What the hell did he just say?!?!?

I'm sure everyone has heard about the recent terrorist activity in Norway. God, that makes it sound relatively tame: What really happened: Anders Behring Breivik, A right-wing White Supremacist blew up and/or shot to death NINETY-SEVEN people, many of them children.



Every argument ever presented by Glenn Beck

 It's horrid, enraging and utterly sad. What is worse? Glenn Beck, ever the fan of Godwining every argument he has ever heard of, compared The Labour Party Youth Camp targeted by this European version of a backwoods redneck to a "Hitler Youth Camp"

But that's Glenn Beck: We should all expect him to behave like an idiot.

The Ultra Stupid, A Quote from Morrissey:

“We all live in a murderous world, as the events in Norway have shown, with 97 dead," Yes, ladies and gentleman, this is a directly attributed quote from the 52 year old singer/songwriter. "Though that is nothing compared to what happens in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried shit every day.”
(vancoversun.com)

Are...You...FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?

I understand the choices of vegetarians and I believe animal cruelty should have stiffer legal penalties, but to compare the cold, calculated murder of 97 people to hamburgers and buckets of chicken, is not only ill-thought-out it is just plain idiotic in every sense of the word.

First off, Mr. Morrissey, I'd like to introduce you to the food chain: Animals like Cows, chickens and even cute fluffy little bunny rabbits convert vegetable matter into animal matter, i.e. Meat. (and copious amounts of shit, but that's beside the point for this little exercise) The animals in turn are eaten by other animals, which convert that animal protein into more furry little predators and bigger, smarter brains, which is, oddly enough, how humanity came to be. The Internet came along a little after that. Which I'm thankful for, because it allows me to call you a level 3 douche bag from the privacy and comfort of my own home.

While, yes I agree factory farms aren't exactly pleasant places,they are much better than the world without them. Images like rioting at supermarkets and mass starvation come to mind. Without these industrialized food production facilities food prices would sky rocket and a good portion of the world's population wind eventually starve to death. And Yes, I do recognize the cost. These animals are bred and raised to be killed for food. It's ugly, it's bloody and it's extremely messy. It is also very necessary.

But according to your words, you think raising and killing animals for food is vastly more inhumane than Breivik's attack on unarmed and non-threatening fellow human beings. Breivik used a specific type of ammunition in his attack, rounds referred to as 'dum-dums' or sabots. For those unfamiliar with those terms. A Sabot is a type of bullet designed to shatter on impact, sending high velocity shards of splintered metal through the body of the target. This type of bullet is specifically BANNED from military use by the Geneva Convention. Why? because an easily survivable wound to an arm, leg or even torso with standard military copper jacketed rounds becomes an amputation or a slow agonizing death due massive internal injuries.

Yes, Morrissey, that seems MUCH more humane than killing and eating an animal. Have you even seen the pictures of the victims? Most of then are teenagers. Kids. Most of them appear to be native Norwegians that were executed for unforgivable crime of associating with immigrants. Breivik played judge, jury and executioner during his cold, calculated and vicious attack. But thank GOD he didn't do it while eating a Big Mac!

I've never purchased any of your music and you've insured that I never will. Basic humanity dictates that you owe the victims, their families, the people of Norway, and the entire HUMAN RACE an apology for inflicting the stupidity quoted above on the world. You basically told the world that those victims lives were worth less than a fucking hamburger.

While you're at it you can apologize to your fellow animal rights activists for setting the movement back a decade, as well. Toss another to your parents and children for shaming their name. Asshole.

Objective: Douchebaggery
Mission: Accomplished

A Review: The Book of the Nine Ides, by Benjamin Goshko

Benjamin Goshko’s Book of the Nine Ides presents a lot of interesting ideas. You have a transgender teenaged protagonist apparently suffering from a mental illness, an epic fantasy world full of magic and mystery and a recurring theme of guilt and self-sacrifice.

Basically, Goshko has enough material for three great books. Unfortunately, at least in this readers opinion, Goshko put them all into one very short book or very long short story. It has a lot of potential, I’ll give it that. It’s well edited and well told. Goshko is very adept at putting us inside Ashley’s head, he never gets lazy or strays to stereotype. She develops in a compelling and logically way throughout the read Unfortunately, a lot of the supporting cast don’t get the same treatment. Most of them seem very static as far a character arc should go. This is forgivable, though, because the Book of the Nine Ides is primarily Ashley’s story.
My only major complaints are a few unresolved plot points and one utterly predictable confrontation. We are told about a lot of Ashley’s past, as a reader, I’d rather be shown.

Also, Personally, I thought it was a little short to be priced at $2.99.

In short: A good quick read. 4 out of 5 stars.

Shameless Self Promotion.

I was on Dennis Lively's webcast last night, discussing my novel Never Saw It Coming. Here's the replay.

A Review: A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire

 A preface: If you haven't read the other books in this series, read them first, or you will be hopelessly lost. (And this post will contain SPOILERS!!!)


Overall: 4 out of 5 stars






A Dance with Dragons is Book Five in George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy cycle that began with A Game of Thrones. Martin excels at bringing the world of Westeros to life, he mixes practical descriptions of what life would be like in this world that seems to be stuck, for all intents and purposes, in the medieval era with the magic and mystery of prophecy.

In Book Five; Winter is upon us, and things are looking very bleak for all the Noble Houses of Westeros. In this world seasons can apparently stretch for decades. The War of the Five Kings ravaged much of the countryside during the Autumn.

According to Martin's own website Book Four and Book Five run concurrently in the timeline, where Book Four focuses on the the events in King's Landing, The Fingers, the Iron Islands and the events in Essos involving the young Targeryan Queen. (Rightful Heir to the Seven Kingdoms?) Book Five focuses on Jon Snow, the Wall, King Stannis Baratheon, his Red priestess, and much to my relief, the continued adventures of one Tyrion Lannister.

I'm going to stop here and let everyone know: The Imp is easily my favorite surviving character at this point in the series. Why? He's the most honest, to be frank. He's wily, shrewd and absolutely cutthroat when needs be. People view him as an obscene little monstrosity, and Tyrion does his best to live up to that perception.

A Dance with Dragons is a great read, well constructed and extremely entertaining. Although Martin, as an author, stays to form. (My Kindle has a crack in it, from where I threw it to the floor after reading of Robb and Catelyn Stark's shocking murders at the Twins during what became known as the Red Wedding.) Another major character, meets an apparent untimely demise at the hands daggers of friends in the final pages.

When Martin writes it seems that no one is safe. He continues that tradition here. Although one character most readers would have thought dead for the past two to three books in this series does make a surprising comeback, and starts on his road to redemption. The events in Mereen with the Dragon Queen are both revealing and puzzling and Young Brandon Stark is well on his way to mastering his own destiny. This outing shows Bran, Jojen and Meera journeying deep into the wilds beyond the Wall. Bran finishing his portion of this book learning from the last greenseer and restaking his claim as the hardest Stark to kill. Then Young Aegon Targaryen, the son of slain Prince Rhaegar, long thought dead, reveals himself and makes way for Westeros with Jon Connington, former Hand to Mad King Aerys, and a sellsword army at his back.

Oh...and Dany finally tames her dragon....

Personally, I can't wait for Book Six.