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Must-See Films at L.A. Anime Festival
May Kasahara writes "The first annual Los Angeles Anime Festival is being held May 2-15. Among other films screening at the festival are Studio Ghibli's The Cat Returns (making its US debut), Memories, and all nine episodes of The Animatrix. However, the film I really want to see is the trippy-looking Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat In Space. More information, including a full schedule of events, is available here."
Alas all of these wonderful fests seem to be in far off places like LA and Colorado or NY what about us folk in the midwest. Nothing interesting seems to happen much around here in the way of major cons or fests even though we have Chicago. What gives??
be sure to check out broken saints here.
I don't like seafood. Anyway, your bait is getting old. Get some fresh bait, you cheap bastard!
I don't know whether to post this anonymously or not, so moderators take pity, but the above pissed me off.
A: I don't play games
B: I don't watch tv except the news which is mostly the war
C: I think we went to war against the Afghani government, which we didn't even recognize
D: I think we went to war against Saddam Hussain's regime, because the UN pretty much wouldn't do anything to free 45 million oppressed persons.
Now that I'm not quite so pissed off... I spent a year in military school, around the military and intimately involved with both officers and enlisted men. Not one of them wants to go off and fight a war. But every one of them wants to do their duty. The deaths of those "thousands" of thus far uncounted and unconfirmed civilians, though I will not doubt nor debate the death tole in civilian life will be high, how high we do not know yet.
Listen, Weapons of Mass Destruction are scary, scary beyond belief. Your entire family grows sick and falls dead around you, perhaps we know who did it or even why, but most likely we don't know at all... it just happens. The question as to whether or not we find WMD in Iraq is a NONISSUE. The fact that Saddam broke repeatedly over the course of 12 years, the UN resolution which ended the first war, the fact that his generals committed genocide, the fact that he has done everything possible to prevent UN weapons inspectors from doing their jobs.
So lets ask, why did the French Germans and Russians NOT want a war in IRAQ. Not touched upon in the CNN reports when they wen't through the Iraqi bunkers was that not all the weapons were Kalaishnikovs, several German-made Steyr Aug (think counterstrike here) and other german manufactured weapons were found, a reporter even held one up, but not knowing his firearms misunderstood it's critical importance. The French were trading food for oil, and a war with Iraq would be against French oil interests. Meaning France acted to support it's own oil (a claim that's been thrown against the US repeatedly) Last but not least Russia was openly dealing arms to the Iraqi's up to the last minute before the bombs started falling. All these countries stood a FINANCIAL or ECONOMIC gain from NOT going to war in Iraq.
War has gotten a lot less messy in the past 25 years, we don't carpet bomb anymore, and while thousands may have lost their lives, tens of thousands of lives were saved by pinpoint laser bombing technologies and improved cruise missiles.
Saddam killed more muslims during his regime than we did even if we did kill thousands of Iraqi citizens. There are two branches of Islam, Sunni and Shiite. Saddam is Sunni, but many other Iraqi's were Shiite, their religion was violently repressed with executions and torture. And lets not forget the previously mentioned gassing of the Kurds.
One more note, I've sat down to dinner with a Devout Sunni Muslim, a Devout Reform Jew, and I my self am a practicing Roman Catholic. The conversation on religion was both intelligent as it was intriguing. Peoples in the world need not hate each other because of religion. No major religion preaches that infidels be destroyed, especially not Islam. I've had the honor of knowing many of the Islamic faith, and Christians, and I myself could learn a few things about temperment from them.
In closing, remember that three peoples were freed by this war, oppression was stopped, and a regime which had actively used weapons of mass destruction against their own people, was put down. If we should pray for something, lets pray that the Iraqi people can find peace and restore the heart of civilization to what it once was.
I part you in the traditional words of both Hebrew, and Islam.
Shalom, peace be with you.
so the "war" happened, deal with it. if you care so much about people what are you doing about making their lives better now? if you care so much, how will you help people dying because of drought in Zimbabwe, how about educating people about AIDS in 3rd world countries, what about the corruption in former communist countries which brings every spark of entrepreneurship (intellectual or otherwise) to its knees and thus brings starvation to many of its citizens?
how do you help? not by posting on slashdot assuming that every person who reads these online posts is a raging idiot who only cares about her own comfort.
i am an american, i assume the responsability of having ability and the access to information that other people may not have and (as many others) i do my best to help. i did not start this "war", i did not agree with it, i wrote the authorities about it (just like other millions), i protested about it (just like other millions) but at this point it is really too late to protest against troops being in iraq. so stop complaining and do something positive that will help/inform people.
what will you do?
ps. before you bash me or any other people who reply please try to first rationalize whether you and the person you are replying to are actually disagreeing..
"The question as to whether or not we find WMD in Iraq is a NONISSUE"
tell that to the united kingdom, strike one
"Not touched upon in the CNN reports when they wen't through the Iraqi bunkers was that not all the weapons were Kalaishnikovs, several German-made Steyr Aug (think counterstrike here) and other german manufactured weapons were found"
now, would you like a list of what your country GAVE to Iraq? strike two
"..and I my self am a practicing Roman Catholic."
strike three