Ranking the 007 canon

I am often asked (believe it or not) how I rank the 007 movies. This is subject to change, but as of now here's how I rank the Bond movies...

The classics
1.) Goldfinger
2.) From Russia With Love
3.) Thunderball

The near classics
4.) On Her Majesty's Secret Service
5.) Tomorrow Never Dies
6.) Casino Royale
7.) Dr. No

The pretty good
8.) For Your Eyes Only
9.) The Living Daylights
10.) The World is Not Enough

The goofy yet entertaining
11.) The Spy Who Loved Me
12.) You Only Live Twice
13.) Octopussy
14.) The Man with the Golden Gun
15.) Moonraker
16.) Die Another Day

Okay...if there's nothing better on
17.) View to a Kill
18.) License to Kill
19.) Live and Let Die

Downright lousy and stupid
20.) Diamonds are Forever
21.) Goldeneye

Change is Necessary

An excerpt from the 1978 essay How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later by Philip K. Dick:

Do not assume that order and stability are always good, in a society or in a universe. The old, the ossified, must always give way to new life and the birth of new things. Before the new things can be born the old must perish. This is a dangerous realization, because it tells us that we must eventually part with much of what is familiar to us. And that hurts. But that is part of the script of life. Unless we can psychologically accommodate change, we ourselves begin to die, inwardly.

What I am saying is that objects, customs, habits, and ways of life must perish so that the authentic human being can live. And it is the authentic human being who matters most, the viable, elastic organism which can bounce back, absorb, and deal with the new…The authentic human being is one of us who instinctively knows what he should not do, and, in addition, he will balk at doing it. He will refuse to do it, even if this brings down dread consequences to him and to those whom he loves.

This, to me, is the ultimately heroic trait of ordinary people; they say no to the tyrant and they calmly take the consequences of this resistance. Their deeds may be small, and almost always unnoticed, unmarked by history. Their names are not remembered, nor did these authentic humans expect their names to be remembered. I see their authenticity in an odd way: not in their willingness to perform great heroic deeds but in their quiet refusals. In essence, they cannot be compelled to be what they are not.

The entire essay can be found here.

Idiots!

Here's a little poem I wrote while stuck in traffic...and no it doesn't rhyme...and remember I was stuck in traffic and I really am a happy person and I really do like America.

11-15-06 - Dallas, Texas

Crash! BAng!
We're a nation of Idiots!
No one can drive.
Turn off you PHONE!
Use your turn signal!

Let's go to war and kill us some Muslims the redneck says.
Let's go to our trailers and do us some Meth.
Let's go to our schools and spend all our taxes on sports.

Idiots.
Idiots?
Idiots!

My calculator broke I can't do any math.
Essays? Why not text message?
College? No, let's get knocked up instead.

Let's go to church so we can judge our NEIGHBORS.
Let's have a theocracy
so Dobson and Hagee can rule
and save Israel.

OIL! MORE OIL!
Who needs Earth when Mars is so close?

Speak English or Die and
don't call me a bigot just because I don't like Mexicans.

Idiots!
We're a nation of Idiots!

Let's re-elect based on the commercials.
Going to church makes you a Christian.
Everyone outside the states is to be suspected of
socialism.

Don't AGREE?
You HATE America!

GUN SHOW HERE - Defend yourself and your family.

We are a nation of IDIOTS!

The Ubermensch

So we were watching this video over Christopher Columbus in my World History classes the other day. And regarding his atrocious treatment of the Native Americans the "experts" threw out the same old tired line that he was simply "a man of his times." This line seems to be the favored line to gloss over the more despicable behavior of our historical heroes.

Well, I think that line of thinking is rubbish. I realize I have the benefit of hindsight and centuries of knowledge before me. I know it's ridiculously easy to hold the past in harsh judgment. But I also realize I too will be judged by future generations.

Great men should strive to be ahead of their times. I'm not referring to subtle distinctions of social mores of certain time periods. I'm referring to man's treatment of other men. We cannot excuse the injustices we commit in the present by later using the excuse we were playing by the social conventions of the day.

God gave us brains. He gave us the ability to think critically. We must shatter the archaic conventions of our day if they perpetuate injustice, prejudice, and violence.

Easier said then done. Difficult at best. But dogma is the enemy of progress. All things must be carefully weighed and considered...all things. Toddlers are asking the right question when they ask 'why' a hundred times a day. Why do we stop asking 'why' once we reach adulthood? Because tired, overworked, exasperated parents beg their inquistive child to just go along so they can have some rest.

One of our great goals should be that if we are to be remembered after we pass on those who follow might say of us "they were not of their times, they were ahead of their time."

Casino Royale

So I saw the latest installment of the James Bond series last night, Casino Royale. Casino Royale reboots the series back to the beginning to see how Bond became 007. I've read all of Ian Fleming's novels and Casino Royale at least twice. The movie was actually fairly faithful to the book. Daniel Craig is exactly how the book envisions James Bond. This is a different type of James Bond than you might be used to...grittier, more realistic, and more human. The comedy is much darker and sarcastic. The action is more visceral and real. The theme song was only average. I liked the movie and liked Craig as 007. I'm not quite sure where it fits in the pantheon of great Bond flicks yet. But it is definately a good one.

Lincolns and Cadillacs

You would think that after their scathing defeat at the hands of the electorate that the Republican Party would have gained a sense of humility. It seems, however, that the G.O.P. is as out of touch as usual. The party of Lincoln has truly become the party of Lincoln and Cadillacs...isolated and out of touch with reality. Why else would they elect Trent Lott as their senate leader? Have the Republicans not learned a thing? They are either stupid or arrogant or more likely both.

The Republican party assumes that the American people will have forgotten or forgiven Lott for his racist remarks two years ago. The Republican party is making a serious mistake shooting themselves in the foot this way. The GOP will not win the hearts and minds of the people by following right wing racists like Trent Lott. They must follow a middle course or they will truly become a party of extremists and whackos out of touch with the mainstream. They will be the mirror image of the Democratic party of the 1980's.

With defeated elephants littering the political landscape after last week's massive defeat, which the President described as a "thumping", the Republicans would have done well to show contrition for theie policy failures. Even their staunch allies like James Dobson are accusing them of selling out their base. To rebound the G.O.P. should have eaten their crow, re-evaluated their position and plotted a new course to win back the hearts and minds of America. By bringing back Lott they are exhibiting extreme arrogance and unwillingness to moderate the more extreme members of their party. The Democrats must be secretly rejoicing as the elephant continues to stick it's head in the sand.

Save Ferris!

One of my favorite 80's movies, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, was on television this past week. I have seen it numerous times...but I had a startling revelation as I watched it again for the umpteenth time. I realized that I have switched sides. I am no longer a Ferris. I am now the boring teacher. I am now the enemy.

Instead of fighting the man I have become the man. I am not raging against the machine. I am the machine. This revelation was shocking and a bit depressing. I must fight to retain my subversiveness. I must struggle to enlighten and not brainwash. I must be a Jedi Master and not a Fascist pig. I must be the student's advocate and not their enemy. I must guide but not bully.

I think I do an okay job in all those areas. But sometimes I wish I could go back and be Ferris again.

Iceberg Radio

At work I listen to internet radio when class isn't in session. There are many sites that provide a wide variety of music. But my favorite is iceberg radio from Canada. They have every category of music imaginable. Take for instance one type of music, alternative. They have eight or nine different stations of different types of alternative music. I'm a radio humanist. I can't listen to the same style of music every day. That's like eating the same cereal every day. One day I'm listening to jazz. The next day, classical or world music. Iceberg has it all.

It's based in Canada so when you perform your one time free registration you must enter a Canadian zipcode. Don't worry...that's all legal. And you get great music to listen to while you are at work or at home. And it's all free.

Earth at Night

I always show this picture of Earth to my students at the beginning of the year. Modernity requires electricity. Electricity requires power. Unbelievable how unequal the distribution of power is on this globe. I guess we know the reason we can't see the stars at night. Too much light pollution. Do the world a favor every once in awhile and turn off the light. Click on the picture to get a larger view. This picture really says a thousand words.

Excising Cancer

I've been going to church since I was in the womb. Yesterday I experienced something I had never experienced before in all my years of going to church. I was yelled at in the foyer, in public, by a racist bigot angry at my support for having a Spanish congregation of Nazarenes meet in our sanctuary when not in use by our congregation.

First I was shocked at being yelled at period. Secondly I was amazed that anyone would so publicly expose themselves as racist in such a Mel Gibsonesque fashion. Some of his choicest words as he pointed toward the sanctuary as the Hispanic congregation was worshiping, "Those people didn't build our country, those people didn't make this country great."

Yes, I'm proud of my white forefathers who committed genocide by wiping out millions of Native Americans who had lived on this contintent for thousands of years while never keeping a single treaty they signed with the Indians.

I'm proud of how they built the southern agrarian economy on the backs of African slaves.

I'm proud of how humanely they treated the Chinese laborers who built the trans-contintental railroad.

I'm proud of how they refused to allow women to vote until 1922.

I'm proud of how they rounded up law-abiding Japanese-American citizens (including war-veterans from WWI) in 1942 and forced them to live in horse stalls at internment camps for the duration of World War II despite never being charged with any crime.

There is much to be proud of our nation and our nation's history. But like all races my ancestors have made grievous mistakes. Therefore, how can I judge any race when I remember how Christ died for me despite my sins?

There is no room in God's church for bigots like the one I encountered Sunday. I remember reading some of this guy's ideas in a little book called Mein Kampf in a history class. Mein Kampf...a warped (and poorly written) little book written by Adolf Hitler.

Racism is as much a heresy as the circumcision heresy, Arian Christianity or Gnosticism. I, for one, will shine the light of truth on such individuals so they can scurry like cockroaches for the dark places of this world. I will not allow God's church to become a safe haven for such satanic beliefs just because they can no longer espouse their racism publicly in the secular world.

I will attempt to follow Christ's model of compassion even toward those who disagree with me. But I will never kowtow and be intimidated by the insanity of those who hate God's fellow creations.

Medieval Toothpaste

So here's a joke I came up with the other day, yes...written by yours truly as I was brushing my teeth one morning before school...my AP World History students really enjoyed it.

Q: Why did medieval peasants in Russia use Crest toothpaste?

A: They needed Tartar protection.

If you don't find it funny...look up Tartars on wikipedia and maybe you'll appreciate it more.

The Evil of Two Lessers

Now, I'm no fan of John Kerry. He ran a stupid campaign in 2004. A moron could have unseated Bush. But Kerry is a waffling morose fool who somehow got beat by an intransigently ignorant Dubya. However, I am disgusted by the Republican's hammering of Kerry's statements about being stuck in Iraq. Yes, Kerry was an idiot for saying what he did.

However, the GOP is simply trying to divert attention from the issues that matter. They are desperate. They know that the Bush Administration is in trouble. They know they have to divert attention from the record of their corrupt and bloated Republican party. And they know that either most Americans are shallow enough to be distracted by all this Kerry criticism...or they know their easily-riled conservative base is so shallow as to think what Kerry said was actually important. Who really cares what Kerry says!?!

So there's my take...Kerry is a fool and the GOP deceitful. And you know what? Kerry in one sense was right. If Bush and the hawks had paid attention in World History class...they would have known this war in Iraq would be a horrible mistake. But the smell of oil can sure cloud the senses.

The Hunger Site

A real easy way to help others is to click on to the Hunger Site. The Hunger Site is a non-profit website that allows a browser simply to click on a button to donate money to the United Nations Hunger Relief Fund. You pay nothing. The money is donated by advertisers on the website who give a small donation everytime someone clicks on the hunger button. There are other sites linked that do the same thing for other causes as well.

The site has been endorsed by the New York Times and has been thoroughly checked out as legitimate. The idea was a brainchild of an Indiana man who decided to use the internet in a simple way to help others. The Hunger Site is truly elegant in its simplicity. And it costs the internet surfer nothing but a few seconds each day. You can only click once a day on each of the sites. It's ten seconds well worth the time.

There is so much on the internet that is garbage. For the past six years the Hunger Site has been showing the altruistic possibilities of the world wide web.

And God Answers...

Two weeks ago my Dad was diagnosed with cancer...multiple myeloma to be exact. As you can imagine the news was shocking and sobering. My father then went to the oncologist who performed a bone marrow biopsy which my Dad described as feeling like being stabbed with a knife for 15 excruciating seconds. The doctor said the thing to hope for would be results that come back clear. However, clear results only come back in 10% of cases that have the kind of protein levels my Dad had already tested for.

But the amazing thing is...the tests came back clear! My Dad does not have cancer. He has a fairly rare blood disorder acronymed MGUS. It is a blood disorder that is benign and not life threatening. Patients with MGUS do not suffer side effects and have a normal life expectancy. Instead of chemo or radiation my Dad now only has to have his blood tested every 3-6 months to make sure the MGUS does not morph into myeloma which is extremely unlikely.

I believe in prayer. Hundreds were praying for my Dad's tests to come back clear. And that's what happened. The odds that the tests would be clear were very small. But odds don't mean a thing in Heaven. God doesn't always answer our prayers the way we might prefer. But in this instance...I believe God has things for my Dad to do at Dallas Central Church of the Nazarene. It was a real heartwarming experience to hear the congregation applaud the news this past Sunday.

Miracles are those events which bring us closer to God...a supernatural phenomenon in its own right. So yes, I would qualify this as a miracle. Glory to God.

Don't Fence Me In!

My students and I were studying China and the Mongols this week. We learned about how the Chinese over the centuries built the greatest, most fortified wall the world has ever seen. We learned that it was a dismal failure in keeping the northern nomads out of China. In fact, in the 13th Century the Mongols would storm over the wall, rip away the Mandate of Heaven from the Song dynasty and create the Yuan dynasty with Khubilai Khan as supreme leader over the Han Chinese.

And this got me thinking. If the longest, widest, strongest, most fortified wall in human history could not keep out immigrants...what makes Dubya think that a 7,000 mile wall made of corrugated aluminum will keep Mexicans from crossing the Rio Grande?

The most fortified and guarded segment of our border is south of San Diego and yet that is exactly where more border crossing take place than anywhere else...according to the U.S. Border Patrol Agency. If you build a twenty-foot wall...I would advise buying stock in twenty-one foot tall ladders because that will be a hot seller in Mexico once this wall is built.

The whole thing is an election year scam. The bill passed by the Republicans and signed by Bush appropriates no money for this wall. What? Another unfunded mandate from the Bush Administration? There has not even been a financial feasibility study done on this wall. No government cost estimates. The only funds authorized call for a one BILLION dollar downpayment for the project. And that's just the downpayment!

We are going to spend billions for a wall that will not work. This is simply a way to strengthen the election chances for Republicans running next week. "Vote for me...I'll keep those Mexicans out of our country!"

Illegal immigration is a real problem that needs to be addressed seriously. Building a wall is a short-sighted and lazy way to deal with this problem. Real solutions that take actual thought and dialogue need to be discussed in a serious bi-partisan manner by our government. Both parties need to do the hard intellectual labor of coming up with long term solutions. Let's help Mexico strengthen their economy so people won't want to leave for America. Most of these immigrants don't want to make the dangerous and difficult journey north. They feel no other option exists to keep their families alive.

Let's come up with better ways to enforce the laws on the books. Let's come up with compassionate measures to help our neighbors to the south. Let's use our brains. Instead of empty and expensive measures...let's do some real thinking. Unfortunately that takes real leadership...something not seen in the White House or Congress in a very long time.

Happy Birthday iPod

Today is the fifth birthday of Apple's iPod. When the iPod was introduced Steve Jobs said it would revolutionize the way we listen to music. Most at the time thought he was indulging in the usual Apple hyperbole. But he was right. And boy, do I wish I had bought stock in Apple. A week before the iPod was introduced Apple stock was selling for $5 a share. Today Apple sells for $79 a share.

As much as I am intrigued by new technology I usually wait for the hype to settle down and for the newer improved models tp come to replace the initial 'shock and awe' prototypes. I am pretty hesitant to jump into a new format change. I waited a couple of years before buying a CD player in 1989. I didn't wait quite as long to go DVD. But I was incredulous to join in the iPod craze. I own nearly 300 CD's and was not happy that a new format looked to replace them. Plus the idea of downloading all those discs onto my computer didn't appeal to me.

But then I saw my first iPod one Christmas when my Uncle Phil and my cousin's Jeff and Greg brought their new iPod's to Grandma's house. I was entranced and about a year later I finally jumped the divide and bought the one I currently use almost two years ago. I use the CD's in the car and as a hardcopy. The iPod allows me to take all 290 CD's anywhere I want. I never have to worry about picking and choosing music for trips. I can easily create playlists and download new tracks from the internet. And the sound quality is pristine. Can't say enough.

So happy birthday iPod.

Me and Hugo

I was in Venezuela when Hugo Chavez attempted his military coup in 1993 which ultimately failed. Chavez was quickly arrested and there were some Venezuelans who were embarassed that their country couldn't even get a coup right. The coup was pretty much a non-event for me and the SNU Brass Choir I was traveling with. Our only direct contact with the attempted overthrow came when our bus (pictured left) was boarded by a helmeted, M-16 wielding soldier. He demanded to see our passports. When he saw that all our documentation was in order he waved us on without incident. It was the closest I had come to an M-16 machine gun. We also noticed similarily armed soldiers at many of the traffic intersections our dilapidated third world bus passed through. We weren't even sure whose side they were on in the coup. The coup became merely another crayon with which to color our experience in South America. I had an amazing time in Venezuela.

Well as the story goes, Chavez served his time, got out and took power the democratic way...he got himself elected president. He has since re-written the constitution and stacked the legislature with his lackeys. Although he has not committed genocide (yet) he has successfully followed the Hilterian path to power. He has positioned himself as a Castro who needs no sugar daddy due to his ace in the hole...oil. We have helped positioned him in a position of power due to our addiction to oil. I am pained by the thought of all those Venezuelan Nazarenes who I met and fellowshipped with having to endure this autocratic demigogue. Venezuela is a beautiful and wondrous country. A nation with some of the most beautiful scenery and friendly people in the world. Venezuelans deserve better.

Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

I just finished re-reading Civil Disobedience and Other Essays by Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862). Much of Thoreau's insights ring true over 140 years later. Some good quotes I read along the way...

"I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government."

"I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward."

"Those who, while they disapprove of the character and measures of a government, yield to it their allegiance and support, are undoubtedly its most conscientious supporters, and so frequently the most serious obstacles to reform."

"Why does it (the government) not encourage its citizens to be on the alert to point out its faults, and do better than it would have them?"

"Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison."

"A minority is powerless while it conforms to the majority; it is not even a minority then; but it is irresistible when it clogs by its whole weight."

"But the rich man--not to make any invidious comparison--is always sold to the institution which makes him rich."

"There will never be a really free and enlightened State, until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly."

"Genius is a light which makes the darkness visible."

The Kung Fu Mentality

Channel 68 here in Dallas has begun showing reruns of the old David Carradine show, Kung Fu. David Carradine plays a half-American half-Chinese Shaolin monk who after avenging the murder of his teacher flees to the United States in the 1800's. Chased by bounty hunters while searching for his American family, Caine helps people in trouble dispensing Daoist advice while he has frequent flashbacks of his master teaching universal truths back in China. The show ran for four seasons on ABC from 1972-1975.

What I like about Caine is that he never loses his temper, raises his voice or even seems in a hurry. Even when he moves fast or engages in martial arts combat he doesn't seem to exert much effort. Most of his strength comes from mind over matter. He only fights in defense and always speaks in a peaceful tone. He never judges and always helps people in need.

I wish I could always keep such calm in hectic situations. I always strive to be that calm eye in the hurricane of life. Caine also lived a life of elegant simplicity. Never carrying anything more than a bed roll and a few essentials. All the garbage we accumlate in life can really weigh us down. It's refreshing to see an alternative. Of course Caine, even in the 1800's, always stood out from society because of this simplicity and peacefulness. He took a lot of grief for being a man of peace and simplicity. I think the same would be true for such a character in the 2000's.

Great t.v. show.

Fembot Katie

So I uh, actually watched Katie Couric's first two news broadcasts on CBS. And I've caught her in bits in pieces in the weeks since. And yeah, I'm sticking with Charlie Gibson and ABC as the network anchor and news of choice. Katie has always been described as perky and engaging. But in her new gig she's a lifeless fembot. Plus, they try to cram so many speciality fluff pieces that hard news is often ignored or glosssed over. I hadn't watched the CBS evening news in years and was quickly reminded how they are definately the most unabashedly biased broadcast out there. White House correspondent Jim Axelrod, with his smirking wise-a#@ attitude makes me want to punch the side of my television. All broadcasts are biased to some degree. But at least there is an attempt on ABC for the appearance of objectivity. And Brian Williams makes me twitch if I listen to him long enought. I dig Anderson Cooper (despite his pretensioness) and Soledad O'Brian. But Katie...go back to the morning shows.