Obama's Victory--A British View

Thanks to my friend Andrew for bringing this to my attention:

An editorial from the London Daily Mail 1/6/09

Obama's Victory--A British View

A victory for the hysterical Oprah Winfrey, the mad, racist preacher Jeremiah Wright, the U.S. mainstream media, who abandoned any sense of objectivity long ago, the Europeans who despise America largely because they depend on her, the comics who claim to be dangerous and fearless but would not dare attack genuinely powerful special interest groups.

A victory for Obama worshipers everywhere. A victory for the cult of the cult. A man who has done little with his life, but has written about his achievements as if he had found the cure for cancer, in between winning a marathon and building a nuclear reactor with his teeth. Victory for style over substance, hyperbole over history, rabble raising over reality.

A victory for Hollywood , the most dysfunctional community in the world. Victory for Streisand, Spielberg, Soros, Moore, and Sarandon. Victory for those who prefer welfare to will, and interference to independence. For those who settle for group think and herd mentality rather than those who fight for individual initiative and the right to be out of step with meager political fashion.

Victory for a man who is no friend of freedom . He and his people have already stated that media has to be controlled so as to be balanced, without realizing the extraordinary irony within that statement. Like most liberal zealots, the Obama worshipers constantly speak of Fox and Limbaugh, when the vast bulk of television stations and newspapers are drastically liberal and anti-conservative. Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer said that just as pornography should be censored, so should talk radio. In other words, one of the few free and open means of popular expression may well be cornered and beaten by bullies who even in triumph cannot tolerate any criticism and opposition.

A victory for those who believe the state is better qualified to raise children than the family, for those who prefer t eachers' unions to teaching and for those who are naively convinced that if the West is sufficiently weak towards its enemies, war and terror will dissolve as quickly as the tears on the face of a leftist celebrity.

A victory for social democracy, even after most of Europe has come to the painful conclusion that social democracy leads to mediocrity, failure, unemployment, inflation, higher taxes and economic stagnation. A victory for intrusive lawyers, banal sentimentalists, social extremists and urban snobs.

Congratulations America !

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Christmas & Birthday Loot

So as many of you know, Jan 2 is my birthday. Some people think having a birthday so close to Christmas means being overshadowed by it. Personally, I rather enjoy it. It's not as though I have a choice anyway, but I don't mind it at all. So I thought I'd give you a little list of my Christmas & Birthday presents just because I feel like it.

  • 4 GB RAM for my laptop
  • Smallville Season 7 DVD
  • Wall-E 3 Disc Special Edition
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars 2 Disc Special Edition
  • Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog DVD
  • Superman Theatrical Serials DVD
  • The Adventures of Superman Original TV Soundtrack CD
  • The obligatory clothes, cash & gift cards
Not a bad pay day. I'm more than happy! I've got tons of DVDs to watch. Looking forward to seeing all of it! I've already listened to the Superman soundtrack and I love it. The music is so iconic! I could hear the sound effects from the show playing in my head as I listened. Also, the liner notes were excellent. They were written by a true fan who did his homework. They tell the story behind the music while expressing what makes the pieces so special to so many people. Great stuff!

Thanks to everyone on Twitter and Facebook for the kind birthday wishes! There were too many to respond individually. I guess I'm just too loved. ;-) But sincerely from the bottom of my heart, thanks to you all!

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TV & Movie Update

So a while back I listed some TV shows and movies I planned to watch. I'm not making as much progress as I'd hoped, but here's how it's going so far:
  • Terminator -- DONE
  • Terminator 2 -- DONE
  • Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles -- DONE
  • Firefly -- IN PROGRESS
  • Serenity
  • Supernatural
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  • Angel
I watched T1, T2, and the first several episodes of T:SCC in a single day. I finished the whole series in just a few days. It was glorious. AMAZING show! Definitely the most underrated and best-written show on television. Not my favorite (that would be Smallville), but it is the most well-written.

Then I got started on Firefly and hit a brick wall. I haven't been able to watch more than 1 or 2 episodes in a sitting. Things seem to keep getting in the way. It's an awesome show as well, and I can't figure out how it got canceled other than the fact that FOX has an itchy trigger finger. I'm halfway through it now and I plan to finish it and watch Serenity, the movie that accompanies it.

However, at the suggestions of several people, especially my friends Tim and Faith, I've added the CW's Supernatual to the list. The show is ending soon, so I'd like to get caught up before it goes off the air. Once I'm caught up, I'll continue with Buffy and eventually Angel. To be perfectly honest, I'm not really pumped for Angel, so depending how I feel about Buffy, I may or may not go through with Angel. We shall see.

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What does 2009 hold?

Well another year has come and gone in what feels like the blink of an eye. How does this always happen? Even when you try to slow down, take it easy, and enjoy things, they manage to rush past you anyway. Well, 2008 was a pretty good year. I'm not about to sit here and count down the Top 10 Best [Insert Category Here] of 2008; I'll leave that to Oprah, Barbara Walters and their ilk. Nor will I list a number of resolutions I don't intend to stick to. So heave a sigh of relief.

Instead, I'm just giving you a few things to look forward to in the year 2009. Here's what I'll be watching out for in the new year:

  • The return of Smallville - Two weeks from tomorrow, the CW's Smallville will return to the airwaves with what promises to be a story of epic proportions. DC Comics writer Geoff Johns has penned an episode entitled "Legion" that will introduce the Legion of Super-Heroes to Smallville continuity. It should be amazing. If you don't watch the show, you are missing out big-time!
  • The DTV transition - Okay, so I'm a dork. Sue me. As someone who has never had cable at home and doesn't really care, I'm looking forward to this. I've had my converter boxes set up for a few months now, and let me say wow! First off, I had no idea broadcast television could look and sound so amazing! It's quite a thing. Second, I get some very interesting digital channels that I didn't have before. It's pretty cool. I'm looking forward to new channels once the switch is complete.
  • Watchmen, Star Trek & Terminator: Salvation - These movies top the lists of most geeks this year. How much awesome can one year contain? We shall see. Recently I was disappointed to hear that Watchmen will not end the same way the graphic novel did, but I still really want to see it. Star Trek, while also straying from its source material, also has me excited. Terminator, on the other hand, is an original story, so I look forward to seeing where they take the franchise.
  • Superman: Secret Origin and The Blackest Night - It's a coincidence that both of these comic book events are written by Geoff Johns and that they will both be awesome. Oh wait. That's not a coincidence at all! Johns is the best writer in the business right now. I really believe that. The former is supposed to be the definitive origins story for the Man of Steel. It will help DC out of any corners they may have written themselves into. The latter will be a Green Lantern story dealing with the fundamentals of good versus evil. Such an epic year for comics!
Well that about sums things up. Obviously there's a lot more I'm looking forward to, including Heroes, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and catching up on shows like Supernatural and most of, if not all of the Whedonverse. So stay tuned, it's going to be one hell of a year.

Also, make sure to check back here at frankramblings.tk and over at frankpodcast.tk for a VERY exciting announcement in two weeks. It could mean very big things for the future of Frank's Music Free-For-All!

Happy New Year and God bless you all in 2009 and beyond!

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Christmas Wishes

As I sit here watching It's A Wonderful Life with my family, I want to wish everyone reading this blog a very holy, blessed and Merry Christmas. For many this has been a difficult year; financial stress has never been higher for many of us and it can be especially discouraging at this time of year when we'd like to give our loved ones the best that money can buy. This year it's more important than ever that we are grateful for the company of those closest to us. It really isn't important that we get the hottest and most expensive gadgets for each other, or even that we eat a big Christmas dinner. What matters is that we gather together to wish each other all the best at this sacred time of year when we celebrate the birth of the King of Kings.

So this Christmas, take a moment to realize how lucky you really are. The money may be tight, things may seem difficult, but remember the words of Clarence Oddbody, AS2: "No man is a failure who has friends."

Merry Christmas and may the Christ child bring you and your loved ones every blessing.

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My Guest Appearance on Chic Geek!

I just wanted to let everyone know that earlier this week, my friends Faith and Ky of the Chic Geek Podcast were gracious enough to invite me to join them on their thirteenth episode entitled "How to Scare the Chic Geek Girls." Also joining us was Tim of the Crossroads Podcast. It was a lot of fun and I'd like to thank the girls for asking me to take part in it. Show them your support by listening to the episode and subscribing to their podcast in iTunes!

If all goes well, you can expect to hear Tim, Faith, and Ky on my own podcast, Frank's Music-Free-For-All, in early 2009!


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Burger King Has Dropped Their Wallet

From sogoodblog.com via Digg:

Burger King Has Dropped Their Wallet

by Eick · November 19th, 2008 · 3 Comments

A handful of bloggers have been abuzz in the past week with news of the latest under-the-radar Burger King promotion. The fast food chain has dispensed agents across major U.S. cities (indications are it’s just been Chicago and Orlando so far) to “lose” wallets. However, when unsuspecting passersby find these wallets and open them, they discover an interesting message:

Yep, the wallets include notes telling the individuals who find them to go ahead and keep the wallets. Time Out Chicago reported on November 12th that Burger King planned to drop 5,000 of these wallets around urban hot spots in Chicago. According to reports from bloggers, the wallets contain actual cash, ranging from a $1 bill to a $100 bill, a gift card to Burger King, a “Drivers License” featuring The King, and a map of Chicago or Orlando area Burger King’s.

Several bloggers have posted about their experience, or their friend’s experience, finding one of these wallets. See HERE, HERE and HERE for more on their stories. A couple of PR and marketing bloggers are weighing in as well, praising the promotion and calling it “unexpected and well-timed” given the current state of the economy.

This story hasn’t even bubbled up to the mainstream media yet. A Google News search for “Burger King” + “wallet” yields only one mainstream media story, from an NBC station in Chicago. Nor have stories about this promotion appeared yet on major marketing sites such as Adage or Adfreak.

This is a brilliant marketing move, and the mainstream media is obviously lagging behind on discovering it - but creative and unique marketing ideas like this one don’t go unnoticed forever. I expect much more widespread attention for this promotion as the word-of-mouth affect begins to trickle up the mainstream media.

This is one of the most interesting viral marketing campaigns I have seen in a while. Going a step further than your standard "secret" website where you can download your very own free wallpaper or buddy icon (oh boy!), BK has decided to actually give out cash. Literally. That's a pretty bold move. I know I'd see them more favorably if they gave me $100. Heck, I'm seeing them more favorably just hearing about the idea. It's really a great plan. I hope they bring it to New York. Doubt it, but I can dream, can't I?!

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