Segacs's World I Know

Archive for the ‘Entertainment’ Category

A decade later, hundreds are still celebrating the Seinfeld-coined holiday, complete with metal poles.

Quote of the day, on the issue of Madonna’s chinchilla-fur coat:

A spokeswoman for PETA said: “We encourage anyone who wears fur to watch videos of these animals being electrocuted, caught in traps, and skinned alive. Thousands of people, including Paris Hilton, have said that the videos changed their minds about wearing fur.

Sometimes, PETA makes itself such an easy target, that actually telling the joke is almost unfair…

Seems everyone’s jumping on the adopt-a-baby-from-a-poor-country celebrity bandwagon these days. The latest participant in this media circus is Madonna, who seems to have adopted a Malawian boy along with her husband, Guy Ritchie, while on a tour for her various charity projects.

I’m sure that, mixed in somewhere with her publicity-seeking media hogging behaviour, Madonna is trying to do some good in Africa, even if accidentally. But my sense is that Madonna knows about as much about poverty in Malawi as she does about the Kabbalah. In other words, not a whole lot. At least Angelina Jolie is sincerely involved in child poverty and refugee causes, and does a lot of work under the radar. On the other hand, Madonna seems to be just looking for the next new fad to fill whatever emptiness she has in her life. I feel bad for her kids – all of them.

If you want an interesting and informative perspective about Malawi from someone who’s actually spent some real time there, outside the presence of TV cameras, read this.

Looks like some people are taking it a bit too seriously.

These ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are traditionally the days when Jews ask forgiveness from people and from G-d for any wrongs we might have done throughout the year.

I’m not religious by most definitions, but I’ve always liked the concept, and particularly the notion that we need to be forgiven by people before we can be forgiven by G-d. The latter part is personal, but the former is, I believe, a prerequisite for all people of any religion or background who live in a society. See, a sin against G-d, such as failure to keep Shabat or eating pork, could only potentially affect the person committing it, so it’s up to each of us to decide for ourselves what we choose to observe. However, sins against our fellow human beings cause real harm to people. It’s the so-called “victimless crime” argument; a crime becomes more serious due to the consequence of committing harm to someone else.

So, in that spirit, I ask forgiveness from anyone reading this who I may have wronged in the past.

And, if you’re in the process of doing the same, and one of the people you happen to have wronged last year is Stephen Colbert, here’s how to make amends:

Believe it or not, other newsworthy things happened in the world yesterday and today. You’d never know it from watching the local news, of course, which has been covering Dawson nonstop since yesterday afternoon. But here are a few things that happened in the world outside our little corner:

• Sadaam’s judge doesn’t think he was a dictator. So what was he, then? A democratically-elected leader? A royal monarch? The winner of the first season of Iraqi Idol?
• The new Palestinian “unity” government appears likely to get its funding back from Europe, though the U.S. isn’t on board.
• Amnesty said Hezbollah committed war crimes, in what Charles Johnson over at LGF dubbed a flying pig moment. I’m shocked too. Amnesty gets so much more money and support when it’s directing its wrath at Israel.
• In a big sign of normalcy returning to the country, Israel’s getting its international soccer games back.
• Germany ordained its first rabbis since 1942. See that big middle finger in the air, you neo-Nazi assholes?
• Speaking of Jews and Europe, Pajamas Media is all over this under-reported story about the defamation trial that just begun in France against three Jewish citizens who questioned the French Channel 2 network for its coverage of the Mohammed Al-Dura affair.
• The Pope has pissed off Muslims, it seems, by making some statements that, regardless of their intent, will surely be taken way out of context. This could be a thing.
• Bibi said that Ahmadinejad is “more dangerous than Hitler”. You’d think such a normally-competent debater would’ve heard of Godwin’s Law, no?
• And in other news, Stephen Colbert’s bridge in Hungary looks like it isn’t going to happen, despite his large margin of victory in the online naming poll, due to the tiny problem of his failing to meet one of the qualifications – being dead. Whoops! (By the way, Budapest rocks!)

Okay, I think that about does it for the ten-second catch-up. Or, as the BUZZ puts it, some “temporary relief from ignorance”.

Jon Stewart speculates. Scary thought.

Update: For a well-placed joke, this rumour’s sure making the rounds.

Update #2: Apparently the rumours made the front page of yesterday’s New York Times. Wow, where have I been?

I was away over the long weekend so I didn’t hear the news until last night. Steve Irwin was a real Australian icon. Though he had his fans and his critics in life, his death has sent shock waves through the world. A real tragedy.

I could’ve predicted this was coming. Oh, wait, I did. Six years ago.

Sure took ‘em long enough!

(Via Damian Penny).

You scored as Hermione Granger. You’re one intelligent witch, but you have a hard time believing it and require constant reassurance. You are a very supportive friend who would do anything and everything to help her friends out. Hermione Granger 85% Ron Weasley 65% Albus Dumbledore 60% Draco Malfoy 50% Ginny Weasley 50% Severus Snape 50% Remus Lupin 45% Sirius Black 45% Harry Potter 35% Lord Voldemort 25%

Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is…?
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(Via Imshin, who’s also a Hermione Granger).