Watership Down is a story with which I am have finished. I cannot believe that any middle schooler might have been called to read this. My word! Not only is it, well, cruel in some places, but the religious sects, ideals, and rabbits placeing others under arrest is just nuts. I can see a few things in the thoughts behind it, but this is no exodus of history. This isn't Old Rabbit Testiment nor WWII flight, but rather flight of fancy with odd choices.
Hazel should not have been used as a boy's name.
The writing style is simple enough, almost like an improved me on my rough draft ... dialogue, then fill in the backdrop later. I mean this in that you could subtract the "blades of grass delicately whispering ..." and still get the feel for the land and the trials and death of the rabbits. I suppose that I might suggest either a mature middle-schooler to read it, but they'd have to find the first bit interesting, otherwise, they'd put it down and never read anymore. In the middle of it, while their trip is full of danger and learning, you wonder, "why?" I almost interrupted my own reading with a Princess Bride moment, "Who kills Humperdink?" Alas, I'll finish it soon.
I found some interesting sites on the novel, including a researcher trying to find in Hampshire (Great Britain), the areas noted in the book. The paperback version I am reading has a sad little blurred map that is unreadable. For those who read some or all of the Lord of the Rings, it's about like that. The mountains around Mordor about as tall as the lowercase m on 12 point font. Thanks for the barely useful map Tolkein!
Fans of Watership Down have drawn some much better maps that make sense. The time frame seems unclear until you read that it spans weeks. I thought at first that the rabbits were traveling in days, but the text is ambigious in parts. The author, trying to stay true to rabbit thought, denies time and remarks dawn, dusk noon, night, and midnight.
My next assignment, John McCain biography, as it seems, presently that it will be Hillary Clinton (boo -- hiss) vs John McCain for 2008.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
getting down with the lupine
Smashes, Thrashes, and Hits? (nope, that's KISS)
I have read a transcript of President Bush's October 25th speech. His main speech was okay, I remark only on a few points, most of which were with the question-answer period after the speech.
........
A brilliant statement: "I do not question their patriotism; I question whether or not they understand how dangerous this world is." He made this regarding democrats. The statement is just about perfect.
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And this is a big issue in the campaign. Security of the country is an issue, just like taxes are an issue. If you raise taxes, it will hurt the economy. If you don't extend the tax cuts, if you don't make them -- in other words, if you let the tax cuts expire, it will be a tax increase on the American people.. Take the child tax credit. If it is not made permanent -- in other words, if it expires -- and you've got a family of four sitting around the breakfast table, the taxpayers can be sure that their taxes will go up by $2,000: $500 for that child, $500 for the one right there; $500 for this one and $500 for that one.
That is a tax increase. And taking $2,000 out of the pockets of the working people will make it harder to sustain economic growth. So the two issues I see in the campaign can be boiled down to who best to protect this country and who best to keep taxes low.
That's what the referendum's about.
....
Oi! Okay, he lost on that one with the rambling, not really clearly conveying cut taxes to rich to increase spending. This fell flatter than Reagan's "This is not a regressive tax" speech, which clearly was detailing a regressive tax; in that it was a tax inversely proportional to income, which is the definition of a regressive tax. Oh well, he tried.
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I think the coming election is a referendum on these two things: which party has got the plan that will enable our economy to continue to grow and which party has a plan to protect the American people.
....
On this I might suggest that parties are not red and green only. I cannot believe that all republicans side with, "Stay the course+ and give tax cuts to stimulate economy." I can't believe that all democrats stick with, "Get 'em out of there now and tax the rich heavily!" I think the reality lies somewhere between. The problem now is that the congress and senate agreed to enter Iraq on false pretenses; no matter to what degree they knew and are now being fed fear of moving out. Lies and fear, sad that people use them (regardless of party).
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-- the ultimate accountability rests with me. That's the ultimate. If you're asking about accountability, it rests right here. That's what the 2004 campaign was about, you know. If people are unhappy about it, look right to the president.
....
I haven't seen to much of the accountability for anyone in government. This sadly is a series of words like Jabberwocky, seemingly making a statement, but nothing is really stated at all.
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As a matter of fact, the benchmarks will make it more likely we win. Withdrawing on an artificial timetable means we lose.
Now, I'm giving the speech -- you're asking me why I'm giving this speech today -- because there's -- I think I owe an explanation to the American people and will continue to make explanations. The people need to know that we have a plan for victory.
....
"We need to know that we have a plan for victory." That's nice. What is it? Would you care to share it with us? I didn't think you would. I put this with the republicans' arguemtns that the democrats have no solutions that they will voice.
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And I know it's incumbent upon our government, and others who enjoy the blessings of liberty, to help those moderates succeed. Because otherwise we're looking at the potential of this kind of world, a world in which radical forms of Islam compete for power; a world in which moderate governments get toppled by people willing to murder the innocent; a world in which oil reserves are controlled by radicals in order to extract blackmail from the West; a world in which Iran has a nuclear weapon.
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Here's my radical idea: stop supporting, protecting, and taking money from oil lobbies. Make oil companies accountable for price gouging and monopolies. Make America foreign oil independant in 5 or fewer years. Permanently illegalize fuel inefficient vehicles for general consumer use. Make non-oil burning public transportation a reality.
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They will support the war as long as they see a path to victory
....
Agreed. I think that most people don't see a path to victory. When the government understands that, it will either have to fess up to the plans for "what are we doing" or confess that there are ideas on post-it notes, but nothing beyond that.
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And we will not put more pressure on the Iraqi government than it can bear.
…
Later on, Bush remarked, “We're making it clear that America's patience is not unlimited”
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We did not expect the Iraqi army, including the Republican Guard, to melt away in the way that it did in the face of advancing coalition forces.
….
This was planned to disband the army of the Hussein regime and yet, he didn’t know they would melt away. Okay, sorry, this was a poor statement to make.
Now then, overall, I think he did an alright job of defending his points, but lacked details to convince most people. He had a broken record on "end-zone dancing" and "benchmarks". At one point in his speech, it wasn't clear if he understood benchmarks. I think, for whatever reason, the question broke up his line of thinking, leaving him stumbling over his words. I think it was no worse or better than any other discussion, although he did better speaking this time. He has no doubt that republicans will retain control, but his constiuents are not so sure.
+ "Stay the course" has been purged as it conveyed a static ideal, though that wasn't the implication. A common myth regarding taxes is that democrats always want to tax the snot out of the rich. As most of the congress and senate are rich, that really isn't realistic to believe they they would seek to lose money. Another myth about tax cuts is that it always stimulates the economy. Whereas tax cuts and shelters enable individuals and companies to put money offshore, out of the country, that doesn't do squat for American economy. Like so much of the law, the tax code is like a cartoon contraption. Rather than set a mouse trap, Tom puts together a series of 30 parts to smash Jerry with a safe. Making the tax code more elaborate doesn't ensure improvement or success. It does make it more complicated and with more parts, more areas for error.
KISS -- keep it simple, stupid
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Countdown clock
I switched it. I figure if you can't figure out that Halloween is coming like a shark in the water, fin up and charging near you, then you're just going to be bitten in the arse.
Christmas, and curse the stores for reminding us in July, is coming. No matter what you say, you are never really ready for it.
For a clever surprise for kids treating this year, drop in candy canes.
Treating 2006
There is always a question about when tick or treating starts here in good ol' FW and this year, it has stayed the same, 6-8 or was it 5-7 last year. Who knows? There is a great inconsistency, so much so that they have to put it in print and on TV. To their defense, Indiana second holdout to swtiching to daylight savings time, now has new hours. What a mess.
So, if you are here in FW, IN, then doorbells will be ringing at around 6. Let's hope for the little kids that the weather is again fair. As for the alcohol-breathing, cigarette smoking nutjob chronolgical adults ... well, may they grow up and put that crap away! What's scarier: very scary haunted house, scary masks, candy-bag stealing teens, vandals, or drunk so-called parents toting kids (maybe not theirs) around neighborhoods?
bad title
locally, assessor not clear
He's Lump
He's lump; he's lump; he might dead.
Danny died by lethal injection. This famed killer slaughter, in every sense of the word, his Gainsville victims. According to evidence: sex, assault, and murder. They were intertwined into a gory mess left at scenes. Why the heck they didn't just kill him at the sight goes beyond my understanding. He was in court, stood there, plead not guilty by reason of insanity. He had details, opportunity, motive, access, guilty -- and so said the jury.
He slumped -- society's safer.
water fence
This was a tennis court, but the parks and rec are ripping it apart and giving it a new one, oh, well, they're doing something. I've not really heard of anyone threatening to tear someone a new tennis court, but there have been stranger threats.
If you'll note, the color of the water seems odd. Yes, it is aquamarine, through intentional means and algae buildup.
photo taken at Lakeside Park
this, and nothing more quoteth the duck
The ducks were quacking away, the geese honking often, dogs entering and exiting the water chasing the thrown stick -- today, cool, bright, I got a chance to see autumn before all the leaves were gone. The folks and I went and they got a short walk. I got some interesting or at least colorful photos.
Famous
I ate at one of two existing Fish of Stroh. This restaurant in the area was about as common as Bob Evan's, but then it collapsed. Shortly after a smaller local comapny wanted to essentially buy the name, and so it lives again. The food was okay, much like Fish of Stroh of "old", though the atmosphere has improved. I found it funny, while sitting there, the background music seemed to be "hits" from 1973-1983.
I will go again, though it isn't really anywhere near where I live now.
Quicly, get her, she's a traitor!
She's written on Lost for so long, that I think the crew gets notes and ideas from her! Anyway, I look on her blog and -- my word! There's a nother show, headline ... she's, she's ... cheating on them! Perhaps they'll put a together show with Heroes and Lost and get Gilligan, "and the rest" out of there!
They've tried to change their evil ways, baby
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...
Quickly using the interface, it is clear that this interface IS what they are. Soylent Green, as it were.
The tip should have been that the pictures all show people with half faces, meaning that you're getting half of what it's worth.
Porky pilot
Cursed selfish pilot develops heart.
Porco Rosso another Hayao Miyazaki movie. This time, while he has a young girl in the movie, she isn't the primary focus. She is the one who is trying to prove that she is something, some one and through her, people are changed (though generally due to machisimo battling men fighting for her attention).
It has some mild and deep themes, but the main character's perpetual smoking and drinking and reputed womanizing would make me skeptical to show this to younger people. It is, afterall only a cartoon, but I still wouldn't encourage smoking if I could help it.
There were no shown deaths in the movie and the exaggerated battles were akin to some of his work, but more along the line of caraciture work of Dragonball Z.
Considering re-watachability I would give it a 5.2
Zathura
based on a short book by Chris Van Allsburg. He is the same author/illustrator who did Jumanji and Polar Express. Candidly, between the three of them in movie form, I favor Polar Express. Anyway, the book, short and ending in an intereresting quirk while playing a game, was quite different in the movie.
The movie added elements unimportant such as: single fatherhood (completely different than the short story) and a sister, again different than the short story. In the story there was no sister. In the movie, she played a very minor role, and I guess it was three fold: screaming girl, to interest girls in the movie, demistify puppy love. Anyway, a couple of good elements were there and the special effects were at par (though improved) with Jumanji.
To simplify the plot: two boys facing sibling rivalry and growing pains play a game, where the messages in the game become reality. In the end, the tangent reality (the game they are playing) ceases.
In the end, I think that the two movies (Jumanji & Zathura) could have been run back to back or similtaneously in one film, that way in could have been simple and to the point without the fluff. There was only one big morale in the movie: treat family as family.
Considering re-watachability, I would give it a 3.7 or whatever number I have Jumanji minus .7. As far as family watching -- profanity would make me hesitant to allow younger people to watch it.
"Dick", then addressing it as wrong.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
waste
Dog's Life, a Dogumentary is a short piece of crap by a self-absorbed neurotic wench who, miraculously finds other people's lives more important than her own, for a period of about 9 months, then ... back to the old me-me-me bit. After watching it, hoping that it was going to be amusing, I discovered that the dog was the intelligent one.
common danger of drinking
Fort Wayne police are investigating whether a local woman was sexually assaulted before she woke up inside a downtown hotel lobby Sunday morning.
The woman met with police at a local hospital Sunday and said that she was wearing someone else’s pants when she woke up inside the hotel lobby. Her clothing was inside a trash bag by her side. She did not know who called her boyfriend and friend to come get her as her cell phone was no longer working, a police report said.
The victim said that she had gone to Piere’s Entertainment Center Saturday night. She blacked out about 2 a.m. Sunday, and her friend said that she had been dancing with a man who would not let her leave to go home, the report said.
The friend asked for Piere’s security staff to help her get the woman out of the bar but when she returned the woman and the man were gone. Piere’s paged the victim but she never reappeared.
The woman was taken to the Sexual Assault Treatment Center for an exam and interview, the report said.
Trying to be wiser at the polls
I find that incumbent or not, locally the better choices I see are Republicans, for those who care about parties. I really don't care which party, but I am interested in the person. The papers here (online) sometimes detail persons and their short bios. I have read a few ideas, as they were, from some locals who had some good ideas. Others were a bit off. I am compiling a short list for the polls to, hopefully, better and "more wisely" vote, having a better feel for more of the candidates. I have often been ignorant of too many candidates and haven't voted for a particular office, because I could not effectively vote, knowing nothing of any candidate.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch
Ohio lethally injected a self-proclaimed murdering prophet for the crime of killing a family of five, whom he found naughty in his eyes. He claimed to have heard God's voice and was directed to kill the family. Well, in stark opposition, in accordance with the law, the physician did not hear a call to stop or delay the exectution and did fulfill the state's obligation to execute this man.
Although I didn't see the evidence, I would suggest that a leader of an organization, herein a cult (based on his proclaimation that he was "more than a prophet"), he could very well lead others into more crime had he had access to them. This is clearly a good example of the type of person to execute. It was retalitory, but a tool to protect soceity from murderers, either in their own right or by conducting or eliciting other to do it. Think Koresh, Manson, et. al.
Monday, October 23, 2006
come, work for this Life insurance company
Monday, October 23, 2006
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........
Oh, give me a break! Not only did I not disclose the email address, to where this was sent, out to any employers, but they have sent this to me weekly for a month. Gee, maybe they're right! Maybe I could make $150,000 in my first year selling insurance. That sounds like a good figure. Next, I suppose the president will call me to be a backup astronaut and I'll pick the winning Powerball numbers with the highest ever sinlge jackpot payout to one single winner.
"Don't believe the hype!"+
They are spammers
