Another great scene from the Dude … with the Jesus, Vietnam and Danny!

Got 90 minutes to kill?

Watch some British Humor "Trigger Happy". They play nasty tricks to unsuspecting people with their weird humor and hidden cameras.

*Thanks to Edosan for some more fun in my life*

Gee, I love that movie. A great combination of weirdness, great characters, madness, Bob Dylan and bowling by the Coen Brothers.

We might laugh today at the blunt message of this 1950’s TV commercial. But has the message really changed? Individualism has become more prominent since the 1970’s - but the method is still the same: fear. The fear of being not cool, fear of NOT belonging to the big crowd, fear NOT to doing (buying) the best for your loved ones, fear of being NOT adorable, sexy, smart … whatever.

Since most products hardly differ in quality or features - they have to get their uniqueness either through “cool design” or marketing. For example: most cell phones for €100 have the same features for that prices, but they look very different and are often targeted at different crowds (business user, kids, pussy tech, etc).

And it is still fascinating that we still reacted to finely tuned amounts of fear and associations: “Oh, no this cell phone is made for woman. I am a strong guy, I am not gonna buy this although it’s cheaper and does exactly what I want it to do!”.

*inspired by OliviaB sending me a similar coffee ad*

I love those Top Gear Guys - they always do the right stuff … they blow them up properly …

This is one fascinating story! It would be amazing if we would battle cancer with a killer radio beam - how very SciFi!

More? John Kanzius @ Wikipedia and the CBS article

*Thanks for Sharkat for sending me this one*

BBC Documentary / 58 Minutes

Carlos Castaneda is certainly one of the most controversial and influential spiritual teachers of the last century. His books about the teachings of the Yaqui Indians was an international bestseller and still a must read for many esoteric’s out there. This documentary gives you an excellent insight in his tragic life and all the controversy surrounding his teachings.

Once again it shows that so called Gurus can turn grains of truth into madness - instead of spirituality and enlightenment you get distortion and lies.

I guess the temptation to abuse the power that some spiritual insights give you are too much for many Gurus.

Money, fame, admiration, sexual offers and power over large groups of people are a challenge most gurus fail to overcome. Instead of resisting temptation they fail to withstand the temptations of leadership and power.

Most terrible of all: he damaged the cultures he studied, he put wrong ideas in millions of heads (and therefore caused a lot of confusion and pain) and he did it all for mostly materialistic reasons.

Like L. Ron Hubbard he used his superior mind and excellent insights into the human psyche for his personal advantage.

Once again that phrase “If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him!” is a very good guide to your own spirituality. Don’t follow any illusions! Don’t follow other Buddha’s - be your own teacher and take responsibility!

Follow your own road …

If this propaganda website from NATO is any indicator for the current state of affair for the North Atlantic Alliance than it is bad … very bad.

The website feels so 1999 and really stinks. Who made this? The 14 year old son of a Polish General? Sorry, I am so incredibly underwhelmed by this …

Watch for yourself: natochannel.tv

Update: Here is a new version.

Update: The movie has been removed from LiveLeaks - you can still click the player above - but you only get an official statement. I will try to download the movie from another source and repost it here. What a shame!

Since all the world is going bonkers about this movie - watch it yourself and judge it for yourself. (Warning: LiveLeaks stream is currently overwhelmed by demand - so the video could be jerky.)

Let me know what you think?

I am pretty sure it appeals to some of my new conservative American friends.

This video is certainly made to provoke and wake up the world / Europe / the Dutch to the “dangers of Islam”. For me Islam is as dangerous as any religion when it is commanded by Fundamentalists and Terrorists as an excuse to kill or suppress others, because they can’t cope with diversity.

Should the video be censored or forbidden? Of course not. It may be not the best video ever made - but it expresses valid concerns and simply states a political opinion (doesn’t matter if you agree or not). Religions and violence are not beyond criticism.

Plus I like to point out that some stuff that is broadcast by some official Arab TV stations is much harsher than this. And al-Quaeda and Jihadist recruiting videos are pure hate and blood. So in terms of propaganda this Dutch video is rather lame.

But this video is also not beyond criticism: the associations and connections this video sometimes makes are wrong at best and stupid in some cases.

Stupid rhetoric’s from both sides are not helping.

Muslims have to ask themselves if they want to tolerate or maybe combat those fundamentalists who have hijacked their religion and commit murders in their names. And they have to accept that many place in the world don’t care about religious piety and will continue to allow attacks, ridicule and humor against Islam.

And the West has to learn that Islam is not simply bad - and that not every bearded Muslim is a terrorist.

More? Wikipedia entry

Some reactions:

BBC: Dutch MP posts Islam film on web with comments

Graphic images from the bomb attacks on London in July 2005 and Madrid in March 2004 are shown.

Pictures of a woman being stoned, scenes from a beheading and images of the Dutch director Theo van Gogh, who was murdered by a radical Islamist in 2004, are also included.

And pictures appearing to show Muslim demonstrators holding up placards saying “God bless Hitler” and “Freedom go to hell” also feature.

The film shows a young girl in a headscarf making derogatory comments about Jewish people.

Economist: Flat-earth fears

The leaders of both countries have tried to discourage these ventures. They are doing their utmost to soothe bruised sensibilities abroad. The Dutch prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, has had several talks with his Danish counterpart, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, about how to cope with the incipient crisis.

One sign that events are escalating came this week, when Mr Wilders secretly visited Copenhagen in an attempt to persuade Danish television to broadcast his movie. As in the Netherlands, the argument against doing so is to avoid provoking retaliation. Already Danish goods are being widely boycotted in Muslim countries.

The Danes seem to have had their fill of the controversy. An opinion poll in Jyllands-Posten, the newspaper that first published Mr Westergaard’s cartoon, showed that almost 60% of Danes thought republication was ill-advised—whereas a majority supported publication the first time round. On the other hand, the Danes (and Dutch) are staunch believers in free speech. A Danish minister has talked of offering a Dutch-Somali politician, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a safe bolt-hole. Two Danish television stations also aired clips of “Submission”, the film made by Theo van Gogh, who was murdered by an Islamic fanatic in 2004, for which Ms Hirsi Ali wrote the script.

There is also a natural unwillingness to bow to bullies. In the Netherlands, Mr Wilders is admired for his free-speech stance even by those who hate his politics. When two Danish soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, Mr Fogh Rasmussen rejected calls to bring the troops home. “Violent groups are trying to halt progress. They must not succeed,” he said. Many Europeans apply the same logic to free speech and Islamists.

Interesting video - didn’t know that Sir Attenborough also did porn voice overs. Overall I am happy that my penis isn’t located behind my head - although sometimes it feels like my head is located in my penis. And another note: you can show almost any animal fucking on national TV - except homo sapiens … why is that?

*Thanks to Olivia for that scientific video*

Who says it’s hard to understand other cultures humor. Some stuff is pretty universal and easy to “get”. This one cracks me up every time …

This is an old report from the LA Times - but still valid. Young American soldiers and Iraqis get blown to bits.

A three part documentation about wounded American soldiers in Iraq. Harsh reality - highly recommended to see what you don’t see on mainstream television.

Still one of the quintessential 80’s pop songs in style and content. Although it seems neither the Russians nor the Americans have learned any lessons from this?

Welcome to my life … and 2oo8 will be a great year!

Forget all these exercises about inner peace, harmony and patience. These are lies - even the gets get annoyed by trivial stuff …

*Thanks to Edosan for that lesson*

I am a big fan of Mr Connolly, because he such a great storyteller - an art almost lost these days. I wouldn’t consider him a “comedian”, because he is not really telling jokes - he simply reflects life and it’s madness in all it’s glory with his wit and charm.

This video is one of my favorite stories …

Stage6.com has been killed. It was the best video site so far, because it over high-quality viewing (based on the great DIVX codec) and - let’s be honest - tons of excellent pirated stuff.

What attracted me was the fore mentioned quality and many great user groups full with documentaries and arty stuff. It’s all gone now. So I have to do some housekeeping and delete the video links on my blog as well.

Goodbye Stage6 - you will be missed.

PS: I am pretty sure all that stuff will come back on another site.

Loads of machismo and inaptitude results in hilarious moments caught on tape. I always watch this video to reassure myself that I am not a total idiot … maybe it helps you too!?

The male of our species is … a bit odd sometimes.

Homemade video, talking … or rather singing to youself and the world. Perfect! Geo’s song "The Assumption" from the album Interrobang.

Thanks Edosan.

Adam Curtis / documentary / ca 44 minutes

From Wikipedia:

An insight into the history of nuclear power. In the 1950s scientists and politicians thought they could create a different world with a limitless source of nuclear energy. But things began to go wrong. Scientists in America and the Soviet Union were duped into building dozens of potentially dangerous plants. Then came the disasters of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl which changed views on the safety of this new technology.

More? Pandora’s Box Series

Adam Curtis / documentary / ca 44 minutes

From Wikipedia:

A look at how former Ghanaian leader Kwame Nkrumah set Africa ablaze with his vision of a new industrial and scientific age. At the heart of his dream was to be the huge Volta dam, generating enough power to transform West Africa into an advanced utopia. But as his grand experiment took shape, it brought with it dangerous forces Nkrumah couldn’t control, and he slowly watched his metropolis of science sink into corruption and debt.

More? Pandora’s Box Series

A lighthearted look at Rome and British TV obsession with it. Very charming and educational. Enjoy!

Adam Curtis / documentary / ca 44 minutes

From Wikipedia:

A modern fable about science and society, focusing on our attitude to nature. Should we let scientists be the prime movers of social or political change when, for instance, DDT made post-war heroes of American scientists only to be put on trial by other scientists in 1968? What kind of in-fighting goes on between rival camps before one scientific truth emerges, and when it does emerge, just how true is it?

More? Pandora’s Box Series

The day will come when this will happen for real.

Thanks to Edosan for sharing this video.

Documentary / 1 hour 22 minutes / by Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack

Oil is - like so many natural resources - only available in a limited supply. And with all limited resources we will reach an ‘ extraction / production peak’ - which means less of it will be available after that point.

Many scientists and oil people think that we have either reached or soon will reach peak oil. This is of course very bitter, because our global industrial society is just really starting to take off in many big countries like India, Brazil and China.

Watch this documentary to learn more about peak oil and it’s consequences.

More? Official Website