The Country Pundit

It's Defeat Time in Tennessee!

2005-10-30T08:28:00.000-05:00

Normally, college football isn't something I get particularly excited about, unless I'm over at a friend's cheering for whoever he isn't. That being said, I do have a few teams that I like in the NCAA, and "Wherever Spurrier Is" is one of them. It necessarily follows that the Tennessee Volunteers are one of my favorite college football punching bags. Therefore, I am pleased to note that Steve

Signal the Fearless: Best Speed to Basilisk Station

2005-10-28T21:24:00.000-04:00

Back when I was in college, I read a lot of David Weber's space opera novels centering on the adventures of one H.S. Harrington, a commander in the "Royal Manticoran Navy". Put very simply, the RMN is defending its political sponsor, the Star Kingdom of Manticore, against the People's Republic of Haven, in a world that (very) roughly approximates the world of the early nineteenth century, only

Essential SF Movie Canon Meme

2005-10-26T01:44:00.000-04:00

Stolen from TexasBestGrok is the topic of the latest post. Read his post for further details, and keep him in your bookmarks. FYI: The movies that I've seen are in bold. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension! Akira Alien Aliens Alphaville Back to the Future Blade Runner Brazil Bride of Frankenstein Brother From Another Planet A Clockwork Orange Close Encounters of the

Two Year Blogiversary

2005-10-25T01:47:00.000-04:00

Today is the two year anniversary of my start into the blogging world. "I'm not dead!" Rather, I'm just on hiatus, like a television show. As a railway might put it, yours truly has been in revenue service recently and is up to his gills in work. I don't very much care for the situation, but the demands of various financial commitments must, of course, come first. I have several things up my

London

2005-07-07T08:14:00.000-04:00

It goes without saying that the thoughts and prayers of this publication are with the citizens of the City of London at this point in time, due to this. Hopefully the SAS are planning some sort of retaliatory strike even now. I look forward to the day when the name of bin Laden and his al-Qaeda are but footnotes to history, dimly remembered problems from the early part of the century. NB: John

Yet Another Death in the Hundred Acre Wood

2005-06-27T07:38:00.000-04:00

Well, blast. The IMDB is reporting, confirmed by Kathryn Jean Lopez, that the voice actor for Tigger has died. Mr. Paul Winchell was 82. Last month, the voice of Eeyore, Mr. Thurl Ravenscroft, died at the age of 81. As Winnie-the-Pooh himself would put it, "Bother!"

The Morning Report

2005-06-25T10:16:00.000-04:00

The delivery of the morning report for the Pennsylvania Railroad, at its headquarters in Philadelphia, was always an Important Thing. Well, I'm not the PRR, this ain't Philadelphia, and what I'm about to say ain't important, but here goes: -Sheila O'Malley provides advance notice that Bewitched is not a good film. Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. Accentuate the positive---Nicole

Friday's Omnibus Post

2005-06-24T12:22:00.000-04:00

So this is Friday, and what have I done? Er, not a whole bloody lot. A couple of things: -On the basis of known information, I wholeheartedly support the notion of an amendment to the Federal Constitution prohibiting the burning of the American flag. I am not convinced that the right to "free speech" as articulated in the First Amendment encompasses, or should encompass, the desecration of the

Messerschmitts, Bears, and Tornados

2005-06-24T00:08:00.000-04:00

In doing the work on the Me 262 post, the following occurred to me: Given that the 262's engines were so finicky, I daresay that a P-51D or similar aircraft would be better at handling a rapid throttling up. To corrupt a quote from Episode IV, "Nobody worries about destroying a piston engine by rapid throttling up." "That's because piston engines don't overheat, weaken the turbine blades through

Curse You, Glen A. Larson!

2005-06-23T10:38:00.000-04:00

It now appears that perhaps I watched too much Battlestar Galactica when I was in my more impressionable years. All blame, of course, is to be heaped upon the local UHF broadcaster that made such a bespoiling event possible. Y'all do remember UHF, don't you? The Llamabutchers and John of TexasBestGrok have been taking a bunch of religious selectors and posting their results. Anyways, here's

TBG Aircraft Cheesecake - The Messerschmitt 262

2005-06-20T23:38:00.000-04:00

JohnL over at TexasBestGrok has his latest installment of Aircraft Cheesecake. This week's installment concerns the strangely attractive Messerschmitt 262. The Me 262 was the world's first combat-deployed jet fighter, developed during World War II as a strike fighter at the orders of Adolf Hitler. Luckily for the Eighth Air Force's daylight formations of bombers, the Me 262 wasn't developed

Interview with John Milius

2005-06-15T22:43:00.000-04:00

In the course of hunting through some articles on the death of Lane Smith, I came across this 2003 interview with John Milius. I recommend reading it, even though it's a little strange and certainly long for IGN's style. I recommend taking a fair dose of 'tongue-in-cheek' with you when/if you read it, or else you'll close the browser tab and swear off of Milius forever. A brief recap of Mr.

RIP Lane Smith

2005-06-15T10:52:00.000-04:00

Blast it. One of my more favorite Hollywood character actors, Lane Smith, is dead. People in my demographic generally remember him as Perry White on the ABC program Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. As for my own part, Mr. Smith won permanent recognition as President Richard M. Nixon in the television version of The Final Days. I think it was the scene where Leonid Brezhnev was

Irritating NRO News

2005-06-15T10:36:00.000-04:00

Curse you, K-Lo! The Corner has moved to a much-easier-to-remember home. It's now at http://corner.nationalreview.com. You'll want to update your bookmarks. I thought you guys were the home of conservatism on the web! I have been betrayed! Bookmarks? Piffle. Bookmarks are so passé. I've got www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/corner.asp hardwired into muscular memory. It's automatically typed by

14 June 2005 - TBG Sci-Fi Babe Voter Guide

2005-06-15T01:20:00.000-04:00

You've got to love TexasBestGrok. Here I was sitting next to an empty bowl of stroganoff, watching Greg the Bunny on DVD, with a fan puttering overhead whilst trying to beat that famous Virginia heat. I'd just dropped to 1-3 on the election recommendations, and life looked miserable. That is, until I checked TexasBestGrok. Y'see, JohnL had been posting his infamous sci-fi babe quizzes

Virginia Primary Results

2005-06-14T22:21:00.000-04:00

Ouch. I haven't gone 1 for 4 in living memory. Of course, Jerry Kilgore wins in a rout of Warrenton Mayor George Fitch. After that, basically flip-flop my picks/recommendations, and you'll have the results. Once again, ye olde ability to pick winners gets called into question, and the math goes badly. Turnout was miserable for all Commonwealth-wide races; none of them cleared 4.0%. I suppose

In re Michael Jackson

2005-06-13T22:26:00.000-04:00

This is the first, last, and only thing I'll have to say about it. Allow me to quote Michelle Branch's "Are You Happy Now?" by saying the following: "I don't care". The case does, however, allow me to illustrate a point: A criminal defendant may be as guilty as can be. Whether he is convicted or not does not turn upon that question. Rather, it turns upon the relative skill of the prosecution

Navy v. Pirates, 06 June 2005

2005-06-13T00:53:00.000-04:00

No, I don't mean the US Naval Academy Middies versus the Pirates of Seton Hall or East Carolina, either. Nor was Jack Sparrow involved. Paging Miss Swann. No, I mean the real things. That's right, the United States Navy engaged pirates on the high seas in 2005. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) was on patrol in the Indian Ocean when it received a distress call from a

Weekend Sci-Fi

2005-06-12T14:54:00.000-04:00

If you're like me and care to delve into the production details of some of your favorite entertainment franchises, you've probably run across various names that may or may not stick out. This weekend's installment of random sci-fi goes to a man who's worked on several of my more favorite memories from the late 1970s forward: Andrew Probert His first contribution of note to my eyes was the final

Well, Duh

2005-06-12T14:47:00.000-04:00

You Are a Pundit Blogger! Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed read by only a few. What kind of blogger are you? ---- Gah, I need a good source of quizzes. Ever since Quizilla turned into "angsty pre-teen cartoon fiction" and a watering hole for the worst illiteracy seen since the Democratic Underground, quiz life has been hard.

Virginia's Republican Primary Endorsements

2005-06-11T20:45:00.000-04:00

It's a little late in the game to be issuing endorsements, but so what? GOVERNOR: Jerry W. Kilgore Worth it if for no other reason than to irritate the central/eastern Virginians. The western end of Virginia could use someone in Richmond who saw it as something other than a safe target for jokes. Who knows, perhaps Jerry'll make sure that the maps used by the General Assembly extend west of

The Future Is Flux

2005-06-10T23:56:00.000-04:00

First things first: Viacom's MTV has never managed to rise above anything other than a channel that was after CBS and in front of the USA Network on my cable system, a station where this particular train did not and would not stop. This has always been the case, since its inception in the early 1980s.1 But hey, this is Virginia, and we always have an exception. ("My Lord Your Honor, the rule in

Mr. Morse's Code in the Age of Flash

2005-06-09T22:57:00.000-04:00

Here's something that's certainly interesting: A Flash-based Morse code generator/converter, courtesy of glassgiant.com. This little gadget is really nifty. I er, sheepishly admit to sending "CQD MGY" once I got the site loaded. Then again, I spent something like thirty minutes fiddling around with the Morse code telegraph keys at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., just listening

New P.J. O'Rourke

2005-06-09T21:40:00.000-04:00

Found a new P.J. O'Rourke piece at the Weekly Standard. Apparently, P.J. went on vacation to Guadeloupe, an island in the Caribbean. While there, he surveys the EU draft constitution (all 485 pages of it) and finds journalistic advantage in not speaking the native language. Unfortunately, he's slowed down from the halycon days of Holidays in Hell, so there's no sort of Communist regime to make

McCain Musings

2005-06-09T11:41:00.000-04:00

Mark over at Decision '08 has this article up analyzing the results on his John McCain poll. Now, Mark's a McCain '08 man, and I'm not, so keep that in mind as you read my remarks. This was supposed to be a comment, but ran too long. -The poll essentially asked what you'd do if John McCain were the Republican nominee in 2008. The winning answer choice was "wait and see the other nominees before

Our Man in Zimbabwe

2005-06-09T10:40:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of comments in a post at Samizdata, I've found a correspondent that keeps track of what's going on down in Robert Mugabe's little African paradise. The Zimbabwean Pundit covers things from (apparently) the capital of Zimbabwe, Harare. Inasmuch as I'd like to see Africa clean itself up and get on the economic development bandwagon, the fate of Zimbabwe is interesting to me. The United

Korans in the Can?

2005-06-09T02:04:00.000-04:00

Recently, a friend of mine asked for my opinion on the so-called "abuses" of the Islamic text known as the Koran and why I wasn't writing about it here. As Admiral J.T. Kirk will put it in about two hundred and eighty years, "Here it comes." My opinion is best put it in the form of a question: Why is it that I'm supposed to suck it up every time that some half-wit artist slurs my faith on my

Robby Gordon, Round Two

2005-06-08T23:25:00.000-04:00

Earlier, I posted an irate defense of Robby Gordon in relation to his remarks about potential competitive advantages enjoyed by Miss Danica Patrick, an IRL rookie contender and eventual fourth-place finisher in the 2005 Indianapolis 500. In the article, I linked to several posts by other publications, noting a) uniform negativity on the part of the posts and b) a "considerable level of ignorance

We're On The Map!

2005-06-07T01:29:00.000-04:00

This just in: Comrade Commissar has seen fit to include this publication in his latest cartographic effort, seen here. This time, the map shows members of the Coalition of the Chillin'. Your humble correspondent is pleasantly surprised to find his publication ensconced in the place once reserved for the city/empire of Trabzon. That being said, I'm wondering if I'm supposed to place any

Revenge of the Star Wars Quizzes

2005-06-07T01:24:00.000-04:00

This one, from Ryan James: You scored as Darth Vader. Which Revenge of the Sith Character are you?created with QuizFarm.com Tee hee.

Putting the 'Country' in 'Country Pundit'

2005-06-03T15:50:00.000-04:00

Friends and neighbors, your humble correspondent is a life-long fan of the old television program, The Dukes of Hazzard. Heck, who wouldn't be? Fast car, good hearts, "two modern-day Robin Hoods", and a fight against a corrupt local bureaucrat who has his pudgy little fingers in everything. Why do we care, you ask. Put shortly, I'm going to be out of town and on the road this weekend, 'cause I'm

Ben Stein Strikes Back

2005-06-03T00:30:00.000-04:00

Ben Stein has weighed in on the revelation that W. Mark Felt was the infamous anonymous source "Deep Throat". Mr. Stein's piece is more of the sort that I was expecting to hear. Would that I could have heard G. Gordon Liddy on the subject; it might have actually been worth listening to, unlike his radio program. Mark at Decision '08 calls this piece "appallingly bad". I disagree, but let's

Manning Makes News

2005-06-03T00:08:00.000-04:00

Recent find Laurin Manning has been featured in a piece dubbed "Citizen Web", published in the Free Times, a "free alternative weekly" operating out of Columbia, South Carolina. The piece is on South Carolina bloggers in general, and includes a couple of others in the write-ups. Money quote: "[F]reewheeling, personal touch that gives her site its character and makes it a true blog." I

Narnia Fun

2005-06-02T15:25:00.000-04:00

A chap named Colossus has compiled the "Top Ten Signs that Disney is Involved in the New "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe Movie" Sample quote: "9. Instead of turning dissenting animals to stone, The White Witch turns them into little barrels of oil for her monstrous white SUV." Read the whole thing. Tip of the Executor hat to the Llama Butchers.

What'd She Want to Hear?

2005-06-02T12:58:00.000-04:00

Rocketing around the blogroll this morning, I found "Waaa, Waaa Watergate" from our source in the Palmetto State.1 Apparently, Patrick J. Buchanan and Charles W. Colson were on the National Broadcasting Company's Today program to discuss the revelation that W. Mark Felt was the source known as "Deep Throat" for Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein at the Washington Post. Laurin notes that she was "

J-Pod Strikes Back Out

2005-06-02T11:09:00.000-04:00

The loathsome John Podhoretz writes: In its second week at the boxoffice, ROTS's take fell 50 percent from the first week. This is significant because it indicates word of mouth on the movie is lousy and that those who went to see it the first week aren't making a return trip (second and third viewings are the reasons a movie takes the leap from success to blockbuster). Bah. I may be the only

The McCain Bakery

2005-06-02T10:35:00.000-04:00

There's a new poll up at Decision '08. Go take it, it's on the top of the page. In the spirit of full disclosure, I selected "hold my nose and vote for [Arizona Republican John S. McCain, III]". In the comments section to the post announcing the poll, I wrote the following: I'd vote for him, holding my nose, complaining, and griping all the while. I believe that some measure of conservative

How Things Change - The FRCP & Me

2005-06-02T01:17:00.000-04:00

Inspired by Laurin Manning: 24th February 2004: YOU ARE RULE 11! You were designed to make sure that attorneys in federal cases make reasonable inquiries into fact or law before submitting pleadings, motions, or other papers. You were a real hardass in 1983, when you snuffed out all legal creativity from federal proceedings and embarassed well-meaning but overzealous attorneys. You loosened up

General Veers' Report

2005-06-01T21:19:00.000-04:00

"Com scan has detected an energy field protecting an area of the third planet on the Sol system. The field is strong enough to deflect European bombardment." The thrust of this article might be obvious, but if it's not, here's the deal: The EU Constitutions fall to 0-2 in the 2005 season, losing this time to the Dutch Hedonists in regulation play, 61-39. OK, all kidding aside, the Dutch said 'No

Robby Gordon v. Danica Patrick

2005-06-01T14:18:00.000-04:00

It has come to my attention that Kelley of Suburban Blight has taken issue with Robby Gordon over his comments regarding possible unfair competitive advantages enjoyed by Indy Racing League rookie driver Danica Patrick. Kelley accuses Mr. Gordon of, among other things, being a "loser" and a wimp" because of his remarks. For what it's worth, I'll throw my two cents in on the subject. I agree

A Newish Erie Lackawanna Website

2005-06-01T11:28:00.000-04:00

You can't be a railfan from the East Coast and not have run across the Erie Lackawanna in some shape or fashion. Heck, when I first got into railroad enthusiasm, I didn't know a blessed thing about much other than the Norfolk and Western, but I soon found out about "The Route of Phoebe Snow". Trains paid tribute to the Erie Lackawanna Railway in the March 2005 issue with a nice article about

Er, Right

2005-06-01T01:14:00.000-04:00

Rongorongo (Easter Island, C.E. 1800) You are RONGORONGO. You are the script of thelanguage Rapanui. The language is still spoken,but no one can read the script. Are youideographic? Phonetic? Ideo-phonetic?Hieroglyphic? A comic strip? Illustrations fora fairy tale? No one knows. Which Indecipherable Script Are You? Er, right. Uhh, hey Beavis... Confused tip of the Executor hat to Comrade

Supporting the War Economy

2005-06-01T01:06:00.000-04:00

Buy Liberty bonds! Buy something, anything! Keep the consumer confidence index soaring, or else the terrorists will win! Ahem. Line item addendum to the FY2005 non-discretionary spending package: One Bewitched - The Complete First Season (Black and White) Expected date of expenditure: 21st June 2005 Funds allocated and earmarked. That is all. UPDATE: Oh, crumbs. Four other season sets are

The Coward Reveals Himself

2005-05-31T23:54:00.000-04:00

W. Mark Felt, you dirtbag. He didn't get the job he wanted, so he saw fit to visit the specter of the Watergate era upon the United States of America. Mr. Felt, I have nothing but contempt for you and your motives. Tip of the Executor hat to Laurin Manning. At least, I think it was she who posted it.

Several New Destinations

2005-05-30T01:28:00.000-04:00

The TC&P Ry. Co., in the interest of serving the public, has announced several new destinations for the electronic traveler: -The Sheila Variations. Sheila makes list for a variety of reasons, but a single post nails it: She reads Robert Conquest on J.V. Stalin at 0300, and likes it. Hiiiiiiiiiighball. -No Such Blog. The series on Pan Am is reason enough to make a station stop. Plus, NSB

Pan Am Article Series

2005-05-29T23:30:00.000-04:00

The first airline that I can accurately recall hearing of was Pan American World Airways. I can't say why, because my place of residence has never been close to Pan Am service, even after their acquisition of National Airlines in the early 1980s. The first toy airplane that I can remember is, likewise, a Pan Am Boeing 747-100 (or -200), purchased when my family went to Washington, D.C., for a

Late Day Diversion

2005-05-27T16:11:00.000-04:00

This is amusing. Nobody does seem to know her name. That being said, it's always fun to have a reassuring face at the Yahoo! mail login. Instead of wasting time (with your friends at Tosche Station?) with Dan Rather and other people, why not find out who she is? Might be a good professional boost. UPDATE: The Hatemongers' Quarterly has a similar viewpoint.

Another Rail Blog

2005-05-27T13:39:00.000-04:00

Through the good graces of Technorati, I've found another railblog: RipTrack "deals with Railroad Track Engineering, Design and Construction. Not only should Professional Railroad Track Engineers find something of interest here, but also those whose tax dollars are being spent for all of thsoe new Light Rail and Commuter Rail Projects". The postings are somewhat sparse, but I would like to

The Case for the Sith

2005-05-27T11:40:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of Jonathan V. Last's most excellent "Case for the Empire", I offer the following two articles, written by a fellow named Sir George, over at the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We Are Sith We Are Sith - Part II If you're the sensitive sort, be careful. In the grand tradition of the Rottweiler, these posts are kinda sorta laced with some profanity action. But never mind that. I found

The Chillin' Manifesto

2005-05-27T02:29:00.000-04:00

The Coalition of the Chillin' has its manifesto out; I just forgot to make a public note of it. Here is the entire thing. I don't claim to have influenced the drafter of the manifesto, but the primary considerations that influenced me were represented in the final document. For posterity and intellectual vanity's sake, they're reproduced below: - the Republicans may want the filibuster

The Last Lightsaber Quiz Post

2005-05-27T02:08:00.000-04:00

OK, so in the interests of creating efficiencies and doing things in one Tarkin-ish swift stroke, results from various lightsaber-based quizzes at Quizilla. If sites other than Quizilla prove fruitful, there may be additional posts. You have earned the blue lightsaber. You areskilled in the ways of the Jedi, and the Forceis strong with you. You have a mind of yourown, and sometimes do things

Not Something You See Every Day

2005-05-26T11:34:00.000-04:00

This, from robotech.com: In honor of the United Nations' 60th anniversary this year, the United Nations (UN) will debut a special Public Service Announcement (PSA) at MIP TV 2005. The 60-second spot, produced by Harmony Gold, is part of a broader effort to increase awareness of the work of the UN during this special period culminating with the 60th opening session of the UN General Assembly in

Arise, Lord Pundit

2005-05-25T22:45:00.000-04:00

Score! You were destined to have a red lightsaber. Red is the color of fire and blood, so it isassociated with energy, war, danger, strength,power, and determination as well as passion anddesire. You have seen the strength and power ofthe Dark Side of the Force and you thirstfor more of it. What Color Lightsaber Would You Have? brought to you by Quizilla Heh heh heh. I think I wound up with

A New Coalition

2005-05-25T22:03:00.000-04:00

Of which there may be value in being part of, such as it were. My response to the judicial nomination thing was a resounding ho-hum. I wrote about it before, briefly, on the old site, and had been more interested in other things. There was, after all, a movie to be stood in line for. I was also rather concerned about what blowing through procedural safeguards could do in the long run. Like Al

The Enterprising Country Pundit

2005-05-24T16:57:00.000-04:00

Your correspondent thoroughly enjoys Internet quizzes of various stripes. This one, however, is actually useful: Pew Research Center Political Typology I took it, and was surprised at the result. Most of these sorts of things tend to call me a social conservative. I'd certainly identify myself as a social, rather than an economic, conservative. What'd I get? Enterpriser. The results are

How Class Works, Etc.

2005-05-24T09:30:00.000-04:00

Liberals of varying stripe (cultural, political, economic, etc.) are usually Very Concerned about issues of "race, class, and gender". It seems to be one of the things that a lot of otherwise pleasant young women will get very nasty about, very quickly. I found this out in college, where a Nader-worshipping professor taught a class on that very subject. Lo, whilst I was amongst the feminine

On This Day - Norfolk and Western History

2005-05-23T22:44:00.000-04:00

23 May 1969 - Two of the Norfolk and Western Railway's named passenger trains, the flagship Powhatan Arrow and the Cavalier, made their last runs. I don't have my book on N&W passenger service handy, but off the cuff, I recall that the Arrow (Winston Link's favorite N&W passenger train, apparently) was combined with the Pocahontas, which was arguably the N&W's next best train. If memory serves,

The Military Aircraft Quiz

2005-05-23T21:45:00.000-04:00

What military aircraft are you?F-15 EagleYou are an F-15. Your record in combat is spotless; you've never been defeated. You possess good looks, but are not flashy about it. You prefer to let your reputation do the talking. You are fast, agile, and loud, but reaching the end of your stardom.Click Here to Take This QuizBrought to you by YouThink.com

In the Sidebar

2005-05-23T17:11:00.000-04:00

Over off to the right you'll notice a few new things. I wanted to call attention to the Andrew Sullivan Freak-Out Advisory System. It comes courtesy of the people over at Wizbang, so pay it some mind. To read more about it, or to get it for your own publication, click here.

Movie-Going Humor

2005-05-23T13:17:00.000-04:00

I'm guilty of laughing at several points during Revenge of the Sith, usually when laughter was appropriate. I like the interactive audience experience, except for the guy who keeps talking how he saw this or that on the web when he was surfing around in search of Star Wars porn. Ew. Anyways. I found a list of things to do in order to disrupt the movie-going experience, similar to the list of

Uncomfortable Analysis

2005-05-23T12:13:00.000-04:00

That cursed Ith! She notes today the Revenge of the Sith review by Orson Scott Card, of Ender's Game fame. Mr. Card's review is both brutally honest and a welcome read; catch it and let me know what you think. Ith also says something that lands close to home: "So I'll redo "Revenge of the Sith" in my head, pretty it up, and then I'll go see it again and mesh the two together." That's

A Bit of Issue with the Senate

2005-05-23T10:48:00.000-04:00

The Republic Senate, that is. I had been surprised to discover that Kenner had released an action figure of Senator Mon Mothma, of Chandrila.1 Naturally, I decided that I had to find her in the current picture. That, as they say, didn't work. I had two sets of eyes watching the movie several times in total, and we saw nothing of the Chandrilan senator. Being thwarted in our collective efforts,

More Star Wars

2005-05-22T22:53:00.000-04:00

Enough? Never! I'm finally around and coherent for the ending of a movie series that has been present in my entertainment world since the Carter Administration, and there's no way that it'll ever be rivalled. Four out of six were solid pictures, and I could, during a moment of weakness, find something nice to say about Attack of the Clones, pushing the ratio to 5:6. That's got the original Star

A Brief Note

2005-05-22T01:51:00.000-04:00

I'll be on the road most of the day, so any update will come late in the evening. Planning on a third viewing of Revenge of the Sith if all goes well. It would be safe to say that the word, "pwn3d" applied to Darth Vader when fighting General Kenobi. Buzz droids would be so fun to send in the direction of say, MoveOn's legions. I'm also slowly bringing this particular blog up to speed; much of

Supporting the War Economy

2005-05-20T17:00:00.000-04:00

I have recently acquired one of these little gems, namely a Darth Tater. Never had a Mr. Potato Head in my life, but now I do, and it's tied into my longest-standing favorite franchise. Now, if I could scrounge up the additional funds to buy myself one of those $100 lightsabers sold at GameStop. A guy had one at the premiere yesterday, and it was nifty. Meanwhile, I've finally fired Knights of

The Evening Outrage

2005-05-20T09:13:00.000-04:00

John Podhoretz continues to dig himself a hole in my viewpoint. Didn't notice the "airport terminal", and I don't care that the Old Republic didn't have ultrasound. There's probably a logical fallacy somewhere around Podhoretz's assumption that just because we have ultrasound that the OR would as well. But of course, it's John Podhoretz, so obviously his criticism is dead-on accurate, and he

Trailer Review

2005-05-19T03:43:00.000-04:00

Four trailers stuck out in my mind: Mr. and Mrs. Smith - Neither Brad Pitt nor Angelina Jolie make my list of preferred actors & actresses. Although I liked the latter's performance as Francesca Cook in Sky Captain, she's just never caught my fancy. Until now. Er, right. She's right attractive, as a matter of fact. Gratuitous gunplay with a gorgeous woman can always catch my eye. Consider both

Revenge of the Sith

2005-05-19T03:02:00.000-04:00

Just got back from the midnight show at the local theater. First in line, first in theater, and all that. Yee haw. That'll be something to tell the grandkids, assuming that I ever have any. Revenge of the Sith is easily the best of the three new pictures, and compares well with the first three. The Empire Strikes Back it ain't, but that's OK. I won't spoil anything for the hordes of people who

Certainly an Unexpected Result

2005-05-18T15:24:00.000-04:00

Continuing in the Star Wars vein, here's a little something I picked up from Ith at Absinthe & Cookies: Interesting. I'd been hoping for either Grand Moff Wilhuf Tarkin or Admiral Firmus Piett, but the absolute ruler of the galaxy and probable ancestor to Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman will have to do. I don't look like that, though.

A Resounding 'Feh' to Patrick Ruffini

2005-05-18T13:55:00.000-04:00

I've stayed out of the recent tussle between some conservatives and George Lucas, primarily because I've known for years that Lucas, although a gifted filmmaker, wasn't ideologically sound. Heck, Richard Nixon knew it in time to include evidence in his 1985 book, No More Vietnams. Anyways, Lucas has said some things recently---no links; I don't care---that link George W. Bush with either Senator/

An Unpleasant Alternative

2005-05-18T13:50:00.000-04:00

After close to a month of no access to the blogging software (got a real nasty error, I do) I've resurrected this ancient stand-by. Oddly enough, I created it as a redundancy for the dramatools blog in case something happened. Well, something did happen, and here we are. I don't know a blessed thing about Blogger/Blogspot, but I can punch out text. Hooray.

Positive News

2004-07-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

I'm told by the server admin that the original blog (tcp.dramatools.net) can be accessed for publishing, with a little work. This is, of course, a good thing. Meanwhile, I'm procrastinating on studying for the bar and watching Das Boot with subtitles. In other news, I've recently picked up another one of Sega's last console, the Dreamcast. Go to Dreamcast History for all your Sega goodness.

Continuity of Government

2004-07-08T15:16:00.000-04:00

After a long period of radio silence---largely explained by the words "Virginia bar exam"---and mysterious technical difficulties, I've had to switch to an alternative method of communication. The blog at dramatools will be resurrected at first chance; this is only some sort of interim solution. At any rate, if any of the readership is the praying sort, I'd appreciate them for my quest against