Obama Reaches Out To Gays and Lesbians

Barack Obama is trying to reach out to gays and lesbians and I think it's pretty fantastic. This is a ballsy move and can be added to the list of why I will be voting for him come April, and hopefully November.

The Democratic presidential hopeful has recently written the following message:

"I'm running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all – a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It's wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans.

Equality is a moral imperative. That's why throughout my career, I have fought to eliminate discrimination against LGBT Americans. In Illinois, I co-sponsored a fully inclusive bill that prohibited discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, extending protection to the workplace, housing, and places of public accommodation. In the U.S. Senate, I have co-sponsored bills that would equalize tax treatment for same-sex couples and provide benefits to domestic partners of federal employees. And as president, I will place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples — whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage. Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does. I have also called for us to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and I have worked to improve the Uniting American Families Act so we can afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system.

The next president must also address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When it comes to prevention, we do not have to choose between values and science. While abstinence education should be part of any strategy, we also need to use common sense. We should have age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception. We should pass the JUSTICE Act to combat infection within our prison population. And we should lift the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. In addition, local governments can protect public health by distributing contraceptives.

We also need a president who's willing to confront the stigma – too often tied to homophobia – that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. I confronted this stigma directly in a speech to evangelicals at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church, and will continue to speak out as president. That is where I stand on the major issues of the day. But having the right positions on the issues is only half the battle. The other half is to win broad support for those positions. And winning broad support will require stepping outside our comfort zone. If we want to repeal DOMA, repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and implement fully inclusive laws outlawing hate crimes and discrimination in the workplace, we need to bring the message of LGBT equality to skeptical audiences as well as friendly ones – and that's what I've done throughout my career. I brought this message of inclusiveness to all of America in my keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention. I talked about the need to fight homophobia when I announced my candidacy for President, and I have been talking about LGBT equality to a number of groups during this campaign – from local LGBT activists to rural farmers to parishioners at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Dr. Martin Luther King once preached.

Just as important, I have been listening to what all Americans have to say. I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBT Americans. But neither will I close my ears to the voices of those who still need to be convinced. That is the work we must do to move forward together. It is difficult. It is challenging. And it is necessary.

Americans are yearning for leadership that can empower us to reach for what we know is possible. I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country. To do that, we need leadership that can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit. Join with me, and I will provide that leadership. Together, we will achieve real equality for all Americans, gay and straight alike."

The Monsters of Templeton

When I started reading ‘The Monsters of Templeton’ by Lauren Groff, the word "quirky" came to mind. It’s full of unusual characters and sassy dialogue, and because of these qualities I was drawn further into the story as it progressed. Its premise is bizarre, but I was slightly bored as the book continued.

The novel introduces Willie "Sunshine" Upton, a woman in her mid-twenties who returns to her hometown of Templeton in the hopes of recovering from a depressing affair with her professor. Upon arriving home she stays with her mother Vi, a former radical hippie who’s turned over a new leaf and has become a devout Baptist. While Willie is staying with her mother and attempting to regain some peace in her life in the town that her ancestors founded, the corpse of a gigantic monster floats to the surface of Templeton’s lake. While in the midst of coping with her affair gone wrong and discovering along with the rest of the town that the monster’s rumored existence is now fact, Willie learns the truth about her unknown father as well as the rest of her lineage and just how connected she is to Templeton.

Willie’s inner turmoil and newfound interest in her ancestral ties is just enough to keep this novel going at a steady pace. The novel's main flaw is the back and forth between Willie's narrative, and flashback narrative's of her ancenstors. Who the fuck cares about the ancestors? They are boring and completley slowed down the book. The character’s curiosity and continual discoveries will in my opinion continue to up the reader’s interest. But the flashbacks tempted me to stop reading completely. Also, to avoid any confusion about who’s who in Willie’s ancestry, Groff provides an updated family tree at the beginning of every few chapters based on any new information that the character unearths. But to be honest, there were so many people by the end that I didn't even know who most of them were. If a family tree is not included, instead a picture of one of Willie’s long dead relatives is presented; complete with a caption that explains who they are.

Now that I’ve shared my rant, I’ll state that overall ‘The Monsters of Templeton’ was different without being too weird, and was good at providing mystery, intensity and plain old fun. It was a somewhat enjoyable read for me, interesting story and premise, interesting characters in Willie and Vi, but ultimately forgetable.

B-

16-Foot Python Eats Family Dog

This is the most ridiculous article ever. Pay attention to the wording. It's just hilarious.


A/P

A 16-foot python stalked a family dog for days before swallowing the pet whole in front of horrified children in the Australian tropics, animal experts said Wednesday. The boy and girl, ages 5 and 7, watched as the scrub python devoured their silky terrier-Chihuahua crossbreed Monday at their home near Kuranda in Queensland state.

Stuart Douglas, owner of the Australian Venom Zoo in Kuranda, said scrub pythons typically eat wild animals such as wallabies, a smaller relative of the kangaroo, but sometimes turn to pets in urban areas. "It actively stalked the dog for a number of days," Douglas said. "The family that owned the dog had actually seen it in the dog's bed, which was a sign it was out to get it," he added. "They should have called me then, but (the snake) got away and three or four days later, I was called and went around and removed it" after the dog had been killed, Douglas said.

By the time Douglas arrived, all that could be seen of the dog was its hind legs and tail. The zoo manager, Todd Rose, said pythons squeeze their prey to death before swallowing it whole. The 5-year-old dog would have been suffocated within minutes.

"The lady who was there threw some plastic chairs at the snake, but you've got to remember that this is about 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of aggressive muscle," Rose said. Removing the half-swallowed dog could have harmed or even killed the python, Rose said, because dogs have sharp teeth and claws that could do the snake internal damage if it were wrenched out.

The snake was still digesting the dog at the zoo Wednesday. It will soon be relocated to the bush, Douglas said.

Pickle Anecdote

I went to the usual place I go for lunch, ordered what I always get..but the man said to me.."you dont like pickles right?"
I said "...no i do."
This man knows I like pickles. I order one everyday.
But now today when im eating this sandwich, I dont like the pickle and I dont want it.
I find this very strange, like one of lifes little ways of saying "I fucking know better than you."
I also think im ridiculous for thinking so much about it.

If I was a woman I would never give birth.
I would adopt all my kids.
The thought of my own child ripping apart my vagina does not seem like something I'd ever look forward to.

My goal in life is to feel like a child on summer vacation.

Vantage Point

"Vantage Point" is three-fourths of a terrific thriller, which in this dreary run of winter movies feels like Six Feet Under to our stale Big Brother. The setup is so riveting, the suspense so carefully prolonged, that I didn't mind when it unraveled into lunacy near the end.

To reveal plot points would be to pretend like I understood everything. Suffice to say that the story links a U.S. president at an anti-terrorist summit in Spain (William Hurt), a Secret Service agent fighting off a nervous breakdown (Dennis Quaid), a Spaniard who may or may not be a clean cop (Eduardo Noriega), a U.S. tourist with an all-seeing camera (Forest Whitaker), a special forces agent forced into aiding bombers to protect his brother (Edgar Ramirez) and half a dozen minor players.

The story is told as deja vu. We see the long opening scene six times, from different peoples' viewpoints. Only when the story finally moves on from there do we begin to put the pieces together. If you don't find this technique or the occasional handheld camerawork off-putting, you'll be caught up in a quick narrative that concludes with a "Bourne"-style car chase through Salamanca's streets, though this chase was a tad prolonged.

Director Pete Travis and writer Barry Levy make their feature film debuts with stylish efficiency until they succumb to the cliche effect that overtake virtually every Hollywood action film by the finale.

Skimpy European cars smash into buildings and suffer only dings; a man's vehicle is rolled and crushed by a huge truck, yet he kicks out the windshield and dashes off without a cut or a bruise. Most absurdly, not a single character wears a bulletproof vest.

Acting's almost beside the point in a film fueled so much by adrenaline, but Quaid makes a ridiculously over-the-top hero out of his tireless, frustrated agent. The filmmakers wisely cast familiar faces in supporting roles -- including Sigourney Weaver, and Matthew Fox of "Lost" -- so we can never be sure which seemingly insignificant character will suddenly take on importance.

The movie's one failing, aside from the superhero antics, mediocre acting, not enough Sigourney Weaver, and God awful dialoge at times, is its refusal to explain people's motives -- especially the mole working on the U.S. side. (C'mon, you knew there was one. There had to be for someone to pull off an involved assassination attempt.) "We can never win this war on terror!" the character barks after being exposed. If that's reason enough to join the other side, we all might as well give up now.

B-

Lost Episode 4.4 "Eggtown"

Well, let's get the BIG SHOCKER out of the way before we discuss anything else. Aaron is now under the care of Kate. Wow, um, there must have been some pretty intense "gun to your head" type mess of a situation to end up trusting Kate to raise your child. I must admit I did not see this coming at all. I expected Kate to call the baby James, thus revealing that Sawyer was the father, but the Aaron thing totally blindsided me. What the fuck happened to Claire? Maybe she gets pushed out a helicopter in an upcoming episode. I definitely can't imagine her giving Aaron up willingly, so hopefully something terrible didn't happen her, like getting pushed out of an elevator. Now I'm going to be worried about Claire's safety on the island, or not, cause she's lame. I also wonder if we're supposed to consider Aaron to be one of the Oceanic Six. Lost needs to stop relying on the "shocking ending" formula. It's getting stale. Unless of course it really is something worth shocking us over.

The other big event in the episode was the reveal that the helicopter has not made it to the freighter. At least that's what Regina said. Since we know nothing about the freighter people it's quite possible they could be lying and holding Sayid and Desmond captive. Either that or Lapidus accidentally flew the helicopter into some sort of wacky time fuck.

Another question (as usual) we're left to ponder is regarding the motivations of Miles. Why would he need precisely 3.2 million dollars? Not only that, but how does Ben possibly have access to that much money? It's obvious that Ben, or his evil twin, is getting a lot of work done on his time off the island. However, I have no clue how he'd manage to have millions stashed away.

Yet ...another ...mystery arrived when Jack testified about what happened to Flight 815. He claimed there were only eight survivors, and out of those only six made it off the island. I'm still DYING to know what happened to everyone else. Along with the excessive amount of questions, I'm sick of the way this episode brought back some classic Lost tropes. There was the opening close up of an eyeball, the black and white backgammon game, and Ben being held captive by Locke yet again (been there). There were also a few novels on display, not to mention a late night showing of Xanadu. While I can't fathom a way anyone could find double meaning in the Xanadu viewing, I'm sure some of those books hold some clues. Locke handed Ben VALIS by Philip K. Dick, but I'll have to rewatch to see what book Sawyer was reading (done that).

Overall, this episode was more of an attempt at a character study of Kate than an hour jam packed with mythology. That's okay by me, even if it does mean I have to wait longer to have some mysteries answered. At least now we know why Kate wasn't a fugitive when she visited Jack in the season 3 finale, and we also know who the "he" was she referred to at the time. Aside from exploring Kate's future, we also saw the emergence of a frustrated, insecure, totally badass John Locke. Locke is never more dangerous than when he's unsure of his purpose, and Ben made sure to remind John that he's having no luck getting any answers. Shoving the grenade in Miles's mouth was a fantastic moment.

Bottom Line: A decent episode but the worst so far of the season. A few good moments (Kate's scene with her mother, Locke jamming the grenade in Miles' mouth) don't make up for an overall mediocre episode. Plus Evangeline Lilly just makes Kate soooo dull. Love ya Evangeline, but cmon.

Questions:

Was there any significance to Faraday having trouble remembering the three cards?

Why is Kate taking care of Aaron?

Is Aaron one of the Oceanic Six?

How does Ben have access to millions and why does Miles want such a specific amount?

What happened to the helicopter?

B-

P.S. In a recent interview Damen Lindelof and Carlton Cuse said there is no relation between Naomi's and Elsa's bracelets. Ok, so why the fuck even make it a point to emphasize the bracelets in the episode? Sometimes I hate these people.

Overrated movie? Juno'it!

:Tim Seigfried

Every once in a while, a film comes along that captures the hearts and minds of the country, hitting all the right notes as it rides a steady word-of-mouth campaign before turning itself into a full-on Titan at the box office. Sometimes, these movies are even able to impress even the most jaded movie critic, whose icy façade is cracked, if only for a moment, to revel in the beauty of a skillfully crafted film. Even rarer still, that movie is able to snag a much deserved Best Picture nomination; the ultimate prize for a movie worth its weight in Oscar gold. However, Juno is not one of those films.

Don't get me wrong, Juno is a fine little movie. It's a solid 7 out of 10, a fun little romp that is enough to distract you for about two hours, but a nomination for Best Picture? Not so much. It's like Natalie Portman: Cute and smart, but at the end of the day, just can't compete with the likes of Scarlett Johansson.

Here's the story: Juno (Ellen Page) is pregnant at the hand of her friend Bleeker (Michael Cera), who is okay with Juno giving their baby away to a couple of yuppies (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), while her father (J.K. Simmons) and stepmother (Allison Janney) look on, armed with a steady dose of advice and humorous dialogue. All the while, some other stuff happens that Juno comments on like she just got finished watching a Kevin Smith movie (thank you to the three people who got that joke).

That's it. That's the whole movie, a dark-horse indie film that becomes overly schmaltyz and gooey by the end, and you realize about a week later that you didn't really enjoy it.It's the opposite of a dumb comedy that gets better with time (Dumb and Dumber, for instance), because for a few days after you've seen it, you start to think about it more, and the flaws start to appear, until you realize that you liked the movie, but didn't love it like you thought you did.

One of the problems with Juno is that the dialogue is so painfully crafted that it loses its sense of realism. In the first 20 minutes, the audience is treated with such quotable quotes as: "Your eggo is preggo," "Honest to blog?" and "I am for shiz up the spat." The verbal assault tapers off after a while, but the entire film is so peppered with these confabulatory gems that it never allows the viewers to fully immerse themselves into a scene because it is so over-the-top and manufactured.

I like dialogue to be smart and well-written, but Juno surpasses that more than any movie that I've seen in recent memory…and that's not a good thing. Quantity does not equal quality.Another issue I have is that Juno is ostensibly an independent film, almost to the point where it becomes pretentious. It's no secret that indie films are noticeably so, but nearly every aspect of Juno is coated in it. From the colored pencil opening credits, to the entire makeup of Juno's bedroom, to the musical and film tastes of Juno and Jason Bateman's character, all the way up to the end of the film when Juno and Bleeker sing, "Anyone Else But You" by The Moldy Peaches, who are, guess what? An indie band out of New York. Shocking.

So... I liked the movie Juno. It's a fun picture that makes you laugh. But that's it. It isn't worth any nominations that are combination of the words "best" and "picture," nor is it worth a place on the Internet Movie Database's Top 250 list, where it currently ranks at #135 (this will change by the time you read this), where it is ranked above such films as Gone With the Wind, Heat, and Dog Day Afternoon. Shameful.

Edited to add: I disagree with the Scarlett/Natalie comparison. I also enjoy the song "Anyone Else But You" by the Moldy Peaches. But everything else I'm pretty in check with.

Lost Episode 4.3 "The Economist"

"The Economist" was the type of episode that will probably frustrate a certain section of the Lost fandom. After all, it did raise a lot more questions than it did answers, and I know how that frustrates the cynics. As for me, I'm so used to Lost making me wait for answers that I'm perfectly comfortable with it, which is why I found "The Economist" to be fucking ridiculous, in a good way.

Sayid's life as an undercover hit man reminded me of Hitchcock crossed with the glory days of Alias. Falling for a woman who ends up being the femme fatale is the oldest trick in the book, but still, I didn't see Elsa's double cross coming. It's cool that she was trying to get the name of his boss while he was trying to get the name of hers. Now we know who Sayid answers to, but what about Elsa? Any ideas on who "the economist" actually was? Perhaps Matthew Abbadon, seeing as Naomi had the same bracelet on at Elsa, and Naomi worked for him? Maybe?

Sayid working for Ben was also a twist I didn't see coming, though it clicked with me the instant Sayid walked into that dog kennel. Who are these people that Ben is having him murder? What connection do they have to the greater Lost story? Could it be that Ben is trying to wipe out whatever remains of the DHARMA Initiative, trying to finish them off completely? He says he's doing it to "keep his freinds safe"..or whatever. Sayid says earlier in the episode that the day he trusts Ben is the day he would have sold his soul. Well, sucks for you Sayid, you sold it.

I also find it interesting that Ben was willing to leave the island. Or, if all of that money and those passports are to be believed, maybe he's been leaving the island more than we suspected. The picture that Miles had of Ben last week did look like it was taken in some sort of airport. If Ben has been leaving the island on a regular basis, how has he managed to keep it a secret?


Like I said, there are a whole lot of questions to ask. As for the events on the island, the biggest event from a character standpoint was Sayid exchanging Miles for Charlotte, and allowing Kate to stay behind. This certainly ups the stakes and probably guarantees that Jack will go traipsing after Locke at some point. Locke must know that if Kate stays, Jack will eventually come look for her. I sense another confrontation on the way. I cant stand Kate. Although it was interesting that she yelled after Sayid when she saw Sawyer. She was willing to stay loyal to Sayid, even though it was Sawyer in the door. And I guess it makes sense for Kate to stay and "play house" with Sawyer. Although clearly it doesn't last very long.

The hostage exchange was intriguing. There's no "other's" anymore, they've become their own enemies. Whatever, it won't last. It was nothing compared to Faraday's experiment. After he had Regina shoot a rocket toward the island, the device didn't arrive at the time it was supposed to. It arrived about 31 minutes later, apparently after getting sucked into some strange time anomaly. The timer in the rocket was 31 minutes ahead of Faraday's island timer. For those of you who needed more proof that the island is definitely not running on normal time, there you have it. The journey of the rocket is something that will obviously keep us theorizing. It's nice to have a physicist on the island to raise these interesting questions. Faraday also mentioned to Lapidus that he needed to follow a precise course when flying the helicopter away from the island.

Another mystery from the island involves the bracelet that Sayid found on Naomi. "N, I'll always be with you. RG," is what the inscription read. Is there an RG that's already established in Lost mythology? If so, I'm blanking.If a mysterious bracelet isn't enough of a question mark, what's up with Jacob's magically disappearing cabin? In the season premiere the cabin appeared in front of Hurley, despite the fact that he was nowhere near it. In this episode it wasn't where Locke originally found it. I have no theories on this. Everything involving Jacob pretty much blows my mind.


Though I mentioned that we didn't get many answers in this episode, there was a small one. We learned more about Desmond's motivations for going with Jack instead of Locke. He wants to know why Naomi had a picture of Penny, and he hopes that by getting to the freighter he can discover what connection she has to everything. Whether or not we'll ever get to see the freighter is something we'll discover soon.

Bottom line: Did anyone really doubt that a Sayid centered episode wouldn't be totally fucking awesome? Look back in the Lost series, he hasn't had lackluster episode...ever.

Questions:

Who was Elsa's employer and why did Ben want him and other specific people dead?

What's up with Jacob's teleporting shack?

What's the explanation is for the delay of Faraday's rocket?

How do we feel about the moral shakiness that Hurley and Sayid displayed in this episode?

Has Ben been leaving the island regularly? If so, why and how?

Who is RG?

I don't understand how Elsa and Sayid even came to meet. Was that a chance meeting at the cafe? Who planned it first?

Are we really supposed to believe Locke and his team KNEW someone would come for them? And why Hurley? It was a cool ordeal but totally not believable. There's just no guarantee that anyone would walk into the very house Hurley was tied up in. Was he just supposed to sit there and keep yelling for help, hoping someone would hear him?

Can I tolerate a Kate episode next week? Can I just say they totally miscast Evangeline Lilly as Kate. Ok, I like Evangeline as a person, she seems cool enough. Shes very pretty in that plain girl next door sort of way, I get it. She seems really down to earth, just like a cool girl I'd hang out with. But they should have cast someone like Naomi or first seasons Claire, or even Shannon as Kate. Evangeline is just so...blah. Like most of the girls in the flashbacks and forwards are more dynamic than her. Whatever, I'll rant about her next week.

A-

Download This Music

Adele "19"


‘19′ is the debut album by London songstress Adele, it was released on 28 January 2008. In a vocal and style reminiscent of Amy Winehouse, Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald this is an album that easily justifies the comparisons. Smoky, lingering vocals lament tales of lost love and heartbreak. Features the singles ‘Chasing Pavements’ and ‘Hometown Glory’ .

Download These:

Chasing Pavements
Hometown Glory

First Love

Right As Rain

Tired

Make You Feel My Love


Kate Voegele "Don't Look Away"

Download These:

Kindly Unspoken
I Get It
It's Only Life
Facing Up
Chicago
Only Fooling Myself
Wish You Were

Response to Lost Feedback

Oh, and yes, Lost was nothing but cutting edge in their deviation from having season premiere flash-anythings focus on Jack by....having Jack make an overwhelmingly murky appearance, surrounded by..whaddyaknow, nothing but questions.

Jack making an appearance hardly makes it "overwhelming." Yea he's too much, but what Im saying is that its nice to just simply not have him be the sole focus of the flashback, or forward. Hardly blind Lost love. I admit its faults. Why haven't I given either episode an A yet?

Just because they've mentioned that Walt is taller than the last time we've seen him doesn't mean they're going to do actually do anything to try to explain it.

It doesn't mean they wont do anything to explain it either. Why take that road? But obviously they will do something to explain it. He's a key character who was noticeably taller, not only by the viewers, but by Locke. There has always been a time travel element to this show. It's obvious if they mentioned him being taller, itll be explained, whether thats anytime soon, I doubt it. They've always said they knew exactly what they were doing with Walt getting older. Do we believe them, maybe, maybe not, but why automatically choose not to?

You've gathered a great group of questions, but I can't help but wonder: has Lost once again succeeded in trying to make us forget the INITIAL list of questions we've had over the course of seasons 1 & 2 by introducing a new group of people to take our mind off it? It seems to have worked.

No, it has not worked. We are not going to get any big answers from the questions of Season 1 and 2 until the last season. So people need to stop complaining about not getting answers. We will not get answers to the big questions (monster, island, time shit, purpose for everything) until the last season. This is known, so stop complaing about not getting answers to these things. You wouldnt read a book expecting to get completely fulfilled with every element half way through. My point is that it seems the Losties are finally asking the same questions the viewers are, and that is a HUGE step for this show.

Just wanted to comment that I literally laughed out loud when they showed the moldy body in the water. They would NEVER EVER show that, the body of a deceased person whose identity was being released simultaneously, on a local or national news broadcast.

And yea, didn't I say they would never show a dead body in a plane crash on tv?

Is there anything you agree with me on?...christ.

P.S. Keep picking holes in the Lost love, because I love responding to them.:)

No Voter, No Cry

: Tim Seigfried

It's one of those years again. That's right, a leap year. A year that is going to be so busy that we actually need another day added to our calendars in order to fit everything in. Regardless of what the scientific community tells you, leap years don't exist to keep the calendars synchronized; instead, there is a far greater reason for the leap year:The Presidential Election.

The genius who thought up the idea of the leap year did so in order to prevent us from losing a full day of our lives watching the election unfold on television, while we blissfully remain ignorant to the rest of the outside world. Anyhow, now that Super Tuesday has come and gone, Americans are left with a limited selection of candidates from which to choose on the Presidential Menu. As the field diminishes with each passing day, options dwindle to nothing more than a garden salad and the smoked catfish.

After everything unfolded last week, we were left with a clear front runner of the Republican party in John McCain, who proved that people over 70 really can live a normal life - not that there was really a debate over that. On the other side of the political spectrum, the Democratic party narrowed its choice to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Others that suffered a crushing blow on Super Tuesday include Mitt Romney, who spent over $30 million out of his own pocket to finance his campaign before dropping out of the race. What a shame, now he is only worth $200 million. Former Senator John Edwards ran a solid campaign, but he was forgotten faster than a Jodie Foster movie. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has made some headway during the primaries, but his campaign is all but a lost cause at this point, despite the fact that he had Chuck Norris as one of his main supporters. Many critics point to his foreign policy as his biggest weakness, but the truth is that his campaign slogan of "Chuck Norris IS the electoral college" turned a lot of people off after Norris would lie in wait outside of voting booths with the intent of roundhouse kicking anyone who voted for McCain.

All joking aside, this election is vitally important to our nation, just like every election that preceded it. History could be made during this election, and with the impending recession looming around the corner, Americans have to be more involved in the process than ever.

Isn't it important to them (or yourself) what the state of the country is? How are taxes? What's the unemployment rate? Will the draft be reinstated? (The answer to that is no, but you get the point.)

One of my biggest pet peeves with people is when they complain when things don't go their way, notwithstanding the fact that they did nothing to help their own cause. The same thing can be said with the voters in this country. The last time that we had a voter turnout of over 60% was in 1968. However, those same people who don't vote will sit back and complain about the state of things. But here's the thing: If you don't vote, you forfeit the right to complain. It's true, if you don't participate in the political process, then why should you complain? No one goes into a restaurant and says "surprise me," do they? That would be ridiculous.

Classic excuses:

But I don't like any of the candidates. Last election, there were literally over ten people that you could have voted for. If you don't care for the Republican or the Democratic nominee, then vote for someone else. At least your voice will be heard.

But my vote doesn't make a difference! True, one vote might not determine the election, but what if it did? That's the power that voters have.

But I'm too busy to pay attention to this stuff. Sure you are. But you're not too busy to browse YouTube for hours, watch wrestling on cable television, or stare at the walls of your apartment or dorm room and complain that there's nothing to do in town.

But don't I have the right not to vote? I suppose you do, but non-voters don't impact a vote, thus...stop complaining.

Voting is a right that is given to most, something that other countries are fighting and dying for on a daily basis. It's a privilege more than anything else, and every single person in this country who is able to vote should be registered and in line come November.

The Memory of Running

"The Longer you wait and put off the nice things you should do on a regular basis, the harder it is to do them, until finally you have to force yourself to be nice, to be thoughtful and it isn't easy because you're embarrassed about not having done those easy, nice things in a natural kind of way." --The Memory of Running

There are some nit-picky things that I could use to dismiss The Memory of Running. Ron McLarty's first published novel is a bit predictable, full of obvious foreshadowing, and is burdened with structural problems- all of which make it slip up a bit here or there. But I'm going to ignore all that and tell you to read it because despite all my minor quibbles it's still about ten times better than most of the garbage you'll find on the best-seller racks.

McLarty starts us off in the present, as Smithy Ides' parents are killed in a car crash. From here he splits the narrative jumping back and forth from Smithy's current trek across the country on his old red Raleigh to his life growing up with his parents, his wartime experiences, and growing up with his sister and her "voice." A self-confessed fat, alcoholic slob, Smithy is often mistaken for a derelict as he bikes along on his Forrest Gump-style journey, narrating his story.

After his parents have died, Smithy finds a letter informing them that his sister, who had been missing many years, has been found dead in California. Without making any conscious decision to do so he heads west from Rhode Island on his bike to pick up her body and bring it home. Along the way he meets just enough people to give us a good idea of what McLarty's America is: a collection of lost souls on a highway, burdened by their past mistakes, collectively atoning with good deeds and solipsistic reasoning (all of which seems a little too coincidental, but like I said, I'm letting it slide). They are a grim collection but very moving in their own ways and serve in place of the scenery descriptions that usually accompany road-books. He meets a gay man dying of AIDS, visits his friend from the war who doesn't want anything to do with him, a man who's child died a few years earlier, and a few more.

The 'voice' that his sister hears tells her to do things. It's the cause of the most shocking sequences in the book which vary from psychologically disturbing to insinuatingly gruesome. There's more than a little hint of a Stephen King-esque quality to all of this (Mr. King is, incidentally, a great champion of this book) and as Smithy rides along he sees his sister everywhere, pushing him along, encouraging him to discover what he needs to about himself and about her as he continues to ride and continues to go over the past in his mind. Of course, what Smithy does discover about himself is what we all guessed a while ago: that he no longer needs to run from his memories. But that's not really the point. The journey, the 'Hero's Quest" is the point and whether it's inspired by loss or desire what is ultimately attained or resolved can often be hard to quantify. It is the capturing of this intangibly human quality that makes The Memory of Running good.

If it weren't overly sentimental and if it were just a little more subtle it would be better. Unfortunately it does have these flaws and the ones mentioned previously. However, it does come close to something really great and there's something to be said for that.

B+

Lost Episode 4.2 "Confirmed Dead"

On this week's episode, the group of potential rescuers finally landed on the island, but that obviously didn't make things any easier for our favorite Losties, or not so favorite if we're talking about Kate. Did I mention I cant stand her?...well I cant. One of the things I've noticed and like about Lost this season is they're not afraid to shake up their structure. Giving the first episode to Hurley instead of Jack and now of course we knew there'd be flash forwards, but it's also great to see multiple flashbacks like in tonight's episode. The best episodes of Lost tend to be the ones that shake things up, which may be why I thought tonight's introduction to the freighter crew was even better than last week's premiere.

The episode got off to a fantastic start by showing us the wreckage of Flight 815. It's an image we would see again later, when the new character of Frank Lapidus saw the report asking for information about the crash. My biggest problem with that scene was the fact that a respectable newscast would never linger on a moldy underwater skeleton, but that distraction didn't take away from Frank's revelation that he was supposed to be piloting 815 that day.

Introducing us to four new characters provided a whole new series of names and places to connect to literature and history. We all know that a name is not just a name on Lost, given the overwhelming number of philosophers (John Locke, Rousseau, Desmond David Hume).Of course there’s physicist Daniel Faraday, namesake of Michael Faraday, a chemistry and physicist from the 19th century whose focus was on electromagnetism. That’s a little bit too on the nose, I think. Charlotte Staples Lewis is of course a close enough match to Clive Staples Lewis, better known as C.S. Lewis. In the first Easter Egg I talked about Lost’s obsession with religion, and I’m guessing naming a character after an author whose most famous work features a Jesus Christ allegory helps my cause. I suppose it’s slightly more mysterious than calling her Carroll Lewis.


There was also some pretty interesting character developments I'm sure most people will overlook. First, Sawyer was ready to kill Ben in front of Alex, until someone reminded him that killing someone's father in front of their child is just absurd. Clearly this hits home for Sawyer, as his father was murdered in front of him. Also, it seems as though Locke has become the new Ben, while Locke's crew seem to be on their way to becoming the new "others." Capturing a women who landed on the island for no seemingly good reason. Everyone blindly following Locke and not really knowing why. This was all very interesting to me.

Before I get into the questions that the episode left us with, let's take a look at the answers we received:
1) Yes, everyone on Flight 815 really was confirmed dead. Naomi said as much last season, but now we know for sure.
2) The people on the freighter have come to the island for Ben. We don't know why, or if that's really their only motive, but at least we know one reason they're there.
3) The writers are acknowledging the fact that Walt was taller when he appeared to John. This is a good thing. I know there were some people out there thinking that Malcolm David Kelley's growth spurt was a continuity gaffe, but now we can rule that out once and for all.

Speaking of continuity gaffes, Michael Ausiello over at TVGuide.com said that he spotted a major one. I have no idea what he's talking about, so perhaps one of you eagle-eyed people can fill me in. Another interesting turn that I didn't expect was the fact that Miles was a ghost whisperer. At first I thought he might be taking a page from Michael J. Fox's character in The Frighteners and faking his abilities, but it looks like he's the real deal. That should provide an interesting element to future episodes. Maybe he can sit down and have a chat with Jacob, assuming Jacob is a ghost at all.

Of course, the biggest twist in the episode, at least in my opinion, was Charlotte's discovery of a polar bear skeleton with a Hydra collar way out in the desert of Tunisia. WTF?


Now that I look back on the episode, Daniel Faraday remains the biggest mystery. Why was he an emotional wreck as he watched the footage of Flight 815 being discovered? What connection does he have to the plane and the castaways? It really was a night full of twists and revelations. The last thing to blindside us was the fact that Ben has a mole on the freighter, and therefore knows everything about those people. It could be anyone, but I think its Michael.

Bottom line: A great way of introducing the new characters, who, btw, are friggin fantastic additions to the cast. Spot on perfect dynamic casting on their part. Interesting character developments while at the same time moving the story along. It was great seeing what was happening off the island in other parts of the world and how the plane crash had an impact on everything. For once, everyone was asking all the right questions and the Losties weren't pulling any punches. When Juliet and Sayid came out of the woods with guns blaring, it's about time our losties took some names.

Questions:

Why was Faraday an emotional wreck?

What was the big continuity gaffe?

Did the freighter crew bring a gas mask expecting the sickness, or for another reason?

How did a polar bear skeleton end up in Tunisia, and how did its bones have time to fossilize?

Was Frank Lapidus really supposed to pilot 815?

Why did Abaddon choose that specific team of four?

do the freighter people want Ben?

Who is the mole that Ben has on the boat?

Did anyone give 1-888-548-0034 a call? I was tempted.

Was there any significance to Faraday saying that the light didn't scatter correctly in the jungle?

If it's not the body of Seth Norris in the plane wreckage, whose body is it?

How did someone manage to get an entire fake plane to crash in another part of the world, under the ocean, with fake bodies and all the works?

And the biggest question of the episode nobody seems to be asking is... If Ben lived on the island his entire life, how did Miles get a picture of him? Is this a plot hole, or do they also have a mole on the island? Has Ben traveled off the island? I dont recall.

A-

Lost Episode 4.1 "The Beginning of the End"

"If it's okay with you Jack I'd like to go with Locke now."

The episode threw us right into new territory not only by starting with a flash-forward, but also by focusing on Hurley instead of Jack. It's great to get a big dose of Hugo so early in the season, really big actually, muahaha, and definitely not what I was expecting. Hurley got himself arrested after a high speed car chase, and despite his claims that he was one of the Oceanic six, he got tossed back in the psych ward.

Later in the flash-forward, we saw one of the new faces of Lost. A mysterious man played by Lance Reddick came to visit Hurley in the institution, claiming that he worked for Oceanic Airlines. We need to see more of this guy. It seemed like he wanted to give Hurley a room upgrade, but Hurley was naturally skeptical of the guy when he couldn't produce a business card. I don't know who he was, but he was creepy as fuck. He also asked Hurley, "Are they still alive?" This was one of the more intriguing questions brought up in the episode, but what could it mean?!?!?!We know that Jack, Hurley, and Kate are off the island, and obviously the rest of the world knows too. Could the mysterious man have been asking if the people on the island are still alive? It's possible that there's a corporation still attempting to find the island, and they want the famed castaways to help them. Is it DHARMA, perhaps?

In one of the surprisingly more intriguing moments of the episode, Charlie showed up at the mental ward to visit Hugo. He claimed that he was dead, but also real as well. I'm not sure exactly how that works, but since he disappeared when Hurley closed his eyes and wished him away, I'll assume that dead really means dead in his case. He repeatedly told Hurley that "they need him," but crazy Hurley wasn't havin it. Charlie was actually nice looking and normal acting...dead. Again, we have a mysterious "they" being referred to, and again I have to assume that it's the group of people still left on the island. In my possibly wrong theory, I believe that six people were rescued from the island while everyone else was left behind. They were sworn to secrecy, awarded with fame and some fancy Oceanic golden tickets, and told to keep their mouths shut. But the guilt is obviously too much for someone like Hurley, and later Jack, which is especially evident if he's seeing ghostly Charlie walking about.

In the final flash-forward, Jack came by to visit Hurley. He claimed it was a friendly gesture, but he really wanted to know if Hugo was going to reveal their secret. The most interesting moment of their exchange, assuming I heard it correctly, was when Hurley said, "I think it wants us to go back. It's going to do everything it can." It? Meaning the island? I find it very interesting that he would refer to the island as an entity. I'd expect that kind of statement from somebody like Locke, but not Hurley. Jack tells him that they're never going back, but we know he'll change his tune down the line when he's drunk and bearded. Speaking of the infamous beard, I loved Hurley's crack that he wouldn't look good in one.

The happenings on the island were fairly interesting too. I certainly didn't expect Naomi to still be alive after getting a knife to the back. The fact that she lied to her people about her injury and asked one of them to wish her sister well was rather telling. Was Naomi actually a good person who wanted nothing but to rescue the castaways? I find that hard to believe, but that's certainly how things appear. I dunno. I'm kinda pissed she's dead, cause she was a cool chick and decent actress who could have added some much needed female power to the cast.

One of my favorite moments of the episode was the juxtaposition between all the couples reuniting and the devastation Claire felt over losing Charlie. Though I sort of hated Charlie, and Claire most of the time. I still felt bad for her. I was more devastated with Hurley losing his friend.

Speaking of Hurley, he had his own run in with one of the island's mysteries when he stumbled upon Jacob's shack. He saw a shadow rocking in a chair, but then a mysterious face popped in front of him and freaked him out. Who was the face? Was it Jacob or someone else? Speaking of Jacob, was it just me or did that shadowy figure in the chair look a bit like Christian Shephard? I dunno, but thats the rumor, white sneakers and all.

Aside from Hurley's antics, the other big news on the island was the division of the castaways. Some went with Locke, believing that the people coming to find them were not rescuers, and others stayed with Jack. The old "man of science" versus "man of faith" brawl is on yet again. Speaking of, I love love love that Jack totally would have shot Locke. Not that I love Jack, or dislike Locke, but it was just really fucking cool.

As the episode wrapped up, the helicopter finally arrived on the island. Jack and Kate ran into a mysterious man in the jungle, played by Jeremy Davies. Has rescue finally arrived, or is it just more trouble? Pehaps we'll know more next week. But probably not, because, well, this is Lost, so we probably won't know anything ever.

Bottom line: a solid episode, ballsy move for Hurley to get the season premiere, love the Jacob stuff, but still good old "lets stall for time and ultimately get nowhere" Lost.

Until next week, I'd like to ponder some burning questions.
Why did Hurley refer to the island as an entity?
Should Jack grow a beard?
Who is the mysterious "they" referred to be Charlie and Lance Reddick's character?
Was Naomi actually on a rescue mission?
Who was the person in Jacob's cabin?
Would you go with Jack or would you go with Locke?
Who are the other 3 to get off the island besides Jack, Kate and Hurley.
How the fuck did Naomi get up a tree with a knife in her back?
Wasn't it awesome when Danielle punched Ben in the face?
And last but not least, the plot hole of the night was.... Why the shiz didn't Desmond just TELL EVERYONE he HEARD Penny talking to Charlie before he shut the door....the fuck?

B+