Los Angeles to Ease Restrictions on Murals

by Cimaxion

The Los Angeles Times reports that the City Council is easing its restrictions on outdoor murals.  It will no longer classify them the same way it does billboards.  Since 2002 it has been illegal to paint a mural on private or public property because the artworks are considered advertisements.  But Los Angeles is going to try to do a better job of distinguishing between the two.

Of course this will all get muddled again as soon as an artist paints a figure holding a can of Coke!  Is it art or is it an ad?  As a rule though, it is never difficult to tell when something is a giant ad and when it’s not.  It just takes a little common sense and observation.  Surely the City Council can manage this.

But the bottom line is that the murals of L.A. are inspiring and extraordinary.  The city needs to reclaim its title as ‘The Mural Capital of the World!’

The photo is a portion of a photo by Al Seib for the Los Angeles Times,  April 6, 2011.

Is Occupy Wall Street Encouraging Bigotry?

by Cimaxion | 3 Comments

Who are the one percent?

Does anyone pay attention to what is being said when this ‘1%’ thing is thrown around?

Here’s a direct quote from the OccupyWallSt.org About page and must therefore be the definitive statement of the movement’s intentions:

‘The movement is inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, and aims to expose how the richest 1% of people are writing the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing on our future.’

If you replace ‘richest 1% of people’ with different words like ‘Muslims’ or ‘Jews’ or ‘Whites’ or ‘Blacks’ or ‘Poor People,’ wouldn’t you have a serious problem?

Why is it that Occupy Wall Street can define a 1% minority out of a population and engage in open hostility and bigotry toward them? Bigotry against a part of a population is bigotry no matter what the rationale for it happens to be. Occupy Wall Street is not talking about corrupt rich people. It is not talking about criminals. It is talking about ALL rich people. It is equating wealth with villainy.

It should be obvious that not all of the richest people are in fact helping to write unfair rules. Michael Moore is rich. Is he writing some of the unfair rules?

Why is Occupy Wall Street unable to confine its hostility to actual policy?

In Germany, during the buildup of Nazism, people grew increasingly angry toward the wealthy and then turned that anger toward Jewish people.  Angry crowds, encouraged to chant mantras and direct hostility toward groups that they define as evil become extremely dangerous when exposed to a charismatic leader who is willing to exploit them.

I do not oppose constructive change of policy to make the economic situation more fair and to prevent the corporate control of government.  But I do oppose the fundamental and defining aspect of Occupy Wall Street which is to associate a particular group of people with a generic and unspecified evil.

Halloween Action Game: Vampire Hunter

by Cimaxion | 1 Comment

Defend the house against the vampires coming in through the window!  Use your crossbow and silver-tipped arrows to destroy the undead vermin before they can hypnotize you with their mind control powers.

Hints: Shoot the bats and flying mist for points.  For more points, wait for the bats and mist to turn into the vampire.  Then shoot him in the chest.  But you only have a second to get him before he stuns you with his mind control.

Reload your crossbow by pressing the spacebar.

Now go kill some vampires!

Batman and Robin: Amazingly Awful 1949 Columbia Pictures Serial

by Cimaxion

Batman and Robin was a Columbia Pictures serial of 1949. It starred Robert Lowery as the batman and a rather stolid little fellow named Johnny Duncan. It’s a totally awkward, cheesy and humorless affair that very perfectly captures the true spirit of the comic book.  But shockingly there’s no batmobile!  The caped crime-fighting duo drive around in an old Mercury convertible as if they’re married and looking for a gas station.

Look, if Christopher Nolan wants to try to convince us all that he can make gritty realistic films about Batman, go ahead and let him. He’s wasting his own time. Batman is an absurdity and should be filmed as such. Enjoy this horrendous bit of movie serial history and don’t try to figure out all the machines and criminal plots. None of it makes any sense at all!
 

Hallow’s Eve and the Pumpkin Dream: A Short Film by Adam Sager

by Cimaxion | 2 Comments

Film compositor Adam Sager made this beautiful short film for Halloween with his family. He’s created a perfect old dream film that celebrates the holiday by being mysterious, spooky and gorgeous.  This guy has got some amazing work under his belt, including work credited as paint & roto artist on the feature film ‘Coraline.’

Sagerdigital.com.

Musician and Activist Tom Morello Talks to Press About Occupy Wall Street

by Cimaxion

Former Rage Against the Machine member, Tom Morello, who has been playing for and talking to Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Los Angeles, speaks with reporters about what is going on with this explosive movement.

And here is a repost of my film, ‘One Day Occupy L.A.,’ which features an incredible live soundtrack of Morello playing for the protest in Los Angeles just this week.

Occupy Wall Street Movement Must Aim Toward Constitutional Amendment Enforcing Separation of Corporations and State

by Cimaxion

I believe that the eventual success of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which is spreading to many cities across the United States, depends upon its ability to change law. Ultimately, the movement must lead toward an amendment to the Constitution that bans corporate mixture with and influence over the state. It will resemble the separation of church and state, but it will be somewhat more precisely worded.

On Skid Row: Documentary Film by Sam Slovick

by Cimaxion

Sam Slovick made this 2008 documentary on skid row in downtown Los Angeles. The area is home to approximately 9,000 homeless people who deal with life on the streets, drugs, crime and serious physical and mental health issues. The film was made just prior to the massive economic collapse of 2008 when the numbers of homeless began to rapidly increase.

Parts 3 through 5 follow the jump.

Continue reading …

A Short Statement on Gay Bullying

by Cimaxion

The kid in this video, Jamey Rodemeyer, went to school in Buffalo, New York. He was consistently bullied for being openly gay. He tried to help others by posting videos for It Gets Better. But he was hurting too much from all the hate and bullying. He killed himself. He looks to me like a really great kid who had a huge heart and wanted to help other kids who were in trouble. The world could have used this kid. He would have gone on to become a magnificent man with a lot to offer the world. But it won’t happen because people around him did not do what they needed to do. Kids feel helpless when the adults around them cannot handle the situation properly. Sometimes these people posing as ‘counselors’ and ‘teachers’ are just useless. You can’t always rely on them to help out when someone is bullying, harassing or attacking you. There are a lot of freakish idiots working in schools all across the nation. Really stupid people. Bigots. People who I wouldn’t even trust to put gas in my car.

If a school sees a kid bullying someone, that kid should never be allowed to pass the threshold of that school again. Never. It is unforgivable. These bullying kids are non-entities who can serve no useful purpose. It is a waste to educate them. Let them enjoy very short, painful and unproductive lives. Given a little leeway, these kids would progress to hanging people from trees for their sexuality or skin color. There are some kids who are forever beyond hope. Kids who bully gay kids are some of those.

I think kids who are bullied for being gay or for any reason at all should make trouble. Lots of it.  They should call 911 if they are physically abused at school. A physical attack is criminal even if it’s committed by a student. I think kids should seek legal representation and sue the schools, the individual teachers, and the families of bullies. Gay kids who are bullied need to get their mean on and start figuring out how to fuck these people up.

As for the kind of bullying that happens socially or on Facebook, well that can be really vicious and can drive kids to despair. But that kind of thing leaves a trail. It can all be copied and saved for a nice big lawsuit. So kids, maybe you can think constructively about it. If some asshole is tormenting you on Facebook, save all the posts somewhere as evidence. Chances are there’s going to be some sort of federal law against this form of bullying soon. So all those bullying posts are going to count against those people in court.

A lot of teachers have read this site in the past. I’m not sure how I feel about that in general. But I would certainly address myself to a portion of this group by saying this: If you are a teacher who for reasons of your own or because of religious beliefs has allowed gay bashing or bullying to happen in your school and you have maintained a neutral posture, I want you out of the school. I want you jobless and living under a bridge. And then go fuck yourself. That’s the official business position of Candlelight Stories, Inc. Fuck you, fuck your credentials, and fuck your religion. Most religions hate gay people. It’s officially built into them. That’s why religions are for assholes. If you come here often and are offended by my attitude, go fuck yourself, monkey brain.

I stand with the gay kids. I stand with the ones who have put up with these bullying pigs long enough. I don’t like arguing the point with brutish, right-wing or worshipful jerkoffs. I’d rather break their heads. That’s how I feel about it.

It Gets Better.org