The Wheel and Axle

Joel Osteen is not a Christian.

He has always been a scam artist.

He didn’t even go to seminary. As per his confirmation during a Larry King interview, they just ordained him at his father’s church and ministry.

Aside from spreading incorrect Christian theology, he has risen to become a wealthy celebrity minister whose ostentateous lifestyle should make anyone – Christian or not – think twice.

While acquiring material wealth is not evil in and of itself per se, it is always highly questionable when a purported Christian minister acquires astounding wealth. This is especially true when you consider that Jesus asked His first apostles to leave their livelihood behind to follow Him. He also told a wealthy man about camels and needles, and that if the man wanted to follow Him, he should leave his wealth behind.

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Please stop chopping onions in my presence.

For the full story, visit this link, which also provides info and links on how to help these kids. You should also visit Josh Rossi’s Facebook page for more awesome stuff.

So as of yesterday afternoon, Uber Philippines is back in business, having succumbed to the extortion of the LTFRB.

As a follow-up to the ongoing TNV saga, here we have the Spectacular Shriveled Man of the LTFRB showing just how truly tone deaf he is.

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“No one looks better fighting in a tiara — although I haven’t had a go yet, so let’s not compare too soon.”

Etta, oh moxie-filled Etta! I hope they find a way to bring you to the sequels, too. Preferably using the golden lasso in those ways you’re thinking of. So very 40s Wondie, tee hee.

Wonder Woman is out today on digital, although the iTunes one will be released on September 4th (I’ve pre-ordered, obv). Blu-ray is out on September 19th.

The consumer in me will be happy if Uber goes back online this coming week given that the insidious LTFRB has already given the recommended fine for lifting the one-month suspension.

You know, just a mere and very sane 190 Million Fucking Pesos.

But the responsible citizen in me thinks they should give Shriveled Man and his sidekick Nostril Girl the middle finger and just serve the remainder of the suspension period. There’s only about two weeks left anyway, and if that’s what it costs to defy institutionalized extortion, I can – as a consumer – live with it.

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Yesterday, I and fellow Library Undergrounders Deo and Roni (now also christened “Bibliophibians” by Jessica Z.) went to the 2017 Philippine Readers and Writers Festival in Raffles, Makati. Originally, my plan for the weekend had been to go to the 2017 Asia Pop Comicon; however, given that my interest in that event plummeted due to a tepid guest list that I wasn’t really eager to see, it was an easy choice to switch to the literature festival instead.

Jessica had invited us to attend the Q&A session she was hosting for award-winning author Mark Z. Danielewski, who wrote such best-sellers as House of Leaves, Only Revolutions, The Fifty Year Sword, and the (planned) 27-book series The Familiar, four of which have been released and the fifth coming out this October.

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… and I am not ashamed of it.

Happy 37th birthday to the one and only Chris Pine, who will always be my favorite of the four Hollywood Chrises (Hemsworth comes second). All the way from The Princess Diaries to Wonder Woman, and definitely beyond, you are one of the absolute best in Hollywood!

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Continued From:

Dedz Na Si Jess, Part 1

Despite the unrelenting hilarity throughout Patay Na Si Jesus, it must be noted that this is smart humor. No, this is not a movie that’s all slapstick and puns and repetitive shallowness (I shan’t name names). This is a movie where humor is intelligent and is derived from situation and circumstance, not from tired and forced jokes that just make their way into the dialogue without really being earned. In this movie, we have real people who find laughter in real situations; we end up laughing with them and not at them because we actually see ourselves in all of these characters.

And so we also empathize with them.

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Some time last week, I saw some outraged comments on a post about the dark comedy film Patay Na Si Hesus (Jesus Is Dead), with folks crying sacrilege and blasphemy (or, in one case, “blastfemy,” true story). Never mind that these folks have not watched the movie and have probably not watched the trailer, either. The moral outrage was both funny and sad given that the movie is in no way related to Jesus Christ (except for an allusion here and there) and that the titular “Hesus” is actually the name of the main character’s ex-husband.

Of course, the makers knew what they were doing when they went with the title because not only is it catchy and very reflective of the irreverent humor that the film utilizes, it also triggers something visceral in this Catholic-majority country. And it worked.

But I expected nothing less from the genius people behind such fantastic breakout hits like That Thing Called Tadhana and Zombadings.

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Pink is back, and once again, she proves that she is greater than many of her peers as well as the current new generation of pop/rock artists. Not only does she come up with a very stirring and passionate new song, but she highlights some very relevant themes around minorities in this day and age. Absolutely amazing.