Total Perspective Vortex: 2010

Overall, a good card, and a pretty surprising outcome in both the main event and the co-main event.  Penn came out and TKO'd Matt Hughes in a stunning 21 seconds.  I had actually picked Hughes to win, since BJ certainly didn't have that kind of energy either time he fought Edgar.  But Hughes is at the twilight of his career, and should seriously consider retirement at this point.  I had hoped for a little bit longer bout, but the outcome of this one didn't bother me - both are good fighters, and I don't like either one of them, lol.

The Machida-Rampage fight was a bit of a surprise.  Again, I'm not particularly fond of either fighter, but I would say Machida is an overall better fighter.  Rampage was able to hold his own, although he didn't do anything but box for the first two rounds, while Machida laid back, throwing an occasional leg kick and waiting for countering opportunities.  Unfortunately for Machida, while that may be a good strategy for winning a real fight, it does not win rounds in the UFC.  And though he turned it up and decisively won the third round, it wasn't enough to overcome a 2 round deficit.  Machida needs to adapt his style a bit more, because the elite in the UFC are going to start figuring him out; Shogun already has, twice.  In my opinion, Lyoto Machida needs to stop waiting for opportunities to attack, and start making them.  On a side note, it is amusing to see all the Machida fanboys whining about their boy losing - they don't seem to realize that not doing anything for two rounds doesn't exactly help you on the score cards.

And it was nice to see Karo Parisyan lose quickly...lol, this was a good card, but it turned into a "who do I like least" for quite a few fights.

I went 3-5 on my predictions for the night, so definitely a step down from the last PPV.  St. Pierre and Koscheck is up for UFC 124, and GSP is one of my favourites, and I despise Koscheck, so I'm looking forward to him going 0-2 against St. Pierre.

After waiting for quite a while to see this one, I'm sorry I bothered.  Beyond a Buddy Israel name drop, the only thing that carries over into this "sequel" is the generic plot angle of multiple assassins all gunning after one target.  I didn't have high hopes for this one, since the first movie wasn't exactly stellar, but did have the distinction of being somewhat entertaining.  The only chance I saw at redemption was the inclusion of Vinnie Jones, who usually does well in the gangster/assassin type movies.  Not in this one - there are no memorable characters, no standout scenes, and the ending is anti-climactic.

The director, P.J. Pesce, apparently did well for himself on the independent scene back in the 90's, but has mostly been relegated to making cash-in direct to video sequels for  movies that didn't exactly warrant sequels in the first place.  Some of his gems: Sniper 3, From Dusk Til Dawn 3, Lost Boys: The Tribe, and the Tremors TV series.

So, in summary, this movie sucks, and if you've never seen it, don't.  Go watch the first one instead.

Well, not surprisingly, the Democrats lost the House, and managed to hold on to the Senate.  One positive, however, is that the worst of the Tea Party was defeated.  O'Donnell, Paladino, and Angle all lost; the only addition I would have liked would have been a Rand Paul defeat.

I don't think the Republicans will be too effective however...the differences in ideology between your standard Republican and the Tea Party politician will most likely lead to a bit of infighting.

It isn't the truth, but to say otherwise would be an unkindness.  It is, after all, her sanctuary and her home.  She has found a measure of happiness here, and cannot be convinced to leave.  And while your efforts are deeply appreciated, her decision must be respected.  And so the journey must continue.  Because your princess is in another castle, and that is the truth.

I moved my religious posts to my other blog, since it makes more sense for them to be there.  I'd rather use this space for the more secular topics.  Besides, laughing at fundamentalists, while fun, does become stale after a while.  For anyone interested, I do plan on continuing my religious observations over at Religimania.

As far as this space goes, I've got quite a few books and movies to trudge through, among other things.  We'll see how long I stick with it this time, lol.