decided he needed a little push. So they sent him fake letters from legitimate minority groups stating that they do not support the climate change bill and he should not support it. B&A sent him letters addressed from the among others, the NAACP. And they read like this.

"Many of our members are on tight budgets and the sizes of their monthly utility bills are important expense items,"

Well being that Tom Perriello isn't fucking stupid he picked up a phone and called the local chapter of the NAACP, and got nothing but "huh?" and "wha?" and "wtf?!" to his questions. The same happened with the other groups who the letters were addressed from. After reporting this, it was quickly discovered that B&A was behind it as they have been known to pull this shit in the past.

FIRST B&A wouldn't respond, THEN they did respond and blamed it on a "bad employee" who they say has been fired. Well a former employee didn't feel like letting B&A make a scapegoat and has since spoke out saying,

"They just got caught this time,"

He (who chose to remain anonymous) also went on to say that it is standard practice as the company is run like a "white-collar sweatshop." because all the employees are temporary and if they do not produce results in getting SOME kind of support for their clients causes, they will be fired. He then spoke about how he saw groups of people being fired on more than one occasion.

SOME might question the validity of his statement as being from a disgruntled ex-employee UNTIL you see that B&A has been caught doing this before. In 1986 they were accused of defrauding the government by submitting signatures that were pulled from phonebooks, agency employees, and even yearbooks, (cuz teens are like so totally political) and when caught they said waaaay back then,

“We fired the people we determined were involved in it…what they did was in direct violation of the written policy of the firm.”

*big sniff* whew, whats that awful smell? Oh yea, its bullshit.

They have also been caught sending out petitions against healthcare reform from grassroots communities. And how did they THINK the petition would be more believable? By filling it full of spelling and grammatical errors. Because apparantly grassroots organizers are stupid?

So WHY would B&A do this? Because big coal payed them too. This week it was discovered that B&A's client is the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. ACCCE is playing dumb and saying B&A lied to them BUT some people aren't buying it as Dem. Congressman Ed Markey wants answers from the coal group as this isnt their first time being involved with lying bullshit either.

Last year the ACCCE was caught calling voters to support fighting national climate change and told callers they were an enviromental group and in no way related to the coal industry. Which may sound like business as usual, but when it involves congress like this, it is considered a federal crime. OOPS!

Meanwhile the NAACP is up in arms obviously and put out a statement saying,

"In this case Bonner and Associates are exploiting the African-American Community to achieve their misdirected goal..."

Creciendo Juntos, a hispanic group whose name was also used for these fake letters cried foul as well saying,

"They stole our name. They stole our logo. They created a position title and made up the name of someone to fill it. It's this type of activity that undermines Americans' faith in democracy."

The Jefferson Council on Aging, and the American Association of University Women were also used for the fake letters and put out similar statements saying,

"We've worked a long time to build up a reputation, and keep our name untarnished, and the notion that someone would come along and take that name ..... it's deceit. It's outright deceit,"

So whats to come of all this? Well first off, we hope these groups sue the fuck out of B&A and ACCCE. In the meantime Markeys committee in congress is now holding a probe into the matter, with other congressman like Frank Pallone calling for a full-on criminal investigation. Markeys committee has subpeona power, so someones head is going to roll and it WONT be the "bad employee."

Sometimes, the good guys DO win. XD

a la mode: hotness

2009-08-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the month again, when men want to leave their women and the women don't mind because they want to start dating other women. Yes It's time for the Suicidegirl and Godsgirl of the month! Hooray!

Now its been asked, "Why do it every month? Doesn't that dilude the prestige of the award?" To which we say, "Hey...shutup..." Then we say, "Because there are hundreds of Godsgirls, and thousands of Suicidegirls, and awarding 12 a year just illuminates their awesomeness to the next echelon. Because we must be diligent when working to bring together rival factions if we hope to see peace in our lifetimes. So...shutup again." Ok lets do this!

If it was just her sparkley eyes, or smile that can light up a major city, Colada would have made the cut. Though she has much more to offer than that. The girl is drop dead gorgeous and cool as hell. We constantly ask why she isn't the face of Suicidegirls, because if she was the sites membership would triple overnight.

If ever a girl defined the words sultry, it's Larya. Whether its Godsgirls, or Onhercam, (where she will literally open your mind to the secrets of the universe) expect to have your jaw on the floor the the entire time. Sexy never knew what it was in for with her.

leave it to dick armey to create an army of dicks.

2009-08-08T04:32:00.000-07:00

As they head home to their congressional districts for the August recess, lawmakers who support health care reform are bracing for "protests" and demonstrations that threaten to turn violent.

In North Carolina, a congressman who backs overhauling health care had his life threatened by a caller upset that he was not holding a public forum on the proposal.

Democratic Rep. Brad Miller received the call Monday, one of hundreds the congressman's office has fielded demanding town-hall meetings on the health care proposal, said his spokeswoman, LuAnn Canipe. She said the callers were "trying to instigate town halls so they can show up and disrupt."

"We had one of those kind of calls that escalated to what we considered a threat" on the congressman's life, Canipe said Friday. "These are some strong-arm tactics, and we are trying to deal with and trying to talk to people in good faith about health care reform."

Earlier this week, White House officials counseled Democratic senators on coping with disruptions at public events this summer.

In the week since the House began its break, several town-hall meetings have already been disrupted by noisy demonstrators.

The latest occurrence was at back-to-back town hall meetings held by Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., which got so raucous police had to escort people out.

The boos, jeers and shouts of "Shame on you!" at the events mirror what other Democrats are encountering around the country.

Now why is this happening? Are people really that opposed to healthcare reform? Do the American people hate making private health insurance compete for their business? No. Of course they don't. These "riots" and "mobs" and "protests" are all thanks to one group, headed up by one aptly named man. Dick Armey. Armey’s lobbyist group FreedomWorks is actively organizing against health care reform. Armey’s lobbying firm represents pharmaceutical companies, such as Bristol Myers Squibb, that oppose comparative effectiveness research in the health reform plan because such a program may cut into revenue for branded drugs.

Armey isn't new to this tactic. Its alreayd been proven that Freedomworks was also responsible for the tea parties that occured earlier this year. Busing protestors all over to stage the tea parties in the hopes of generating negative feedback around President Obama's policies.

Of course as it worked out, the tea parties were small, and mostly ignored and the only outcome was Fox News showing its hand by having all day coverage of the fake tea parties as if it was a National Holiday. Plus it gave Democrats more crazy people to point at and say, "this is what the republicans have come to." And so far that has worked as democratic voter registration is still up.

Armey is hoping to amp up the craziness this time by attacking politicians personally as they try to meet with their constituents. But Freedomworks has already been caught busing "protestors" from town hall to town hall, ACROSS district and state lines, to try and disrupt other politicians from talking to THEIR constituents.

The saddest part is the people who go to protest are not paid actors, but legitimate crazy people being riled up and lied to and taken advantage of by conservatives who would rather see this country rip itself apart then give Obama a win. So they lie to these people and then shuffle them every place they can. One man screamed that the government better keep its hands off his medicare. Others shout that they will never support "death panels" which are a fake panel (made up by the right) who decides when you die, that the right has said is in healthcare reform. Sarah Palin herself, the Queen of Moronica, has said that if healthcare reform is passed, the new bill will have her down syndrome baby killed. I mean seriously, WHAT THE FUCK?! How crazy do you have to be to believe this shit??

What will be the outcome of this? Well so far, the unions aren't going to take it lightly. Major unions from all over the US are sending out THEIR reps to fight the fake backlash from the fake protestors. Which when you mix crazy people and tough union dudes you can be sure, there will be blood.

The silver lining here is that its all so obviously fake, and all so obviously orchestrated by the right, that they seem to forget just HOW MUCH power the left has. And since this started, both the president and democratic leaders have once again brought up the option of using reconciliation. And if that ends up being the case, then the conservatives and THEIR constituents (healthcare lobbyists) are going to be fuuuuucked, because theyll get about as much say into the health bill, as a 4 year old does his candy intake.

So heres to the republicans and Dick Armey. Thanks for being stupid, short-sided douchebags, because youre just making it easier to get things done. Lets hope they pull this same retarded shit with climate change. XD

san diego gives into the geek 3!

2009-08-08T03:39:00.000-07:00

Upon building the first SDCC post, it was realized that there was really nothing left. Lame of Comic-con we know. BUT theres still the cosplayers! Here are some (all the) totally awesome ones.

who doesnt like buddy christ?

O_O ....nomnomnom!

gerard way would be proud. and probably a little turned on.

all around me are familiar faces...<3

fuck yea!

this is for a fellow Vice Presidential Action Ranger.

double fuck yea!

san diego gives into the geek 2

2009-08-08T01:13:00.000-07:00

THEN there are the rest of the cosplayers, who are so many in number, they needed their own post...

this just looks like it smells.

"more pie mr. j?"

when moms cosplay

no one can ever say that SDCC isn't transgender friendly.

everyone knows the most potent of scarlet witch's magic is in her cellulite.

beware the mighty power of captain beergut!

Pope Tully of the High Church of Pot and Cheetos.

heres Ben stiller cosplaying as the joker

"not..costume....please..kill...me..."

"arrgh matey! i be cap'n diabeetes!"

"ola senor. Me amo' superman. I save ju, den we make a party."

this guy scares me...

when one creepy fetish isnt enough, you get jedi furries...

"if ya dont luv Amirika king koopa, then git' aaooutt!!"

"sup...see my bulge...you like it dont you..."

The ghostbusters now offer a community college course.

"hey mista mista! i save you now! i nightawing! i hero long time!"

"no listen to him! i nightawing! me beat climinals! prus 5 dorra off house chickin! i save you now!"

"HEEEEY. pokemon bitches!"

"hi im bryan..if you like i give deep tissue massages in my room. hope to see you there sweetie..."

"we can get that ghost..but first, first take off your shirt..."

this guy has two costumes. hes cosplaying as Hans from the Burbs, cosplaying as wolverine.

"hi im stan, and this is cheryl, and on the weekends we like to relax and costume play"

the dharma intiative now offers work release...

"rrrgm..come on take the pic! ICANTKEEPITSUCKEDIN!"

when you cant get prescription goggles

i...hmm...well?.....umm....huh....

this was actually just a homeless dude who wandered in.

"and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout 'save us!' and ill whisper, 'tacos..' "

GOD NO WHY

the most essential tool for a steampunk vampire hunter is a cellphone.

when your gut fat doesnt match your height, you get shirts that are sleeve heavy.

cosplay circa 1943.

never seen anyone cosplay Sisqo before...

this guy is DYING for someone to ask him whats under there

"for all your cosplay needs, shop walmart"

CHILD ABUSE

"sup mothafucka. I be pro-teckin america n' shit."

and finally, Heres some people cosplaying as Indiana Jones, aaand morrocan hookers Indiana Jones picked up...

san diego gives in to the geek 1

2009-07-25T00:15:00.000-07:00

Oh time, how it passes without any regard for us.

An update for Comic-con was forthcoming but since its been awhile since a post was posted and because comic-con is dripping with cool shit there will be a few updates on it. here we go!

We knock this shit out with a bang. The Alice in Wonderland teaser. Disney was quite clever in that this movie isnt ANOTHER take on the book, but a sequel of sorts. Thus cementing THEIR animated alice in wonderland as the quintessential take on the story. Clever.

the Prisoner with Ian McClellan. Anything with him is usually awesome but this looks like Lost except with A list talent and because its only running for 6 parts, it wont dick us around for years like Lost enjoys doing. Hooray!

Oh Tron. Now this gives us mixed feelings. Sure its awesome that its Tron but they decided to mix digital people and real people like we wouldnt notice? So a movie 20 years old did something cooler than this one does? Still, seeing Jeff Bridges in this just cements his place in the Pantheon of Gods. I was personally hoping for a taste of the score by Daft Punk, but I shall wait with baited breath.

anything with craig robinson is pretty damn funny, plus the idea of traveling back to the 80s.

Udon coming out with an Ultimate Street Fighter Art book. Good thing i didnt buy the last one.

Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow. nomnom.

wtf?

bioshock toy. Though idk how a giant fake needle constitutes a toy.

I want this IN MY HOUSE

and of course whats a convention without the giant floating pikachu. Also something i wouldnt mind in my house.

ALSO

-Gary Oldman says Batman 3 will begin filming next year but given Chris Nolans current schedule it will either be without him or its not true at all, unless WB offered him literally a mint and he couldnt say no.

Fox shits all over Futurama by firing all the voice actors from Futurama in the name of cost. This would have been its own post but Fox has folded before to fan fervor (i.e. family guy brought back) so lets hope they (WE) can turn this around.

Tim Burton doing a Dark Shadows movie with Johnny Depp to star. Now this seems like it will be cool because the idea of taking the shows elements (werewolves, zombies, mad scientists, etc.) and create them now with todays technology and blah blah blah, PLUS it puts Burton knee deep into his goth past. Yea, this is something to look forward too. Mhmm very much so indeed.

GO TO THIS!

2009-07-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday July 18th, 2009

2pm - 9pm

JJGames Store
Denver, Colorado (Directions)

Nintendo World Championship
Nintendo Campus Challenge

FREE Event, Win Prizes

The Retro Game Championship is a one-night only FREE event where gamers compete to get high scores in Nintendo World Championship and Nintendo Campus Challenge. There will be prizes, a chance to play very rare games, and the opportunity to show off your retro game skills.

Prizes at Retro Game Championship

High Score @ World Championships: $200 Gift Card to JJGames.com
High Score @ Campus Challenge: $200 Gift Card to JJGames.com
First 20 People To Event: Free Retro Game Championship T-Shirt (See Shirt)
Other Prizes: World Championship or Campus Challenge Reproduction Cart

About The Games You Will Be Playing

Nintendo World Championship (On 5 TV's): A game created for a Nintendo video game competition in 1990. Players have 6 minutes to get 50 coins in Super Mario Bros, finish one lap in Rad Racer, and get a high score in Tetris. The competition was loosely based on the movie The Wizard.

Nintendo Campus Challenge (On 5 TV's): Another game created by Nintendo for competitions on college campuses in 1991. You have 6 minutes to get 25 coins in Super Mario 3, 100,000 points in Pin-Bot, and a high score in Dr. Mario. There is only one known copy of this game in existence so this might be your only chance to ever play this game (we will be playing on reproductions).

(we feel bad for posting this late. SOMEBODY thought today was the 17th.)

in the news: business as usual

2009-07-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

So many things get reported on in politics and so many things suck our time that there's a point when you get too caught up and have to step back and just shrug your shoulders and take in the big picture. For example,

Sotomayor hearing: She's going to be confirmed, all the hearings did was show people how big of a prick certain senators are. I'm looking at you Sessions. But really, was it up to a debate before?

Palin resigned: Yes it's awesome but she sucked anyway and it won't get her to shutup.

Obama gets riled up over healthcare: So what he should be.

Republicans get busy in a church house: WOW...republicans are hypocrites about sex. Who knew?

Pat Buchanan says racist things: Pat Buchanan is a racist so that's expected.

and thats just the "big" stuff

Oh yeah, and Michael Jackson is still dead.

geek alert

2009-07-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

Ok does this bother anyone else? Since when did the Southern Oracle start shopping at Victoria's Secret.

Its not like Im some pervert who was looking to wear nude statue-boobies on my chest, but if I had a t-shirt with Michaelangelos David on it, would he be wearing a speedo?

op ed: m. night shyamalan a racist AND a reverse racist??

2009-07-13T01:38:00.000-07:00

We do our best to shy away from crazy fanboydom but M. Night Shyamalan is kind of lame.

Sure we loved Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense was a surprise but as we here LOVE Avatar: The Last Airbender, we are kind of scared to have him directing the film based on it.

Now we were scared to begin with. Each season will represent one movie, so how they will shove so much into one film will be arduous to say the least, but Mr. M doesn't seem to be making his job any easier with his casting.

If you've seen the show you know it takes heavily from asian themes and because of this the "cast" is drawn to be asian. The entire earth and fire nations look to be of asian descent. The water tribe like eskimos, and of course the air nomads like tibetans.

Ok so given this, who does Mr. M cast as the titular character aang?

this white kid. NOW we dont fault Mr. M for this. Aang is pretty pale and he cast a kid with crazy martial arts skills, which aang has, SO this is fine, but it doesn't stay fine. Or rather it does, fine skinned that is! Hahaha..hah..he...*cough* ok next is,

Katara, the water bender. She will be played by this girl,

Her name is Nikola Peltz and I think I saw at Forever 21 buying a Zac Efron poster.

Next up is Sokka, Katara's brother. Now because Nikola is pretty waspy, naturally they need her brother to be too.

Yep, they look like brother and sister alright...Jackson Rathbone who, unless you read TiberBeat, you have no idea who he is.

Now these two were messed up but then Mr. M, we guess, thought it wasn't white ENOUGH because then the villain, Zuko, was set to be played by this guy.

Jesse McCartney, who couldn't pull off being a villain if it was in a miley cirus video.

Was this movie to be called Aryan: The Last Airbender? Avatar: The Last Pureblood? So fervent was the outcry over this that Mr. M was forced to do some recasting, and so now Zuko will be played by this dude.

Dev Patel of Skins fame (we love skins) and slumdog millionare. Yay...??

So natrually Zuko's uncle has to be played by someone of similar nationality, hense casting of this guy,

Shaun Toub. Who is supposed to make us believe he's an elderly, chubby, asian comic relief. Hm.

Also Zuko's dad has to look the part too. So here is Cliff Curtis.

On the phone talking about how fucked up the casting is for this movie.

Finally here is Admiral Zhao, the other villain,

WOW. Aasif Mandviwala from the Daily Show...*sigh* -_-

So when M. Night isn't casting white people hes casting indian people? Indian people from the India he was born in.

So now with these "corrections" in casting, the movie will have the heroic white kids fighting the evil indians...Huh.

Everyone understands faith casting. Batman, umm Batman Returns, but there's a line. We wouldn't want to see Kevin Bacon star in the Obama biopic. If this is how this works, it's too bad John Woo wasn't pegged to direct, so this asian inspired movie could actually have some ASIANS in it.

a la mode: vimeo

2009-07-13T00:26:00.000-07:00

The plan has formed. Vimeos consistent awesomeness is hard to argue so they will now be getting a monthly post of some of the coolest shit theyve got since well, last month?

La patère rose || PaceMaker from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.

Dark Clouds - The hidden side of China's miracle economy from panos pictures on Vimeo.

Polymorphia from lionel caruana on Vimeo.

Virgile from Flying V on Vimeo.

SNOB SCRILLA - Heartbreak Scorsese from Jan Reichle on Vimeo.

a la mode: nakedness

2009-07-08T03:00:00.000-07:00

We VPAR have watched many an EPIC battle unfold, and seen sides taken. Gizmodo vs Engadget, Pepsi vs Coca-Cola, Xbox 360 vs PS3, Liberals vs Conservatives, Google vs Yahoo, Godzilla vs Rodan, this blog vs Newsweek. and in the ensuing onslaught we do our best to stay neutral...most of the time...

One of those times is right now concerning the 1000 year war between Suicidegirls and GodsGirls. Two sites who dedicate themselves to bringing the world hot naked, "alternative" girls. How YOU define alternative is different than others, BUT for the sake of ease we will go by societies tired standard and say that alternative means punk, goth, tattooed rockabilly, indie chicks. OK? Feel better society?? Moving on.

In the spirit of peace (and in full defiance of our gf's tempers) we have decided that once each month, we will pick one Suicidegirl and one Godsgirl to be displayed here. To pride in BOTH their "alternative" glories. (please dont be mad gfs! >_<) first up, in alphabetical site order

MELODIE

Melodie has been a model for Godsgirls for a long time and still stands as one of its (if not the) best. We can't tell what we like more. Her statuesque form, her awesome tats, her cute button nose, or her love of all things japanese. We'll just say all of the above.

Next up

JANEDOE

JaneDoe is the hottest vegan to come out of Europe, PERIOD. A cute tattoo artist who considers her body a temple and rightfully so because WE worship it! Haha! hehe...he....>_> Seriously she owns.

And there you have it. Proof that we can all get along. Except us with our girlfriends who will be feeding us our balls shortly. All in the name of peace.

in the news: In Memoriam

2009-07-08T02:27:00.000-07:00

Lo' dear friends. We gather here on a dark day indeed. Bloodied and broken, Pirate Bay asked for mercy at the tip of their defamers sword, BUT TO NO AVAIL! Their time has passed and we mourn a brother in arms. (Yknow, the digital piracy arms.) They fought valiantly when foul wormtongues spewed bile upon their hallowed name and turned the ruling leige against them, They rose triumphant when thy ruling leige was discovered to be cavorting with thine enemy, and they stood tall when the enemy's power shown to be of a devils might. Now with their lands taken in by snakes looking for easy prey, they have lost the battle. Rest well, brave soldiers inside the gates of the Eternal. Where the bandwith is high, and the seeds are plentiful.

Please excuse the shitty image, but we havn't been able to find a decent version of cs4 to download now with pirate bay closing. >_<

in the news: An honorary member elected to the US Senate!

2009-07-08T02:20:00.000-07:00

After 6 months of hypocritical bullshit, recounts and blah blah garbage, FINALLY an honorary VPAR has been elected to the UNITED STATES SENATE. *trumpets blaze*

Al Franken's "hey bigmouth, your full of shit and I can prove it" style has always rung deep with us and so to see that kind of attitude in the Senate is good to see. Our only concern is whether the weight of the Senates style of doing business will wear down Al, or if Franken can get a chance to do some actual good. Either way, we just hope his first CSPAN appearance on the Senate Floor will be funny. XD

in the news: funny little asshole shits on other peoples childhood. oh to be 13 again. longful sigh

2009-07-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

What better way to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Sony's iconic Walkman than to ask a teenager for some feedback on the device?

I like to imagine that the experience was similar to an archaeologist rediscovering how a recently excavated artifact was employed thousands of years ago. But I'm well aware that it must have been different for 13-year-old Scott Campbell, who co-edits his own news Web site. For one, teenage impatience must have stood in the place where I fantasize scientific curiosity should have been.

"My dad had told me it was the iPod of its day," Campbell wrote. "He had told me it was big, but I hadn't realized he meant that big. It was the size of a small book."

Sure enough, people on the street noticed the antique clinging from his belt with amusement and friends on his school bus were quick to come up with some witty remark.

Campbell went on to criticize the portable cassette player's size, appearance, functionality and the "hissy backtrack and odd warbly noises."

Even when he discovered the cassette had more music on the other side (it took him three days), Campbell was still disappointed it could only hold a small fraction of what an iPod can.

"Did my dad ... really ever think this was a credible piece of technology?"

Ouch.

our first expulsion ever

2009-06-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

The Vice Presidential Action Rangers have convened to discuss a problem concerning two honorary members. Author Ray Bradbury and Tech Blog Gizmodo.

On the 25th of June, Gizmodo ran a "story" about how Ray Bradbury had lamented the internet as distracting and meaningless when asked if his books would show up online. He then defended public libraries. Though we here use the internet often and find it valuable overall, hey its Ray Bradbury, and hes not entirely wrong. How many times have any of US thought to search for something, only to forget it when we sat down, but stayed there anyway and just fucked around the internet. Or ended up 10 profiles deep on Myspace, or 10 videos deep on Youtube. The internet can be a colossal waste of time and someone pointing that out isn't a problem for us.

BUT it was a problem for Dan Nosowitz at Gizmodo. He felt the best way to "report" this story was to belittle Ray Bradbury, referring to him as crazy and waving him off as just an old man saying silly things. WAS it necessary? NO, of course it wasn't. But on more than one occasion, Gizmodo has made it clear that we are LUCKY to have them "report" to us and however much snobby, snooty, better than you, attitude they give out, we should be thankful for.

We forgave Gizmodo when they acted like dicks at CES with their prank of TV-B-Gone. We looked the other way when Gizmodo lied about having firsthand news about the iPhone, only to have it be about a Linksys product.

We gave them the benefit of the doubt, when they were once the biggest detractors of Comcast and its fight against Net Neutrality, only to then see Comcast begin to advertise on Gizmodo, and then watch the stories about Comcast dry up. IN FACT, today if you search Comcast on Gizmodo, you get ads made to look like posts. Was it deplorable to sell out like that? Yes. Did they betray their readers? Of course. Does it make them little more than cheap scumbags? Absolutely. But who knows, maybe their kids were hungry and needed bread and shoes.

But this is the last straw. To be a dick to someone of Bradburys caliber, to pick on an old man, just because he dislikes something to burn hours on, was childish and sad given that YOU Dan Nosowitz, and YOU Gizmodo, are in NO WAY better than Bradbury is. So little do you compare that it almost comes off like jealousy. THEN when one of our members tried to comment the story twice, making clear his disapproval, his comments never showed up, BUT many comments agreeing with the story and shitting all over Bradbury are still there.

Ergo vis a vis, here to with, eeehh..from this day on, Gizmodo is stripped of its title as an Honorary Vice Presidential Action Ranger, never to darken our computers again with their petty, pathetic bullshit.

Now if you'll excuse us, we're going to the library.

in the news: The one Justice who harassed women, votes its ok to touch girls

2009-06-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

(well at least clarence thomas is consistent...)

Supreme Court rules search of Arizona teen was illegal.

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a school's strip search of an Arizona teenage girl accused of having prescription-strength ibuprofen was illegal.

In an 8-1 ruling, the justices said school officials violated the law with their search of Savana Redding in the rural eastern Arizona town of Safford.

Redding, who now attends college, was 13 when officials at Safford Middle School ordered her to remove her clothes and shake out her underwear because they were looking for pills — the equivalent of two Advils. The district bans prescription and over-the-counter drugs and the school was acting on a tip from another student.

"What was missing from the suspected facts that pointed to Savana was any indication of danger to the students from the power of the drugs or their quantity, and any reason to suppose that Savana was carrying pills in her underwear," Justice David Souter wrote in the majority opinion. "We think that the combination of these deficiencies was fatal to finding the search reasonable."

In a dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas found the search legal and said the court previously had given school officials "considerable leeway" under the Fourth Amendment in school settings.

Officials had searched the girl's backpack and found nothing, Thomas said. "It was eminently reasonable to conclude the backpack was empty because Redding was secreting the pills in a place should thought no one would look," Thomas said.

Thomas warned that the majority's decision could backfire. "Redding would not have been the first person to conceal pills in her undergarments," he said. "Nor will she be the last after today's decision, which announces the safest place to secrete contraband in school."

The court also ruled the officials cannot be held liable in a lawsuit for the search. Different judges around the nation have come to different conclusions about immunity for school officials in strip searches, which leads the Supreme Court to "counsel doubt that we were sufficiently clear in the prior statement of law," Souter said.

"We think these differences of opinion from our own are substantial enough to require immunity for the school officials in this case," Souter said.

The justices also said the lower courts would have to determine whether the Safford United School District No. 1 could be held liable.

A schoolmate had accused Redding, then an eighth-grade student, of giving her pills.

The school's vice principal, Kerry Wilson, took Redding to his office to search her backpack. When nothing was found, Redding was taken to a nurse's office where she says she was ordered to take off her shirt and pants. Redding said they then told her to move her bra to the side and to stretch her underwear waistband, exposing her breasts and pelvic area. No pills were found.

A federal magistrate dismissed a suit by Redding and her mother, April. An appeals panel agreed that the search didn't violate her rights. But last July, a full panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the search was "an invasion of constitutional rights" and that Wilson could be found personally liable.

Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented from the portion of the ruling saying that Wilson could not be held financially liable.

"Wilson's treatment of Redding was abusive and it was not reasonable for him to believe that the law permitted it," Ginsburg said.

in the news: Your credit gets shitty for no reason due to a loophole the credit card bill of rights didnt consider or ignored on purpose

2009-06-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

(usually a story like this wouldn't interest the VPAR as most of us are too young for credit cards, but the sheer fucked-upness of the CC companies fucking with peoples credit scores compelled us to post it.)

After years of getting Americans hooked on credit, card companies are slashing limits and weaning themselves off all but the safest customers

Terry Mazzera has worked to keep her credit score above 730, paying bills on time, sending in more than the minimum credit-card payment each month, and keeping a comfortable gap between her balance and credit limit.

But a couple of weeks ago, the 62-year-old Hercules (Calif.) resident got a letter from a credit-card company saying that her limit had been cut from $9,500 to $6,500—just about $400 above the amount she owed on the card. The primary reason: She was a late on a payment on a separate department store card.

Debt-to-Limit Ratios

Her debt-to-limit ratio on the card suddenly zoomed up from 64% to 94%, and she expects her credit score will be damaged. The ratio is a key component that credit bureaus use to determine creditworthiness. "It's not right," said Mazzera, a project assistant at a construction company. "I worked very hard to keep my credit."

Mazzera is part of a growing number of Americans who are seeing their credit limits slashed. Even people with good jobs, low balances, and solid payment histories could be seeing their credit scores slip through no fault of their own. About 16% of customers had their limits reduced between April 2008 and October 2008, according to a recent study by Minneapolis-based FICO, which developed the Fair Isaac scoring model used by credit bureaus to evaluate default risk.

But only a fraction of those customers would be considered risky. Jittery banks, eager to reduce potential risk, appear to be targeting many borrowers with low-balance or inactive accounts. About 11% of customers who saw their limits cut had no "risk triggers" during that period and generally had very high credit scores. Risk triggers include late payments, excessive cash advances, check bouncing, collecting unemployment, or having a mortgage in an area where property values are plummeting.

Credit Scores at Risk

"This is blindsiding people," said Evan Hendricks, author of Credit Scores & Credit Reports (Atlas Books). "For a significant portion of people having their credit scores go down, it had nothing to do with what they did. This is the system making credit scores go down. This is a new thing in history."

There's no way to know how many good credit scores are being lowered by the credit limit cuts. FICO said its study showed that borrowers whose available credit was cut did not see a change to their median FICO score, which remained at 770. But the survey ended in October 2008, just as the financial crisis was beginning. It's unclear what has happened since then.

Even a small FICO score drop in today's environment of tight credit can make the difference in getting a mortgage, a car loan, or another credit card, and it can have an impact on the interest rate a borrower pays. The FICO score ranges from 300 to 850 and the best mortgage rates are generally given to borrowers who have at least about 730.

The credit limit reductions are confusing to customers because many borrowers have credit cards so that "when a rainy day comes along they can use it," said Linda Sherry, spokeswoman for Consumer Action, a San Francisco-based nonprofit consumer education and advocacy group.

"It's hard for consumers to understand because before the credit-card companies were almost pushing credit," Sherry said. "Now they're taking it back, even for people who were doing nothing wrong."

Rising Default Rates

Banks are cutting limits in the face of a deteriorating economy. U.S. credit-card default rates reached record highs in May, near or even above 10% for Bank of America, American Express, Citigroup, and Capital One, according to Reuters. The worsening unemployment situation is causing banks to worry that even good customers could quickly become risky customers. As a result, the companies are preemptively slashing credit lines, especially those that aren't being used.

"The single biggest indicator of a person's ability to repay is whether they have a job, and economists say unemployment could hit 10%," said Peter Garuccio, spokesman for the American Bankers Assn. "Issuers say their losses track closely with unemployment and they have to minimize exposure."

Garuccio said some customers who think they're excellent customers might be riskier than they think. Somebody who just pays the minimum payment each month isn't the ideal customer, he said. "Somebody who is paying more than the minimum and not carrying a balance is a great customer."

From Ideal Customer to Liability

Curtis Arnold, founder of Cardratings.com, said the same customers that banks were aggressively soliciting are now making them nervous.

"The irony of this is that somebody who carried a balance was their [the banks'] bread-and-butter customer," Arnold said. "Now that same customer is a threat."

The banks might be tightening available credit in reaction to new federal legislation, taking effect in the middle of next year, that will restrict how credit-card companies raise rates. Among the other rules designed to benefit customers, banks will only be able to hike rates on existing balances if a customer is 60 days late on a payment, and it must provide 45 days' advance notice before increasing rates.

It pays in this environment to keep the balance-to-limit ratio below a third and keep a close eye on any changes to credit reports, experts say. Author Hendricks suggests consumers try to pay down balances or convince lenders to restore limits. Borrowers can access a free credit report once a year from each of the three credit bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com. On Myfico.com, customers can buy their TransUnion and Equifax FICO scores for $15.95 each. Experian sells reports and scores on Experian.com.

op-ed: the changing face of ineptitude

2009-06-25T00:38:00.000-07:00

The Democratic Party is having a rough go of it lately. You'd think that the party in power of both houses and the White House would be living on easy street. Able to do what they like and accomplish everything they have stumped for, for the past 8 years.

Weeeeelll it turns out it wasn't as easy as all that. You see when you promise something, again and again and again, and THEN are given the power to give it, and DON'T, people are going to want to know WHY.

The Democratic Party has promised gays equal rights, environmentalists that we'd save the earth, people going bankrupt paying hospital bills universal healthcare, and unions a chance to, at the very least, organize without fear of retaliation.

For SO LONG the Democratic Party has promised these things, that the environmentalists, unions, the uninsured in debt, and gays have been rock solid voting groups for the Democrats. UNFORTUNATELY now that the Dems have their day in the sun, the whole ordeal seems to only shed light on the fact that the Democratic Party is just as guilty of siding with lobbyists as Republicans are, albeight a little less psychotically.

Honorary VPAR Bill Maher explains this dutifully.

And President Obama isn't exactly free of blame either. As Bill explains here.

President Obama has already had one fundraiser cave in on him, due to the fact that it was to feature prominent gays and lesbians, who were just the slightest bit put off lately by the DOJ defending DOMA, and Obama putting off retting rid of Don't Ask Don't Tell until who the fuck knows when. Sensing a rift with gays and lesbians, Obama signed an Executive Order giving federal gays and lesbians more rights, BUT being as its not FULL rights, and it's JUST federal employees, the LGBT fundraiser looks like it will be a shell of what was intended.

This isn't just about people not realizing that washington is harder than it looks, or groups not getting that things take time. This is about a Party and a President who like being popular and like their jobs more than they respect the vows of office they took to their constituents, and who seem to have forgotten the whole FUCKING REASON THEY GOT ELECTED IN THE FIRST PLACE.

The Windfall of 2008 wasn't made of thin air. It came about after 8 YEARS of ass-backwards, dumbass leadership from a party who was so far right they fell off the edge of the flat earth they believe in. If the American people wanted the same old meandering, half-ass, bullshit, leadership. The Democrats would still be the minority party.

If this country is to ever get the true Progessive Leadership it deserves, it has to make crystal clear that nothing even close to what we were forced to survive in the past 8 years will be tolerated.

Fortunately this isn't a futile exercise. Change-Congress.org is currently working to remind Democrats WHY they were elected and have so far been effective in doing it.

In the end, we have to do something. IF we're to save the environment, or ever get true universal healthcare, or give gays the same rights as minorities then we have to take advantage of the power available now, and run with it like there's no tomorrow. Because frankly, at this rate, there might not be.

The Vice Presidential Action Rangers

Kat Von D is a racist, or at least one in secret.

Fuck You DC

Parents demand government save them from their own kids

The VPAR Civil War

Danny Shea is a lying petty douchebag

Beauty like nothing on earth

I dreamed a dream

These are the dark times

great now we gotta defend home wreckers. THANKS regular press.

Relevancy does not equal ice cream cones

Skeezy Guy Syndrome: Where Porn Meets Fashion

WoW is a drug? wow...

5 Creepy Ways Video Games Are Trying to Get You Addicted

local school officials abuse their power?? The hell you say!

It's beautiful...

The Demon Comcast rises AGAIIN! and an honorary vpar answers the call!

Why The iPad Is Crap Futurism

It's The Tomorrow Show with Conan O' Brien!

do I want the meal with that? FUCK NO!

the best protest EVAR

Op-Ed: Not to mention the disposable income. XD

well NO SHIT

tripping the light fantastic

hasidim but i dont believe 'em.

for all your vampire hunting needs...

Rick Warren: Whaaaat a dickface.

the dark shall RISE AGAAIIIN!

This kid is badass!

Vimeo Update!

Barack Obama: Too conservative for liberals, too black for conservatives.

I'm sorry you were raped, sorry it didn't happen sooner so we could save more money! DENIED!

Times bygone

They should be THANKING loggers for making it so they can get a notebook for 76 cents at walmart. >_>

Decline of a tribe: and then there were five

a la mode: sexiness

why there will never be a live action pokemon movie.

feels like making love

internet companies dont consider online gaming broadband cuz they dont want to be forced to upgrade their slow speeds in order to get stimulus money

skateboard art. skater art. skart?

amalga-mania!!

YEA-UHH!!...we hope...

I cant even think of what to put here

we'z all gonna daaiiii!!!

CONSUME! chibirama

exclusivity to help grow membership?? yeaa...good luck with that...>_>

our healthcare sucks? sucks how? like its not good, idk maybe cuz im british im a little fucked up wtf sucks about it, tell me!

minorities dont believe in global warming? no. no i dont think so.

a la mode: hotness

leave it to dick armey to create an army of dicks.

san diego gives into the geek 3!

san diego gives into the geek 2

san diego gives in to the geek 1

GO TO THIS!

Prizes at Retro Game Championship

About The Games You Will Be Playing

in the news: business as usual

geek alert

op ed: m. night shyamalan a racist AND a reverse racist??

a la mode: vimeo

a la mode: nakedness

in the news: In Memoriam

in the news: An honorary member elected to the US Senate!

in the news: funny little asshole shits on other peoples childhood. oh to be 13 again. *longful sigh*

our first expulsion ever

in the news: The one Justice who harassed women, votes its ok to touch girls

in the news: Your credit gets shitty for no reason due to a loophole the credit card bill of rights didnt consider or ignored on purpose

op-ed: the changing face of ineptitude

in the news: funny little asshole shits on other peoples childhood. oh to be 13 again. longful sigh