Thursday, January 31, 2008

Man sued by city for cancelling Garbage pick-up

A while back we ran a post on a guy in the U.S. who was investigated by his utility company for dramatically reducing his power bill (by changing bulbs and applying several other conservation techniques). The power company assumed he must have tampered with his meter. Understandable, I guess, and a great encouragement for us to do the same. But, what would happen if the power company went further, and sued him for reducing his energy consumption? You’d object, obviously.

Yesterday the Examiner ran a story on Eddie House, a guy that, through concern over the environment, managed to reduce his household waste to next to nothing through recycling, giving scraps to his dog, etc. Where it gets screwy is that the local refuse collection service has now sued Mr. House for no longer requiring their services.

The lawsuit claims House broke the city’s municipal code requiring all residential, commercial and industrial properties to contract with Allied Waste for pickup at least once a week… — Examiner

Eddie is a little taken aback, as it seem to him he’s being forced to produce trash.

“I don’t understand a city ordinance that requires you to fill up a can. That’s downright foolishness,” he said. — Examiner

Still, neighbours accuse him of burning his trash, which, if true, would diminish his trash-activism superhero status a little (alternative methods, like composting and/or vermiculture, where possible, would be far better). Eddie denies this charge though, stating he was only burning firewood.

House acknowledges that the fire department was called to his house several times, but says that each time he was simply burning firewood. — Examiner

Talk about being a captive customer.



FOUND HERE:


http://www.celsias.com/2008/01/30/city-sues-man-for-canceling-trash-service/

The mindscape of Alan Moore

A cool lil doc about the Brilliant comic book artist Allen Moore.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Born into Brothels

A heartbreaking and remarkable film about the children in Calcutta's "red light district" and the work of an American photo-journalist who teaches the children photography...

This film is Required viewing.

The Root of All Evil


Part 1:
The God Delusion



The God Delusion explores the unproven beliefs that are treated as factual by many religions and the extremes to which some followers have taken them. Dawkins opens the programme by describing the "would-be murderers . . . who want to kill you and me, and themselves, because they're motivated by what they think is the highest ideal." Dawkins argues that "the process of non-thinking called faith" is not a way of the world, but instead stands in fundamental opposition to modern science and the scientific method, and is divisive and dangerous.







Part 2:
The Virus of Faith




In The Virus of Faith, Dawkins opines that the moral framework of religions is warped, and argues against the religious indoctrination of children. The title of this episode comes from The Selfish Gene, in which Dawkins discussed the concept of memes.






The Elegant Universe

Part 1: Einstiens Universe



Part 2: The 11th dimension



Part 3: String Theory

The Corporation

THE CORPORATION explores the nature and spectacular rise of the dominant institution of our time. Footage from pop culture, advertising, TVnews, and corporate propaganda, illuminates the corporation's grip on our lives. Taking its legal status as a "person" to its logical conclusion, the film puts the corporation on the psychiatrist's couch to ask "What kind of person is it?" Provoking, witty, sweepingly informative, The Corporation includes forty interviews with corporate insiders and critics - including Milton Friedman, Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, and Michael Moore - plus true confessions, case studies and strategies for change.






Iraq for sale

This is a infuriating documentary about how Corporations or "private contractors" have privatized the war in Iraq. Making billions of dollars off of the war. And with that much money at stake....This war will never ever end. This film is required viewing.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

CH CH rescheduel for Tuesday at Noon

Ok... So we're gonna try this one more time@!. CHCH will be here again...Tuesday at noon. and it looks like it will be broadcast at noon.. So I'm sure no one here is gonna be able to see it cuz we all work for a living . LOL.

Oh well.... We'll tape it... and somehow figure out how to transfer it it onto youtube... even if I have to point the camera at the TV.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

CH CH TV Cancelled on us! Damn JOKER!

Man... this is embarrassing. CHCH tv just phoned and canceled on us.. at the last minute. Because of Heath ledger dying.



DAMN THAT JOKER!!!! HE MOCKS ME FROM THE GRAVE!!

bah... oh well.. I understand. I mean, it is pretty sad that he's dead. They'll reschedule us....

Kinda embarrassing though.. I told so many people about it.







Tuesday, January 22, 2008

We're getting interviewed by CH CH tv tomorrow!

Yep..Its true.. Redandjonny are gonna be on TV! LOL!

Just emailed the entertainment reporter.... and She'll be here with her crew tomorrow at noon!
I'm sure it wont be a live broadcast... but just in case..set your recorders! I'm sure it'll be on the evening news.

Pretty exciting eh?

The Joker is dead.


Damn... this news came outta nowhere..

copied from CNN:

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Lower Manhattan apartment, the New York Police Department said.



art.ledger.gi.jpg


Heath Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment.



The Academy Award nominated actor was 28.


"Pills were found in the vicinity of the bed," police spokesman Paul Browne told CNN.


"This is being looked at as a possible overdose, but that is not confirmed yet."


Ledger was found by a housekeeper who had gone to wake him for an appointment with a masseuse in the Soho apartment, Browne said.


He was declared dead at about 3:30 p.m., Browne said.


In 2005, the actor played Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain," about two cowboys who had a secret relationship.


The role earned him the Oscar nomination.

Wow, man.. Thats the shits. He just played THE JOKER in the upcoming batman movie...and if you've seen the trailers:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thedarkknight/trailer2/

...you know this was the role of a life time.. and he kicked ass in it.
Poor guy.

First look at "CHOKE"

As everyone knows...Chuck Palahniuk is my favorite author. In fact he's written the best books I've ever read ...Period. I love every single one of them to death and have read them all several times... Two of them over 5 times.. ( Fight Club and Diary)

Well, the film version of CHOKE... his most successful book. Has been made into a film and is premiering at Sundance this month.

Here's a small peak:




I love it.. I'm all over this film.. I would stand in line for it right now if I could.

Here's a decent Plot synopsis I cut from wiki:

Plot summary

Choke follows Victor Mancini and his friend Denny through a few months of their lives with frequent flashbacks to the days when Victor was a child.[1] Victor grew up while going from one foster home to another. Victor's mother was found to be unfit to raise Victor. Several times throughout his childhood his mother would kidnap him from his various foster parents. They would eventually be caught and he would again be remanded over to the government child welfare agency.

In the present day setting of the book, Victor is now a man in his mid-twenties who left medical school in order to find work to support his mother who is now in a nursing home. He cannot afford the care that his mother is receiving so he resorts to being a con man. His "con" is to go to restaurants and midway through his meal, he forces himself to choke on his food. When some good Samaritan comes over to perform the Heimlich maneuver, he spits the food out and thanks them for saving his life. He keeps a detailed list of everyone who saves him and sends them frequent letters about fictional bills he is unable to pay. The people feel so sorry for him that they give him money, send him cards and letters asking him about how he's doing, and even continue to send him money to help him with the bills.

While growing up, Victor's mother taught him numerous conspiracy theories and obscure medical facts which both confused and frightened him. It is because of this and his constant moves from one home to another that has left Victor unable to form lasting and stable relationships with women. Victor therefore finds himself getting sexual gratification from women in sexual addiction support groups.

As Choke is episodic in character, individual chapters deal with different aspects of the narrator's life and the lives of those around him.

Much of Palahniuk’s research on Choke was conducted with total strangers at the gym and actual sexual addiction groups who upon hearing that he was writing about sexual addictions offered up their own personal stories



Sunday, January 20, 2008

Matt and Jonny

Here's a lil video of Matt and Jonny watching the 4 most disgusting videos on the internet. Its just heir reactions...but even that is kinda gross...Jonny dry heaves and eventually throws up a little in his mouth.. Funny...but gross.




Saturday, January 19, 2008

We're gonna be on TV...

CHCH tv in Hamilton want to come out and talk to us this week.. We're just trying to figure out a good day to do it before we email them back. I'm thinking Wednesday or Thursday... Probably Wednesday though. Jonny has to go back to the Dentist on Thursday. Red's a little nervous about it...she doesnt want anyone at her work to see her. So maybe she'll wear the helment through out the interview.

LOL! this should be interesting. Will make another post when we're sure so everyone can set their VCRS.


Friday, January 18, 2008

The Story of stuff

This series of videos is great... A must watch.



"The Story of Stuff http://www.storyofstuff.com will take you on a provocative tour of our consumer-driven culture — from resource extraction to iPod incineration — exposing the real costs of our use-it and lose-it approach to stuff.

The movie is just the beginning of the story.
Watch it, learn more and get involved here: www.StoryofStuff.com "


















This article is a very good read too:

We're in the Grand River Sachem!



We let Katie Dawson, A reporter from The Grand River Sachem.. know about us being in the Insider...and she came over the other night and did a quick interview with us. She was the same reporter from last year...Who interviewed Jonny winning the 1000$ for his Fighting a Giraffe video... Funny enough it was in January too.. So after the interview, we said..."Give us a call next January to see what we're up too. "
Thanks Katie!....It's a Great interview.

Wow... So I guess all of Caledonia knows they've got a couple of geeks roaming the streets... Cant wait to be recognized at the grocery store. heheh...

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

16 month Anniversary

Today is our 16th month anniversary.... and with all the things that have happened in the past few days... We've just felt like rubber balls bouncing all over...

Just like this lil viddie:



and now the Vegan version:




What an amazing 16 months of Technicolor bouncing love.




We're on slash film!


Man..this is just awesome...
Our favorite website. /film. ( the most popular film site on the internets..) did a feature on our photos,flickr page and us being in Insider. Very very cool...a huge honor... There were an extra 2000 hits to our flickr page when I got home after work.

Monday, January 14, 2008

We're in Star Wars Insider #99 !!!!!



WOW!...

I just checked the mail, and there was this thick envelope marked air mail. Drove back to the house as quick as possible without breaking any laws or landspeed records... Woke Red up. ( yah, its late, I've just gotten off the nightshifts so I'm up and she's sleeping) Tore open the package and there they were! Five copies of issue #99...the bounty hunter edition.
Our interview is near the back in the mail bag section. Its a page and a half!! SWEEEEEEEEEEEEET! I cant believe I'm acctually holding it my hands.
We both cheered and kissed a lot, got all giggly and clapped our hands...
The interview is great! They mentioned we are from Caledonia...and I got my CBC plug in too! LOL!! They didn't use my Chuck Palahniuk quote though, ...but who cares now? We did it! Our little inside joke got us into the Star Wars Insider magazine. I gotta say... I owe it all to the greatest wife in the world.... Red made all this possible by being so damn cool.
The greatest woman a geek like me could ever marry.

Guess I should also thank:

Jonny's Mom: thanks mom for taking me to star wars over and over again and buying me a fortune's worth of toys, which helped fund George Lucas to make the rest of the films.. :P
For buying the lightsabers for our wedding and not thinking for a second there was anything wrong with that. Youre the greatest mom. We love you.

Red's Mom: For being so supportive of our crazy idea and actually putting on the helmet along with us.

Quake3world forums: where we posted our photos first, the only people we shared them with. And the ones who convinced us to get a flickr account.

Knuttz gallery: The first site on the internet to post our photo's.

Boing Boing: For posting our photos and driving 1000 hits a minute to our flickr account.

CBC: for using our photos on their websites...That was a dream come true for us. We woulda been happy with just that.

Jonathan Wilkins: Editor of Star Wars Insider magazine...For being such a cool guy. and admitting that he's a huge Coronation Street fan too.

George Lucas: For making such excellent movies and toys.



and special thanks to Little Edie: We know you had something to do with it showing up today...so thank you Edie. :)

Flickr friends:
Pizzo, our first flickr friend.
Boopsie daisy: The most amazing artist we've ever seen. We are thrilled and amazed every time we see her comment on our photo's. She's been a huge inspiration for us.
Woman,Fire & Dangerous things: Our hero. A true Stormtrooper.
When we grow up, we wanna be just like him. Always supportive, The first and only to write a testimonial about us....The first to let us know about our interview had been printed and scanned a copy of it to show us... and he made us a card back for future redandjonny figures! The guy is too cool for words.


The magazine will be in store's on Thursday. Its the one with Boba Fett on the cover. So buy 2!

Grey Gardens



Red and I discovered an amazing documentary called Grey Gardens today. It is the story of the aunt and cousin of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. They were two very eccentric woman..mother and daughter...(both named Edie, Big Edie and Little Edie) who lived in a 28 room dilapidated mansion in the Hampton's with their 52 cats, raccoons in the attic, (that Edie would feed with bags of wonderbread and cat food) mountains of garbage...and a flea problem so bad ..the filmmakers wore flea collars on their ankles. Big Edie was a trained singer in her youth...and throughout the film she sings along to instrumental records from her bed; her voice is still beautiful and able to hit some of the high notes. Little Edie, ( who reminds me alot of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard..without the money or fame) Sings and Dances, lounges on the beach....and has the most incredible fashion sense EVER.
ie:


They never have any visitors..except for the gardener...and a local boy naemd Jerry who does odd jobs around the house.. ( who Edie refers to as the marble faun ).
The two woman bicker on and off constantly in the film...Little Edie upset that she never married, wishing she could move to New York City. Her mother constantly reminding her how she did move to new york for several years but came back and how she never married because she was never satisfied with any of her suitors.
Its just mind blowing to watch.

The New York times site has a more in depth article about them here:
Today is the anniversary of the passing of Little Edie....which is kinda spooky since we just happened to discover the film on the day of her death.
We absolutely love this film...it is hilarious, horrifying, sad and sweet all at the same time. It's one of those films that your life is incomplete if you haven't seen it.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Root canal







Went to the Dentist yesterday to get a root canal.
Yes it hurt a lot...and yes it still really hurts.

check the flickr page for the rest of the photos

http://www.flickr.com/photos/redandjonny/

One to One hundred banging a drum

Here's a cool little viddie of people ranging from one to one hundred years old...banging a drum.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

I work at McDonalds and this is my new album " Hi how are you?"



The Devil And Daniel Johnston







Listen up and I'll tell a story

About an artist growing old

Some would try for fame and glory

Others aren't so bold


Everyone, and friends and family

Saying, "Hey! Get a job!"

"Why do you only do that only?

Why are you so odd?

We don't really like what you do.

We don't think anyone ever will.

It's a problem that you have,

And this problem's made you ill."


Listen up and I'll tell a story

About an artist growing old

Some would try for fame and glory

Others aren't so bold


The artist walks alone

Someone says behind his back,

"He's got his gall to call himself that!

He doesn't even know where he's at!"

The artist walks among the flowers

Appreciating the sun

He does this all his waking hours

But is it really so wrong?


They sit in front of their TV

Saying, "Hey! This is fun!"

And they laugh at the artist

Saying, "He doesn't know how to have fun."

The best things in life are truly free

Singing birds and laughing bees

"You've got me wrong", says he.

"The sun don't shine in your TV"


Listen up and I'll tell a story

About an artist growing old

Some would try for fame and glory

Others aren't so bold


Everyone, and friends and family

Saying, "Hey! Get a job!"

"Why do you only do that only?

Why are you so odd?

We don't really like what you do.

We don't think anyone ever will.

It's a problem that you have,

And this problem's made you ill."


Listen up and I'll tell a story

About an artist growing old.

Some would try for fame and glory

Others just like to watch the world.


Friday, January 04, 2008

A taste of us in Star Wars Insider

CLICK TO SEE BIGGER


WOW!!!.... A friend of ours from flickr took a photo of his copy of Starwars insider ( Americans get it first). LOL! Its just too surreal right now...We cant wait to hold it in our hands...Only then will it be true. This is just so insane.



It'll be in Canadian store shelves on the 15th of January...
We're gonna buy every copy we can. :)







Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Stories are always valuable.

Another reason to LOVE Chuck Palahniuk.


Stop using plastic.


Every piece of plastic EVER made...still exists.
and a majority of it is floating in the oceans...
Plastics, like diamonds, are forever. Plastic floating in the ocean is the number one source of pollution of the world ocean, and 80% of marine debris comes from urban run-off. The problem is many marine birds and fish confuse floating plastic particles with food.
Plastic does not biodegrade, it photo-degrades, or slowly breaks into smaller and smaller pieces, but still remains a polymer. And plastic has been proven to absorb toxins up to one million times background levels in ambient seawater, making the floating plastic a defacto poison pill. Because of their buoyancy and persistance, most of the debris that either entangles sea creatures or found in their stomachs, is made of plastic. The groundbreaking research has been conducted by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, aboard the ORV Alguita under the direction of Captain Chales Moore.
Please visit www.algalita.org or www.plasticdebris.org for detailed information.






Read these articles:

The plastic killing fields


Synthetic Seas