Assimulate This!: January 2009

NSW is rising the minimum school leaving age to 17. Students will be required to complete their school certificate and unless they have under taken vocational training programs (read apprenticeships) their higher school certificate.

Now the government's logic is that research shows that people with a better education they're more likely to be employed, earn a better income and has additional health benefits.

I think the government's logic is flawed. That stuff is only true because of the type of people who choose to remain in school are usually the sort who will go and look for work, rather then just live on the dole. People who actively look for work will usually have a higher income and people who are employed and with more money can afford better medical treatment.

Making people who do not want to be in school to remain there does not mean that these benefits somehow flow into them by osmosis. In fact it will have the opposite effect to what the government wnats to acheive. What it will do will be to lower the marking average of the HSC and school certificate. A few years from now people will be whinging about how hard the HSC is because a large majority of students are struggling. The SC and HSC will be revised (dumbed down) to enusre that students have the best chance to enter into uni

And because they won't increase uni placements, the marks needed for uni will keep going up and the HSC will contiune to be readvised.

I'm reminded of futurama. I'm a college drop out. Not now, you're only the equailvent of a high school drop out.

Superman v Doomsday

Found this little gem in the bargain during the post Xmas sales and just sat down to watch it (found a few gems over Xmas). At first I thought it was a movie length episode from the Superman animated series of the late 90s early 00s but upon placing it in the dvd player found it was an orginal animated movie along the lines of The New Frontier.

It was released in 2007. And it was is the best Superman movie I've seen.

It's dark, gritty. It is brutal at times. But the movie is well paced and explores the characters of Superman, Lois, Jimmy, Luthor nicely.

Despite the title, only the first act involves Doomsday, Acts 2 and 3 deal with the loss of Superman and his inevitable return.

Adam Baldwin (Jayne from Firefly) is the voice of Superman and James Marsters (Spike from Buffy) is Luthor. One of the best portrayals of Luthor to date - cold and sociopathic.

So if you like comics, or enjoy the Batman/Superman/Justice League cartoons or dark and stark cartoons then I highly recommend this one.

I'll leave you this little treat, the opening lines from the movie spoken by Luthor:

Just look at him. So sleek. So powerful. So... beautiful, like some great golden god made flesh. Of course, any sensible god would demand absolute obedience in return for his favor. But, no, our Man of Steel protects us, with no strings attached. The people? Hmph. They practically worship him anyway. Enjoy your reign while you may, Superman. For surely as night follows day, there comes a time when even gods must die.

Congress asked to pay for sex

Well, it's official. Now every industry in the US has asked congress for a multi-million dollar bailout.

The porn moguls (Flynt and Francis) both admit that their industry is no fear of collapse but they feel entitled to money anyway.

They cite figures that show dvd and video sales are down, while internet downloading is up - but it's a sign that "sex is the furthest thing from people's minds" due to "economic misery". Has nothing to do with the fact that people may want to avoid looking like perverts by walking into a adult store, when they could (and probably at less cost) download in the privacy of their own homes (if they still have their own homes).

Flynt says that "Americans can do without cars and such, but they cannot do without sex." Hang on, aren't cars and sex linked. I mean, without cars how else will millions of Amercian teenagers lose their virginity? Especially now that their parent's have lost the family home and their all sleeping in the same single room caravan (trailer)?

Someone's a sore loser

Chip Saltsman, campaigning to become chairman of the Republican National Committee, says he sent CDs of the song about president-elect Barack Obama, the first African American to win the White House, as a joke.