Word of the Day

The word for today is VISCERAL.

Definition:
(1) Obtained through intuition rather than from reasoning or observation.
(2) Characterized by or proceeding from instinct rather than intellect.

I will try to use it 5 times today.

Indiana Jones

I saw the trailer from the new Indiana Jones movie. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." By the way, its release is "88 days, 14 hours, 53 minutes, 34,33,32 . . seconds." I have mixed feelings seeing Harrison Ford swing and fight his way through the movied. I mean he's 64 years old! He does have a younger sidekick to appeal to generation X movie-goers. This sidekick is a "motorcycle-riding greaser" who arrogantly banters with Jones. The movie takes place in the 1950's and the Nazi's have been replaced by Soviet spies. I doubt younger viewers will get it since they've never been taught about the Cold War and its importance. I will see it, of course. Indiana Jones is a part of my life experience. I don't see how it could be better than "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but I bet it will be good. Probably the highest grossing movie of 2008. Lots of people my age and older will see it since it is a part of their overall life experiences. I remember what it was like to watch the "... Lost Ark." We saw it several times and then bought the DVD when it was released. From the trailer I think the writers and director play on Indiana's advance age which is a good thing. Don and I will see it and enjoy it for sure!

Experience

Since I am in Texas I have luckily (NOT) seen political ads on TV. One Obama ad has him talking about being raised by a single mother and his grandparents implying that he knows the pain of the lower and middle classes. But compare it to the life experience of John McCain: 6 years in a Vietnamese prison camp. When he was offered the chance to be release he chose instead to stay with his fellow prisoners. Now that's a story!

NIE vs IAEA

Two years ago the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) reported that Iran was working to develop nuclear waepons. Then a few months ago the NIE said that Iran had stopped their nuclear program in 2003. There were protests that this report was politically motivated since it was written by 2 people. Yesterday the UN's IAEA reported Iran was still developing nuclear weapons and had never stopped. It looks like the NIE's latest report was indeed polically motivated.

McCain

I find it interesting that after the NYT's story about John McCain and a lobbyist, donations to his campaign went way up. And the most interesting aspect of it is that he's getting donations from conservatives!

Juno

I watched "Juno" last night. The reviews have been raves, so I was curious to see what the fuss was about. It's the story of a high school student who gets pregnant and decides to have the baby. However, she realizes that she's too young to keep the baby and so she decides to give it up for adoption. She never wavered in her decision to give the baby up which I thought was admirable. The movie sends a positive message about choosing life over death, and choosing to give an infertile couple what they always wanted. I won't give any more away about the plot because it's worth seeing and going through all the ups and downs. Ellen Page is great as Juno, the girl with a heavy decision to make. She was a truly memorable character. I loved that her family was accepting of her pregnancy and her decision to give the baby up. I will admit that I cried at the end, but I cry at a Hallmark commercial. However, this was much better than that. I hope you will take the time to see "Juno." It won't be a waste of time.

This movie does not yet have a release to DVD date.