The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

I liked The first in the series, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. I thought it was a well done adaptation. Prince Caspian is better. Its harder and darker. People fight and as a result people die. I get tires of films where swords flash and slash but no one bleeds. This film doesn't hide the consequences of violence or glorify it. You can actually believe that the four Pevensie children had grown to adulthood only to find themselves children again. In battle you can believe they know what the hell they're doing. Excellent adaptation. Excellent effects. Excellent direction by Andrew Adamson. All the actors give excellent performances. The film should win awards but for some reason I don't expect it will. For my part I find it to be the best film I've seen this year. I can't wait to see The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Pearl Harbor

Sixty-seven years ago today.

Dennis the Menace

As a child I liked the Dennis the Menace cartoon in the daily newspaper. As I grew older I saw less humor in the cartoon. I happened to pick up the first volume of Fantagraphics' Dennis the Menace collection at the libray. You get a one frame drawing with nice clean art that supports the hilarious dialog. Now I'm trying to find the coins to buy it. I recommend it highly.

H-S Precision

After this heart felt apology I think I'll just go right out and make a purchase...

To Our Valued Customers:

H-S Precision has received comments relating to individual testimonials in our 2008 catalog. All of the testimonials focused on the quality, accuracy and customer service provided by H-S Precision.

The management of H-S Precision did not intend to offend anyone or create any type of controversy. We are revising our 2009 catalog and removing all product testimonials.

Sincerely,

The Management of H-S Precision

...not!

Coins

My twelve year old son is a coin collector. Two years ago he lost his 1951 Ben Franklin Half-Dollar in the mini van. We looked and looked and could not find it. Today, I removed the back seat and the damn coin fell out. I've taken that seat out probably a dozen times since he missed the coin. He was happy to get it back but for some reason didn't want to pay me a finder's fee.

Gas Prices

The price of a gallon of gas in Durham, North Carolina is $1.59 at the Kangaroo Express on Roxboro Road. I wager at least thirty cent of that is Federal, State, and local taxes. Its down to $1.57 in Mebane North Carolina. I'm 48 years old and remember when the price was thirty-five cents a gallon. The current price is still too damn high. I should be happy the price has dropped. I hope it drops more because every penny it drops is one less penny to the Middle East to fund terrorism, and that communist prick in Venezuela. it is also one less penny to government to piss away. I'd much rather have it so I can piss it away.

Virtual Bubblewrap

If you're frustrated, violence isn't a viable option, and you don't have time to go to the range there is Virtual Bubblewrap as an alternative.

Beats shootin' people.

Mumbai

This piece on Mumbai over at the Cherry River Blog is a must read. Damn it's good, and the final point...read it you'll see.

Lines in the Sand

I’m sure I have a “line in the sand,” but I’m not sure where that is. I certainly agreed with Sebastian at Snowflakes in Hell that we are no where near a place where violence is required to set things right. With Heller I think were are in better shape than we have been in years. We’re still in a cold war but that win gives oh so many more options than we had before. I think its obvious that during the last election many gun owners opted out and voted on the economy. Give Obama time to show his true colors [I know how much more obvious can you get] and many of those will shift back toward guns as a primary focus. Midterms come in two years and so much can happen in the interval. Keep the gun holstered and fight the fight. As for the 3%... I’m not worried about the loud ones. The quiet ones on the other hand...

...and the clock ticks..sorta...maybe...

The Jerusalem Post writes that the IDF is prepping for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

For some reason I'm not worried. If the IDF didn't want this information out it wouldn't be. They're perfectly capable of keeping a secret. I see it as an attempt to put pressure on the U. S. to deal with the problem before they do. But what do I know...

Palm Pistol

Neat!

How long before the Brady Bunch tries to ban it?

Did the NRA conspire to stimulate gun sales?

Via Snowflakes in Hell:

Read this bit from Jim Cunningham and draw your own conclusion. He ends his spiel with “The NRA must think I’m stupid!”

Let's see. Obama has a record of voting for gun control legislation. Despite his claims he's never supported an individual rights interpretation of the Second Amendment until post Heller and then he still thinks its subject to reasonable restrictions which I expect to be business as usual for the gun control lobby is reasonable. His campaign web page only mentioned hunting and sporting use as protected. No self-defense? His rhetoric during the campaign showed clear support for a renewed assault weapon's ban. And despite that you say NRA is fear mongering and people don't have any reason to fear for their Second Amendment rights...

I don't know what the NRA leadership thinks and lately don't really care. They're too quick to compromise. Me...I don't think you're stupid. I'm convinced of it.

Twit.

New/Old Links

I added some links to articles and poetry I had linked on my old web page. I also added a link to the Bills of Rights. More will follow.

Movies

I do Netflix. I find its the least expensive method of getting my movie fix. I can get about twelve to fourteen DVDs a month for seventeen dollars. It beats the hell out eight dollars a pop to see a movie at the theater. If I don't like what I ordered I don't feel obligated to watch the whole thing, and I just send it back and the next one comes.

The last ten movies I've gotten were...

Samurai Spy - still watching it. I really hate to read movies but this one's an exception to the rule.
Fred Claus - I really should know by now that Vince Vaughn and I just can't get along.
Sukiyaki Western Django - Crap. Tarrantino is in it. Need I say more. As an actor he makes a video store clerk.
Kitaro - Japanese kiddie movie. Not what I expected and proof that you should read the reviews before dropping a film into your queue.
Hancock - A fun movie but I saw it in the theater and it wasn't as fun the second time around.
Primeval: Seasons 1 & 2: - good stuff. BBC sci fi. Don't let that turn you off. It better than average BBC fare by far.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army - great movie
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - ok but I think its time someone rescued the franchise from its creator.
Kung Fu Panda - great movie
Get Smart - great movie

I'm not a critic or at least not one with a whole lot to say. If I had to pick one to recommend it would be an even toss up between Get Smart and Hellboy.

MP5 is more deadly than AK says Indian Commando

From The Firearm's Blog via Snowflakes in Hell comes this report from DNA India.

The MP5 is far superior to the AK47 and is only used by the security forces of various countries. This led the NSG to believe that the terrorists were more heavily armed than they had thought. But the mystery was solved when they realised that the terrorists had seized Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan’s weapon after killing him. The NSG feel that the acquisition of this weapon had extended their resistance by a few hours. This is also an indication, said a senior officer, that the terrorists were trained in the use of this sophisticated weapon as well.

All I can add is it ain't he gun but the man carrying it. Me...I'd rather have a rifle round than a pistol round any day even if its an HK firing it. Given my druthers I'll take the AK.