Mel Gibson - Edge of Darkness

For the first time in a while I go to the theatre and see a movie. It's Ok but not great. Mel Gibson is creditable but he is certainly not one of my favorite actors. I think this is a picture that tries so hard to tell a good story and reach for the heart strings and though it's entertaining for a Sunday afternoon, in the end it falls a little short.

Obama v. The Republicans

I pleasured in Obama's taking questions from 140 Republicans yesterday. He told it like is more than politicians mostly ever do. He noted that Republicans demonize Democrats so much that it makes bipartisanship largely impossible and that such rhetoric is destructive to the political process. He elucidated the flaws and untruths in the Republican talking points. He reminded them that Bush squandered our budget surpluses and ballooned the national debt.

Such dialogue from the President should continue.

Speak TRUTH to CORRUPTION Brother Obama!

Salinger (2)

My judgement is that J.D. Salinger is overrated. This body of his work is slim. The Catcher in the Rye is a youth cult classic, but as time goes on it has become very dated and stale. I suspect that most young people today have never read it. The Glass family is disturbed and slightly interesting, but not worth much discussion anymore. The Seymour raise the roof high book is incomprehensible. The short stories hold up best. I have read the stories twice and may read them again some day, but not anytime soon despite the demise of the author.

Salinger

Word comes across the internet that J.D. Salinger has died at the ripe old age of 91. Everyone will wonder if he has unreleased material that will be published now.

Paul Krugman: Telling it like it is

January 27, 2010, 6:10 am
The Curse Of The Supermajority
Here’s how democracy works: political parties that make an effective appeal to voters get the right to govern and implement new policies.

Here’s how the United States government works: political parties that make an effective appeal to voters get seated — but can’t govern unless they have 60 Senators.

The past year has been a spectacular demonstration of the crippling effect of the filibuster on America’s ability to deal with, well, anything.

Sen. Tom Udall is proposing a change in Senate rules, going back to the Constitution — which says nothing about supermajorities. Here’s his very good analysis, including a demonstration that the universal requirement for supermajorities isn’t, contrary to what you often hear, isn’t a long-standing tradition; it’s something that only developed recently, and mainly since Republicans found themselves in the minority.

Tom Schaller argues that the supermajority gives American policy a center-right bias, since conservatives don’t want to do much. But didn’t Bush manage to do a lot? Yes, in a way. But the thing about Bush policies were that they were all buy-now-pay-later: unfunded tax cuts, unfunded expansion of Medicare, unfunded wars. Bush never demonstrated that it’s possible to govern America responsibly, because he never tried.

Udall is right. We need to fix the Senate. Otherwise, we’re headed for full banana-republic status.

Dennis Lehane - Shutter Island (2)

This book is what I would call an entertainment. It's a compelling psychological suspense story---absolutely marvelous!

If you take to the story, you turn the pages and you can't stop reading until the end. Books like this sometimes disappoint with the ending, but not this one. The ending is fulfilling.

I can't wait for the movie from Martin Scorsese, due to be released February 19. I'll be there the first weekend.

Scorsese has the material for a "Sixth Sense." I hope he does the book justice. I'll be reporting on the movie first thing.

Dennis Lehane - Shutter Island

I am presently reading and enjoying this novel. I don't read much mass market fiction. Having read and enjoyed this author's Mystic River and having enjoyed the movie, I am reading this one before the movie hits town.