Turn it off

TV Turnoff Week 2006 starts today.

Strange Bedfellows

I never thought I'd agree with Bill O'Reilly, the commentator of "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News. Usually I think he's a pompous ass. However, I caught a bit of his memo last night, and then went to his website to read his current article, Gas Pains (or the column of 4-20-06, if the link dies), in which he talks about the rising price of gas.

Please read the memo linked above and the column, even if you detest the man. He has some great points. If we all banded together and hurt these companies where they are vulnerable--their deep pockets--maybe the prices would lower to a more comfortable level.

I know that we Americans can't complain too much. After all, we could be paying what they pay in Europe for gas, and it's not cheap there, if it ever was. However, we need to quit buying gas-guzzling vehicles and use our cars less, if we can help it. Even a little thing, like not buying gas on Sundays (which O'Reilly proposed in his memo) can make a difference. Just try to use less gas, period.

In searching out oil boycotts, I came across this site, which has a list of companies that import Middle Eastern oil.(The site started up due to the "war on terror"; it may be somewhat out of date.) There are other people trying to make a difference as well. Here's a yahoogroup link. Snopes says that oil boycotts don't work, and the article is probably correct. However, choose to vote with your pocketbook--spend less, drive less. Don't be Fuelish! :)

In a related link, check out the wikipedia article about the 1973 oil crisis. Also this wikipedia link on the current oil price increases is interesting. Under the "Supply" heading, it states that the U.S.'s oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico supply most of its domestic market. So, if that is the case, the turbulence in the Middle East and in other oil-producing countries should have no effect on the consumer market here at home, in my opinion.

But it never works that way, does it???? :)

In fact, this Fox News article says that gas shortages have already hit the East Coast.

More Movies

"Deep Rising" stars Treat Williams and Famke Janssen. He is the captain of a boat hired "with no questions asked" to take a group of men to a specific location out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. She is a beautiful thief aboard a cruise ship, the Aeronautica. The men on the boat were hired to hijack the cruise ship and sink it, so the cruise ship's owner could get the insurance money. Anyway, what no one bargains for are the deep sea monsters that attack the cruise ship and eat all the passengers. It was a fun Sunday afternoon movie to watch.

"The Rescuers" is a Disney movie that first premiered in 1977. I believe I saw this movie in the theater when I was a kid. Bob Newhart voices Bernard, and Ava Gabor is Miss Bianca. The International Rescue Aid Society receives a message in a bottle from a girl named Penny. She has been kidnapped by the evil Madame Medusa (Geraldine Page), and forced to look for a diamond called the Devil's Eye. This is one of my favorite Disney movies.

"The Wedding Crashers" ran a little bit too long. Perhaps that was because we were watching the uncut version. Vince Vaughan is fantastic as Jeremy. He was constantly making me laugh. I enjoyed this movie but there were a lot of clichés and it was kind of predictable. Two guys decide to meet girls by crashing weddings. They are successful, but then they both end up falling in love, much to their surprise.

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is not a children's movie. I thought it was pretty violent. I don't like seeing animals hurt, and even though the animals were mythical and/or computer-generated, I didn't like to watch the battle scenes. DH really liked this movie and wants to buy it. I thought it was just okay. I liked the book better. I thought that it was almost like watching "Lord of the Rings." Liam Neeson did the voice of Aslan, and Tilda Swinton was great as the White Queen, but I think she could have been even more evil. I suggest that you see it if you like this kind of movie or have fond memories of the book.

United Flight 93--The Movie

A new movie premiering this month strives to tell the story of United Flight 93, the flight that crashed over Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001. (It's rated R and you can see the trailer at the link above.)

Recently there was a tv movie on A&E about the same flight. I didn't watch that, nor will I choose to spend $7 to see a feature-length motion picture. I can't bear to watch news footage from that day. In the Massaoui trial, the prosecutors played news reports and 911 calls from victims for the jury. I couldn't watch reports of the trial either.

I know what happened. I listened to nonstop radio coverage that day, while I was at work. I remember.

What I think is that this film will inspire propaganda and jingoism. "OMG, look at all the Muslims! They're terrorists! OMG! Let's go to war and kill them all!!!!" Then, as now, I don't believe we made the right choices in the aftermath of pursuing those responsible. There are already enough myths and conspiracy theories out there about the towers falling and the flight crashing. I don't suggest that we forget what happened on that ordinary day, but I don't see how this new fictional film will "make things all better."

There are no easy answers. What happened was horrible. We shouldn't forget those who died. But why exploit them? Haven't they been exploited enough?

Bring back Dan

PLEASE.