If a City Can File For Bankruptcy, I Have Three Questions

In light of the news regarding Detroit, I'm curious:

1. Will future cities try this to get out of paying pensions?
2. What does say about Michigan's attempt to put "managers" in charge of cities, instead of letting elected officials work things out?
3. How does the auto industry spin this? I mean, shouldn't they have been in the forefront to make sure that the city that made them an economic power didn't fail?

I have a few more, but this will do for now.

Around the Internets

1. Suzanne Summers: health care expert! Maybe she should talk to this guy. Or ask about this.
2. Van Jones says to stop trying to please Republicans.
3. "I was shot by my own gun."
4. Keep you package from being destroyed.
5. Marvel Thor vs. Norse Myth.
6. Foods to fight off the common cold.
7. 25 things holding you back.
8. Miss USA dressed up like Optimus Prime because America.
9. One Colorado politician knows whats wrong with America (hint: it's race-related).
10. School makes little girl cut her hair.
11. Off-duty pilot gets grabby. They used to be of better quality.
12. Pokemon/King of the Hill mashup.
13. Daily Show: "Is It a Good Thing or a Bad Thing?"

Get Better

1. 25 websites to make you more clever.
2. How to make money doing (almost) nothing.

Thor: The Dark World - It's Hammer Time!

Real Quick Review: If you ever wondered what would happen if Star Wars, Star Trek and Harry Potter crossed over, it's Thor: The Dark World.

In Context Review: It's probably in the top ten of the best movies based on Marvel characters, in the top five of MCU movies, and certainly an upgrade from Thor (with less Shakespearean flare).

My Review: Most people expect movies that come out in the fall to be more dramatic (I will always say that this is why the first Hulk movie went over so badly; it was a drama being shown during popcorn-season) but this second installment of Thor's adventures could easily be seen as last-minute entry for summer 2013.

Reason #1 for this is the main villain's motivation: Malekith, leader of the Dark Elves (Christopher Eccleston) apparently liked it when everything in the universe was literally dark and wants to use the super-McGuffin known as the Aether to put things back that way. Last anyone saw him, Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) grandpa was kicking his armies ass, but Malekith fooled them all by faking his death -and basically killing off 98% of his own race in the process. So...yay?

Reason #2 is what happens to the Aether: well, there has to be some way to include Thor's old earth buddies, right? Of course! It just so happens that Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) was in London trying forget she was in love with a super-powered alien (also know as a "date") when her intern Darcy (Kat Dennings) tells her that things in a nearby ally aren't obeying the laws of physics. They go to investigate, and quicker than you can say, "Sam touches a piece of the Cube in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," Jane gets possessed by the Aether. What a coincidence!

Reason #3 is the action: Thor comes to earth, banters a little, and takes Jane to meet his folks...oh, and do a Aether-ectomy. Malekith apparently has the Aether connected to his Dark Elf smartphone, because he knows exactly where Jane is and sends his BFF Algrim (Adewale-Akinnuoye Agbaje) as a Trojan Prisoner brought in by Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and two of the Warriors Three during a recent raid. With Heimdall (Idris Elba) distracted and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in a time-out for trying to take over Asgard then trying to rule Earth, Algrim stages a jail-break that allows Malekith to make his presence known, despite the best efforts of Thor, Sif, and even Odin's (Anthony Hopkins) wife Frigga (Rene Russo).

Of course, there are plots and scenes that make the movie very appropriate for the season: a few betrayals and back-stabs, a pretty big sacrifice and an ending (to the movie itself) that raises as many questions as it answered. Oh, and there are jokes, winks/nods and a cameo that only enhances the experience.

I will say this: if you're looking for a major shake-up, you'll be disappointed. The status quo has to be intact enough for at least one more Thor movie and two more Avengers movies.

On the negative side: Malekith seems purely to exist as an excuse for Loki to not be the main villain (again) and so Loki can partner with Thor. Jane is more a damsel in distress than the last time; my theory on this is that if they had made Darcy the scientist and Jane her best friend (who happens to be a nurse) Portman's character would be better received overall. Also, the Warriors Three are around as much as I would like.

Other than that:  Hemsworth and Hiddleston clearly have a good chemistry after two movies. Alexander is certainly making a case for more screentime. Russo was just plain awesome, and in-universe, her character and Hopkins' are definitely trying to ship Thor (albeit with different women).

Pet Peeve: Some will complain that the final fight was little two joke-heavy; I hope these weren't the same people who complained about the Man of Steel fight scene. Anyway, I don't know about you, but in real life fights aren't choreographed and random things can happen, especially if a extremely rare universal event cause random wormholes to appear.

Rating: 4 out of 7 Mjolnirs

Comics Aren't As Valuable As They Once Were

A collection of 3,000 comics ended up being worth $500.00. Digital comics and the advent of comic-book movies are more than likely the main culprits.

Not to mention that nowadays, more copies are printed so more people have access to #1's or classic stories/crossovers.

Quote of the Day

"We’re in the post-antibiotic era. ‘There are patients for whom we have no therapy, and we are literally in a position of having a patient in a bed who has an infection, something that five years ago even we could have treated, but now we can’t."

-- Dr Arjun Srinivasan, who says that we are at the end of the Antibiotic Era.

Around The Internets: ULTRA EDITION

Here's a big one to make up for being away so long:

1. A U.S. military newspaper cut Beetle Bailey.
2. Some songs just aren't for kids.
3. Two different Republicans who grew to appreciate Obamacare.
4. Science can be used to answer a lot of things.
5. An infant gives birth to his own twin.
6. Five famous people who couldn't handle criticism.
7. A mother poisons her child after losing custody.
8. Are you washing your hands the right way after using the bathroom? If so, you're one of 5%.
9. It's not even safe to make comments on Facebook anymore.
10. Zack Morris is a sociopath.
11. Guess who sold Lance Armstrong out.
12. Pastor murders ex-business partners, attends their funeral.
13. Keep these things in mind when going for that promotion.

An Ant Has No Quarrel With a Boot

I'll just say this about the current political brew-ha-ha: neither President Obama, nor the Democrats in the Senate or House of Representatives, nor the 10 Republicans who are either sane or unafraid of the Tea Party, should negotiate withe the House Republicans. They are not negotiating from a position of reality; they think the Affordable Care Act is illegal, they act like Democrats were never trying to be inviting and negotiable, and they believe that Obama personally sent police to prevent WWII veterans from visiting a memorial.

Even dyed-in-the-wool Republicans warm up to the Act once they, you know, read up on it. And as Obama pointed out yesterday, shutting down the government has zero effect on financing "Obamacare." Whatever proposal the President or the Democrats submit will be dismissed as "too liberal" or "unrealistic" anyway. And let's not forget that the House has been gerrymandered to the point where the laws of political physics no longer apply (aka, there's enough GOP member in "safe districts" to be able to vote however the hell they want). Or that they've done jack about Sequestration. And how many jobs bills have they passed?

So to those who are thinking, We have to do something before things get worse; I mean, if we show that we're willing to concede something small, how can they find fault with that? I say...well, just look at the title. 

Picture This: People Need to Recognize Their Power

Around the Internets

1. That moment when you realize you screwed up bigtime.
2. There's never been a female NAACP president; maybe that should change.
3. Apparently Idris Elba has an insane workout regimen. 
4. That's one creative woman.