Stop It!

Guess what? I don't care who you are voting for! I don't care who you support! I don't need to see beautiful lawns cluttered up with stupid campaign yard signs. I also don't need to see it on your car. Or in your e-mail.

Seriously, why do people do this? These people must think someone's going to be driving through the neighborhood, see an "Obama in '08" sign in Linda's front yard and think, "Hmm, Linda's voting for Obama. I think I will too. Because Linda is the authority in all things political. She sure knows what she's talking about. In fact, she probably could be on CNN. Obama it is!"

Come to think of it, I hate Linda. And the fact that she likes Obama makes me not like him. So because of the yard sign, I'm going to vote for someone other than Obama. Take that, Linda!

We've come to an age when slogans and marketing campaigns have overtaken political campaigns. It shouldn't be who is voting for whom and why. It should be what these candidates are standing for and why.

Shouldn't the neighborhood association do something about this? Granted, they don't do much good, besides take the residents money. But they regulate many things regarding lawns. Tell them to take them out!

"Oh, but you're infringing on my freedom of speech."

Can it, d-bag. You want to live in this neighborhood, you play by our rules, Linda.

It Will Contend

Mark my words.

Wall-E will become only the second animated film in history to be nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. And it will seriously contend.

Its ability to bring a post-apocalyptic world to a family film and its overlying films will appeal in Hollywood. This may finally be Disney's first Oscar for one of it's feature-length animated films. And I'd say it's about time too.

Stop Questioning Genius!

So, before Disney-Pixar's Cars premiered, people questioned its success and wondered if people who aren't NASCAR fans would go see a movie about autos. Now a sequel is in the works and a themed land at Disney's California Adventure.

Then came last year's Ratatouille. People wondered if a movie about a rat chef would sell with the kids. It went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Now those people are wondering if a movie about a little robot can work. When will these stupid people realize everything Pixar touches turns to gold? When will these people be fired? When will they just shut up?

Wall-E will be a smash hit. Hands down. It will likely gross more than $500 million worldwide. Watch it score about $65 million this weekend.

An Election of Ideology

Regardless of who you vote for, change is most certainly in store following the 2008. And it may not be the change you think or what the candidates are campaigning for in the future.

A look at U.S. political history shows a cycle of power shifting back and forth between the executive and legislative branches. The executive branch has dominated the federal government since FDR and the legislative branch has slowly lost more and more power. Perhaps now, more than any other time in U.S. history, the office of the president is as strong as ever. (By the way, the judicial branch has steadily increased it's power since 1789.)

Regardless of who serves next as our president, Congress will almost certainly grasp power back. How much power depends on who wins and how you like your salsa.

Mild: Obama
Medium: McCain
Hot: Barr
Muy Caliente: Nader

Obama is almost certainly destined to be a the weakest executive of the four. With little federal service and even less executive experience, Obama will take about two years to learn the ropes. That will give the first Congress to serve with him time to take action. And with a platform promoting so much change, very little can actually be done. The world is naturally change adverse. By the start of the third year, Obama will have become a deal maker with Congress, and Congress will capitalize.

McCain's lack of executive experience will be initially offset by his many years in the Senate. He will be apt to work with Congress and just that act alone will cede power back to the legislature. His policies would require less changes from the status quo. Still, the Congress will likely see the chance to seize more control.

Of course, either candidate will be coming from the Senate. Naturally, they might favor legislative tendencies.

Barr would keep things very much the same as they are today. But increasing displeasure in the status quo would allow the Congress to finally take action to turn the ship. Barr would thus begin to lose power, but still hold on to much of it.

Nader...well, who knows really? He's been more of a lobbyist and crusader in the past 4 decades than anything else. There really is no telling what kind of government man he would be. His stubbornness on policy, though, would likely lead to Congress taking more action. But it remains a mystery.

A vote for Barr or Nader, too, is a vote for a different kind of ideology as well - one that fights against the ills of a two-party system.

Whichever way the election goes, I think the next president will only serve one term. The person elected will likely be ineffective for most of his term. Unless he can gain serious momentum into the 2012 election, it will be a new kid on the block, one who will likely set the stage for the presidency in the 21st century.

It's Never What It Seems

I just had a revelation. Just sitting here right now at work. A revelation. Penny is not Widmore's daughter.

Did I get you?

Here we go.

Penny is not Widmore's daughter. Charlotte is. Penny is in fact Ben's childhood friend Annie. They are both from the island. Have you noticed we've never really gotten much background on Penny? All we've gotten is that Desmond loves her. And we never heard what happened to Annie.

Let's say there was an old switch-a-roo of some kind. That's a minor detail in the whole scheme of things.

So Ben sends Sayid to track down and kill Penny. Ben never sees Penny, though he may not recognize her as Annie in her older age anyway. Sayid ends up killing Penny. Desmond's pissed. Then Ben finds out it's Annie and he goes in a tail spin. Desmond wants Ben dead. Ben wants Charlotte dead. Widmore probably wants them all dead. Bam! Season 5 and 6.

Meanwhile, Charlotte's alive and well and kicking it on the island. And maybe she's even helping daddy Widmore get the island back somehow. That's why she stayed.

Of course, that's still assuming Sayid can pull the trigger, which is still very much in doubt.

I guess it will be awhile until we see.

The Beginning of Act III

As we reach the end of Season 4, we enter the final third of the entire Lost series, or Act III as I'll call it.

Now, think back to the "Dalai Lama" test Ben was given as a young boy. One of the objects placed on the table was The Book of the Law by Aleister Crowley (Wikipedia him for more info...it's quite entertaining!). Crowley was in Cairo when he "received" the book from Aiwass, a messenger for the Egyptian god Horus. This book is divided into three chapters. So as we hit Act III, let's look at Chapter 3. Each line begins with its designated verse number. It starts:

1. Abrahadabra; the reward of Ra Hoor Khut.
2. There is division hither homeward; there is a word not known. Spelling is defunct; all is not aught. Beware! Hold! Raise the spell of Ra-Hoor-Khuit!
3. Now let it be first understood that I am a god of War and of Vengeance. I shall deal hardly with them.
4. Choose ye an island!
5. Fortify it!
6. Dung it about with enginery of war!
7. I will give you a war-engine.
8. With it ye shall smite the peoples; and none shall stand before you.
9. Lurk! Withdraw! Upon them! this is the Law of the Battle of Conquest: thus shall my worship be about my secret house.
10. Get the stele of revealing itself; set it in thy secret temple -- and that temple is already aright disposed -- & it shall be your Kiblah for ever. It shall not fade, but miraculous colour shall come back to it day after day. Close it in locked glass for a proof to the world.

I can't help but see things stand out.

First, what if Aiwass is like Christian Shepherd and Horus is like Jacob. One is the messenger for the other.

There is division hither homeward; there is a word not known.

I definitely feel we will see some conflict about people choosing to stay or go home, while others may have no choice. But there will be division about going home or not.

Now let it be first understood that I am a god of War and of Vengeance. I shall deal hardly with them.

Jacob? Vengeance has certainly been a recurring them on the island.

Choose ye an island! Fortify it!

Duh!

I will give you a war-engine. With it ye shall smite the peoples; and none shall stand before you.

Smokey?

Lurk! Withdraw! Upon them! this is the Law of the Battle of Conquest: thus shall my worship be about my secret house.

If anything, the Others "lurk". Secret house? Jacob's house?

Get the stele of revealing itself; set it in thy secret temple -- and that temple is already aright disposed -- & it shall be your Kiblah for ever. It shall not fade, but miraculous colour shall come back to it day after day. Close it in locked glass for a proof to the world.

The Others went to a secret temple. But could the temple be the island itself? And locked glass...they are entering the Orchid station, which is a greenhouse.

For the complete text, check it out here. Warning: you may be cursed for doing so.

When the Nightmares Started

Last week, Ben asked Widmore, "When did you start sleeping with a bottle of scotch next to your bed?"

His response: "When the nightmares started."

I think the "nightmares" Widmore spoke of is the same type of visions that haunt Jack, Hurley and others throughout Lost. And I think Ben knows they happen, which is why he asked the question. Ben must know that they are a sort of side effect of having contact with the island.

Perhaps everyone has these visions, but some are worse than others. Some of the castaways may be experiencing them and not even realize it. It's only the traumatic ones, like Jack seeing his dead father, that garner attention. Then flip that with Hurley, who seems to have embraced his visions of Charlie after first fearing them.

Clearly Jack fears his father and always has. I think the visions of dad will continue to haunt him until he embraces his father and comes to a reconciliation with him. Remember, Lost started off focusing on people's past, and many of the castaways have rectified their previous actions. Jack still has never done that. He never embraced his father. We only got a first glimpse of that last night when he talked about his father being a good storyteller. Yet, Jack ultimately divulged into pills and booze, just like Widmore last week.

Jack's haunting past is effecting his present, exemplified in his insecurities. He has loved Kate for so long and he finally has her, which we already know he will lose her. Jack's redemption is likely going to be saved for the series finale, so we will have two more seasons of a self-tormented, whiny Jack. Thank goodness there are more characters to enjoy.

Ultimately, Jack's desire to return to the island, as shown in the first flashforward at the end of last season, may be the same as Widmore's desire to find the island:

To make the nightmares stop.