O.K. I admit we bought "Lady in the Water" on his name, alone, but we are checking this time. I've believed Mr. Shyamanlan has been going down hill since "The Villiage" simply because that movie was so unbelievably contrived & unrealistic - they had be receiving goods from the outside, as an example. Now he makes a true stinker of a movie.. it's not even a "Popcorn" movie ! What is it about Hollywood, do they think, seeing there is no God (according to their philosophy.) that they must become our consciences, Priesthood & aristocracy ? Stop, stop preaching to us, Hollywood , please get back to good old story telling !!!!!!!!!!

What a piece of pathetic junk - the absolutely worse trash I have ever have seen - my husband and I finally got it out of the library and we are happy we didn't spend actual money to see it. Do not waste a penny of your hard earned cash on this movie - it is so very badly done ! What's wrong with it? Everything... everything ! I have no idea if these people ever even read the original poem! It is trash. Buy, instead, "The Thirteenth Warrior" - it's a fine, well-told version of the same story, though, it is told as a Science-fiction story instead of a myth !
This movie is the worse attempt at myth-telling since "Troy" !

Hot Air is an exceptional conservative site that I visit every day, several times. It's well written, etc. Here is review of the New Indiana Jones movie. It sounds like a 'buyer' if not a visit the 'theater' ! I pretty much don't go to movies, any longer.

We are buying the tree today if everything goes well. Leon bought a black-powder pistol for Christmas and we are going to make the tallow (so we can make the wads) this week. I've never rendered fat on purpose so its going to be a new experience. I may make soap with what I have left over.
Everyone seems to be raving about the new Will Smith Movie "I am Legend" - but I ask you, do you really want to see a movie about the end of the world at Christmas time? This year they offer a movie written by an atheist about a girl who wants to destroy the church and kill God and a movie about vampires... so much, for Hollywood's Christmas spirit!  The guy is a fine actor - both proficient and skillful - Not brilliant in the old sense of the word but certainly one of the best in movies today so I am sure the movie is fine. The story is incredibly dark, though and I have no desire to contemplate the darkness in this season of both physical darkness and profound spiritual light - I need to be lifted up not cast into a horrible hell. I might get it out of the library and see if it is any good... Leon may want to see it.
I have to go ... Leon wants go ... he is afraid we will miss all the good trees ...
OH - if you want to see real Christmas movies I will write the list my favorites tomorrow.

A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY.
I won't go into all the history of the event. We all know it - well, at least ones who read history and have a brain. We should never forget that surprise attacks are nothing new - they have happened before. They will always happen because they usually work well - they start wars. Its the bully's answer to starting a war or conflict. Its a play ground maneuver, the weak man's answer (NO matter how big his gun happens to be.) to a problem.  We Americans tend to start wars at glacial speed, informing our enemies for weeks even months ahead that we are slightly irritated at them and would wish them to behave themselves before we do something they wouldn't like - people usually know when the United States is upset- its in all our newspapers. We tell them. We warn them. We petition, we debate openly, we send ambassadors to talk some sense into to them...  but Our enemies don't always play by the rules that honorable countries play by. The Japanese didn't - and the Muslim extremists, didn't.
We should not forget our mistakes, the times our Intelligence doesn't work, the times we think we know what's going on and somebody surprises us. We should not forget the ones who came before and died defending our freedoms. We got hit on December 7th, 1941 and good men died, horribly. The Second World War started without us - it did not end without us.
I don't suggest watching "Pearl Harbor" today. It was an abominable, silly movie. We watched "The Battle of the Bulge" last night.

 I suggest watching "Tora, Tora, Tora" today and remember that the moment when America is caught with her pants down, America pulls her pants up - mad as HELL. I suggest watching something that is real history not Hollywood's weak answer to all of history i.e. Romance.
(Romance has it's place - both in life and in history- but it is always a personal story not a national event, not a historical event that effects all of us - Hollywood has grown old and senile and can't seem to get much of anything RIGHT any more.)

I curse the Muslim Extremists who have caught my generation by surprise. May you all rot in the deepest hell saved for men who begin unnecessary wars. I do not want this war. I do not hate your religion. (though, I hate what you do to the women foolish enough to bow before you and your god.)  I forgive the Japanese because, well, the war is over and I think you will never attack America, again, will you? I believe that when a war is over all animosity should end and friendship should be cultivated. No war lasts forever and the Japan of the 21st. Century is NOT the Japan of 1941.

 As for those who don't want to fight the Muslim extremists, in fact are delusional enough to think we shouldn't be fighting anyone, Go soak your head in some history - not that tripe that you obviously read or watch, either.

 Those who do not defend themselves when they are attacked are ignorant fools who have never read history. They are asking to become DEAD fools, at that... They are victims and Americans should never be foolish or victims of anyone. We either defend our freedoms or we will die victims of our own stupidity.
Ask the Albigensians  how well pacifism works - oh, sorry, you can't - the Albigensians don't exist any longer, do they?  So much for being men and women of Peace. I prefer keeping war in my back pocket and pulling it out when the times call for it. I love peace - but I prepare for war.

I really need to start moving, sometime, today. I seem exhausted. Is it the weather, the sun cutting out...the longest night of the year just weeks away, perhaps?  well, we are in for another spat of cold-sunny-icy weather so I think I will get out and walk in the sunlight, even if it is as cold as Hades !
Leon had overtime this week. I can't seem to motivate. All that is left is sorting everything out and making the boxes up.
Hey - 176 lbs. this morning !!! brought a smile to my face and all .... feels good. This counting downwards is beginning to be actual fun. I am not sacrificing that much, everything considered. I do hope my blood work will be very positive when I, at last, go back to the doctor's.

Watched the last Pirates of the Caribbean last night... weird, weird, weird... sad ending, though. I would suggest it was the best of the three in many ways, including its emotional ending. The plot was a bit muddled in places and I am not sure they always obeyed the rules of their own 'universe' - a big NO in fantasy and science fiction but it was otherwise a fine, amusing movie. Not Shakespeare, of course, but I don't need Shakey every day. Speaking of Shakey I need a heavy dose of the master, soon - 12th. Night, perhaps? or what about Hamlet?

Here is a page of quotes for your amusement and amazement... love Winston Churchill - with Teddy Roosevelt, he is one of the two men I admire the most when it comes to modern politics.
 http://thinkexist.com/quotation/you_have_enemies-good-that_means_you-ve_stood_up/220332.html

See if that link works - going through the top link page icon seems to be a rather hit or miss or mess affair. I am very frustrated with the linking option on this site... it works or it doesn't and I do not understand how the two differ. I like linking people to sites that encourage their further education and understanding... isn't that one of the reasons I like to blog, because I am a frustrated teacher, at heart?
I learned a valuable lesson last night : Do not attempt to knit socks while watching a Pirate movie. You will have to pull everything out, afterwards!!!! Sad, sad, sad.

I thought I would comment on the article above - Jurassic Park IV and the dinosaurs have weapons? I really don't believe this, I am massively incredulous and will remain so until I see the movie website with actual pictures of T'Rex sporting a 50-mm rifle. Mr. Spielberg and his buddies are nutty as loons but not stupid. I cannot believe he would make a movie that costs millions that would appeal 4 -year-old but would make a 55 year-old laugh with embarrassment. The trick is to make a movie that will captivate the 4 year-old and does not bore the 55 year-old.
It will be a terrible movie if they start going into such a comic book land of nonsense, but I have never truly respected Spielberg and his intellectual abilities - He always falls slightly short of being impressive (my personal opinion). That said, it is a given that I will not be going - or buying this movie. I am fascinated with dinosaurs - natural history fascinates me and my husband has more than once protested the replaying of dinosaur videos - the National Geographics that cover everything from the history of the science of paleontology (scary that I can spell that word correctly first try.) to the origin of birds as theropod dinosaurs. A quick explaination of their place on evolution's endless lists!
(The origin of birds is a favorite subject of mine.)
So next time some bird walks past you with really dumb look on his face just bow slightly and show some respect for the only dinosaurs that survived the asteroid 65 million years ago. The truth is that the whole premise of the Jurassic park scenario is impossible - DNA does not survive 65 million years well enough to build an animal from it - even a few hundred is pushing it unless the tissue has been well taken care of, such as frozen. The Japanese spoke about bringing mammoths back. I have no idea if they have succeeded!
There has been some success but nothing like 'Jurassic Park'!!
I admit the dinosaurs of 'Jurassic Park' were just about perfect and that it (the movie) opened up a new world of well done computer generated documentaries on the subject of evolution but I am rather sensitive to tension. I usually cannot watch a horror or over-done, violent action movies. I almost become ill when the tension involved. I am not sure why I am like this but I consider it a weakness. I've never been able to watch the Jurassic Park trilogy, soon to be four movies, all the way through. Maybe I take things too seriously or my body reacts to tension differently than most people...
'Walking with Dinosaurs ' was the first of many documentaries that took advantage of new technologically computer generated beasties, and while it is not adult-level informative, it is worth getting out of the library - It is a moving picture book. I tend to like a little more meat in my documentaries and I suggest the PBS NOVA series and National Geographic's many offerings. Thank God, little drama and no emotion is ever expended in a good documentary!
The Wikipedia article of 'Walking...". It is still available just about everywhere they sell DVDs.
Here is a selection that the NG store. NOT much.
Discovery channel also has a store.
All the videos in the world won't really educate you, though - the real education comes in reading books on the subject. I suggest starting with the shows, yes, but then use the names of the scientists interviewed in the documentaries to research on line and at the library - there is no replacement for the written word.

Now for some fun. Old movies on the subject are usually based on fine old books, like 'Lost World' by Arthur Conan Doyle. I suspect the name of the modern movie is a bow to this great classic. The first time the book was dramatized was 1925, it is a silent movie but is still worth watching - the stop action battle between dinosaurs was well done and the plot of the movie is pretty faithful to the book. My favorite is still the Michael Rennie 1960 film - I just like Rennie but the movie fails to stay faithful to the book. The book is free on the net. Isn't life great?
Of course, there is the absolutely worse movie made on this subject - 'One Million Years B.C' with Raquel Welch - a lady of many talents - or, at least 2 talents ! A small article about a really bad movie - 1966 wasn't the best year for outstanding Sci-Fi movies, that would come later.
It was, as I said, a truly BAD movie with no science to speak of and a story line as slim as Miss Welch, herself.
There are a hundreds of movies, TV show episodes and even whole shows devoted to dinosaurs Here is the IMDb site with a list.
We all remember the great dinosaur scenes in the first 'King Kong' and its overly sentimentalized recent remake - and I am absolutely sure you all can remember your favorite scenes in what ever science fiction movies you happen to love best !

A note to everyone on the subject of religion : I see no conflict between my love of Jesus Christ and my fascination with paleontology - The bible, as a wise man once said, is a book about how to get to heaven, not how the heavens - or the earth - evolves !

One could hope that Mr. Speilberg won't ruin his new movie with a lot of political messages and correctness - would it be too much to ask Hollywood to lay off the politics and just entertain us with some dinosaurs ?