The end is nigh

The cross-marketing of "Monopoly" with every pop culture phenomenon is one thing, but this is outrageous.

Faith-based foreign policy

"He thinks he is playing in a longer-term game than the tacticians," said the former official, who spoke anonymously so he could discuss his views candidly. "The tacticians would say: 'Get an immediate cease-fire. Deal first with the humanitarian factors.' The president would say: 'You have an opportunity to really grind down Hezbollah. Let's take it, even if there are other serious consequences that will have to be managed.' "

Translation: Let's sit back and let God sort it out. It really bothers me how Bush's inaction is being marketed as some sort of strategy. If there has been one consistent strategy with this administration, it's to turn conventional wisdom on its head and do the exact opposite of what would have previously been done in a situation. It stretches to all divisions of the government: from the Department of the Interior to the Justice Dept.'s Civil Rights Division. Where everyone else sees destruction, these guys see opportunity...so very backwards.

It ain't right

The fact that the US is speeding up the processing and shipment of weapons orders to Israel now that they're at war seems pretty wrong to me. The US may not be involved in the fighting, but it's enabling it to happen.

I'm glad someone is recognizing how important this is

And the fact that it's a Republican makes it that much sweeter! It's true that signing statements have been around for a while, and for all I know presidents have taken them seriously in the past. Even if that's the case, Bush & Co. seem to be taking them particularly seriously...in a rather public and heavy handed way. I'm glad to see that at least members of Congress are seeing that one of the goals of this administration is to make the Executive Branch all-powerful, and are being active in trying to stop this from happening.

My review of Superman Returns

Kate Bosworth can't act her way out of a paper bag, Brandan Routh is no Christopher Reeve, and Kevin Spacey is appropriately comic bookish as Lex Luthor that it's impossible to take him seriously. There were a few shining moments, but there's absolutely no reason not to wait until this one comes out on DVD. Or better yet, go back and rent Superman I and II, they're much more enjoyable. On the plus side, you'll probably get a preview of Spiderman 3 if you go to see the movie in the theater...and that looks freakin' awesome. Sandman!

Am I the only one who thinks Lex Luthor is a really, really boring villain? I mean, how many times can they use this guy as Superman's enemy? There are many others...Bizzarro, to name one.

I think if Nicholas Cage had been the new Superman, the new movie would have been a hell of a lot more interesting, though it would be tough to save the movie from the script they had to work with.

Quote for the Falcon

I believe that religious ideas that children are taught cause them emotional torment and are there fore inherently abusive. - Donald Capps Author of The Child's Song

Just embarrassing...

I am sure most have seen the footage or heard audio of the Prez's exchange with Tony Blair...What made me first cringe was the open mouth chomping and the seemingly in appropriate use of the the word irony...It took me a while to figure out if he said anything relevant. I think by accident he got part of the problem.

Another issues that is not helping our image is the slow response to US citizens looking to get out of Lebanon...Those who are fortunate enough to get to Cyprus are then being asked to pay for passage from Lebanon to Cyprus. If you don't have the money now you have to sign a promissary note.

Republican sanity

It's nice to hear stories every now and then of Republicans like Lindsey Graham who see why going medieval on every terrorist's ass is not really a good idea, and that the Geneva Conventions are generally good rules to follow when at war. This "enemy combatant" bullshit must stop.

Incidentally, speaking of Republican things, I just finished watching the final 2 episodes of the 3rd season of 24. It was a really good season, not as good as the first, but far better than the 2nd. The final two episodes in particular were pretty tragic and dramatic, almost on the scale of an opera, though of course without singing.

And speaking of opera, you should all watch R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet, vol. 1-12." Some people say it's dumb trash, some people say it's (accidentally?) brilliant, and I'm in the latter camp. It's riveting in a strange way - the music is boring beyond belief, but when you pair it with the video/plot it's pretty priceless, and also very modern-day operatic. I never, ever thought I'd use the word "brilliant" and "R. Kelly" in the same sentence, but there you have it.

Colbert

"More and more companies are cutting pensions, the good news is the are also cutting health insurance so you won't live long enough to be affected." - Stephen Colbert

Hey, sleepyheads

GLACIAL MELTWATER AT 11,000 FEET

The silence is deafening!!! Soon I will have some photos of the Wind River Range. These are three that one of my travelling companions took:

BEFORE...

...AND AFTER.