The 2010 movie, I just got it from NetFlix. I read the book ("The Eagle of the 9th" by Rosemary Sutcliff) back in middle school, so naturally I wanted to see the movie version.
If you haven't seen it you haven't missed much. Young Roman legionary officer Marcus Flavius Aquila, serving in Britain, sets out to redeem his family's honor. The 9th Legion under the command of Marcus's father, had set off into the wilds of Scotland some 20 years before and never returned. Marcus sets off north of Hadrian's Wall to recover the Legion's standard, one of the famous golden eagles of Rome. His only companion is Esca, a British slave of Marcus's.
It's a dreadful trip. It rains all the time, their rations run out. On the way up they pick up clues to the location of the lost eagle. The way back is worse, with angry Picts chasing them all the way on foot. The have to eat their game raw lest a fire give them away. Their horses wear out and in the last reel they are on foot, still pursued by war painted Picts. The Picts go in for olive drab warpaint from head to toe, that dehumanizes them completely. Marcus and Esca work out a number of personal differences on the trip. In the end Marcus and Esca return to civilization alive, unwounded, with the Eagle, and good friends.
My objection to the movie is it is a long, uncomfortable, dangerous, rainy trek thru the wilderness. Never a dry campsite, a good meal, it's just endless misery. It's not a trip I care to make, ever. The sets and costumes are good, the score is acceptable, the camera work is up to standard. Acting is OK, characterization is decent considering that the book was a Young Adult book with no girl friends or love interests.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
I have a bridge to sell you
Today's Wall St Journal Op-ed page title. "How Billionaires Can Build Bridges to the Middle Class". The author's quote billionaire William Conway of the Carlyle Group lamenting that he just cannot find a good way to put $1 billion of his money to work creating jobs.
So helpfully they suggest that Mr Conway could fund "infrastructure" namely he could use his money to finance building a bridge somewhere. Cool. Let's suppose Mr. Conway takes them up on it.
Next paragraph they suggest all sorts of government regulations that should be created to make sure Mr. Conway does the right thing with his money. A public something-or-other would create a list of eligible projects and Mr. Conway would be allowed to pick one.
Wow! Here we have a public spirited billionaire, who has decided to spend his own money on a public project, and we have the chutzpah to tell this guy what projects he is allowed to finance and which ones he is not allowed? Methinks Mr. Conway would put his checkbook back in his pocket and go away, mad.
Clearly the authors have been smoking controlled substances. And spend too much time in academia.
So helpfully they suggest that Mr Conway could fund "infrastructure" namely he could use his money to finance building a bridge somewhere. Cool. Let's suppose Mr. Conway takes them up on it.
Next paragraph they suggest all sorts of government regulations that should be created to make sure Mr. Conway does the right thing with his money. A public something-or-other would create a list of eligible projects and Mr. Conway would be allowed to pick one.
Wow! Here we have a public spirited billionaire, who has decided to spend his own money on a public project, and we have the chutzpah to tell this guy what projects he is allowed to finance and which ones he is not allowed? Methinks Mr. Conway would put his checkbook back in his pocket and go away, mad.
Clearly the authors have been smoking controlled substances. And spend too much time in academia.
Occupy Wherever?
What ever they are, they are getting plenty of press. Just finished watching a U tube clip that makes them look like hippies at a "be in". Passing a joint from hand to hand and making very mellow speak.
Lot of MSM and more serious newspeople have mentioned the lack of a "program". As in "what do they want", a set of political or economic demands. Apparently they don't have one. At least not yet.
Not surprising. I expect they are out of work, or still in college, and they don't like the prospect of unemployment or taking a job at the Golden Arches. Understandable. It's also understandable that they really don't know what they want, other than to end Great Depression 2.0, and return to plentiful jobs at good wages. We all want that.
Trouble is, no one really knows how to achieve that desirable end. So it's understandable that the Occupy Wherever folks don't have a clue either.
Lot of MSM and more serious newspeople have mentioned the lack of a "program". As in "what do they want", a set of political or economic demands. Apparently they don't have one. At least not yet.
Not surprising. I expect they are out of work, or still in college, and they don't like the prospect of unemployment or taking a job at the Golden Arches. Understandable. It's also understandable that they really don't know what they want, other than to end Great Depression 2.0, and return to plentiful jobs at good wages. We all want that.
Trouble is, no one really knows how to achieve that desirable end. So it's understandable that the Occupy Wherever folks don't have a clue either.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
999
Will Herman Cain's 999 tax plan work? That's a 9% income tax, a 9% Corporate income tax and a 9% national sales tax. How much money would we raise with 999? Would it pay Uncle Sam's bills?
Just for fun, I did a little surfing and got to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. There I find that total US income is $12.8 trillion. So 9% of that is $1.152 trillion
Corporate Profits before taxes is $1.8 trillion So 9% of that is a measly $0.162 trillion.
National sales is not given, so let's guess that one half of people's income gets spent on taxable stuff. That's fair, rent and mortgage payments suck up about half of most folks income and they aren't taxable. So let's estimate the 9% sales tax brings 9% of half of total income. That's %0.576 trillion.
Add it up. $1.152 + $0.162 + $0.576 = $1.89 trillion raised by the 999 tax plan.
Is this enough? No.
Current US govt expenditures are $5.4 trillion. Of that $1.3 trillion is borrowed.
Under 999 we would have to borrow $3.51 trillion to add to the $1.89 trillion of 999 tax revenues to raise the $5.4 trillion we are spending.
Even an 18-18-18 tax plan wouldn't be enough to cover today's federal spending.
Just for fun, I did a little surfing and got to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. There I find that total US income is $12.8 trillion. So 9% of that is $1.152 trillion
Corporate Profits before taxes is $1.8 trillion So 9% of that is a measly $0.162 trillion.
National sales is not given, so let's guess that one half of people's income gets spent on taxable stuff. That's fair, rent and mortgage payments suck up about half of most folks income and they aren't taxable. So let's estimate the 9% sales tax brings 9% of half of total income. That's %0.576 trillion.
Add it up. $1.152 + $0.162 + $0.576 = $1.89 trillion raised by the 999 tax plan.
Is this enough? No.
Current US govt expenditures are $5.4 trillion. Of that $1.3 trillion is borrowed.
Under 999 we would have to borrow $3.51 trillion to add to the $1.89 trillion of 999 tax revenues to raise the $5.4 trillion we are spending.
Even an 18-18-18 tax plan wouldn't be enough to cover today's federal spending.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Federal law requires USAF to have 316 transports?
According to Kelly Ayotte, my US senator, there is a federal law that requires the Air Force to maintain no less than 316 "transports" on active duty. She has introduced a bill to repeal this law.
Why do we have such a law on the books in the first place? Surely the defense department and the Air Force have a far better idea than Congress of how many transports are needed to defend the country. This sounds like something dreamed up by the senators from Lockheed (C-130) and Boeing (C17).
Why do we have such a law on the books in the first place? Surely the defense department and the Air Force have a far better idea than Congress of how many transports are needed to defend the country. This sounds like something dreamed up by the senators from Lockheed (C-130) and Boeing (C17).
Uganda
Made the news last night. US will send combat troops to Uganda. According to the TV news, it's only 100 special forces troops. Jeeze. That's hardly more than the embassy guard. Any embassy has three military attaches, each with 3 or 4 NCO's to run the office, and a 20 man Marine guard force. There you have 32 troops just hanging around the embassy.
I'm sure the US has 100 man units active in dozens of countries. Why did Obama announce this 100 man unit going to Uganda? Why not just send the troops and say nothing? A 100 man operation is small enough to keep secret. Especially as anyone knows announcing ground forces going into Africa is going to put the press into orbit with predictions of "another Viet Nam".
Or does Obama fear leaks from the military? And figures he is better off with a public announcement? He shouldn't. The US military is very loyal. Besides they learned never to talk to the press back in Viet Nam.
I'm sure the US has 100 man units active in dozens of countries. Why did Obama announce this 100 man unit going to Uganda? Why not just send the troops and say nothing? A 100 man operation is small enough to keep secret. Especially as anyone knows announcing ground forces going into Africa is going to put the press into orbit with predictions of "another Viet Nam".
Or does Obama fear leaks from the military? And figures he is better off with a public announcement? He shouldn't. The US military is very loyal. Besides they learned never to talk to the press back in Viet Nam.
USPS
Why does USPS give junk mail a cheaper rate? Why should not junk mailers pay the same rate I pay to mail my bills? The junk mail travels the same routes, gets delivered by the same mail carrier and travel just as fast, which means it costs USPS just as much to deliver junk mail as first class mail. So why should junk mail get a nice cheap rate? Why should my first class stamps subsidize junk mail that just goes into the fireplace.
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