Blogcritics Comments

Comment by kkaiba on TV Review: Flight of the Conchords Season 2 Opener Shows Signs of Jetlag

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 06:46:50 EST

Yep, I agree with this review of the first episode of season 2. It's so often the case that a show decreases in quality after a long break. Futurama and Family Guy come to mind! The makers of these shows need to really get to the essence of what made the show a success in the first place and completly break it down.

Comment by rob on Music Review: Ludacris - Theater of the Mind

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 06:18:00 EST

his new cd is off the hook the best cd ut last year 2 me bye far n it came n the end he is the best rapper alive !!!!

Comment by Ruvy on Sudden Death Syndrome: A Warning From The Heart

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 05:38:27 EST

Thank you for this article. I had not seen it when it came out and as a sufferer with heart disease (it sickens me to write that phrase), it is useful to me. I haven't seen the author posting here for quite a while. I hope he is alright.

Comment by Ruvy on Israel and Gaza

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 04:50:45 EST

Jack, Stop being a fool. See the video in comment #33. The Warsaw Ghetto should only have had all the food there was in Gaza. There are stinky, filthy refugee camps - but el-Arish, which is not a refugee camp, is stinkier and filthier. The Arabs in Gaza went to war. They didn't HAVE to launch volley after volley of rockets to kill Jews for eight years. But they did launch volley after volley of rockets to kill Jews. They are getting paid as they deserve for their bloodthirstiness - 100 to one.

Comment by David on Sudden Death Syndrome: A Warning From The Heart

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 04:40:50 EST

I was sent an email that described what to do if you felt a heart attack coming on. It suggested sharp inwards breaths followed by coughing out the breath. Is that correct?

Comment by Roger Nowosielski on Consumer Power Wasted

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 03:28:56 EST

Bliffle, But what do you think my comment just above. The consumers by and large, as a sector I mean, are dumb. They need serious re-education as to the power they potentially have in order to re-invest their savings in whatever resources wisely, away from companies and networks which harm us and drag us all down the drain to more constructive alternatives and projects. That's one import of Catherine Austin Fitts' comprehensive website and program. Roger PS: I'll take your response tomorrow.

Comment by Glenn Contrarian on Global Warming: Is There Really Even A Debate?

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 03:05:50 EST

Dave - I wasn't speaking only of BC writers. Do you really want to dispute that overall, it's the conservatives who are against the research indicating MMGW? And do you dispute that conservatives are MUCH more likely than liberals to oppose the theory of evolution? No, I don't think you do. My point stands.

Comment by Dave Nalle on Global Warming: Is There Really Even A Debate?

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 02:17:36 EST

But Dr. D., my opinion is only that we should continue to study the issue and consider all the possibilities while not leaping to drastic measures which might do a great deal of harm unnecessarily. That's a very mild opinion compared to accusing people of crimes against humanity and demanding they get fired from their jobs. What is very clear on a gross level, is that the amount and rate of global warming in no sense justifies a precipitous reaction or some sort of crisis panic state. The planet has been cooling for almost a decade even if we're stil up 2 degrees in the long term. Temperatures have been much higher in past eras without disastrous results. Change does not automatically mean disaster. Dave

Comment by Dr Dreadful on Global Warming: Is There Really Even A Debate?

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 02:12:20 EST

Earlier someone claimed that AGW skeptics are not climatologists. No, I said most. The list goes on and on. Does it? Of the 39 skeptical scientists listed on Wikipedia, only six are atmospheric or climate scientists. I certainly don't dismiss them out of hand - as I said, I wish dearly that MMGW was not true - I do wonder why skeptics like yourself hold their opinions of greater weight than those of the very large majority. The Wikipedia entry concerning scientific opinion on climate change lists 41 organizations which support the scientific consensus.

Comment by Glen Boyd on Music Review: Jefferson Airplane - After Bathing At Baxter's

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 01:59:37 EST

You write: Marty Balin's "Young Girl Sunday Blues" is the only close to normal song on the album. I'm not sure what you would call "normal" in the mid to late sixties, but what's clear is that, like a lot of groups back then, the Airplane were interested in experimenting with their sound, and moving past the hits of Surrealistic Pillow. While parts of Baxters work, and others clearly didn't, I think the record holds up quite well as a great example of Bay Area psychedelia. I'm particularly surprised you make no mention of the instrumental track, "Spare Chaynge," which contains some great feedback laden guitar and bass interplay between Kaukonen and Casady (who for my money is still one of the best rock bassists of all time -- and Jorma's no slouch on guitar either). By the time of their next record, Crown Of Creation, the experimental jamming of Jorma and Jack on songs like "Spare Chaynge" would coalesce nicely into a more solid mix with the four and five minute songs of Balin, Kantner, and Slick, giving way to songs like "Greasy Heart" and "Lather." But I'm sure you'll tell us all about that, right? -Glen

Comment by bliffle on Consumer Power Wasted

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 01:57:05 EST

Joel is correct in the original article, economic power (in these modern times) is in the hands of consumers, not producers, which makes it all the more puzzling why George Bush, with all the best brains in economics to draw on, would champion handing out money to producers (tax cuts to the rich, bailouts to the improvident bankers). And then, in turn, even more puzzling that Obama (who we so ardently hoped was the un-Bush who would save our financial lives) should give over half of his 'stimulus' package to such idiocy, thus diluting the utility of any 'stimulus' by one-half. Oh well, what can one expect?

Comment by Louise on House, MD: 20 Essential Episodes, Part 2

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 01:34:20 EST

Barbara, you set your criteria and I think you did a splendid job with the important episodes in terms of plot points and narrative knowledge. Of course I have another opinion! I suspect that many of us are House fans precisely because with identify with the good doctor's propensity to have strong opinions. Here's my case for Lines in the Sand. (I have to say, however, I see your point about ODOR and I love it that she pulls House into her problem.) In Lines in the Sand, we have House provide us with his very own his happiness scale. I love it that he has quantified happiness. It also lets us know that he has considered the nature and intensity of happiness as well as his old friend misery. The other thing is the eye contact between House and the autistic boy. House generally sees right into people's souls, often with that intense stare, and with this boy he is not all together certain what is there. That is one reason the end is so powerful--the kid saw into House's soul--he understood him and what House did for him when so many others (including Wilson) do not. I am not sure this episode reveals the type plot-point knowledge you set as your criteria. I do think it reveals, and reveals powerfully, insights into House's character. For me, that's what the series is all about. But, again, perhaps I am just making a case for my favorite episode. Well, other than, "We'll always have Fresno!" Just IMO and to add to the discussion. You do develop such lovely frameworks to instigate interesting discussion!

Comment by Clarence Yu on Book Review: Outliers - The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 01:18:31 EST

Skyblue, thanks for the comments. I wholeheartedly agree that constant practice is a factor is success or expertise. I'm somewhat ambivalent however with the notion that 10,000 hours is the prescribed amount of time needed. In the context of Mr. Gladwell's examples, they certainly "fit" but in other real-life situations they do not. Again thank you for the comments.

Comment by Linda Thieman on Talking Books with Children's Book Author Linda Thieman

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 01:15:51 EST

My love of language started as a sign from the universe not to be missed! When I was in 5th grade, we saw a Bell Telephone Hour starring a guy called Dr. Linguistics and it just woke me up to language and linguistics. The next year we moved, and in 6th grade at my new school, I got to watch the same film again, which just cemented it for me. LOL!

Comment by Andrea in Colorado on Food Review: My Not-So-Great NutriSystem Experiment

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 01:06:33 EST

I like to use Nutrisystem from time to time. I'll usually split a month with my mother and we'll lose the nasty 5-10 lbs gained over the holidays. I like not having to measure my portions and it helps to "remind" me and my stomach what is a portion. I think some people forgot that Nutrisystem, along with every diet plan, reminds people to exercise regularly. Nutrisystem is a great way to lose weight if you're a busy person that has little time to measure and/or cook healthy foods. This is why a lot of people become overweight. We eat fast, unhealthy, high-calorie triple-portion foods and we rarely make time to exercise. It's simple and most people get it...Nutrisystem just makes the eating part easier.

Comment by Cindy D on Love in the Ruins of Democracy - The Greek Uprising of 2008

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 01:04:02 EST

lol, here you need a lesson from this woman on youtube. I love this woman she's a stark raving lunatic. I'm off to write or sleep or read. cya later Roger :-)

Comment by Deanna on An Interview With Sera Gamble, Supernatural Producer and Writer, Part One

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:38:10 EST

Alice, I appreciate where you're coming from, but it's hard to trust in Kripke at this point. "Sam's storyline. As I've explained many times, he's darker, and everything in his character growth is subtle and not very transparent." What's sad is, this has been true since the beginning. Dean has been given some fantastic moments, plot, whole episodes, a range off characters to intractb with from John to Bobby to Gordon to the women he's been with. Obvious, transparent, talked about, explained, acted character development. Sam's development is mostly supposition on the part of the watcher. And thus, a large and vocal faction of fandom has come to appreciate him so little that they really don't care if he's even part of the show or not. That should really be the red flag, shouldn't it? Neither of the lead characters (when they're both supposedly good guys) is supposed to be hated. They might go through morally ambiguous times, but are ultimately justified or at least explained. But Sam has been hated since as early as "Asylum," "Skin," "Bugs." And the reason is that his actions/thoughts/motivations are seldom explained and even less seldom justified. Whole scenes go by where Sam literally HAS NO LINES (like the rescue scene in "Benders," to go back to something as early as season 1, let alone eps from this season where he's nto even onscreen). His issues with his father dying were swept under the carpet, there was no fallout from his own death or from BUABS or Mystery Spot, his four months alone while Dean was in hell were glossed over...the list goes on. Jensen is phenomenal in this role, and Dean is a phenomenal character. I don't ever want him to be one whit less than half the show. But the other half NEEDS to be Jared/Sam. And I'm not talking minutes of airtime--it's quality, not quantity. Jared's got the chops: we've seen them. And if Kripke and Co. truly care about Sam's character, they'll start making things a little more obvious and transparent and SYMPATHETIC. When I start to see signs of that, I will trust Kripke again. But for now, I am balanced on the edge of Rabid Fan Since Day One Who May Stop Watching Forever. Which breaks my heart.

Comment by Roger Nowosielski on Love in the Ruins of Democracy - The Greek Uprising of 2008

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:35:35 EST

The problem with my writing, even fiction, I can't get insane enough. Even at the depths of depression, I'm rational to the core. It's a curse and debilitating too. I crave for insanity.

Comment by Cindy D on Love in the Ruins of Democracy - The Greek Uprising of 2008

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:26:56 EST

I recommend this. Block likes to write about the bad guy that you have to like. Think you can't like a hitman? His other character is a burglar. No Roger, not a stream of consciousness. It was an allusion to our first conversation.

Comment by Ali on An Interview With Sera Gamble, Supernatural Producer and Writer, Part One

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:24:23 EST

Great interview, Alice! Loved hearing Sera's thoughts on the angels, as that's exactly the way I see them as well (and I was a bit put out by Anna's insistence that they were all cold, unfeeling jerks, considering what I'd already seen of Castiel), and I totally agree with her on how wonderfully the faith questions are turning out. She's right... Jensen is absolutely nailing Dean's conflict about this stuff, and I think the writers are doing a fantastic job of it as well. The comment in The Great Pumpkin, about how it's not that the angels aren't righteous, the difficulty is that they ARE... that was brilliance. Loved it. Evil hath a pleasing shape, and good is often hard and unpleasant, and that's why so many choose to do evil. Nothing but love for this season so far.

Comment by Roger Nowosielski on Love in the Ruins of Democracy - The Greek Uprising of 2008

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:20:13 EST

Never heard of him. But what was the penultimate comment - a stream of consciousness. By the way, I have a new idea for a novel. It had occurred to me only today. I've been dry and uninspired for a year. The BC may yet safe the day, or the life as the case may be! RN

Comment by Tony on Reflections of Metallica: A Discourse on Metal

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:18:54 EST

No, I don't think not being inspired by Sabbath makes you a "liar." But judging by the majority of the bands you named I would say you are more into prog rock than metal. Silent Lucidity isn't exactly what you would call heavy music (although I am a fan of the band). Most of that stuff -- Dream Theater especially -- is more influenced by Floyd and that family of bands; the Alan Parsons Project and what not.

Comment by Cindy D on Love in the Ruins of Democracy - The Greek Uprising of 2008

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:12:12 EST

Roger, Do you like Lawrence Block?

Comment by Cindy D on Love in the Ruins of Democracy - The Greek Uprising of 2008

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:11:19 EST

(wonders if roger shouldn't better be spending his time locked away in a fortress far from the internet pondering deep thoughts :-)

Comment by Roger Nowosielski on Love in the Ruins of Democracy - The Greek Uprising of 2008

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:08:32 EST

Yes, Cindy. Perhaps one of the best that Percy had written. It's like a diary of a madman; will remind you somewhat of The Stranger. Anyways, some of my work you have is patterned a bit on that. By the way, "Love in the Ruins" is the one book I couldn't get through; everything else he had written I read. Do also look at the other references I gave you: Nozick's is a counterbalance to anarchistic thought; but the other volume has a great article on autonomy you should read. Anyways, it's good you're back. You do know that you imbue this site with energy, don't you? So when you're gone for a stretch, I happen to miss it. Roger