Gaza

Until now, I haven't said anything about Gaza. I really don't know what's to be done there. The Hamas attack on Israel was horrific. The ongoing Israeli response is horrific and tragic.

As an American, I think it would be hypocritical to criticize Israel. On September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda's attack killed at least 3000 Americans. I can't even calculate the hundreds of thousands of deaths that America's response caused. I don't think a lot of those deaths could be justified, but they can't be undone.

I believe one thing, though. All this death and destruction is exactly what Hamas wants. When they attacked, they knew Israel would feel compelled to strike back hard. They wanted a disproportionate body count. They wanted tens of thousands of Palestinians to die. They have never cared about the Palestinian people. They only care about weakening and destroying Israel, and the media coverage of all that carnage is causing an international backlash in public opinion against Israel.

I would love to see the killing stop, but I don't see the path. Even if Israel can be convinced to stop its campaign, Hamas will just do something to incite them to renew it. I don't know how this cycle of hate can be brought to a halt. 

Evil Understands

If only he knew about cell phones.

Happy

Who ever thought they were funny, anyway? Studies show that kids, in particular, really don't like them.

Lil Cthulu

He's adorable!

Pets, Of Course

Now this is a real Star Trek villain.


And today is a good day for an extra video.

September 11, 2001

I was on my way to work and listening to the news on the radio. A plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, and it was a terrible accident. Then a second plane hit the other tower, and it wasn't an accident anymore.

Not So Fair

This seems a bit contradictory.

Seriously? You're overwhelmingly concerned about your appearance, so you cast a spell to make yourself ugly? Did you even check to make sure it wasn't permanent?

Maleficent

You have to wonder if all the trouble could have been avoided just by sending the invitation. She might have refused to attend out of contrariness.

A Message from the Prince of Darkness

Back in the day, this movie creeped me out.

There's a Vampire Out Here!

Classic Fright Night.

Darkseid

Superman gets into a toussle with Darkseid in one of the animated movies. Villains don't come much more badass.

Evil Explains

Evil monologuing in Time Bandits.

Tasty, Tasty Brains!

I think sequels seldom live up to the original, but this particular scene is pretty darn creepy. Not for the faint of heart.

The Cask of Amontillado

As told by the master...

Do Cats Play With Their Food?

Why yes... yes... they do.


For those who never heard the tale, we got Mauser to dispose of mice in the barn. She is a cat picked specifically to be "a hunter who isn't too social with people."

When first released in the barn, she immediately ran off, and we wondered if we'd ever see her again. She didn't seem to be eating cat food left for her at the barn, but the mouse population did seem to be in decline. We later decided she was using it as bait.

Eventually she reappeared when some of our friends were over helping us build a bonfire. Since then, she's been a surprisingly social cat. She doesn't like to be picked up, but she will run in front of you and lay down for you to rub her belly.

And she's death on a stick to field rats, rabbits, birds, lizards, and just about anything else she can catch.

Incidentally, this is my first real success at video editing. Go me.

Custom Hand Phaser

It's interesting, but I don't think I'd want anyone to point it at me. In the construction tutorial, the maker explains that getting shot in the eye with the beam or a reflection would be bad.



Heck, if you can pop balloons with it, I don't even think I want that dot on my skin, let alone my eye.

Army of Darkness

And we close out the month with what might be the greatest Halloween classic of all time.



You can't go wrong with Bruce Campbell. And just for fun, we'll make today's a double.

Legend: Dance

Not only is this a very sensual seduction to evil, but it's one of the reasons I adore Mia Sara.



And the scene continues...

New Shameless Commerce

So I tried Google Ads, and not only did they not actually get any attention, they were usually idiotic products like spells from the dubious "Magicks of the World" site. So, I'm going to try Amazon ads. At least I get to decide what will actually be advertised. I will shamelessly promote books and music that I like.

Top 10 Giant Movie Monsters

You'll be very surprised by number one, but I think the best moment of this review comes toward the end of number three. Language warning on this one, if that matters to you; the narrator is a bit free with the four letter vocabulary.