Friday, December 22, 2006

Have a Merry Xmas !!

have a good one!!

External Blu-Ray combo drive for Pc and Mac

I have been waiting for this for a long time, an external solution!! This bluray device is not here yet albeit being released in Japan by Logitec, (not Logitech) in August 2006. The Sony Vaio Bluray drive on their top end AR Vaio notebooks are here already, included onboard and outputted via a 17 inch xbite monitor who resolution peaks at 1920 x 1200, that's true High Def resolution!! At $4000, that is a lot for those early adopters wanting a top end notebook. Software support is limited but functional.A new wave of third party vendors will pop up soon enough. Now what is Apple got going on??! well, with Macworld coming up in jan 8 2007, we are sure to see what their offerings are for the new Macpro 3 lineup regarding the Bluray format. The Merom processor (64 bit) for the Notebook line is inevitable and the world eagerly awaits the outcome for these pro apps and hardware. damn the wait better be worth it!

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

How about this camera?!!!

This monster of a CAMERA IS 39 MEGAPIXELS!!!

ANYONE WANT ONE??!!

At $30,000 USD, you better not drop it!!!!

The Hasselblad H3D is the world’s first 48mm. full-frame, large-sensor, medium-format DSLR camera system. The H3D has been developed around a brand new digital camera engine producing increased lens performance and a new level of image sharpness. By focusing solely on digital camera architecture, Hasselblad is able to offer photographers the full benefits of professional medium-format digital cameras as well as the ease of use of the best 35mm DSLRs

Large format 48x36mm digital capture
Today’s digital photography demands higher resolution, less noise, and improved compositional choice, all of which the CF backs provide. The sensors are 22 or 39 megapixels in size and they are both more than twice the physical size of today’s 35mm sensors. This means more and larger pixels, which ensures the highest possible image quality and moiré free color rendering without gradation break-ups - in even the most subtley lit surfaces.

Four modes of operation and storage
Optimum portability and image storage are critical for the professional photographer. On the digital front, the H3D offers a free choice of the portable CF card storage, the flexible Firewire driven Hasselblad Imagebank, or tethered operation with extended, special capture controls. On the film front, an optional 120/220 magazine is offered for those occasions where film is preferred. With these four operating and storage options, the photographer is able to select the best mode to suit the nature of the work at hand, whether in the studio or on location.

H System lenses
The specifications of the specially designed HC/HCD lenses exceed the demands made by digital capture. The central lens shutters of the lenses add flexibility by allowing flash to be employed at shutter speeds up to 1/800s. Thanks to the large format, the depth of field range is considerably shallower making it much easier to create a perfect interplay between sharpness and blur. The H3D design has also made possible the launch of a completely new 28mm lens, designed and optimized solely for digital image capture. Image quality is lifted to a level, yet unseen in digital photography, including digital correction for color aberration and distortion (DAC).
A choice of bright viewfinders
One of the important traditional advantages of medium format is the extra large and bright viewfinder image. The H3D comes with a new HVD90X viewfinder designed for full performance over the large 36x48mm sensor. It is interchangeable with the HV90X and the new waist-level viewfinder, the HVM.

Unique Hasselblad Natural Color Solution
Normally troublesome subjects such as various skin tones, metals, fabrics, flowers, etc. are easily captured by using the new, powerful color profile – the Hasselblad Natural Color Solution (HNCS). It works invisibly in the background in conjunction with the FlexColor imaging software, producing outstanding and reliable out-of-the-box results. In order to support our new unique color system, we have developed a custom Hasselblad raw file format called 3F RAW (3FR). The file format includes lossless image compression, which reduces the required storage space by 33%.

DNG workflow
3FR files can be converted into Adobe’s raw image format DNG (‘Digital NeGative’), bringing this new technology standard to the professional photographer for the first time. In order to optimize the colors of the DNG file format, conversion from the 3FR must take place through FlexColor. The DNG file format enables raw, compressed image files to be opened directly in Adobe Photoshop. Hasselblad image files carry a full set of metadata, including capture conditions, keywords and copyright, facilitating workflow with image asset management solutions.
IAA – helping you classify and select images
Building on the success of its Audio Exposure Feedback technology, Hasselblad has created Instant Approval Architecture (IAA), an enhanced set of feedback tools, designed to liberate the photographer from the selection process and to concentrate on the shoot. Audible and visible signals as well as recorded information in the file and in the file name all promote a quick and easy classification in the field or in the lab. Sorting becomes automatic, accessible and very fast, facilitating reviewing the best images for immediate client presentation.

FlexColor workflow for the specialist commercial photographer
FlexColor enables you to create an image processing workflow that gives you the highest degree of control for your studio photography. In tethered operation, tools such as overlay masking help bring productivity to advanced set composition. The latest version of the FlexColor software enables you to manipulate color temperature and compare image details across multiple images for precise image selection. FlexColor uses the 3FR files and runs on both Macintosh and Windows computers. The software is licensed to allow you to provide free copies for all your co-workers and production partners.

Last, but Not Least
Naturally, as with all Hasselblad products, a new H3D affords access to the full range of Hasselblad service and support, ensuring that your investment will last for a long time to come. And the latest firmware updates are always just a download away.

Specs

Sensor dimensions: 36.7 x 49.0 mm

Shooting mode: Single shot

Color definition: 16 bit

ISO speed range: ISO 50, 100, 200 and 400

Image storage: CF card type II (write speed >20 MB/sec), New Image Bank 100 GB external hard drive or tethered to Mac or PC

Color management: Hasselblad RGB: • full dynamics • reproduction dynamics

Battery type: Li-ion (powered from the H3D camera grip)

Capture rate: 35 captures per minute

Color display: OLED 2.2”

Histogram feedback on rear OLED and on camera body grip LCD

IR filter: Mounted on CCD sensor

Acoustic feedback

File format: Hasselblad 3FR

Software: FlexColor (included)

Host connection type: FireWire 800 (IEEE1394b)

View camera compatibility

Battery capacity: H3D camera system, Li-ion battery: 250 captures in 4 hours

Operating temperature: 0 - 45 °C / 32 - 113 °F
H3D-22

Sensor size: 22 Mpixels (4080 x 5440 pixels)

Image size (8/16 bit RGB): RAW 3FR capture 30 MB on average. TIFF 8 bit: 66 MB

Storage capacity: 2 GB CF card holds 66 images on average

H3D-39

Sensor size: 39 Mpixels (5412 • 7212 pixels)

Image size (8/16 bit RGB): RAW 3FR capture 50 MB on average. TIFF 8 bit: 117 MB

Storage capacity: 2 GB CF card holds 40 images on average
CAMERA FEATURES

Camera type Large sensor full format DSLR

Lenses Hasselblad HC and HCD lenses with integral leaf shutter. All C type lenses from the V system with optional CF lens adapter.

Shutter speed range: 32 seconds to 1/800 second (18 hours to 1/800 second using film)

Flash sync speed: Flash can be used at all shutter speeds.

Viewfinder options:
•HVD90X: 90° reflex viewfinder w. diopter adjustment (-5 to +3.5D). Image magnification 3.1 times. Integral fill-flash (G.No. 12 @ ISO100). Hot shoe for SCA3002-system flashes from Metz™.
•HV90X: For use with film capture
•HVM: Waist level viewfinder

Focusing: Autofocus with Ultra-Focus digital feedback. Instant manual focus override. AF metering with passive central cross-type sensor. Metering range EV 1 to 19 at ISO 100.

Flash control: Automatic TTL centre weighted system. Uses built-in flash or flashes compatible with SCA3002 (Metz™). Output can be adjusted from -3 to +3EV. For manual flashes a built-in metering system is available.

Exposure metering: Metering options: Spot, Centre weighted and Centre Spot. Metering range Spot: EV2 to 21, Centre weighted: EV1 to 21, Centre Spot: EV1 to 21

Power supply: Rechargeable Li-ion battery (7.2 VDC / 1850 mAh). Optional cassette for 3 CR-123 Lithium batteries available.

Film compatibility

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Brampton Lyric Opera presents -January 6-2006

We are filming the second performance at the Rose theatre for the Brampton Lyric Opera.

The Magic Flute...Read on!!

W. A. MOZART'S

THE MAGIC FLUTE

SUNG IN ENGLISH WITH FULL CAST, CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA.

SATURDAY JANUARY 6, 2007.

8:00 PM

ONE NIGHT ONLY AT

THE ROSE THEATRE

1 THEATRE LANE

BRAMPTON

(click here for seating plan)

TICKETS STARTING FROM ONLY $30

905-874-2800
or
905-793-4600

MAKE IT A CHRISTMAS PRESENT YOU'LL NEVER FORGET!

www.bramptonlyricopera.ca

Driving Directions to the Rose Theatre Brampton:
FROM EAST (Toronto, Oshawa, Kingston)
Take Highway 401 west to Highway 410. Take Highway 410 north and exit at Queen Street. Take Queen Street west to Theatre Lane. Turn right onto Theatre Lane and left into the Rose Theatre parking garage.
FROM WEST (Georgetown, Guelph)
Take Highway 7 (Bovaird Drive) east into Brampton. Turn right onto Hurontario Street (Highway 10) and travel south to Theatre Lane. Turn left onto Theatre Lane and right into the Rose Theatre parking garage.
FROM NORTH (Caledon, Orangeville)
Take Highway 10 (Hurontario Street) south into Brampton. Turn left onto Theatre Lane and right into the Rose Theatre parking garage.
FROM SOUTH (Mississauga, Hamilton, Niagara)
Take Highway 403 north to Highway 410. Take Highway 410 north and exit at Queen Street. Take Queen Street west to Theatre Lane. Turn right onto Theatre Lane and left into the Rose Theatre parking garage.
Brampton Bus & Train Terminal
2 minute walk to the Rose Theatre
Location Ticket Sales
8 Nelson St. W., Brampton, ON
Queen St. & Main St. (Hwy 10)
Nelson St. @ George St., north of Queen St., west of Main St. (Hwy. 10) Take Hwy 410, north to Queen St., west to Hwy 10, north to Nelson St.
Google map

Available Schedules

Train and bus services from this location
GO Transit tickets sold by Brampton Transit.

Where and how to buy tickets and passes
Phone Number Fare Calculator
416 869-3200
toll free 1 888 438-6646
TTY 1 800 387-3652 This location is in fare zone 33.

Brampton Lyric Opera gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. With $100 Million in funding from the province's charitable gaming initiative, the Foundation provides grants to eligible charitable and not-for-profit organizations in the arts, culture, sports, recreation, environment and social services sectors.

Diana's Theory

Police services prepare to take away the car in which Diana died in this Aug. 31, 1997 photo in Paris. (AP / Jerome Delay)

In regards to this theory, I think a lot of people are guilty in contributing to Princess Diana's death. A real shame. I believe there was a plan to erase Diana, almost reminicent of the Marilyn Monroe coverup.

Read on:

Conspiracy theorists press case on Diana's death

Updated Wed. Dec. 13 2006 9:10 PM ET

Michael Stittle, CTV.ca News Staff

British officials are going to ridiculous lengths to prove what conspiracy theorists refuse to believe: Diana, Princess of Wales, died because her driver was drunk and crashed inside a Paris tunnel, as paparazzi buzzed about their car like flies.

In the ranks of celebrities whose deaths seem to reveal a web of sinister connections, Diana holds a place just beneath John F. Kennedy, slightly above Elvis Presley, and far above Kurt Cobain.

"You can equate this to various other figures who died tragically ... and have caught the popular imagination," Hugo Vickers, an expert on the Royal family, told CTV Newsnet. "There will always be conspiracy theories, and actually it doesn't really matter what the official inquiry says -- those people will still go on believing them."

Metropolitan Police Chief John Stevens has written a 400-page report -- roughly 160 pages shy of the 9/11 Commission Report's length -- in an attempt to clear up the mysteries surrounding Diana's death.

The report cost US$5 million and took three years of hard work. Stevens had access to about 400 interviews with witnesses and friends of the princess.

But his findings may just stir up more questions, such as the claim that U.S. agents tapped Diana's phone the very night she died. Britain's intelligence service MI-6 has claimed ignorance, while America's National Security Agency denied the charge.

Even if it's true, Vickers doubts the alleged spying had any connection to Diana's death.

"Since the nine years that she died we've had so many red herrings pushed in the way of things," he said. "This one seems to me slightly another one, to be quite honest."

Meanwhile, a public inquest into Diana's death is expected to resume in 2007, with preliminary hearings set for Jan. 8 and 9 at London's Royal Courts of Justice.

Mohamed al Fayed, millionaire owner of the famous London department store Harrods, has led the charge in Diana conspiracy theories.

Al Fayed is the father of Dodi Fayed, who also died in the crash. He claims his son was engaged to Diana and the father of her supposed unborn child.

What we know

* On Aug. 31, 1997, Diana left the Paris Ritz with Dodi Fayed for his apartment on Champs Elysees, travelling inside a black Mercedes 280S.
* Diana's bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones accompanied the couple and the car was driven by Henri Paul, an employee at the Ritz.
* As the car entered the Pont d'Alma underpass at roughly 160 kilometres per hour, Paul had a blood-alcohol level three times France's legal limit. He was unable to maintain control as several paparazzi pursued the car.
* The car struck one of the tunnel's concrete pillars head on, ricocheting into a wall and sustaining massive damage. Diana clung to life while at least one photographer took pictures of her prone body.
* She finally perished three-and-a-half hours later at Pitie Salpetriere Hospital. She was 36. About 50 other people have died in the same tunnel in the past 60 years.
* Trevor Rees-Jones was the only passenger wearing a seatbelt and the only survivor.
* Three photographers taking pictures of the crash were later charged with breaking French privacy laws, because the inside of a car is considered a private space. They were later acquitted.
* In 2002, France's highest court dropped manslaughter charges against nine photographers who pursued the car before it crashed, ruling they were not responsible.

Doubts, theories and pointing blame:

1) The Monarchy

In one of the more bizarre theories proposed by Mohamed al Fayed, he claims Diana's engagement to Dodi Fayed sparked a furious reaction from the Royal family, upset she was going to marry a man of Arab decent.

He also claims Diana may have been pregnant with his son's child.

On his personal website (which can be found here), he includes a letter sent to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in which he accuses the government of inaction on investigating the couple's deaths.

Blair never replied, which only drove al Fayed to further accuse the British government of playing a role in the car crash. He also argued that a partial embalmment of Diana shortly after her death spoiled any pregnancy tests.

"I am beginning to wonder if Mr. Blair is not just discourteous but worried that my campaign to expose the murder of my beloved son Dodi and Diana, Princess of Wales, will also reveal the part played in their deaths by his Government," al Fayed writes.

"When the British Ambassador in Paris gave orders for Diana's body to be embalmed, he wilfully destroyed medical evidence not least that of her pregnancy. Such embalming was against French law. The Ambassador could not have done this without receiving orders which could only have come from the British Security Services, the Royal family in the person of the Duke of Edinburgh or from the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw. Perhaps Blair himself was personally involved."

2) Diana's own sense of endangerment

The princess had worried there was a plot to kill her in a car crash, according to a dubious letter she supposedly wrote just 10 months before her death. Her butler at the time, Paul Burrell, claimed he was told to safeguard the letter in case she was right.

The Daily Mirror, a British tabloid, was one of the first newspapers to publish the letter, but blacked out the name Diana suspected of initiating the plot -- her husband Prince Charles.

Diana wrote that "this particular phase in my life is the most dangerous," adding that "my husband is planning 'an accident' in my car, brake failure and serious head injury in order to make the path clear for Charles to marry."

But the letter is undated and has no address. It was later published in a book by Burrell with the Mirror's backing.

3) Diana's political influence

Diana, a vocal opponent of landmines, had a growing political influence on the issue. Like many celebrity-activists before her (notably John Lennon), conspiracy theorists claim she was tracked by U.S. intelligence officials.

"The public profile she took on land mines certainly didn't endear her to some countries and that might have been a problem for her," Nick Fielding, an author on intelligence issues and former Sunday Times journalist, told CTV Newsnet.

"But I don't think it would have been a big issue for most Western countries -- most UN members, in fact, because there are international landmine conventions against landmines to which most countries are signatories."

Canada and Britain are among the nations that have signed on to the UN's 1997 antipersonnel mine-ban treaty. But one notable absence is the United States.

Henri Paul, who was driving the car during the fatal accident that lefe Princess Diana, her friend Dodi Fayed and himself dead is seen in this undated photo. (AP Photo)

Henri Paul, who was driving the car during the fatal accident that lefe Princess Diana, her friend Dodi Fayed and himself dead is seen in this undated photo. (AP Photo)

4) Henri Paul: secret agent

Henri Paul, the head of security at the Ritz where Diana stayed, was a French intelligence agent working for Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire (DST), the country's domestic intelligence agency.

At the last moment, Paul replaced Diana's regular driver. Henri had already been paid about US$3,600 for information about the princess. Details of his whereabouts between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. (when they left) are largely unknown.

Despite later accounts of the tragedy, Paul was not drunk. Despite his reputation as a heavy drinker, he had only two drinks at the hotel and video footage before the crash showed him walking steadily.

5) The White Fiat Uno

French investigators examining the scene of the crash believed a white Fiat Uno may have grazed Diana's car before the crash, possibly in an intentional move to kill her.

As proof, witnesses reportedly saw a white car leaving the tunnel around the same time, while evidence at the scene included broken pieces of what was believed to be a Fiat Uno.

Photographs of Diana's car taken shortly after the crash also suggest their were scrapes on the back of the vehicle and flecks of white paint.

Private investigators hired by al Fayed traced clues to a white Fiat Uno owned by a professional photographer, James Andanson, who later killed himself -- although al Fayed believes he may have been murdered.

Although French police eventually ruled out Andanson's Fiat Uno as having anything to do with the crash, al Fayed remains convinced a Fiat Uno was involved.

"Since at least one eyewitness suggested that the white Fiat Uno was 'waiting' for the Mercedes, there is also the sinister possibility that, at the mouth of the tunnel, the Fiat deliberately collided with the Mercedes to force it off course," he claims on his website.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Bumfights dvds 1-4

Has anyone seen this shit??!!! It's funny and sad at the same time. The 2 fucking idiots got rich off the misery of homeless people smashing the shit out of each other. Read the following bit I stole off this other site. Be amused,then angered at how the human race has deteriorated!! If these bitches were here in Canada...I would jack them up...big time...Imagine a video dvd on that!! BTW..seeing ty beeson getting kicked off Dr. Phil was classic!! good for you Dr. Phil!!!

Bumfights

"Society has a fascination with homeless people, people living on the streets. Almost a perverse fascination. People don't get a chance to see much of that. We thought it would be exciting to get a glimpse of that kind of life. Fights are part of homeless culture. It's a way for them to vent their anger. We're simply there to video it. "

Ray Laticia and Ty Beeson were "forward-thinking" filmmakers in their early twenties when they spent three years developing the fastest-selling independent video in recent history: Bumfights: A Cause For Concern. One part brutally voyeuristic shockutainment, two parts MTV's Jackass - these $19 VHS tapes and DVDs fly in the face of Terence McKenna's theory that our tragic universe is running dangerously short of fresh, appealing novelty.

The premise of this production is brutal and straightforward. Homeless men and women living on the streets of California and Las Vegas (affectionately referred to as bums) are offered cash, food, liquor, clothing, and motel rooms. In exchange, they perform amateur stuntwork without safety nets, erstwhile fisticuffs in public places without protection - or any kind of vicious brawl which might serve to titillate giggling armchair fratboys watching from presumably the same USC or UCLA dormitory once occupied by the video's producers.

One on one, two against one, groups versus groups - even trucks against outhouses. Scruffy, toothless vagrants scuffle and skirmish, executing obscene pratfalls with the grace of neither Buster Keaton nor Mr. Bean. We see diseased, urine-stained castaways who wrangle and wrestle like adult homosexuals mutually mouth-rolling the world's last remaining latex condom. The more adventurous exchange violent, bloody facial blows with blunted axes. And if that isn't enough, please enjoy the lovely supermodel Angela Taylor bouncing around on a motel bed during intermissions, flashing her boobs in an engaging strip show! You go girl!

One prays that the remaining 99% of this backalley Broadway musical has been equally choreographed, but that just isn't the case. On the tape, a man pulls out one of his teeth with pliers. Another sets his hair on fire. Another shits on the sidewalk. They're rewarded with half a pastry. Others jump off buildings and speed down hills in shopping trolleys, and the tape's formidable antihero - "Rufus" the Superstar Stunt Bum - breaks his ankle during a fistfight. Age 47, honorably discharged from the United States Army in May 1982 for injuries sustained during combat training, Rufus is the loudest and most vocal of the bunch, the guy who sports the big huge BUMFIGHTS tattoo across his forehead.

Another "bum," Donald Brennan (age 53) was honorably discharged from the United States Army in 1970. He was a member of the 1st Air Cavalry and served a 13-month tour in Vietnam. Mr. Brennan has been decorated with both a Purple Heart and a Silver Star.

Hardened, angry fists clenching rolls of quarters smash faces, knock out teeth, and bloody eye sockets - all to the charming strains of a punk rock soundtrack. After only a few minutes, it's hard not to feel a bit... (long sigh)... empathetic with this entire cast of ne'er-do-wells. It sinks in right away: you're watching sad people down on their luck getting harassed, knocked around, and outright bribed with salted snack treats into bloody confrontations. They're supplied with knife blades in some segments, and pipin' hot vials of crack in others - which they smoke with quiet desperation and refreshed enthusiasm. Drugs and malt liquor fuel infuriating sequences of interracial curb stompings and full-scale riots in awkward, public places. The brawls - and the cameras - continue to roll as horrified passersby call the police, try to break things up, and scramble with paramedics.

What's the worst thing you've ever done to a homeless guy? Surprised him by shouting TIM-MAY!! directly into his fat, red face so he drops his clankity cup and all those coins go rolling around every which way and he just stands there tinkling down his pantlegs?

These homeless people all have something in common. They genuinely appear to believe they're goin' places. They've been selected by honest-to-gosh Hollywood producers. Hollywood, California that is! Let's fool these... these... dumb bum doofuses into thinking they're gonna be the next best thing since The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. No, seriously dude. Take this here tuna salad sandwich and put your imagination on. Y'all are gonna explode like wildfire across the big silver screen TV. Audiences root for "underdogs" who can still thrive under adversity. Viewers appreciate reality, and they've come to enjoy a measured sense of progressive, sequential elimination. Fame, financial incentive, and a sure way to pull yourself out of poverty is staring you straight in the face, gentlemen - and you have absolutely nothing to lose! I dare say what you're lookin' at here is a bonafide whirlwind rags-to-riches fairy tale miracle fantasy-dream with angel wings comin' true to life! Okay? Great. Cause tonight we're filming a segment called Bum Hunter.

We're going to creep up on people shivering in sleeping bags, and pin 'em down real good. Crikey! This one's getting away! Lucky we've got eight rolls of duct tape! Shrrrrrrrick! They're hard to tackle, and you don't often see them in the wild. Shrrrrrick! This one's got a tremendous amount of extra strength! He could be on PCP! We'll stuff him in a van, take his shoes, and release him three days later fifteen blocks away.

Don't ya see, dude? Bumfights is like Friends meets Queer Eye For the Straight Guy meets Survivor - starring individuals deprived of food and shelter who are willing to take drugs and suck dicks. They'll be pitted against one another in the controlled, manageable environment of everyday social discord. This kinda shit taps directly into our unconscious desire to finally initiate that long overdue backlash against the homeless population. So whaddya say? Aren't we all just a little bit tired of looking at their knobby, grubby hands and styrofoam cups? Their poorly inked cardboard signs? We hate being assaulted by gobbly turkey voices on the street, and we just can't stand it when they approach our automobiles and we're idled at a red light. We can thin out their ranks. We can get them out of here. And if homeless people smashing each other's faces with broken bottles isn't extreme enough in this dwarf-tossing Fight Club era, we'll throw some high-school students into the mix, and pay them with Hot Pockets.

Bumfights weighs in at 57 minutes. It's populated with ghastly, there-but-for-the-grace-of-God-go-you types, plucked fresh off the street like bruised raspberries. The ethical debates which ping-pong back and forth inside the viewer's mind are a weighty side-effect of the video's popularity. Those seeking to proclaim such tapes illegal raise the distressing prospect of banning everything which fails to measure up to a neighborhood's standards of political correctness.

Independent video stores are more than happy to showcase featurettes like World's Scariest Police Chases, or Girls Gone Wild. Gang rapes, street fights, barroom brawls and hockey matches are happening all around us. They're captured on film each and every day of the week. During the Great Depression, bums earned money by performing in geek shows, swallowing live snakes or biting the heads off chickens. Mentally ill men and women are turned loose from halfway houses at an alarming rate, and many states have ceased financial aid to ex-cons seeking to rebuild their lives.

and so

The bums awoke from their stupors, punch-drunk and pissed. They'd been conned into terrible stunts by a handful of overenthusiastic filmmakers and cheap door prizes. In one instance, a single plain cake donut was the winning trophy. Lawsuits were filed in no short order: bums on one side, video producers on the other. Alas, we good people were served only "knuckled" sandwiches, your Honor - and while none among us was hot enough to advance, what we got for our efforts weren't even slightly better rags.

The defendants (Ryan McPherson, 19; Zachary Bubeck, 25; Daniel J. Tanner, 21; and Michael Slyman, 21) pleaded not guilty to charges of battery, illegal fight promotion, conspiracy and soliciting an assault with deadly force. They claimed to possess a mutually beneficial, professional working relationship with the homeless, arguing that each and every last bum chose to fight. They were willing contractors who signed fanciful disclaimers protecting the filmmakers from important liabilities. The participants were indeed rewarded for their efforts, and they collected their winnings. The defense went on to state they were merely interested in documenting the inherent "humor of homelessness," something which hadn't really been touched upon in mainstream entertainment. When the footage was screened, the judge's jaw dropped and a witness covered his eyes.

Interviews with the filmmakers laid bare contradicting intentionality. To the BBC, Laticia explains Bumfights "is not done to be shocking. It was done to show an aspect of society that people would otherwise not see." To Wired magazine, he claimed the video was designed to shock: "We're quite aware that some people find it hilarious and some people find it disgusting." The closest they ever got to the truth was during an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal: "This project is a means to an end. We want to be feature filmmakers. We're going to cash in and then cash out and go make some movies."

And then, when grilled by Greta Van Susteren on FOX News in 2002, Ty Beeson asserted that pulling out Rufus's tooth with pliers was actually kind of a favor.

VAN SUSTEREN: Why didn't you send him to a dentist instead of handing him a pliers?

BEESON: Because he needed it out at that point in time, and sometimes in the streets, it gets rough, and you've got do whatever it takes. That's real life.

VAN SUSTEREN: Lots of people get real-life toothaches, Ty, and they go to the dentist.

BEESON: You're right. A lot of them do, but -- but when you're in the streets and you can't, you've got a -- and you've got a tooth that's bothering you, then you do whatever it takes.

VAN SUSTEREN: How can you call it real when it's staged, when you're paying people to pull their teeth out with pliers and you're paying them to do stunts that are dangerous, to bang their heads against walls? How is that...

from james's desk