On...Affirmation

Swish!

Slate.com compiled all the critics best movies of the decade and ran them through the "Aught-omatic." You can find the full list here.

But I must say that so far (they are continuing to update the list) I've nailed the top two spots. Eternal Sunshine and There Will Be Blood. That sir is affirmation.

Later:)

On...Avatar

Film Review: AVATAR
Written and Directed by James Cameron

This review is based on the IMAX 3D version of the film.

I'll spare you the plot details of the film besides saying its rather thin. My wife summed up the film in four words, "Don't destroy the planet." And Cameron hammers this message in five different ways again and again. That being said I did enjoy Avatar. In many ways I was visually blown away. About 45 minutes in I couldn't help thinking that this will change movies in ways not seen since the first "talkie" 82 years ago. The 3D elements are breathtaking in their clarity and depth. The world Cameron creates is truly amazing. It is rich and vibrant and layered. And I'm talking about the non-CGI parts as well. With all of Cameron's love of nature I have always found his technology more profound. (Aliens, The Abyss, T2) I love his Marines and his array of weapons. And yes they have raw firepower. I just wished I could have rooted for them in this film.

I must admit that I'm a big James Cameron fan. Aliens was my all time favorite non-Star Wars film of my teens. It is still a kickass film and holds up amazingly well. Once a year I whip out the director's cut. I wish Avatar was more like Aliens. Action without all the preaching. But as a Cameron fan (I have seen all his movies, Piranha II excepted, at least 5 times each) I kept seeing classic Cameron stock characters reappear in Avatar. Cameron loves the tough, yet sensitive common man hero who plays by his own rules (Michael Biehn in Terminator and Aliens, Ed Harris in The Abyss, Leo in Titanic) and Avatar's Sam Worthington is the younger epitome of this character/hero. Though I found the formula a bit frayed here. Cameron also loves the tough-as-nails exterior bitch with the interior heart of gold as in Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's Lindsey in The Abyss and Sigourney Weaver's Grace here in Avatar. Paul Reiser's bureaucrat scumbag Burke in Aliens is duplicated by Giovanni Ribisi in Avatar. Michael Biehn's psycho marine in The Abyss reappears in slightly less neurotic form in Avatar in the form of Stephen Lang's head of security. Even the forklift suits from Aliens get a CGI facelift in Avatar. You see where I'm going with this. The story and characters seem simplistic and a rehash of his earlier work. This slows down the film and denies it true greatness.

On the other hand, Cameron knows spectacle and big time showbiz cinema. He also knows how to wield technology like nobody's business. AND deliver the goods. Avatar is worth seeing, or should I say worth experiencing. Especially on IMAX 3D. I just with it was tighter in the story and editing. 2hrs 40min is excessive and I have no problem with long films. I wanted to yell out "just get to it for goodness sakes!" And that's the other problem. Avatar's plot is more than a roadmap. It's a clear as day interstate with lights and plenty of signs. You can see everything coming from a mile away. Nothing is that surprising. Avatar is not subtle. It hits you over the head with a child's repetitiveness for better or worse.

I won't go into the "preaching" of the film, but I did one review that sums it up rather nicely. They said Avatar was a cross between Dances with Wolves and Ferngully. And it is. And because of that I doubt it will reach blockbuster status. As much as I was blown away by the visuals, I don't think I have much desire to see it again. And TV will just castrate it. We'll see if teenage boys love it as much as teenage girls loved Titanic. I personally won't make that bet.

REVIEW: Visuals 10+, Story and pacing 5,
AVERAGE 7.5 out of 10.

Rotten Tomatoes Review and Average

On...The Best Films of the Decade (2000-2009)

The Best Films of the Decade

I thought I would add my cinematic two-cents at the end of the decade in regard to the best in film. I visit boxofficemojo.com at least a handful of times each week and I was perusing their lists of the top moneymakers per year and was astonished at how many films are made each year and how many films I used to watch. (That number has dwindled with the baby). For example, in 2004 I watched 56 of the top 100 films produced. I watched roughly 500 films this decade. Crazy amount of time devoted to movies!

So I devoured Entertainment Weekly's Best of the Decade with zeal and then looked around the Internet for more data (and mindjogging). My biggest problems were in regards to genres. How do you compare Pixar's Up with The Lord of the Rings or with There Will Be Blood. They are so different in experience and in texture. Some movies have wonderful re-watching value such as Master and Commander while others, though fantastic, don't (United 93). Also comedies seem to be a beast unto themselves. So what I have done is cheated. I have multiple lists. First are my Top 12 Comedies. Then the Best 40 Films of the Decade. Then the Best of the Best.

So here it is, my list of
The Best Films of the Decade.
(All 60+)

Top Twelve Comedies
1. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Simply my most quoted film since Big Lebowski. And to think I didn't even enjoy it that much the first time I saw it.

"I'm a man who discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn. That's what kind of man I am. You're just a woman with a small brain. With a brain a third the size of us. It's science."

2. Tropic Thunder "I'm the dude playing a dude disguised as another dude."
3. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? "We're in a tight spot."
4. The Hangover "Four of us wolves, running around the desert together, in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine."
5. Juno "THUNDERCATS ARE GO!"
6. Zoolander "Hansel is so hot right now."
7. School of Rock "I have been touched by your kids... and I'm pretty sure that I've touched them."
8. Mean Girls "Hell, no. I did *not* leave the South Side for this!"
9. Love Actually Really funny, but not quite quotable.
10. The Simpsons Movie "Spider Pig!" "Hello, I'm Tom Hanks. The US Government has lost its credibility so it's borrowing some of mine."
11. Wedding Crashers "Make me a bicycle, clown!"
12. Napoleon Dynamite "Your mom goes to college."

Best 40 Films of the Decade

40. (500) Days of Summer (2009)
39. Miami Vice
38. Sin City
37. March of the Penguins
36. Memento (2000)
35. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
34. No Country For Old Men (2007)
33. Troy (Director's Cut)
32. Sideways (2004)
31. The History of Violence
30. Gangs of New York (2002)
29. Cold Mountain
28. Serenity
27. Gosford Park (2001)
26. Minority Report
25. Apocalypto
24. Zodiac
23. Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2
22. Amelie
21. Chicago (2002)
20. Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban
19. Cinderella Man
18. The Departed (2006)
17. 300
16. Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut)
15. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
14. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
13. Gran Torino
12. Lost in Translation (2003)
11. Gladiator (2000)
10. A.I. (2001) Kubrick and Spielberg. Underrated and misunderstood.
9. Black Hawk Down (2001) Ridley Scott puts you in the middle of war. Tense.
8. The Dark Knight (2008) Greatest comic-book movie. Pulses with life.
7. Sunshine (2007) Unseen masterpiece by Danny Boyle (see #35) Sci-fi wow.
6. United 93 (2006) Breaks your heart and elevates your spirit.
5. Master & Commander: Farside of the World (2003) You are in the Napoleonic Wars. Director Peter Weir and star Russell Crowe bring depth and life to history.
4. Children of Men (2006) Beautiful, chilling, marvelous work from Alfonso Cuaron. Humanity on the brink. Robbed at the Oscars.
3. Passion of the Christ (2004) Gibson went to another level with this unexpected masterpiece. Violent and powerful. Should be watched ever Easter. Also robbed at Oscar time.
2. There Will Be Blood (2007) Paul Thomas Anderson has become the director he was thought to be. Daniel Day-Lewis is hypnotic. The Best Film about America and creative destruction of capitalism since Citizen Kane. Yes, it's that good.
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
A tough pick over There Will Be Blood. But I went with passion and love over brilliance and greed. Michael Gondry's movie is pure joy and heartbreak and imagination. I can watch it again and again.

Best of the Best
The Films of Wes Anderson
His films are inevitably quirky and mischievous. From 2001's The Royal Tenenbaums through the Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) to The Darjeeling Limited (2007) to finally 2009's The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes Anderson has had a unique, American view. I look forward to each of his new films with anticipation.
The Films of Pixar
Whatever they touch turns to gold. It shows what happens when you combine story, heart, determination, and technology. Actually quite unbelievable. For those who simply blow off "cartoons" are missing out. Look at this line up. Monsters Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), & Up (2009). Masterpiece after masterpiece and 4 Oscars.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Peter Jackson turned the improvable and some said impossible and made it a reality. Sit down and watch all 10 hours of this saga and you can't imagine New Line game the man behind The Frighteners, Heavenly Creatures and Dead Alive the greenlight. Breathtaking and powerful and pure epic. I still marvel that it exists.

So until next time.

PS: Totally forgot all about Terrence Malick's The New World! Easily should be in my top 20 in not my top ten. Beautiful poetic.

Anything else I might have missed? Feel free to comment.

On...Money and Health from Newsweek

Maybe Newsweek is getting better with their new format. These 2 articles are very well done.

British and Harvard guru Niall Ferguson takes on the impact of deficits, debt, and inflation (and Paul Krugman) on an empire like the USA An Empire at Risk

Then Newsweek looks at the groundbreaking medical work of the Cleveland Clinic. The Hospital that Could Cure Health Care
A key part of the article talks with Dr. Cosgrove who operated on my mom when he was a surgeon. He's now president of the Clinic.

On...Trials, Greg Craig, & Third Parties

Three Articles on Three Different Topics of Note

First Charles Krauthammer disagrees with Attorney General Eric Holder's decision on the KSM trial in New York City. He makes some damn good points that need answering, especially about how these are looking like show trials. We all know he's not walking free.

Second, Politico looks at the Chicago-style hit Obama has made on his consul Greg Craig that has a number of his supporters taking another look at their Man of Hope.

Third, Mort Kondracke looks at the deficit and how that brings out the rumblings of a third party. I think this will be avoided if one party actually starts to be fiscally responsible. Hmm. maybe it will happen.

PS: Just wanted to add on VDH's quote on the KSM trial as well.
"Punishing KSM" means giving the liberal community a world platform for legal gymnastics designed to repudiate the past administration and demonstrate that community's "tolerance" — without much worry about justice for KSM or the adverse effects of giving such a monster a public megaphone.

PSS: Mickey Kaus (see to the right) makes comments on both the Health Care Bill and the Greg Craig controversy. HERE

On...The Constitutionality of Mandated Health Insurance

George Will brings to our attention the much neglected debate about the constitutionality of Federal Mandated Health Insurance. Will Obamacare (if passed, which looks more likely every day) succumb to the Supreme Court as being unconstitutional? Interesting. Are we in uncharted water? Certainly the Founding Father's never envisioned the expansion of the state into personal lives such as this. But unfortunately that hasn't stopped us before.

Could a possible scenario be that Obamacare passes and is activated, then the outrage against it makes 2010 look like 1994 all over again and in the midst of that flip in power the Supreme Court nullifies the law? Will an amendment be needed? Or could it merely pass and the nation assimilates over time to the new taxes and mediocre healthcaregrab? Man I love the possibilities of history.

GEORGE WILL HERE

On...200th Post...The Day the Wall Came Down

20 years of Freedom

This is a glorious anniversary, and one that become more and more distant. And with it the pure impact fades. This is a saddening truth of history. I was thirteen when the Iron Curtain began to shudder and creak. I imagine people younger than me don't have the same sense of what communism was (is) and the havoc it unleashed upon the world. Americans born right around 1976 may be that last group of citizens who can begin to understand the significance. Younger than that might not grasp the conflict. I know I have trouble relaying the magnitude of the Cold War to my students. Though certainly not as strong as those kids growing up in the 60s, anyone say born after 1981 never realized how it felt living on a planet where World War III was not merely fiction, but something very real. You lived under that realization that the whole world might be gone any minute. Movies like War Games, Red Dawn, The Hunt for Red October, Red Heat, The Day After, etc were locked into that era. But they will slowly seem like time capsules from a weird age.

This week is an appropriate time to reflect and relearn what really went down in Berlin twenty years ago and feel the powerful echo of liberty casting aside tyranny one more time--learn how free expression and free markets are longer lasting than state planning and single vision. Lessons many Americans need to think more deeply on.

I do regret that President Obama is not in Berlin just as Presidents Kennedy and Reagan were. What a missed opportunity for inspired leadership. I guess the Olympics and Greenhouse Gases are more important to him than universal examples of freedom.

The current issue of the Economist covers the anniversary and the History Channel is playing a couple of good specials on the event.

Here are other similar themed posts:

After the wall fell: Central Europe's success deserves more attention by Anne Applebaum, Washington Post

The Berlin Wall fell and a new Europe rose: Daily Telegraph UK Edition

The Lessons of 1989 by Christopher Hitchens, Slate.com

Why Berlin Mattered by Fred Kaplan, Slate.com

Reagan and Leadership

Tear Down This Wall Speech

Four Little Words by Anthony R. Dolan, Wall Street Journal

Ronald Reagan's unyielding style won the Cold War by Rudy Guiliani, NY Daily News

Video Highlight
ABC NEWS Breaking News November 9th, 1989 with Peter Jennings

NY POST Agrees that President Obama not going to Berlin is a missed opportunity.
Berlin Wall Blunder

On...Heroism

Get choked up reading about the tragic events at Ft. Hood. Here are a couple of the snapshots of heroism and the call of duty.

The Mother who brought down the Fort Hood killer Daily Telegraph UK

But for the heroes, bloodbath could have been worse Breitbart

Heroic civilian police officer 'walked up and engaged' shooter Washington Post

On...Afghanistan Insight

Real Quick (Everything is Real Quick These Days)


The best analysis on the Afghanistan conflict and the future of American forces there has been coming from David Ignatius of the Washington Post. He is always bringing new, honest angles from the debate without all the partisan rant. Also he has spent a lot of time on the ground there among the people, politicians, and soldiers of AfPak as well as Americans. Here's his latest to mull over.

The Real Afghan Strategy

In addition his posts from the last week or so as well.

On the War's Frontlines

In Waziristan

On...The Worst Ever

Can Karma be this bad?

Well, tomorrow night begins the 2009 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. Starting pitchers will be CC Sabathia for the NYY and Cliff Lee for the Phils. What's horribly wrong with this picture for Cleveland Indians fans? Oh, I don't know...maybe they were both CY Young winners for the Tribe no less than 3 years ago!!! Both of them!! Now the Tribe as nada. NADA!!! All on display for the nation to see. This is so cruel.

But I still hope Lee and Phils kick some Yankee butt.

And while we are on baseball. Let's see how my pre-season predictions went.

Hmm. Both my wild card pics are in the World Series. Though both won their respective divisions. I did pick the Angels out of the AL West and Dodgers out of the NL West. That's about it. Cubs and Indians tanked. But on the bright side I did pick six of the eight playoff teams right.

And I predicted Cliff Lee would go 14-12 and he went 14-13, not too bad. Other predictions were WAAAY OFF. All those Tigers are still Tigers.

Better luck next year.
Go Phillies.

On...Innovation and resourcefulness

I remember when I was in high school debate there were these findings about how the world was running out of coal. We only had until 2010 or something and then we'd be out. Well, here we are and we have enough coal reserves to lead us into the future. Huge coal strikes were found only a couple of years after that article was written. The same has now happened for natural gas. HERE. Of course we can't rest on our laurels but it shows how resourceful humans are (especially western civilization). We shall overcome the challenges. Innovation and resourcefulness.

On...Being Busy and not Blogging

NO TIME

I've been meaning to blog on President Obama's first 10 months (it was 9 when I had the idea) however I haven't had anytime to really do it right. Heck, I had to take a 55 minute break within the space of this blog to give the baby a bath, take the garbage out, etc.

So in loo of that here are two really interesting pieces from Slate.com

The first is an overview from the new Supreme Court session. I admit I've really come to enjoy the Supreme Court as a concept and would love to actually watch a round or two live.

HERE

Second is the bizarre "shell" process of law-making that both parties use that is a bit seedy.

HERE

RIP: Irving Kristol

Writer Irving Kristol died last week at 89. Though I didn't directly read a lot of his work (and there is a whole lot of it) I have been steadily influenced by those who he influenced and mentored, his son Bill and wife Gertrude along with James Q Wilson and others. I wish I would have known his magazine The Public Interest in its heyday.

Christopher Hitchens and James Q Wilson have articles about him below. They are especially useful in trying to understand the true origins of the term neoconservative without all the post-Iraq war baggage.

Hitchens on Irving Kristol

Wilson on Irving Kristol

On...If Only It Were True

How Newspapers Should Report...HERE

On...The Michigan Way

Two Governors and a Failed Idea

For those of us who live in Michigan this article in the Wall Street Journal is depressing. Sure the true believers (in Gov. Granholm, all twelve of them) will deny it and say the numbers are wrong and check back in 10 years, etc. Others will ignore it. But many will shake their heads and know deep down that this is what they feared. Michigan and its 15% unemployment, which would be even higher if people weren't allowed to leave, is becoming the New Mississippi. Progressives don't understand basic economic principles and refuse to learn them. Instead they role out big government (even on the state level) and expect miracle cures. It simply doesn't work that way. Yes, organized government can solve some problems on a small scale, but the marketplace is not one of them. But they'll keep trying.

Anyway, the article is HERE: Michigan Subsidies Fail

I found the movie subsidy aspect disappointing. I thought maybe that was a good idea initially. See, even I can get suckered it from time to time.

On...Texas Tea

Black Gold

Author of the award-winning history of oil, The Prize, has a new article in Foreign Policy magazine where he examines the controversial and volatile necessity of OIL in our modern world.

It's Still the One by Daniel Yergin

On...Fall Books

An Autumn Read

Quick link also from Slate.com that lists a number of books/novels coming out this fall. Sort of a small Fall Book Preview.

HERE

On...Forest Hills Garden

Suburbia

Slate.com just posted this image montage of Forest Hills Garden development in Queens, NY from 1909. It reminded me that I meant to blog more about my trip to NYC and my time with Professor Ken Jackson of Columbia (first-rate urban historian). I read his classic book Crabgrass Frontier, which among many things covered the history of suburban development. I'm partial to the Forest Hill Gardens style and not the Levittown style that clearly won in the 20th century. Hopefully more mindful development will be at the forefront of the 21st. Ah, to have a billion or two (dollars that is).

HERE for FOREST HILLS

HERE for Crabgrass Frontier

On...Afghanistan History

Historian Frederick Kagan has a nice article on the historical events that led up to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 for those who are interested.

Link HERE

On...Wading into a Bog

That Bog Would be Health Insurance Reform

I've avoided this topic for a while and I really don't want to get too far into it because I'm not a medical/insurance expert in any way shape or form and too many people with too little information are wading into this mess. Unfortunately I don't think those opposed to Obamacare or whatever you call it can't stop it. This debate should have been happening back in September and October of 08 not now. These Americans (and they are Americans, we all are Americans no matter how obnoxious) should have thought this over and actually listened to the debates and voted for McCain, but I digress. The votes are in. The Dems run the show with big numbers. They just need to tame the herd.

However, I do think we can force a watering down of the great leap to socialized medicine but that's about it--another step, maybe two, but not a sprint. Team Obama botched that reality all on their own. He does seem a little out of step with Congress--meaning he lets Pelosi and Reid run the show, which is a disaster always in the making. Thankfully. He should have been more direct and said "I want this and this and this, you can debate this and this only. Give me the bill the way I want it." But alas...

Supporters of Health Insurance Reform (which is almost everyone, but how the reform should go is the great difference) should read these two articles below just so they understand a little more about aspects of the debate they may have ignored: Preventive Care and Life Expectancy

Jonah Goldberg has a very solid point about cost and life expectancy in his New York Post article

Charles Krauthammer illuminates how preventive care actually increases costs in the long run.

On...No More Czars!!!!

STOP USING THAT PHRASE!

I have been meaning to write about this topic for a loooooooong time, but I have never got around to it. The topic is Czars. Not the Romanovs or any other of their ilk, but the neo-czars appointed by presidents for the last 25 years. The Drug Czars of the Reagan era were the first (at least to my memory) and that was about it until now. I could handle this one slip. But no more. President Obama or should I say Czar-in-Chief Obama is utterly obsessed with this term. (or someone on his staff--car czar, insurance czar, etc) It is ridiculous and insulting to all democratic Americans to have czar anything. We have elected leaders not autocratic tyrants. Why does anybody think giving someone unlimited power (albeit in a small context) is a good idea? It can only make such abuse seem normal and commonplace to the masses. We never want them getting used to such an reality. Humanity has spent hundreds of years trying to rid the world of despots and this administration has taken an annoyance to a whole new level. They are encouraging the underminding of republican institutions. Enough already.

Lurita Doen in USA Today finally had a piece on this same topic, HERE, which sparked my thoughts this morning.

PS
LA TIMES had a similar piece back in March. Guess it hasn't slowed the movement.

on...The Last Link of the Great War

Came Across this powerfully reflective piece about World War I and its long influence--even as the last veterans leave us.

By Simon Heffer

We are Still Lost in the Mystery of that War from the Telegraph UK

On...Good-Bye Cliff

Back from 12 day in NYC. (I hope to blog about some stuff regarding our largest city later)

The news is a few days old, but it doesn't make it any easier. The Cleveland Indians traded Cliff Lee earlier this week to the Philadelphia Philles. The best pitcher, former Cy Young winner, and my fan favorite are gone. What a bummer. As if this season could get any worse for an Indian's fan. Well, my third favorite Indian, Victor Martinez, could be traded by tomorrow. This is all so Cleveland. They are pretty much throwing away 2010 as well. GM Mark Shapiro has made great trades before but this is a long work in progress.

So long Cliff.

On...The Moon (Ever Again?)

Space: Reality vs. Fantasy

Charles Krauthammer dedicated his latest editorial to the 4oth Moon Anniversary that is rapidly coming up and he got me to thinkin'. I have to agree with him. It is sad that so many Americans have become ho-hum regarding space travel and the potential glories that exist beyond our own planet. I can't tell you how many students (a least six a year) who insist the US government faked the moon-landings. It is pretty frustrating. I imagine there is a small (and annoying) minority in this country who believe the same thing. Thanks a lot Fox!

I also wish President Obama would embrace a new interest in space travel and all its possibilities. I would think it a tragedy if we abandoned the lead to China or India. Many wags lament the decline of American engineering and innovation (though this is certainly over-exageraged). What better way than the rigor and challenge of space? of a moon base? of the exploration of Mars? I would love to live long enough to see humans on Mars. And for it to be an American crew would be better yet. I'm just not sure that's going to happen at this pace.

So as our youth and country are obsessed with fantasy and science-fiction (see TV, Comic books, Summer Movies) they are barely turned on about the science-reality staring them in the face. I don't know where the fault lies but hopefully we can come up with a solution.

Suggestions?

On...The Only Question That Needs to be Answered (Especially by Obama Voters)

Robert Samuelson at Newsweek has been writing some of the most profound short-length essays about the economy the last nine months or so. I have posted many of them. I think what makes them strong is his total lack of agenda beyond a sound economy. He has acted like one of the few level two thinkers out there. He poses questions without getting partisan or angry. He's not a Paul Krugman who clearly has an agenda and blathers it out to everyone who will hear. And he's not a Republican hammering away at the President and Congress for purely politically reasons. Instead he gathers the data, looks towards the future, and asks the hard questions Americans of all stripes wish to avoid.

His latest essay poses the one question every American must answer and I hope everyone who voted for Obama will seriously ask themselves and then answer the tough follow up questions.

That question is How big a government do we want?

On the surface this is clearly a level one question, but it really is a reflective one when you take the time to break it down. This was really the question people should have been asking themselves going into the voter's booth last November. And then the second question is how do we pay for an expanded government flush with even more entitlements. USA Today had a series of polls regarding Health Care and low and behold it found the majority of Americans want better health care but don't want to pay for it.

Right there is a big problem that has been plaguing the Republic for some time. Too many people believe they are entitled to stuff on someone elses dime. As Samuelson states, "We face an unprecedented collision between Americans' desire for more government services and their almost-equal unwillingness to be taxed." Something has to give. Our president, the Democrats, and too many Republicans in Congress seem to want it all. This isn't practical or realistic. Though it is how many get elected. Unfortunately someone always has to pay and the Democrats' old song and dance about the rich paying only works for so long. The middle-class will have to pay as well down the road. And then free people will find ways around tyranny. They will even move with their feet if they have to.

So I ask merely for all the Obama voters out there to read Samuelson's article and reflect on the only question and then for them to formulate a real answer--not merely a level one response but also on the consequences of an expanding Federal Government today and in the future. Unfortunately I don't think anyone will step up to the plate.

Big decisions need to be made. I only hope they are the right ones.

On...Summer Music

Slow Club

Regina Spektor

Elizabeth & The Catapult

I would like to highlight 3 recent albums. Each falls comfortably into the singer/songwriter--Adult Alternative--Dream Pop category.

The first is the new album from Regina Spektor--called Far. Her last album was fantastic. My wife loved it. Her new album continues Regina's dominance of the quirky pop song. Anyone who has enjoyed Regina in the past is guaranteed to enjoy her new effort.

The other two albums I have only listened to twice each, which is very low to actually get a firm feel for, but I feel they both have potential. I was just looking at new releases on iTunes and both of these were only $7 for a dozen or more songs. After listening to a few samples I was sure I would enjoy the whole albums and committed. I was right. If you enjoy Ivy or Great Northern or the Pierces or Shawn Colvin then you'll like both Slow Club's Yeah So and Elizabeth & The Catapult's Taller Children.

If you are looking for one song from each I'd try...

Regina Spektor's Laughing With

Slow Club's Giving Up on Love

Elizabeth & The Catapult's Taller Children

PS: Better than Ezra has a new album too. I've only listened to the track, Absolutely Still. Classic BTE.

On...Grab Bag of Monday Stuff

Before we go camping I will just leave you with a few Monday morning articles that jumped to my attention.

Canada's National Post jumps in between Obama and Sarkosy and the Burka

Former Ford President and Secretary of Defense Robert "Quagmire" McNamara has died at 93

Left of Center Washington Post Columnist Fred Hiatt questions Obama's "Stuff the Beast" strategy.

Newsweek's David Ignatius speaks to Obama's Russian Reset Utopia

and last but not least
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat had a really good piece on the lesson of Sarah Palin.

On...Eternal Liberty

The Fourth of July is tomorrow and in honor of our 233rd birthday I have written a small piece on Liberty.

Eternal Liberty

Mark A Trexler

Eleven score and thirteen years ago our fathers in liberty shaped on this continent a new world—a republic to enlighten and enrich mankind. Rejecting the tyranny and monarchy of a centralized power they reached deep into antiquity to usher in a new age of reason and humanity. More importantly they hitched our future onto the radical truth that all men are created equal. Not equal in ability or talent but in birth and law. Men and women would live their life free of despotism and pursue their happiness in the way they choose, free from the whims and decrees of kings and dictators. Happiness wasn’t guaranteed, failure sat next to success as equals, but the choice to pursue one’s own fate through freewill was a centerpiece of the republic. Knowing that men were not angels and would never live in an idealized utopia and also knowing that anarchy was a twisted cousin of freedom, they fashioned a government, for the people and by the people, limited in scope, but strong at heart to maintain our precious and fragile natural rights. That government, always run by men and not by angels, has been far from perfect—it too has momentarily succumb to the will and corruption of selfish interests and the mania of war, but has always righted the ship with modernization and hardship. The continual restoration of our traditions, our humanity, and our government is never done. Folly is ensured to those people who embrace the lightly proferred laurel, the easy, ungrudged praise.

Across the decades we as a people have struggled and travailed to live up to the maxim all men are created equal—a task each generation seizes and battles. We have nobly won great advancements, we have cauterized the original sin of slavery, and widened the franchise of suffrage, but we have let slip the other half of the equation, no less in value. And that is the notion of liberty—the freedom to live one’s life without the burden of others dictations, freedom from coercion of the bayonet, and freedom from the manipulation and caprice and impulses of so-called great and powerful men. When individuals and communities, through reason and spirit can govern the republic we will flourish as we have for hundreds of years. When the shackles and lash of oppression are given reign, however slowly, we must be ever vigilant to strike down dangers to the republic, especially those that initially seem like benefits of the greater good.

I ask all Americans and future Americans to remember on this Fourth of July the long-standing faiths of our blessed nation—those natural rights and national values that are more than mere dusty words from bygone eras. Our liberties have long ago given us power, but only if we trust in them and maintain them and use them in our daily lives. Once embraced we can forever dip into that stream of liberty cascading across the ages and refresh our government and ourselves. We must remember that all of this, large and small, is no accident. Through our collective freewill we make choices that herald the future. Let us make those choices wise and fruitful ones. Bear in mind we always have the opportunity for disastrous lapses in judgment as well as bold deeds and exceptional achievements. We must hold tight our convictions and conserve the lifeblood of our revolution—a moment in time when we cast off tyranny and the dictations of faraway kings through suffering and sacrifice and established here, on this soil, a republic cast in justice, nurtured in equality, and conceived in eternal liberty.

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On...Peggy Noonan salutes David McCullough

MAKING HISTORY

This piece was posted in the Wall Street Journal this morning, a wonderful reminder of our Founding in 1776 on this July 4th weekend. Noonan praises (in her opinion) our greatest living historian: David McCullough. He certainly is right up there. If anybody would rank such things I would probably put him second behind Gordon S Wood. I'll have to think more about that for a future post. McCullough certainly has the best speaking historical voice.

HERE'S THE POST

Makes me want to break out McCullough's 1776. I think I will.

On...Quote of the Day

I was looking for the origin of the phrase "Clothes make the man" and stumbled upon this related quote by Mark Twain. I found it quite funny. (and curiously enough I've been rewatching Ken Burns' Mark Twain documentary this week.)

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.

Mark Twain
US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 - 1910)

On...Tribe on the Run

Wait Until Next Year

The white flag wasn't so big this year, but the results will probably be the same. The Indians traded Mark Derosa to the St. Louis Cardinals. Last year they traded CC Sabathia, Casey Blake, and Paul Byrd. They have surrendered and signed a worthless peace treaty.

The Cleveland Indians are a sad, sad disappointment again this year. So much for my prediction that the Tribe would have a great year. The bullpen is a shambles, injuries have ravaged the core of the team, the ballpark is empty, and the did I mention the bullpen? The Tribe has scored the 3rd most runs in all of baseball so far this year. Which is really good considering Hafner and Sizemore have spent time on the DL. However they have given up the most runs in all of baseball. Not so good. Actually good enough for the worst record in the AL. And the terrible and strange thing is when they do hit they don't hit for Cliff Lee (their only good pitcher.) Lee's run-support from his teammates is third worst in all of baseball. Statiscally he is only pitching a tad worse than his Cy Young performance last year (current ERA is 2.88), but so far this year his record is a pedestrian 4-6. (Last year 22-3) ARTICLE on Run-Support

Jerry Crasnik from ESPN has a detailed, full of great info INDIANS piece that goes in depth into the woes of the Wahoos.

I still think Eric Wedge should get one more shot next year. The Indians also need to spend a little more than they have. (They are currently 14th out of 30. I know that is no guarantee but something needs to be done.

PS: Guess I should start Blogging about my hometown Tigers

On...Why Are Politicians so Weird?

Why would you want that job?

Mark Steyn brings up a very interesting aside in his latest op/ed piece. HERE. The gist of it comes from a question someone asked him recently, "Why are politicians so weird?" This referred to the numerous sex scandals within both parties--most recently Gov. Mark Sanford (or anyone who 'hangs' with Joe Biden or Barney Frank I assume--WEIRD).

And if you know local politicians they are normally just as loony. Modern politics breeds a certain species of human.

His theory is you have to be odd or serious warped to do all the things you have to do to get elected and stay elected. If you think about it I can certainly understand. Sure elected office has some appeal to me, but only some. It is most the world of fantasy. What a pain in the ass public office has to be? The hours, the fund-raising, the media, the scrutiny, the PUBLIC. Maybe Steyn is right and we will get more and more wack-jobs. The second part of his theory is this is all akin to the rise of big government. We'll see. I hope not. But think about all the monarchs and their ilk and all the power they possessed AND the weirdness that ensued.

Limited government. Boring government. Non-coercive government. That's the ticket.

In a similar vein, Victor Davis Hanson remarks on our Victorian nature HERE.

I'll leave you with another classic quote from HL Mencken.

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.
H. L. Mencken

It's like he's speaking to ooooohhhh GLOBAL WARMING!

PS: And why are so many politicians ugly? Have you seen Henry Waxman? Get this guy a paperbag.

FILM REVIEW: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

[Director: Michael Bay. Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, John Turturro, Kevin Dunn, Bunch of CGI Robots]

Michael Bay continues to produce big summer films with Kodak moment shots, slow-motion-world-burning-behind-you mayhem, and vivid generalizations about modern society. AND he scores huge box office (SEE Box Office Mojo). Transformers 2 is basically a nice upgrade of the first movie, sans the lovely shots of the decaying Detroit Railroad Station. Bay did improve the battle-sequences in the fact you can actually tell one robot from another much better. Still this film is too long for a popcorn movie, over 2 and a half hours! The plot is convulted and lengthy. I feel you could have cut a good twenty minutes of it and got the same effect.

Every standard Michael Bay shot is here including his patented shot looking up from the ground into the sky as a slow-motion helicopter blades whirl by ala Bad Boys II. He clearly loves filming Megan Fox with her flowing auburn hair, stunning blue eyes, and Bally's body. Fox is an empty vessel, like a dorm-room poster She and new-hottie Isabel Lucas just walk around in tight shorts and flimsy dresses all movie. Not that I'm complaining.

But the main focus I have is what I called 'vivid generalization.' I know its Hollywood and this is a summer flick. I get it, but still Bay films have this synthetic layer, coating if you will, that permeates the movie. I think this is best shown in the twenty minutes the movie depicts "college" life. It is absurd. The dorms are immaculate and huge and clearly been raided by graphic artists, there are no ugly people, girls strut around in big, fluffy towels, and no one is there for education. AND Rainn Wilson (Dwight from the Office) is a professor, funny yes, but still fits my point. Megan Fox herself is a generalization of bitchy-beauty. The whole thing is ridiculous and so much more superficial than the real thing. Does Bay even live on this planet?

And lastly there is the blatant racism or pseudo-racism in the film. I'm pretty anti-PC and don't like to flame such nasty name-calling, but I was cringing in this film every time the twin Autobots, Skids and Mudflap, appeared on screen. They are a 21st century minstrel show. What the Hell were they thinking? And by they I mean the hundreds of people who must have been involved in this aspect of the movie--from the concept to the finished product. It does make Jar-Jar Binks look like a pure enlightened mascot. It is really horrible and now millions of kids have seen this idiocy. It is so unnecessary and so easy to avoid. Just leave them out!

I've added some links to show the continuing conversation on this:

Ain't It Cool News.com (Warning: Adult Language)
Yahoo.com
SLASHFILM.COM: No One Wants to Own Up to Racism in Transformers

Further 2 cents. This film in my opinion is a hard PG-13, there are lots of sexual innuendo throughout. I wouldn't take kids under 13.

RATING: 5.5 out of 10
Though I'd rate the actions sequences as 7.5.