Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne? For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. (From the Scottish ballad, as revised by Robert Burns, 1788) Literally translated
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When we hear about the good old days at this time of year, it usually refers to the era before the notorious Supreme Court decisions Abington School District v. Schempp and Murray v. Curlett that eliminated school prayer and scripture reading, and gradually removed religion from the public square. I now offer some remembrances—those of
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Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is looking at 23 months in prison for his role in a dogfighting ring. In an era when the value of HUMAN life seems to be near zero, I guess we can take comfort—cold or otherwise—in this protective posture toward animals. Still, don’t you find it a wee bit
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With another presidential election season upon us, submitted for your approval is a guide to the strange, sick world of politics. The first and most fundamental point is that politicians care about one thing only: Getting elected. The vast majority of them believe in nothing at all, but must portray a certain set of faux
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A few interesting themes cannot make up for this seriously flawed mess of a movie. Bereft of sympathetic characters, the story—such as it is—portrays no character arcs, and also violates the Aristotelian three act dramatic structure: Although Act One does introduce the characters and establish the conflict, there is no Act Two deepening the conflict,
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A classic salesman’s joke will set the stage: Before the newly hired salesman is sent out into the field, he is admonished that it is important to make lots of sales calls. Returning to the office on the first day, his manager notes that he has made seven calls, and that is not enough. “I
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The best movie of the year so far shows that you don’t necessarily need car chases, naked women, or outlandish special effects to create a compelling and memorable cinematic experience. Driven by Cormac McCarthy’s great story, gorgeous camera work by Roger Deakins, pitch perfect casting and acting—helmed and written by Joel and Ethan Coen—this pic
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For this statement to be remotely true, it must be rendered as “No individual acting in a non-official capacity is above the law.” However, even in this iteration, it is pre-supposed that “the law” in question is just, moral, and right. For example, an obstetrician may be asked to perform an abortion, which is now
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One way to get a pulse on political and cultural thoughts and trends is to examine popular bumper stickers. We note that back in the early to mid 1960s, bumper stickers most often reflected conservative or right-wing opinions… “America: Love It or Leave It” “Impeach Earl Warren” Of course, this has all changed, with liberal
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I had no intention of posting a review of this pic until I compared many so-called “professional” reviews with the reality of what I saw in the theater. Certainly, reasonable people can differ on a film, but not only did so many reviews get basic plot details wrong, a goodly number of the critics filtered
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