Great Britain, Japan And US Movies Tipped To Win Venice Festival

UK, Japan, US films tipped to win Venice festival (via AFP)

Critics have tipped movies from Britain, Japan and the United States to win Venice's Golden Lion prize this year, due to be announced at the world's oldest film festival on Saturday. British director Stephen Frears provoked a hugely enthusiastic response…

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Upcoming Romantic Movies In September

As summer slowly but surely draws to a close and autumn breezes lie just around the corner, take advantage of the upcoming cool weather to see one of Hollywood’s new releases! Weekend nights are going to be chilly in September so it's a good thing so many fantastic movies will be coming to theaters. Grab your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband, or whomever you want, and have a romantic date-night at the movies. Most of these films will be in limited release so keep an eye out at your local independent or art house theater.

Cult Leader 'Black Jesus' killed In Papua New Guinea

Cult leader 'Black Jesus' killed in PNG (via AFP)

An infamous cult leader known as "Black Jesus", who was suspected of cannibalism, has been chopped to death in a remote Papua New Guinea village, reports said Friday. Steven Tari, a convicted rapist, had been on the run since escaping from a prison…

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What Are Some Of The Characteristics Of A Good Zombie Story?

If “Confessions”, the eleventh episode of the fantastic Breaking Bad, wasn’t enough, fans were kept on the edge of their seats with a short 15 second clip of the next season of the Walking Dead. In the clip, Michonne is confronted by a few zombies outside of the gates of the prison. Anyone who has read the graphic novels or seen Michonne last season knows that these zombies are toast.

It’s no secret that the Walking Dead has been one of the most popular zombie graphic novels and television series to date. The season 3 finale set the record for the series, with over 12.4 million viewers overall, and Robert Kirkman keeps churning out the graphic novels. There’s no question that the series is as popular as ever, and millions should tune in for the premiere next month, but the question then becomes why?

That is an answer only known by those who have written and created the great zombie books, shows and movies out there know. As you look at the Walking Dead series; stand-alone novels like I am Legend and World War Z; the Dawn of the Dead Movies or 28 Days movies, each is different in one way or another, but all have a few characteristics that make them so popular. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few of the common features of great zombie entertainment.

Avaaz Member Helped Save Norwegian Woman From Being Jailed For Being Raped In Dubai

Dear friends,

Ingrid, an Avaaz member, has used our site to help save a Norwegian woman from being sent to jail for being raped!

Marte Dalelv was sexually assaulted while visiting Dubai, but when she reported it to the police, she was sentenced to 16 months in prison for "extra-marital sex"! When Ingrid read about Marte's case, she started a petition on Avaaz calling on the Dubai and Norwegian governments to ensure Marte's release. The petition and the Facebook page she created exploded on social media and people from all over the world signed the petition and flooded the two governments with messages at addresses that Ingrid posted on her Avaaz petition page.

Within days, Marte was released, and the Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide posted a Twitter message saying: "Marte is released! Thanks to everyone who signed up to help."

George Clooney's Space Thriller Opens Venice Film Fest

Clooney space thriller opens Venice film fest (via AFP)

Hollywood high-rollers George Clooney and Sandra Bullock kicked off the Venice film festival on Wednesday with a harrowing space drama that opens a line-up flush with gloomy tales. "Gravity", a 3-D sci-fi thriller, sees Clooney and Bullock as astronauts…

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Julian Assange Channels Farnham In Australian Polls Spoof [Video Included]

The YouTube video from Juice Rap News is just after the article and the bit with Julian Assange starts at 3:47 Enjoy!

Assange channels Farnham in Aussie polls spoof (via AFP)

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has recorded a musical spoof on his Australian political party for cult web series Rap News, satirising rock star John Farnham in a wig and denim shirt. Assange, who started the WikiLeaks Party to run for office in next…

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Wars Leave Lasting Wounds for All Americans [Infographic]

In his farewell speech, President Eisenhower proudly told the world, “We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.” His statement remains true over 50 years later, and our military budget is currently six times greater than that of our closest competitor, China. Ironically, most of our $16 trillion dollar deficit belongs to China. Anyone hoping that an end to the war on terror will immediately solve the national debt crisis is sure to be disappointed; we will continue paying for the early 21st century's wars for years to come, and the cost will be far greater than any past military conflict.

The specter of the Second World War drove us to create the largest military in history ensuring that we’d be safe in the event of another global conflict. Since then, the U.S. military has intervened in dozens of conflicts around the globe in the name of international peace. Many things have changed since World War II; back then, the U.S. government solicited its citizens instead of borrowing from other nations to fund war efforts. Americans bought $150 billion in war bonds during the 1940s, which paid for nearly half of the war. At the same time, the government raised taxes and brought the top marginal rate to 94 percent. Tax hikes also supported the conflicts in Vietnam and Korea.

Conversely, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began when taxes were at a historical low point, which is why we’ve been fighting on borrowed dimes. Before we even think about putting a dent in our debt, we have to support our veterans. Military personnel rightly receive the best health care available, and we spent an average of $150 million per day on veterans in 2012. The government is obliged to cover medical costs for all retired veterans, and the number of veterans is about the drastically increase, so the final bill for the war in Afghanistan won’t arrive until near the end of the current century.

While we remain trillions of dollars in debt, the good news is that we already have the tanks, guns and aircraft for which we borrowed the loans, so don’t worry about China trying to collect their payments by force anytime soon.