X-Men III - a worthy follow-up

I've been reading the X-Men franchise of comics since around 1975 and the age of 9, and I have to say the movie adaptations have been solid. I just saw X-Men III: the Last Stand, and I have to say it maintained the high standard of the other two films. I know there's always some changing in the translation to film, but the spirit has been kept intact. The newest film does a great job of keeping things moving and still balancing the characters (there are many, many characters). Nice intro to Beast and Angel. Kitty Pryde got some nice scenes, and it was great to see Colossus a bit more! The steel-skinned strongman has always been my favorite for some reason. I also liked how they brought in Juggernaut; it would have been nice to see him go head-to-head with Colossus. Overall, I think there will be a few more X-Men films! Cool!

Wisdom from Lost

"All we need to survive is one person who truly loves us..." --Penelope to Desmond in the May 24 episode of Lost. Well, damn it, I'm ready and waiting!

On tolerance

It seems that currently one of our biggest problems here in America is that some of those in power seem to think they can force their religious views (i.e. their often dogmatic, religious right-eous views) on the rest of the populace. Let's all take a breather and listen to a few words of wisdom...

"The highest result of education is tolerance." - Helen Keller

"The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority." - Ralph W. Sockman

"Laws alone can not secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population." - Albert Einstein

My own dang manifesto...

Came across the Euston Manifesto, an online organization that aims to create "a fresh political alignment" of progressive types. I kinda like what they had to say. I know I endanger myself (said with slight sarcasm, but only slight!) by outing myself as a liberal, but their manifesto holds a lot of things with which I agree...

I'm thinking (probably too much) these days about writing up a list of things that make up the core of my political beliefs...my own personal manifesto or personal platform, of sorts. I'll think on it a little more and probably share it here... Stay tuned; it should be slightly more exciting that watching paint dry...

And the Starlight Mints

Oh, and just in case anyone thought I was slipping, my new favorite song of the moment is "Seventeen Devils" by the Starlight Mints. Cool use of strings and stuff... No banjo, however, which is slightly disappointing. You can hear a sample here. I love the line "...all we ever wanted was the keys to everything..." Also cool, the song is from the CD Drowaton ("not a word" backwards).

Still loving Athlete

Here it is over a year ago that I picked up the then-new CD by Athlete (www.athlete.mu). I'm still listening to the CD on a very regular basis... Rediscovered the song "Half Light".

"Half Light" by Athlete, from the CD Tourist

The sun got stuck, as it's making it's way back down,
We find ourselves, in a familiar part of town

And all that I've seen means nothing to me without you

So when I see you next we'll make the most of it,
Tell the sun to start moving again,
The taste of your kiss I still got on my lips,
And ill take you there with me

My head crashed down, air conditioned myself to sleep,
The great night out, that will continue to the end of the week

And all that I've seen means nothing to me without you

So when I see you next we'll make the most of it,
Tell the sun to start moving again,
The taste of your kiss I still got on my lips,
And ill take you there with me

It's you and me connected to a satellite
It's you and me love through a machine
It's you and me connected to a satellite
It's you and me love through a machine

So when I see you next we'll make the most of it,
Tell the sun to start moving again,
The taste of your kiss I still got on my lips,
And I'll take you there with me

Introducing... Coca-Cola Blak

Ever the purveyor of new, interesting products, I came across something I had never thought to combine--coffee and cola--in the form of Coca-Cola Blak. Coffee. Cola. Not immediately an intuitive hit, but I have to say I kinda like it... Give me another day and a chance to swig a couple more bottles before I make a final decision.

Quote of the moment...

A new favorite quote of the moment:

"If you don't like change, you are going to like irrelevance even less."
--Retired U.S. Army General Eric Shinseki

We all need to evolve, learn, grow, change. It's inherent in being human. Change or die. We don't want to become dinosaurs, do we? I know change is often difficult, and at best only disconcerting, but it is a natural progression and evolution. Things change, people change, technologies change, hairstyles change... I recognize that I, myself, am resistent to change in certain areas, but I also realize that I need to keep learning and growing. Good thoughts to think on...

Is ANYONE worth this much money?

According to a recent Associated Press story, Exxon Mobil Corp. Chairman and CEO Lee Raymond, who recently retired, received a $69.7 million compensation package and $98 million pension payout. And according to a financial analysis by Brian Foley of The New York Times, Raymond was compensated more than $686 million by the oil giant from 1993 to 2005, which comes out to $144,573 per day of his employment.

Now I don't really want to get into the whole discussion of big oil executives defending their record profits and dodging questions of price gouging, although it is worth noting this in light of impending $3 per gallon gas prices. Also, I'm sure it's not an easy job to run a large multinational corporation. I'm sure other people have earned big money, Bill Gates, Microsoft founder, comes to mind. (Although I have to give Mr. Gates credit, as he has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to various charities, especially noteworthy are his donations to fight AIDS in the Third World--but I digress.)

Simply put, this amount of money is unfathomable to me (and, I hazard to guess, to most people). Most people I know make between $20,000 and $50,000 per year. Exxon Mobil's CEO made three times more money in a single day of work than most people in America (or the world) make in a year or more! Can you honestly imagine what it would be like to make $144,573 per day?!? You could buy a new house every day! Or two to three luxury cars every day! What else could someone do with this kind of money?

Just one day's worth of the Exxon Mobil's CEO pay could feed 18,071 people an $8 meal. (I wonder what kind of meal Halliburton could provide for $8 a plate? Digressing again, sorry.) Charity is good, but what about "teaching a man to fish" so he'll have fish to eat every day?

According to CNN, the cost of attending a four-year public university (including room and board) averaged $12,127 per year in 2005. At the Exxon Mobil's CEO pay rate, one month's salary could allow 357 students to attend college for a full year, or a year's worth of that salary could pay for 4,283 students to enrich their minds in college for a full year - imagine what they could do to improve the world!

I just realized I'm not really going anywhere with this post... Still, it boggles my mind. Is anyone truly worth $144,573 per day? I mean, really? Is anyone's knowledge or skill so god-like? And what does one do with that much money? I mean how many gold fixtures, summer homes, and recreational yachts can any one person really use anyway? Let's think about it... And there are people in the U.S. who go to bed hungry and uneducated every night. Think about it...

I likes me some 'o that Daylight Savings Time

Man, I love the spring as the temps get into the 60s and 70s and the days are increasing. It's great to get home from work and still have a few hours of sunlight. It certainly improves my mood. When I lived in northwest Minnesota 90 miles south of the Canadian border this time of year was always something to look forward to. I recall in June there was still light in the western sky at 10:30 p.m.! And when I visited my sister in Alaska in June, it was great because it never really got dark.

I'm fairly certain that I have SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder. I'm usually in the best mood with increasing daylight hours in April, May, and June. Conversely, I begin to feel increasingly ornery in October, November and December. I think November is the worst by far. Usually if I can make it through to Thankgiving I level off.

I'd be totally supportive if sunrise was always at 7:30 a.m. and sunset at 10 p.m. Oh well, cycles are nature's way. Without all the dark crappy weather in November, I guess I wouldn't appreciate the light happy weather of April as much.

R U ready 4 the Apocalypse?

Sorry about going all Prince in the headline, but it looks like we should all start partying like it's 1999. (Fu)'king Insane Emperor G.W. Bush ('king W. for short) is discussing a nuclear strike on Iran with his military buds. It's all over the Sunday news shows, and we all knew Iran was next of his list. Hell, it might even happen in time for Jesus' return on Easter Sunday this coming week!

The self-appointed Chosen One (and I'm NOT talking about Jesus here; Jesus is innately humble and peace-loving) and his cronies have done a lot to hasten the end of the world.

'king W. and his cronies have refused to acknowledge global warming and have set back environmental protections by 40 years or more, even allowing some of the worst polluters to keep polluting. He and his cronies have squeltched civil rights and eroded the wall separating church and state so it became easier to get all his Christianist buddies into power positions (note that I said Christianist, not Christian; Christianists are those radical fundamentalist politicians who are morally superior, extremely judgemental, and eagerly awaiting the Rapture - I'd love to see the looks on their faces when they get "left behind" for politicizing Jesus and judging lest they be judged).

There's more....

'king W. and his cronies have created a climate where questioning their actions is equal to being seen as traitor - don't question him or his plans or the terrorist win! He and his cronies have given the biggests tax breaks to the very wealthiest, so they can buy their stairway to heaven and eliminate the middle class. He and his cronies have cut funding for higher education and mandated the No Child Left Behind program in order to keep America's youth ignorant so they can easily be led...

But wait, there's more...

He and his cronies have gotten us into a quagmire of a civil war in Iraq and they all lied to get us there. He and his cronies have purposely leaked confidential information for political gain. He and his cronies have alienated essentially all of our world allies. He and his cronies have employed torture techniques and laughed in the face of the Geneva Convention. And now we hear talk about he and his cronies looking at options for various attacks on Iran, specifically NOT ruling out a nuclear attack.

Impeach him now before he pushes that button and unleashes the worst war in human history. You may think I'm overreacting, but I'm sincerely afraid that 'king W. and his cronies could really, really screw us all over TO THE MAX. Oh well, maybe in the resulting post-apocalyptic wasteland some of those nuclear zombies will attack his little protective bunker and eat his brains. Then the cockroaches can take over...

Oh, by the way, if I conveniently disappear for sharing this opinion, you'll know the Men in Black came for me.

More lyrics of the moment: Skeleton Key

I've been listening to a LOT of new music in recent days. This one struck me in particular... All the more interesting considering that a skeleton key is essentially a very basic key that can open virtually any door.

"Skeleton Key" by Margot & the Nuclear So and So's

I did a sick, sick thing to my love.
My lack of loyalty, it swallowed her up.
And she cooked me food.
She squirmed and turned like a skeleton key.
She left her man and attended to me.

Don't call me that. Don't claim you love me
'cause you know that ain't true.
My dire affliction I attribute to you.
And you're finally free
to twist and turn like a skeleton key.

You've gotta let me know.
You've gotta let me know.

I did a horrible thing to that girl.
I bred my misery and drowned it in her.
And she got me high, and I hardly noticed
there were tears in her eyes.

And I miss you less and less everyday.
This stream of whiskey's helped to wash you away.
And it's clear to see you're nothing special.
You're a skeleton key.

You've gotta let me know.
You've gotta let me know.
You've gotta let me know.
You've gotta let me know.

Whooo!

Lyrics of the moment...

Wow! The final episode of Six Feet Under is powerful. The final montage that reveals the fates of each of the main characters is backed by the song "Breathe Me" by Sia. It fits perfectly.

"Breathe Me" by Sia
Help, I have done it again
I have been here many times before
Hurt myself again today
And, the worst part is there's no-one else to blame

Be my friend
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am small
I'm needy
Warm me up
And breathe me

Ouch I have lost myself again
Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found,
Yeah I think that I might break
Lost myself again and I feel unsafe

Be my friend
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am small
I'm needy
Warm me up
And breathe me

Be my friend
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am small
I'm needy
Warm me up
And breathe me

Six Feet Under

Last week I picked up season four of HBO's show Six Feet Under. I watched all twelve episodes in two days. Tuesday, I picked up the just released season five--the final season. I plan to watch one or two episodes tonight, I'm sure it won't take me long to go through them all.

I'm not sure what it is about this series I like so much, but it is addictive. There's a lot of sex, drugs and dysfunction, but I think the thing that gets me is that the characters are so strong. And despite all the problems they face and all the death that surrounds them, there is some sense of optimism in the show--they do come together as a family and accept each other. Dysfunctional, yes. Enjoyable, definitely.

Hard to lose...

It's hard to lose important people in your life. I've lost too many in the past three years. Lost Dad to Parkinson's Disease and, yes, I know he's in a better place. Lost some extremely important people in my life to distance--both literally and figuratively--and time and career. Lost my great circle of friends from my life in Crookston (I still try to keep in touch, but it's difficult and it's not the same).

Some say, "Just give it time, you'll make new friends." Maybe, probably. But I liked the relationships I had! In some ways I wish I was a superficial person, because it would be easier to not miss people... It takes me too damn long to build the trust I need to be friends and too damn long for me to let them go when they go. I know I've got to work on that, because it seems everybody always leaves or is left...

Sorry to be such a downer, but that's where I'm at.

Spammed poetry

I received an interestingly odd e-mail at work today. It was basically a spam message with an investment opportunity embedded in a randomly generated set of words. Somehow, the words seemed strangely poetic. I guess we humans try to find meaning in the truly arbitrary. You decide (punctuation mine):

Avoidable Lottery
Revive as trait, personal sarcasm confers uppity. liberally crime—-a persuasiveness—-and Polaroid bronco. Argument school as concentric sleeping bag. A gynecologist snowman is cocoa riddled with justification tabulation, indescribably of unprepared wire, to a wrongly bleached awkward hilarity. The diversion, insipid, owe on pedagogy, a forcibly slog was curry powder scrooge, and topsy-turvy a lifesaver congratulates as tonic water on us... reliant is grill that rat race of powder was that drudge to itself.

One word:

WHATEVER!

Cool discovery #78

Our CEO and director turned me on to a new DVD magazine called Wholphin, and I have to say it's pretty cool. He loaned me the first issue, and now I'm hooked. Really neat small films and other "unseen things".

I think my favorite video short was called "Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?". A very short film where we find a guy doing a survey and the main question is the title along with "How certain are you about that?" What an interesting question--sort of left me with a little existential longing. The first issue also includes an odd little film that details Patton Oswalt staring into the camera for about five minutes--no dialogue, just staring and a few funny faces.

These are odd shorts and video stuff that are just my cup of tea: quirky and mildly obscure...but in a GOOD way! Yet another thing I HAVE to buy on a regular basis. Damn!

Lyrics of the moment

Cool lyrics that seem appropriate at the moment...

Jenny Lewis - "The Charging Sky"
If I run uphill I'm out of breath
If I spend all of my money I've got no money left
If I place all of my chips on only one bet
I'm all in

And it's a surefire bet I'm gonna die
So I'm taking up praying on Sunday nights
And it's not that I believe in your almight
But I might as well as insurance or bail

Cause institution's like a big bright lie
And it blinds you into fear and consuming and fight
And you've been in the desert underneath the charging sky
It's just you and God
But what if God's not there?
But his name is on your dollar bill
Which just became cab fare

For the Evangelists, the Communists, the Lefts and the Rights
And the hypocrites and the Jesuits and the blacks and the whites
It's in the belly of the beast
In the Atlanta streets
Or up in Laurel Canyon
The verge of Middle East

Still they're dying on the dark continent
It's been happening long enough to mention it
Have I mentioned my parents are getting back together again
It's been 25 years
Of spreading infection
Somehow we're not affected

So my mom, she brushes her hair
And my dad starts growing Bob Dylan's beard
And I share with my friends a couple of beers
In the Orlando streets
In the belly of the beast

Saying something "unpopular"

Yes, freedom of speech MUST mean the freedom to offend, or the freedom to say something unpopular with the majority. I believe that more and more. If not, we cannot be considered a democracy, because in order to make a good, deliberate decision, we must hear all the viewpoints. That's the whole point of democracy! Sure, it's probably much easier to run a facist state - what the leader says goes, or else. The same is true of a theocracy - do what the religious leader tells you that God says, or else.

Democracy is hard because, first, we must allow all the voices to be heard and, second, we must not only make a decision by majority vote but also keep the minority protected. It IS difficult and it SHOULD take a long time. Squelching disagreement is NOT HEALTHY.
Thank you, Andrew Sullivan, for reminding us of this quote:

"If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." - George Orwell