DARK KNIGHT IS OVER-RATED AND OVER HYPED

Much of the unwashed masses appear to have proclaimed that 2008’s The Dark Knight is the best film ever – see Internet Movie Database (IMBD.COM). With the untimely death of Heath Ledger (who plays the Joker), the buzz around this summer’s release is almost out of this world.

I finally went a saw this film last night. First the positives: yes, Heath Ledger does a fine job in the role (worthy of an Oscar, me thinks this is a bit of hyperbole on the part of masses – remember when Elizabeth Taylor won for Butterfield 8 when she was ill). An illness or death always creates exaggerated praise for a person – for example, when you put a bullet into someone their stock always goes up, from Lincoln to King to Kennedy to Kennedy. Had each of these people lived to a ripe old age, you would not see them held in such high esteem.

Morgan Freeman brought a great since of dignity to the role of Lucius Fox.
Christian Bale does a decent job as Bruce Wayne and a fair job to the part of Batman (although, he was better in the first film). Gary Oldman played the role of Gordon as well as he could, considering the poor direction provided by C. Nolen.

Many of the stunts were excellent from the kidnapping in Hong Kong to the flipping of a semi-tractor trailer.

Now, to the less than sterling components of the C. Nolen’s composition one can only say that he is not that familiar with world in which Batman lives.

First, the art direction was way too bright. Even though some consider this to be dark film due to Ledger’s performance as the Joker, the film has way too many scenes in broad daylight. For example, the Joker blows up a hospital with the sun at his back.

Also, Chicago did not look enough like the traditional Gotham City. There were way too many recognizable Chicago landmarks.

Sound. It is important – especially when dialogue is being spoken. Several times throughout the film I had to lean forward in my seat just to barely make out what was being spoken. Some people would argue that this is a petty criticism of the “great film.” However, if you can’t hear what is being said, then what is the point of writing the lines in the first place. These technical issues matter when presenting a complete film.

It has been mentioned about the length of the film and some unnecessary elements in other reviews. So yes, it is true that the film is too long and the subplots involving the Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent characters were more than a bit cumbersome. The beginning sequence with the Scarecrow was just added trifle that one wonders why it was even in the film.

Now, while I enjoyed the pairing of Michael Caine and Christian Bale in the Prestige, they almost seemed disjointed in the Alfred and Master Wayne relationship.

It would have done Mr. Nolen well to have read more Batman comics and watched some of the excellent animated Batman series that have been released over the last 12 to 14 years. He just doesn’t seem to have a handle on who the Batman is – at least not in this film.

OBAMA PROMISED EVERYONE EVERYTHING

. . . and on the seventh day, Obama rested.
I've listened to B. Hussein Obama, Jr. make some decent speeches in the past. Last night, after winning the Wisconsin primary, he didn't give one of those decent speeches.

Instead of a speech, he gave a laundry list of promises that can never be fulfilled -- no matter how many times he mentions the words "hope" and "change."

In that speech, he promised an increase in teacher's saleries (which I am sure they deserve), he promised an increase in the minimum wage, he promised that we would continue to fight terrorism, he promised to repair America's infrastruture -- he promised everything to everybody.

Now, for a moment Obama supporters (that means you too Oprah) remove yourselves from your emotional involvement and examine what the man actually said.

There is no way -- NO WAY -- that B. Hussein Jr. can deliver on even one-tenth of his promises.

But if you believe he can, you have truly slurped up way too much Kool-Aid. And if you vote this man into office, you truly deserve what you want.

MICROSOFT OFFICE FOR MAC 2008

Office 2008 for Mac offers the best of both worlds. You may have read some negative press about 2008. However, if you are really not interested in some of more complicated functions required by some people who need them for Excel and Word, then Office 2008 for Mac is a real winner. It offers a much easier learning curve that did Office 2007 for Windows. While 2007 is capable of being customized with all the familiar features found in previous versions, 2008 does not require you to hunt and search for all of your favorite tools – they are still right there for you.
In 2007, you must look for all of your favorite tools. I had one colleague tell me that it took him 45 minutes just to figure out how to print. Another associate of mine (this one a whole lot more tech savvy than the first one), said that it took him 25 minutes to figure out how to use some of the most elementary tools of the 2007 version of Microsoft’s Word.
If the 2008 version for Mac, all of your old familiar friendly menus are still there on top – right where they have always been. So, if you have been using Microsoft’s Office suite for many years, or have been recently introduced to Microsoft Office, you will be happy with the 2008 version for Mac.
Therefore, if you are on a Mac, take the plunge and purchase 2008 today.

Hypocrisy 101

So, Congress is investing Roger Clemens for taking Human Growth Hormone and anabolic steroids to extend the length of his marvelous pitching career.
These are the same people that believe that a woman has the right to kill a human being growing inside of her. Why? -- because it is her body and she has the right “to choose” to kill the human being or let it live.

These same people, who agree that a woman has the right to take a life, are so upset that a person wishes to enhance his own life by taking substances that allow him to perform his job better. Huh?

Again, this is ridiculous.

HILLARY CLINTON IS DANGEROUS

She is a socialist.  If one listens to her, this is extremely clear.  Even in her campaign ads that were run California, she emphasized the point that she believes that the federal government has a preeminent right to your money -- an elitist right to use your money as it pleases.

Except that she believes that it is not your money to begin with -- Bill Clinton stated the same thing during his administration.  Bill Clinton stated that "your" money is not your money but the government's.  The government simply "allows" you to use its money as it sees fit.

MCCAIN COULD DROP DEAD BEFORE THE CONVENTION

McCain has not reached the magic number of delegates to wrap up the nomination yet.  It is quite possible that he could die before he does.  Therefore, Huckabee -- who has stated that he believes in miracles -- should not drop out of the race.

Why drop out of a race before the finish line?  Why are we so afraid of competition?  Why are some so afraid of going through the process?

It is disgusting how many people are asking (yes, I mean you Gov. Perry) Mike Huckabee to drop out of the presidential race.  He has every right to run for president.  There is nothing wrong with dissent.  Yet, so many want to silence any competition to John McCain.  But this is really not surprising.

Not surprising you ask.

No it is not -- the reason?  The reason is because their loyalty is to their party maintaining power.  The parties do not care about American people -- they don't care about even the so-called principles stated in its own platform.  And the U.S. Constitution?  The Constitution has not been followed for many decades. 

Do not take this as an endorsement of Mike Huckabee.  However, he has every right to run.

And as it was stated at the beginning of this post: What if McCain dies before the Republican Convention?  

Think about it.

WASHINGTON STATE REPUBLICAN RESULTS COME IN SLOW

Why can't the Republicans count their votes as fast as the Democrats in the state of Washington?  

In the Washington state caucus -- held on Saturday, February 9, 2008 -- the Democratic Party results were almost completely reported by 8:21 pm.  On the other hand, the Republicans results were only reported from 37 percent of their precincts.  The Democrats had three times as many votes to count as the Republicans.

What gives?

Can't Washington state Republicans count?  

Did McCain's goons come in and make sure that he won the state?  It makes one wonder about the Republican Party in the state of Washington.

Fox News Channel is reporting that they will stop counting the votes tonight.  Why?  These are very small numbers.  This smells.

There should be some kind of explanation -- as of now, there isn't one, not even a bad one.

WHO WANTS GLORY? DO YOU REALLY?

Some people strive for great recognition and glory – for them that is all there is. If they can’t be in the limelight they will cry foul or sometimes they just cry. Their raison d'être is to be seen of men; they want to be center stage.

Such was a man who lived in the early part of the 20th-century. He was probably a good man for the most part (I use the word “good” in the everyday sense, what most people would consider good from an external vantage point).

But his weakness, like most men, was vanity. He desired to be well thought of – so much so that he lied in an Assembly of God publication (Pentecostal Evangel), taking credit for the founding of a church that he did not start. Was he at the church near its being? Yes. But being near the beginning is not quite the same thing as being there from its inception.

You ask, what of the man who actually founded the church? Did he not speak up and call this man on his falsehood? Did the man who began this church set the record straight for all to see? No. The man who literally built the church with his bear hands, who went out and knocked on doors, who attended to the sick, who preached the church's first sermons, until an actual pastor was provided, remained dumb while another man took credit for his work.

Right now, you are asking why. Why wouldn’t this man want the world (or at least the small church world) to know that it was he who did this good deed?

To gain some insight on the man’s character who actually founded the church, we need to look at what he told one of his sons who saw the Assembly of God publication where another man took credit for his father’s work.

When his son saw another man’s name under the picture of the church that his father had founded, he was angry. This son had just returned from military duty and was full of vim and vigor. This son was a man of action who had an incessant need to set the record straight. This son wanted the world to know that his father had founded this church and did not want the imposter to get away with his charade.

When the son saw the article he wanted to go right up to the man, who took credit for his father’s work, and punch him out – he wanted to go the Assembly of God district office and demand a retraction and a correction of the story. But before he did either of those things, he went, with magazine article in hand, to see his father.

The son marched up to his father, still breathing out angry epithets toward the man who desired the recognition and glory, respectfully pushed the article toward his father’s gaze and asked, “Have you seen this?”

His father calmly but deliberately responded, “Yes, I have.”

“Well, what are you going to do about it?” his son asked in a tone that demanded an answer.

With humility and gentleness his father answered the question, “Nothing.”

Nothing.

But before his son could get the next fiery word out of his mouth, his father quickly added, “I’m not going to do anything about it.”

Those words shocked his son. But what followed only served to teach him a lesson about the futility of chasing glory.

With an authority that only comes from true spiritual authority, his father said to his son, “I’m not going to anything about it and neither are you.”

His son asked, “Why not?

"This isn't right. We need to set the record straight. And he (the man falsely taking the credit) needs to admit he lied," his son excitedly exclaimed.

“Son, this article may be the only glory this man ever knows, and I don’t think that we should steal it from him,” his father answered.

The truth of those words hit his son like a ton of bricks.

His son, his heels now cooled somewhat, continued to listen to father say, “Son, I didn’t build that church to receive glory from man. I know where my reward is. Besides, all human glory is fleeting and empty.”

His son learned a lesson that day. May we all learn the same lesson. However, people will not. They will continue to pursue what will always slip through their fingers.

ROMNEY CREATED HOMOSEXUAL "MARRIAGE" IN MA

Gov. Mitt Romney did not act in accordance with the Mass. Constitution with regards to the so-called homosexual marriage decision handed down by the state's high court.

In a WND article , 

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56674
legal scholar Herb Titus points out that Romney did not act correctly in creating the state's new homosexual provision.

MICHELLE OBAMA SHOULD RUN FOR PRESIDENT!!

It is not likely that I would ever vote for a Democrat -- although, there have been a few good ones over the years -- but Michelle Obama is better speaker than her husband.

On Super Bowl Sunday, I had the opportunity to hear her speak at a rally held at UCLA -- she was outstanding.  If she were running for president, she might get more votes than her husband.  She has more appeal than Barack does. 

CONGRATS NEW YORK GIANTS!!

Way to go New York Giants.  You deserved the win -- essentially 4 playoff games on the road (counting the Super Bowl) -- you did it the hard way.

As with many Americans, I salute you on a job well done.  It is nice to know that cheaters will not be rewarded this year with a Super Bowl ring.

Also, the 1972 Miami Dolphins also thank you for defeating the New England Patriots.

MEDIOCRITY, MEDIOCRITY, MEDIOCRITY!!

MEDIOCRITY.

This is the watchword of every bureaucrat  -- they love it and can't get enough of it.  They champion its cause and vigorously defend it from all its foes.  Foes like excellency and quality.  

The bureaucratic  mindset will attempt to threaten and bully anyone into silence that dares ask a question of the status quo. 

Mediocracy is the guiding principle upon which many governments and school districts are built. It is the philosphy of the No Child Left Behind Act that was pushed and sponsored by both Bush and Ted Kennedy.  (while they come at the issue from different perspectives, they emphasize the same brand of mediocrity -- don't every be confused about this).

While I do not agree with the atheistic ideas of Ayn Rand, I think I understand how she arrived at many of her conclusions.  She was right about the struggle of the Individual vs. the Collective.

We are right now suffering from the idea of collectivism -- even after the so-called defeat of Communism.

The battle of ideas will always be the front lines of any struggle.  Many times we focus on the results of bad ideas without dealing directly with the cause.  This causes to run around in circles many times.  And while running around in a circle is good exercise, it will still bring you to the same position from which you started.

Ah, full of sound and fury signifying nothing -- so true, so true.

IDIOT REPORTERS AND STUPID QUESTIONS

"What qualifies you to run the nation's economy?"

Huh?  Are you kidding me?  This question was actually asked and two of the candidates -- Romney and McCain -- actually attempted to answer it.  Instead of ridiculing the reporter who asked it and teaching the reporter a lesson about the U.S. Constitution, Romney and McCain actually have the arrogance to believe that the president is to run a command economy.  For the is reason alone all republicans should reject these two men as possible leaders.

HUCKABEE AND PAUL MADE THE MOST SENSE

Huckabee shown me something tonight.  He has demonstrated this quality over the entire campaign, but it clearly came through during the debate the Reagan library.  Huckabee showed a steady temperament -- showed that he can deal with complicated issues without prettiness -- unlike McCain.  McCain seemed like a cracky old man bordering on the need of a sippy cup.

Ron Paul again made the most sense regarding the military and the economy.  He is the only one who consistently brings up the need to change our monetary policy.  If we don't, we will just be rearranging the chairs on the Titanic.

 

THE MORE MCCAIN SPEAKS - MORE I DON'T WANT TO VOTE FOR HIM

The more McCain speaks, the more I know I can't vote for him.  He has shown me that he does not have the temperament to be the leader of the free world.

MCCAIN LOOKS PETTY AND RIDICULOUS

I am no fan of Romney, but McCain looks ridiculous when he attacks Romney on the issue of "timetables" with regards to Iraq.  Romney's explanation is reasonable -- McCain looks small and petty.  How sad.  

It is that lack of character of McCain that makes me think he would make a lousy president.

ANDERSON COOPER LIED TO RON PAUL

Right now, I'm watching the so-called debate (actually, it is a joint press conference) at the Reagan Library.  Anderson Cooper asked questions of Romney and McCain regarding what it means to be a liberal or conservative.  When Ron Paul tried to answer that same question, Cooper cut him off saying, "that we will come back to that question in about two questions -- I promise."

Well, right now, we are four questions past that point, and as of yet, Cooper has not come back to that question and has not let Ron Paul answer that question.

It's break time at the "debate" and time for commercials.  Let's see if Cooper will honor his promise -- me thinks he won't.

Yet, another arrogant liar.  Like I said before, most of the so-called debates are more of a show case for the network anchors (Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Chris Wallace, George S., and the rest.  Flash over substance -- that is what people want and that is what they are going to get.

We have sown to the wind and we are reaping the whirlwind -- it was our choice.  We are the guilty ones, we let it happen.

CRAZY WAY TO CHOOSE A PRESIDENT

I am now watching my 10th presidential election (at least the 10 I can remember).  And after watching politics over the years, I can honestly say the way we choose a president is absolutely crazy.  Of course, having some historical reference helps to say it is crazy, because it wasn't always on this wise.

It would be much better if the candidates issued their positions on the major issues of the day -- their positions are then published, the informed electorate then read those positions, and then we choose.  This beauty contest is getting more disgusting every quadrennial.  Newt Gingrich has some good ideas on this.  Gingrich has some good ideas, but I don't agree with him on everything.

Of course, we could research the candidates record -- but having 20 so-called debates are utterly worthless.  And can we just get rid of Frank Luntz -- what a worm.

SEAN HANNITY IS OBNOXIOUS

When I first heard of Sean Hannity about ten years ago, I thought he had promise -- he appeared to be the heir to Pat Buchanan.  Now, I find him extremely obnoxious.  He drones on and on and is a lousy interviewer -- he doesn't know a thing about how to have a discussion -- even with those he might agree.

Politically, I do not agree with Alan Colmes, but if it was a choice of going out to dinner with Sean Hannity or Alan Colmes, I would choose Colmes.  At least Colmes seems like he would have a civil conversation -- I couldn't say the same for Hannity.

FLORIDA PRIMARY RETURNS

Rudy G. is now bowing out of the race.  He made a poor calculation in putting all of his eggs in one Florida basket. 

McCain thinks he should be the nominee simply because it is his turn.  He waited around until the GW Bush term is over and now at age 72 he wants to be president.  Like the divine right of kings, he thinks the presidency is owed to him.  It isn't.

I've heard one of my co-workers talk about McCain favorably (frankly, I think he is biased toward him because my co-worker is in the military), saying that he tells people what the need to hear and not what they want to hear.  My co-worker touts his ability to work with those "across the aisle" as a virtue.

It is for those same reasons that I think he would make a terrible president.  He would be puppet of the Democrats (of course, if you are a democrat this is a plus to you).  Also, I don't think he has a real understanding of what it takes to be a president.

Romney, on the other hand is a flip-flopper who happens to be a cult member.  Oh sure, do I know Mormons? -- you bet.  Some of them are okay people -- I even work with about 4 of them and most of them seem to be okay folk.  Nevertheless, Joseph Smith was a false prophet and led people astray -- someone with that spiritual background is not a person I want as my leader.

Huckabee -- again, seems like a nice man -- but I don't know about his core values.  On his website he says that he wants to return government to the people -- yet, he supports No Child Left Behind -- an anti-conservative piece of legislation that is literally destroying education.  We don't need to mend it or fix it, we need to put a bullet in its proverbial head.

Ron Paul  -- he has some good ideas -- standing for the U.S. Constitution is always a good thing -- he would be worth voting for.

Alan Keyes -- the man is brilliant and would be a great president -- it is too bad that he, like Paul will never be elected.

It has been said that we get the leaders that we deserve -- if that is true, then, we did something terrible to deserve this disaster of current leaders.  God help us all.

NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED

Have you every had your good efforts punished? Have you ever been lied about just to silence you?

This happened to me today.

Forget the details.

Today, my superior at work told me that I would be punished for asking other people in the organization a “why” question. Just a point of information – just a question for clarification that might bring about positive change for the organization. That is all I was doing. Trust me, I had absolutely no malicious intent toward anyone.

No personal attacks were mentioned. Simply a question.

You would think that people would like to try and make things better. Wouldn’t you? I guess sometimes I get my blinders on and look to narrowly; but to be threatened with censor by the powers-that-be for simply wanting to make things better was an eye-opener for me.

Today more and more organizations are trying to beat you down. It is now a one size fits all approach – whether we are talking about the European Union or the No Child Left Behind policies that are the current political vogue.

We are being beaten down into mindless robotic automatons.