New Video Site Released

Posted on November 12, 2009 | Filed Under Web

I always thought the Invasion Cinema site was pretty cool.  They had some cool retro sci-fi movies and a blog with additional information. I even had the site in my delicious bookmarks and linked from here.

Awhile back, that site seems to have disappeared, so as an offshoot of a video testing project I had done, I decided to create a video site of my own.  I tracked down the retro sci-fi movies that had been on Invasion Cinema’s site.  This includes the following:

These movies are free and you can watch them on demand.  I will also be adding content to include plot synopsis, cast information, and other information about the films.

While I am at it, I decided to add the classic Superman animated shorts from the 1940s.  This series of animated shorts was done by Max Fleischer and I’ve always wanted to have a site with a “Superman Film Festival” flavor to it.  The first film is up at http://video.butlerblog.com/2009/11/12/superman/ and I’ll be adding more later, until we have the entire series.  You can view the entire “Superman Film Festival” here.

Judge Roy Pearson lost not only his pants, but his suit

Posted on June 25, 2007 | Filed Under Editorial

The lawsuit brought forth by Roy Pearson, “The Case of the $54 Million Pants,” was lost today. Judge Judith Bartnoff rightfully ruled in favor of the defendants, the Chungs. Also, in a rare move in civil cases, the Judge awarded the defendants the court costs. Unfortunately, that is for actual court costs only and will not begin to cover the mountain of attorney’s fees they have accumulated defending this ridiculous lawsuit.

If you are unfamiliar with the case, here are some additional posts:

This case is a fine example of why we must institute a “loser pays” system. Frivolous lawsuits such as this can bankrupt an innocent business owner such as the Chungs. If you would like to help the Chungs, visit www.chungfundraiser.com

I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of Roy Pearson. An appeal is more than likely, and the Chungs will most certainly incur additional costs defending themselves.

Some stories on the verdict:

Those must have been some great pants

Posted on June 23, 2007 | Filed Under Editorial

We still await a ruling in “The Case of the Missing Pants.”

Judge Roy Pearson, the administrative law judge “suing the pants” off his dry cleaners for losing his custom tailored trousers, apparently broke down and cried on the witness stand. Those must have been some great pants! And, boo hoo, “he needed those pants for his administrative law judge job!” <sniffle>

I don’t like to resort to name calling, since it usually indicates you have absolutely no argument, but either those were the most incredible pants he ever owned, or he is an absolute wimp. I guess the other possibility would be that he is a gifted and talented actor. Since this case calls into question his suitability to be a judge, perhaps he might be more suited to playing one on TV.

To show that he is not an unreasonable man, (and probably to help his PR situation), he dropped his original claim of $67 million to a much more sensible $54 million. That should make his side of the story more popular with the general public. I mean really, $67 million for a pair of pants? Come on! But $54 million? Yes, that’s much more in line with today’s norm for a “pant suit.”

Get it? Pant suit? ROFL!

And what about this poor man’s legal fees? He is representing himself and has (according to him) spent some 1400 hours working on the case and preparing witnesses. That is the equivalent of more than 23 solid 60 hour work weeks. My question is, if he’s put that much time into this case, when is he finding time to do his administrative law, a job that is paid for by taxpayers? I smell a rat in this case.

The dry cleaners are not the only ones being “taken to the cleaners” in this case.

Why Washington “Judge” Roy Pearson Owes Me $2,595,000

Posted on May 4, 2007 | Filed Under Editorial

(But I’m willing to settle out of court for $1,000,000.)

It seems that Washington “Judge” Roy Pearson is suing his dry cleaner for losing his pants. The problem with this? The suit is for $65 million!

Part of Pearson’s request for damages includes $500,000 in emotional damages. What about the emotional damages sustained by the Chungs fighting this ridiculous lawsuit.

And what does this say of Pearson’s character? This man has chosen to destroy the lives of three people (the Chungs and their son) over a lousy pair of pants – a pair of pants he could easily replace, mind you.

So why my demand for $2.5 odd million?

This case has infuriated me to the point where I am considering filing a lawsuit against Pearson. To begin with, his lawsuit is so absurd, it calls into question his suitability as a judge. In my mind, that amounts to fraud. From what I understand in reading his case, fraud in Washington is a $1500 fine per infraction. Using Pearson’s math, that’s $1500 per day per person. I don’t really know what kind of person he was before this case (although I am certain we can make an educated guess), so I will give him the benefit of the doubt and only look at the time from when this incident began. Two years X $1500 X one judge comes to $1,095,000. In addition, I am so upset about this, I will need to include damages for mental anguish. $500,000 should make that go away. Pearson’s request for legal fees in his suit comes to $542,000. Since he is representing himself, I am certain I won’t be able to get such a bargin. I would guess I need to allow for at least $1 million in legal fees to fight this.

All told, my case against Pearson comes to $2,595,000.

All kidding aside, this is flat out abuse of the system and Pearson deserves to be punished. Is disbarment to much justice? At the minimum, he should be removed from the bench. This is a man that has the power to hand down decisions based on competent and fair interpretation of the law. This case tells a story of his suitability (or lack thereof) to don the robe.

Also see: Kick in the Pants

If you find Pearson’s claim to be absurd, ridiculous, and a mockery of our legal system, please consider helping the Chungs by donating to the Custom Cleaners Defense Fund.

Bugmenot.com

Posted on March 29, 2006 | Filed Under Web

Here is an interesting service. I’ll leave it up to the individual as to whether you feel this is ethical or not. Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just pointing out this exists.

Are you annoyed when you go to view a news article on a newspaper site (like chicagotribune.com or nytimes.com) and be prompted to login or register “free”?‚  What do you think the cost is of giving up your email (and other miscellaneous and sundry personal information) is?
Bugmenot.com – bypass compulsory registration with these free passwords