« August 2005 | Main | October 2005 »

September 29, 2005

The Man Of Steel Returns

A long 11 year road in the making...

In 273 days Superman Returns

For any of you whom may be Superman fans there is a good article in Newsweek about the 11 year road that finally ended up with Bryan Singer producing "the most expensive film ever".

Here is an excerpt from the Newsweek article:

It's taken Warner Bros. 11 years to get 'Superman Returns' off the ground. Not exactly faster than a speeding bullet. Now 'X-Men' director Bryan Singer's at the helm in Australia. An exclusive visit.

By the time "Superman Returns" lands in theaters next summer, it will have taken Warner Bros. 11 torturous years to get the movie off the ground. At one point in the mid-1990s, Tim Burton was going to direct Nicolas Cage as the man in tights. The next big plan was "Superman vs. Batman," directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Then, a few years ago J. J. Abrams, creator of the shows "Alias" and "Lost," chipped in a "Superman" script that whipped up a frenzy around the lot. It was teeming with huge action sequences, but altered the Superman myth. (In Abrams's version, the planet Krypton survived.) Director McG was dying to direct it, but couldn't because he had committed to make "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle." Brett Ratner signed on, but tussled with the studio over the budget—at one point it was estimated at more than $200 million—and left after six months. McG then stepped back in to direct, but location became a problem. By shooting in Australia, the studio could shave about $30 million off the budget. McG refused to fly, so the studio showed him the door.

Yeah, I know, I'm a dork. I just thought I'd share the picture and some info on the Man of Steel.

lagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 02:44 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

September 28, 2005

Woo Hoo 100,000 Visitors

Yesterday the 27th of September 2005 the Slaughterhouse had its 100,000th visitor.

I'd like to extend a thank you to those who have inspired posts, debate and all of my regular readers.

Thanks again!

lagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 01:04 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

September 26, 2005

PFC England Convicted On Six Of Seven Counts

FORT HOOD, Texas Pfc. Lynndie England, 22, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy, four counts of maltreating detainees and one count of committing an indecent act. She was acquitted on a second conspiracy count.

According to CNN.com:

Monday, September 26, 2005; Posted: 6:28 p.m. EDT (22:28 GMT)

U.S. Army Pfc. Lynndie England walks outside the courthouse Friday in Fort Hood, Texas.

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) -- Army Pfc. Lynndie England, whose smiling poses in photos of detainee abuse at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison made her the face of the scandal, was convicted Monday by a military jury on six of seven counts.

England, 22, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy, four counts of maltreating detainees and one count of committing an indecent act. She was acquitted on a second conspiracy count.

The jury of five male Army officers took about two hours to reach its verdict. Her case now moves to the sentencing phase, which will be heard by the same jury beginning Tuesday.

England tried to plead guilty in May to the same counts she faced this month in exchange for an undisclosed sentencing cap, but a judge threw out the plea deal. She now faces a maximum 10 years in prison.

England, wearing her dark green dress uniform, stood at attention Monday as the verdict was read by the jury foreman. She showed no obvious emotion afterward.

Asked for comment after the verdict, defense lawyer Capt. Jonathan Crisp said, "The only reaction I can say is, 'I understand."'

England's trial is the last for a group of nine Army reservists charged with mistreating prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq, a scandal that badly damaged the United States' image in the Muslim world despite quick condemnation of the abuse by President Bush.

Two other troops were convicted in trials and the remaining six made plea deals. Several of those soldiers testified at England's trial.

Prosecutors used graphic photos of England to support their contention that she was a key figure in the abuse conspiracy. One photo shows England holding a naked detainee on a leash. In others, she smiles and points to prisoners in humiliating poses.

The conspiracy acquittal came on a count pertaining to the leash incident; she was found guilty of a maltreatment count stemming from the same incident.

Beyond the sordid photos, prosecutors pointed to England's statement to Army investigators in January 2004 that the mistreatment was done to amuse the U.S. guards at Abu Ghraib.

"The accused knew what she was doing," said Capt. Chris Graveline, the lead prosecutor. "She was laughing and joking. ... She is enjoying, she is participating, all for her own sick humor."

Crisp countered that England was only trying to please her soldier boyfriend, then-Cpl. Charles Graner Jr., labeled the abuse ringleader by prosecutors.

"She was a follower, she was an individual who was smitten with Graner," Crisp said. "She just did whatever he wanted her to do."

England, from Fort Ashby, West Virginia, has said that Graner, now serving a 10-year sentence, fathered her young son.

The defense argued that England suffered from depression and that she has an overly compliant personality, making her a heedless participant in the abuse.

England's earlier attempt to plead guilty under a deal with prosecutors was rejected by Col. James Pohl, the presiding judge. Pohl declared a mistrial during the sentencing phase when testimony by Graner contradicted England's guilty plea.

Graner, a defense witness at the sentencing, said pictures he took of England holding a prisoner on a leash were meant to be used as a training aid.

In her guilty plea, England had said the pictures were being taken purely for the amusement of Abu Ghraib guards.

Once in a while the system works. If you followed my previous posts on this subject you'll know how I felt about all of this. I believe those involved with this (from top to bottom) should have to pay for their actions. Anyone who tries to argue that they were just following orders must not be familiar with the term "lawful order". We all have an obligation to disobey any order that is unlawful or may hurt/harm themselves or those under their care. Let's hope for a reasonable sentence!

**UPDATE** England received 3 years!

lagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 04:19 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

September 25, 2005

Tommy Bond (Jimmy Olsen) Dies At 79

Direct from the Superman Homepage:

Thomas Bond, the actor who played Jimmy Olsen in two Superman Serials alongside Kirk Alyn, passed away on Saturday aged 79. While Superman fans knew him best as Jimmy Olsen from the 1948 Adventures of Superman and 1950 Atom Man Vs. Superman serials, Tommy was probably best known for his role as "Butch" in the Little Rascals serials of the 1940s.

Bond began acting at the tender age of six first as "Tommy" in the Little Rascals, then he took on the role of chief bully/tough guy and thorn in Alfalfa's side, "Butch." Bond also played "Joey Pepper" in the Five Little Peppers series of movies. In the 1950s he began doing more behind the scenes in the television and film industry, directing and producing many works, before finally retiring in 1991.

Bond died Saturday of complications from heart disease at Northridge Hospital, said his manager, Frank Marks. He is survived by his wife, Pauline, son Thomas Ross Bond III and a grandson.

To all the fans, he will be missed, even by those of us too young to have watched the originals (I have them on DVD, some of them burnt copies from classic TV etc.).

lagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 10:25 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Happy Birthday To You

Daddy's little girl turned 6 years old today. Happy Birthday Monkey!!!!

On a sad note while celebrating her birthday my little girl was playing on the swingset. She fell off and broke both her Radius and Ulna of her right arm. Poor thing will have to spend several weeks in a cast.

Poor thing will always remember her 6th B-day.

Posted by SlagleRock at 09:40 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

September 23, 2005

Distinguishing Between The Different Services Terminology

OK, before any of my Air Force readers get upset remember that I myself am in the AF and this is merely humor...

Navy/USMC............. Army........... Air Force
Head........................ Latrine......... Powder Room
Rack........................ Cot.............. Single w/ruffle & duvet
Chow Hall................. Mess Hall..... Cafe
Utilities..................... BDU's.......... Casual Wear
Seaman................... Private........ Bobby or Jimmy
Chief....................... Sergeant..... Bob or Jim
Captain/Skipper....... Colonel....... Robert or James
Captains Mast.......... Article 15.... Time Out
Billets/Birthing......... Barracks..... Dormitory
Skivvies.................. Underwear.. Lingerie
Thrown in the Brig.... Confinement. Grounded

Now, in all fairness to myself, other NCO's and Airman, and anyone unfamiliar with the military, truth is we fall in line (for the most part) with the Army just like the Marine Corps does with the Navy. The reality is the AF takes the best care of its people out of all the branches, so this is how they tend to see it!

lagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 05:49 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

September 19, 2005

Watch Me Light This Fart On Fire...

"I think you should put this on your web page, I don’t think it is entirely accurate as far as the years because it sounds just like my child hood and yours as well I’m sure, but it is an accurate portal of the lives of children today." -- Defender1

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies or DVD's, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good, and while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

lagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 09:15 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

September 15, 2005

One Nation Under God

OK, so recently there has been quite a stir (once again) about two words in our Pledge of Allegiance...

Of course MTV.com was quick to run with this information:

A California atheist who has fought for years to have the words "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools won a major legal battle on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled in favor of atheist Michael Newdow, deciding that the reference to God in the pledge violates the rights of children in three California school districts to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God," according to a report by The Associated Press.

Karlton made his ruling based on the precedent set by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in Newdow's favor in 2002 with a decision that stated the pledge is unconstitutional when recited in public schools.

Newdow, a doctor and lawyer, took the case all the way to the Supreme Court last year, which dismissed it on a technicality when it ruled that Newdow did not have full custody of the daughter he had filed suit on behalf of. Newdow's latest victory came after filing an identical lawsuit on behalf of three unnamed parents and their children, according to the AP.

It's unclear when, or if, the Supreme Court — currently in a state of flux as chief justice nominee John Roberts undergoes confirmation hearings and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor awaits retirement — will take up the case.

Senator Jeff Sessions mentioned the ruling during Roberts' confirmation hearing on Wednesday, but Sessions did not ask the nominee what he thought of it because the issue might go before the Supreme Court in the near future. Roberts did say that the court "could be clearer" on issues regarding the separation of church and state.

Newdow would like the court to remove the reference to God in the pledge and bring back its pre-1954 wording, "one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

The original pledge was written by a Baptist minister's son, Francis Bellamy, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' landing in America and did not include the reference to God. Congress adopted the pledge in 1942 and "under God" was added in 1954.

"I'm passionate about treating people equally," Newdow told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Imagine you send your kids to school every day, and the teachers made them stand up and say, 'We are one nation that denies God exists.' Imagine you are Jewish, and they say, 'We're one nation under Jesus.' Imagine you are Christian, and they say, 'We're one nation under Mohammad.' Do you think it's a big deal? Because that's exactly what goes on against atheists."

Though Judge Karlton said he would sign a restraining order to prevent the recitation of the pledge in three schools in Sacramento County that the plaintiff's children attend, the order will not extend to other districts, or the entire country, unless the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals or Supreme Court take up the case.

The superintendent of one of the districts, Steven Ladd, told the AP that the pledge will continue to be recited until the school receives the restraining order, which he expects to happen any day. "Our board has long supported the Pledge of Allegiance as an appropriate patriotic exercise for willing students," Ladd said.

The decision by Judge Karlton conflicts with an August ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, which affirmed a Virginia law requiring public schools to lead a daily recitation of the Pledge.

— Gil Kaufman

OK, so what do I think about this issue. First, if it was accepted/adopted and utilized as our Pledge prior to 1954 in its original condition then that is how it should have remained. That is one thing that preturbs me about our great nation. We have very little traditions because we are always changing things. So the flip side to that is, it's been that way with "under God" for fifty one years, leave it alone and press on.
It is a pledge to our nation, our way of life. It is not a pledge to God. I also believe that while most of our documents refer to the Christian God it is just as easily accepted in the pledge or any other document as any God or your God. A Buddhist could affirm under Buddha the pledge of allegiance, a Muslim Allah. Our nation will never truly have any traditions if we are re-writing ourselves every 25-50 years to please one group or another.

Now before any of my hard core conservative friends flip on this point of view you will notice that I have the pledge clearly posted on my site in the right hand gutter. It is in it's current form "under God" and will remain that way on my site.

To all the LibTards out there, find something constructive to do with your time. Stop re-writing history and tradition just so your LibTard children can turn around and do the same thing to you.

I could go on and on about this, but just take it in short....

Leave it alone, leave all our historical documents alone and press on!

lagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 02:57 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack

September 06, 2005

Feeling Unappreciated At Work?!?!?

I got this from one of the guys in my shop.

If you feel unappreciated imagine how this guys family must have felt.

Well as most with any kind of common sense would suspect this is likely a false story, just another eRumor, urban legend or internet rumor. Either way a scary thought but worth a sick laugh.

George Turklebaum, R.I.P. From David Emery, Your Guide to Urban Legends and Folklore. FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Worker dead at desk for 5 days
(Originally published 01/31/01)
I would be remiss if I let another week pass without commenting on the strange story of George Turklebaum.

Reports published in the British press and subsequently circulated on the Internet claim that Turklebaum, allegedly a proofreader in a New York publishing firm, sat stone-dead in his office chair for five days last October before his coworkers realized it.

This has aroused Yankee skepticism.

In England the item has appeared in the Birmingham Sunday Mercury, the Daily Mail, the Guardian, the Times of London, on the BBC and no doubt in other venues, but American newspapers have not, by and large, seen fit to propagate it.

As the story goes, 51-year-old George Turklebaum quietly suffered a fatal heart attack one day while working at his desk. Apparently none of his 23 coworkers thought it remarkable to see him slumped motionless in his chair for five days running, because Turklebaum kept mostly to himself and was the first to arrive and the last to leave the office every day.

It's the sort of scenario Somerset Maugham must have had in mind when he said, "Death is a very dull, dreary affair."

But let's be scientific. Medical examiners say that within three days after a person dies, the corpse should exhibit obvious signs of decay: swelling, discoloration, fluid leakage and that distinctive odor of death. It's unlikely those telltale symptoms would have gone unnoticed by Turklebaum's fellow employees on into the fifth day postmortem.

Nevertheless, the Birmingham Sunday Mercury stands by its account. Proudly.

"We reported in December that New Yorker George Turklebaum had died at work — but none of his colleagues noticed for FIVE days," a follow-up article says. "We estimate that international interest in poor George's woeful tale means that more than 100,000 emails have now been sent from office worker to office worker."

"Of course the story is true," the Mercury continues — nevermind that the New York City white pages don't list a single Turklebaum in the region; the item came from a reliable source, a Big Apple radio station.

It's interesting to find the Sunday Mercury bragging as if it scooped the story, given that its first published report was dated December 17 and the Guardian had already run a briefer version two days earlier.

Among the colorful details we find in the Mercury's rendition is this closing tag: "Ironically, George was proofreading manuscripts of medical textbooks when he died."

Does anyone besides me hear the phrase "too good to be true" ringing in their ears?

In any case, the Mercury does have it right when it boasts that Turklebaum-mania has swept the Internet in recent weeks. True or not, the story resonates with disaffected office workers everywhere. As one email correspondent put it, the tale bespeaks "a universal fear of being ignored (and unappreciated) in the workplace."

Not to mention a universal fascination with the macabre ... and the unlikely.

Update: After the above comments were published, the Birmingham Mercury offered an alternative explanation of where the Turklebaum story originated, claiming it was culled from the pages of the Weekly World News, a supermarket tabloid renowned in the U.S. for its outrageous, credulity-defying "scoops" concerning human females impregnated by space aliens and the like. We have since confirmed that the item did, in fact, appear for the first time anywhere in the December 5, 2000 issue of WWN under the headline "Dead Man Works for a Week!"

Update: Via BBC News: In January 2004, the Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reported — as factual — that a tax auditor in his late sixties keeled over at his desk in the Helsinki tax office and his dead body went undiscovered by coworkers for two days.

lagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 01:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 02, 2005

Not Defending Nor Justifying Merely Reminding All How This Works...

I'll start with an apology, I am sorry that my first post after such a long break has to be an administrative one, but apparently it is needed.

Over the past few weeks there has been a rash of commenters to a few of my 'recent' posts who feel that they need to either bash me or others who have commented on my post. I certainly believe in free speech and encourage all to share how they feel about whatever the topic, however I am not a fan of people hiding in the dark and stabbing at a caged animal. If you screen name is Hammer and that is what you leave for a name, fine. I don't care what you leave for a name to be honest, but when you select something like "kiss my ass" or "fuck all you rednecks" and then leave an email address that is obviously fake all you have shown is that you are a coward. Your point, or attempted point is lost because you can't even provide an email address for someone to perhaps make a counter point if need be.

So, that said, if you would like to tackle the great SlagleRock at least have the balls to use your real name (or actual screen name) and provide a legitimate email address.

This post has created quite a stir, though I am sure that the only negative comments have been left by a particular jaded woman. Give me a break people. The girl in the picture of that post is nothing more than a beautiful young woman who is serving her country. She is not ignorant, or anything other than a patriot who had a friend take a "sexy" picture of her for her to send to her husband. Unfortunately like many things it ended up floating around the net. I posted it as a comical poke at the other services, though I meant no real harm, it was all in fun. The picture will remain in that post despite those of you who aren't comfortable with your own appearances well enough to see it for what it is, a beautiful young patriot and nothing more.

As for other posts that have bothered me lately. The Letters to the Troops 'campaign' if you will is a place where readers can come to my site and leave their words of support for the fighting men and women serving our country all over the globe. This post is not a place for the extreme left to leave negative comments about the troops. If you feel the need to write bad things about America's heroes get your own site, don't do it here, I will delete your comments and if you become a true pain in the ass I will ban your URL.

Well, now that is done! Anyone have anything that needs my attention? Anything you'd like me to comment on? Those of you who have my email address can send your ideas, requests or comments to my gmail account. Those of you who do not know me personally are more than welcome to drop links in the comments of this post. I will try to get back to posting on a more regular basis now that my life is finally slowing down a bit.

lagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 10:59 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack