i m N s h o

No, this isn't some philosophical post as I transition from one life-state to another. Just that I've seen a bunch of movies in the past month or so with really lame endings, and I felt the need to comment. I've already talked about the unimpressive ending to the equally unimpressive Day the Earth Stood Still remake. Then I saw The One while channel-surfing one night and was left completely non-plussed by the ending of THAT cinematic gem. (Much like DtESS, I was left thinking "that's the best you could come up with?") Last week we watched the X-Files: I Want to Believe . Overall, it wasn't bad… did a nice job of capturing the feel of the show — so good, frankly, that it felt more like an extended TV episode than any "bigger & better" X-Files Movie Event. The good stuff, for the most part, revolved around Scully & Mulder's relationship, a relationship that's nearly as mysterious as the cases they investigate. (Are they married/li...

For the past week or so, I've been hearing a radio spot for Pepsi Max, touting its man-friendly image, letting guys know that there's a new diet drink in town, safe for them to drink in the company of their compadres. I had no idea, prior to this campaign, that diet drinks suffered from such a crisis of confidence. Are we really afraid to drink diet sodas when we're out with the guys? Or is it just Pepsi guys that are ashamed of diet Pepsi? Whatever the case, the tagline on the commercial pretty much says it all: "Now you can drink your diet cola and still look your cojones in the eyes!" That first definition ("a vulgar Spanish word for testicles") pretty much says it all, and is the reason I was in tears the first time I heard the spot. And I HAVE to assume the ad was fully vetted by the folks at Pepsi and, somewhere along the line, someone had to approve it. But there's a part of me that wants to believe that a couple of bored ad copywriters slipp...

Got a little of that "The King is dead, long live the King" thing working here. After yesterday's post, I kinda need a little closure to bring it all full circle. I don't have much to say that hasn't, I'm sure, been said to great length and probably more eloquently elsewhere. I watched the Inauguration this morning; the first time I've ever watched a Presidential Inauguration, I believe. I enjoyed the President's speech, found it gratifying to hear a man with the eloquence to command the English language, to make his points clearly and concisely, to call to action, signal change, and take a stance as the leader of this country. I found his speech moving, inspirational, hopeful. All things you would want at this time. I only hope we can live up to some small part of this hopeful promise, for it was an ambitious speech, and a challenge to us all. For now, it's simply "Welcome, Mr. President. Do a good job. We need the change."

Nothing quite like an inflammatory headline to grab attention, huh? [A quick note on "respect" before I get started. I absolutely agree that the office of the President of the United States is deserving of, and should command respect. But I also, fundamentally, believe that no individual can command respect. No matter who you are and what your office or title, it is your actions and your character that determine the respect you can command. The person inhabiting the office of President may start at an elevated level of respect, perhaps, but then this only shows how far a person can fall when one looks at the Presidency of George W. Bush. Anyone wishing to argue this point with me should ask themselves this question: Can you honestly and truthfully say that you afford the same respect to President Bill Clinton as you do President George W. Bush? I can think of no more polarizing Presidencies in recent history, so unless you can answer "yes" to my above question, I re...

The "Bush Legacy Tour" (as MSNBC has been referring to Bush's appearances since the elections) has been working really hard at the "we never tortured anyone" rhetoric. "We don't torture, we don't condone torture, waterboarding isn't torture…" we've heard all of it for years, but it's a more concentrated message in these waning days of the Bush Administration. (That and "you may not agree with us, but…" and "we're safer now then we were" and "no new terrorist attacks since 9/11!". All of these statements equally debatable — at best — if not outright fallacies.) The Tour got a kick to the groin on Wednesday when the Washington Post ran this story: Detainee Tortured, Says U.S. Official The real kicker here, of course, is who this US official is: The top Bush administration official in charge of deciding whether to bring Guantanamo Bay detainees to trial… So this wasn't one of those damn 'lefty...

Gee, I wonder what's inspiring him? A time will come when a politician who has wilfully made war and promoted international dissension will be as sure of the dock and much surer of the noose than a private homicide. It is not reasonable that those who gamble with men's lives should not stake their own. —H.G. Wells, writer (1866-1946) [From today's Wordsmith.org A Word A Day email]

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. —John Kenneth Galbraith, economist (1908-2006) [From today's Wordsmith.org A Word A Day email]