DVD Review: Murder Most English

This week, the classic British murder mystery series, Murder Most English, releases on DVD. Check out my review here at Blogcritics.

Changes

After almost five years with the same color scheme I finally changed it. Granted, it's not much of a change but we have to take small steps.

Maybe one day I'll get around to getting a more sophisticated design to this blog.

Don't hold your breath.

Meeting My "Other" Daughter

Have you ever decided to Google your own name just for the fun of it?

I've always been afraid to do it for fear of what I would discover.

But my oldest daughter, Annie, did it last fall.

Turns out there was another girl named Annie Parsons. She has a wonderful blog. They started trading e-mails. The other Annie wrote a beautiful letter to my Annie. They became good friends online.

But the best part is that the other Annie lives in Nashville. Last week we got to meet her.

A.P. (which is the nickname we gave to the other Annie to keep track of who's who - she calls our daugher Little A. P.) calls our Annie her Muppet Baby.

A.P. is one of the sweetest young women I have ever met. As we were saying good-bye after a lovely dinner, I told her that I felt like I had met my "other" daughter.

I hope my girls grow up to be as sweet and caring as A.P.

It was a real joy to finally get to meet her. We'll get to hang out again when we go back to Nashville in the fall. It will be a blast.



A.P. (center) flanked by my daughters Katie and Annie (otherwise known as Little A.P.)

Required Reading

Bill Bennett has weighed in on an oft-debated topic: what books should every high school student be required to read? (hat tip: The Corner) Personally, I didn't tackle some of the titles on the list until college but certainly didn't read all of them.

Such lists are interesting because chances are you'll get a wide range of opinions of what should and should not be on such a list.

Interestingly enough, no book that has been published in the past 30 years was on the list.

I've actually read about a third of the books on the list and would probably only take issue with "Catcher in the Rye" and "The Great Gatsby". I didn't care for either one but might feel differently if I read them again.

"1984" seems to be worth re-reading as we seem to be morphing into the type of world Orwell envisioned.

I haven't read all of Shakespeare but both my daughters are devoted to his works (they each have their own copy of his complete works). For what's it worth, I have read "Macbeth" and "Hamlet" as well as "Romeo and Juliet".

I've read both Dickens novels and would agree they are his best and most important. But the others shouldn't be ignored, either.

I didn't try to tackle "Pride and Prejudice" until college. I didn't understand it then but probably would do better with it now. But I haven't read any other Austen though I've seen at least one film adaptation of each novel. Perhaps one day I'll get back to reading them.

I'm sure there are plenty others that are must reads although I can't think of any right now.

As for most of the rest on the list, I haven't read them but might one day.

What books would you suggest?

Cycling To Support Wounded Warriors

One of the few "must-see" television programs for me is Chuck which is currently airing on NBC on Monday nights. Adam Baldwin is one of the real bright spots of the show. Turns out he's also one the few really good guys in Hollywood based on this account of his recent participation in the Ride 2 Recovery ride across Texas (also posted here). Hats off to Mr. Baldwin for his support for our wounded warriors.

Hat tip: Stephen Hayes

How Long Before This Promise Is Broken?

Lost in the midst of the weekend news coverage of President Barack Obama hamming it up with his new best friend Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is this little promise tucked into this weekend's Presidential Radio/Internet Address:

"In the coming weeks, I will be announcing the elimination of dozens of government programs shown to be wasteful or ineffective," he said. "In this effort, there will be no sacred cows and no pet projects. All across America, families are making hard choices, and it's time their government did the same."

For those of you keeping score at home, this is the same President Obama who pushed through a $787 billion pork-filled spending bill and a proposed $3.6 trillion budget. He also promised during the campaign to go through the budget line-by-line and eliminate waste. Yet such scrutiny seems to have been absent during these initial spending initiatives.

Anyone really think he's going to follow through on this one?

I wouldn't count on it.

Things To Know About Pirates

Pirates have been making the news of late and as a public service, IMAO features some fun facts to know about them. Check it out.

Opening Day

Baseball is back and not a moment too soon. Fans everywhere are cheering the return of the boys of summer. But of all the baseball stories that have come out today, this one has to be my favorite.

Hat tip: Hot Air

Looking Ahead....

It's way too early to discussing the 2012 Presidential election, but given the ever-increasing buyer's remorse setting in among Americans these days, it's not unreasonable to think about who could potentially be a leading candidate next time around. Kevin McCullough has been spending a few days with Governor Mike Huckabee and likes what he sees. I'm not willing to sign onto Kevin's prediction yet but I'm certainly hoping that he is right.

Coach K Gets This One Right

It pains me as a Carolina alumnus to post anything positive about Duke's Coach K but I have to agree with him completely on his comments about President Obama's NCAA tournament brackets:



Hat tip: Mary Katherine Ham

Not As Bad As We Think?

President Barack Obama reversed himself by stating today that the economy is "not as bad as we think". This is remarkable given the fact that the President and his minions have been behaving like Chicken Little when it comes to the economy for months now.

But it makes one wonder whether this reversal is simply a response to his falling poll numbers as well as plummeting stock prices or the fact that the President is way in over his head. Given that his treasury secretary is considered more incompetent than his predecessor and that he can't seem to find people to work in his administration makes one wonder.

A Tribute to the Greatest Generation

Every day we lose more and more members of that Greatest Generation -those who gave of themselves for a cause much greater than any of themselves. Here's a wonderful tribute to one of those men.

Hat tip: Paula

Looking at the New Deal with Amity Shlaes

One of the most fascinating books I have read over the last few months is The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression. Actually, in reading the book I was amazed at how much President Barack Obama's economic policies are like that of FDR. Needless to say, that was not comforting.

Recently I had the opportunity to talk with Amity Shlaes, author of the book. Click here to read more about our conversation and what she had to say about the current economic crisis.

The Palpable Anger of the Public

Don't think Americans are angry at their leaders in Washington? Just read this and decide for yourself.

How long before Americans decide enough is enough?

Obama's Mortgage Plan: More Harm Than Good?

The Wall Street Journal takes a look at President Obama's proposed mortgage rescue plan and finds that it could create far more problems than it solves:

President Obama yesterday announced his plan to prevent home foreclosures, saying he wanted to be "very clear about what this plan will not do: It will not rescue the unscrupulous or irresponsible by throwing good taxpayer money after bad loans . . . And it will not reward folks who bought homes they knew from the beginning they would never be able to afford."

We really do wish he were right. In fact, the details released yesterday suggest the President's plan will do all of the above. The plan will help some struggling homeowners. But by investing in failure, the Administration will also prolong the housing downturn and make financing a home purchase more difficult for future borrowers. Meanwhile, the plan isn't likely to slow the continuing decline in housing prices.

The President's plan is predicated on the false belief that everyone deserves to own a home. The fact is that not everyone can afford to own a home. The efforts of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make it easier for people to buy homes they could not afford are at the heart of the current financial crisis. Unfortunately, the President's plan does nothing to address this fundamental issue and instead just prolongs the crisis and leaving taxpayers on the hook.

As CNBC's Rick Santelli correctly points out in this clip, this is an example of government rewarding bad behavior. Unfortunately it's the 92% of honest, hardworking Americans he refers to that will pay the price.

Geithner Must Go

National Review's Larry Kudlow says it's time for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to resign:

For all of Mr. Geithner’s apparent skills and knowledge and other professional qualifications, he still has a tremendous ethical problem. Pres. Obama has made much of the need for a new era of responsibility and ethics. Obama is right. But Mr. Geithner is wrong. He should follow Daschle and Killefer by submitting his resignation.

This is a matter of personal character and accountability. It is a matter of honesty. Too many of our leaders suffer big deficits in these areas.

As Kudlow points out, the fact that President Obama has made ethics a central part of his administration makes the Geithner problem more acute. In addition, with the focus of the administration's energies on the economy, it is going to be difficult for Geithner to be the face of economic policy for the administration. In a separate post, Kudlow made this point:

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner stood alongside President Obama in a White House press briefing yesterday. Obama talked about bank compensation limits and Geithner spoke about the need for trust, confidence, and faith in our leaders to get the job done. Only a day earlier, Pres. Obama said there should be no double standard when it comes to paying taxes.

However, Mr. Geithner is guilty of a double standard. He dodged his taxes. We know that. The only reason he eventually paid his taxes is because he was nominated to the Treasury. He has never gotten honest about his tax dodge. He never answered the key question of whether he would have paid his back-taxes had he not been nominated to the Treasury. And the result is that Mr. Geithner has lost the trust and confidence of the American people.

It's time for Mr. Geithner to go.

The New Deal Didn't Work (And Won't Work Again)

President Barack Obama has made no secret of the fact that he considers Franklin D. Roosevelt as one of his role models. President Obama's economic plans are very similar to those of FDR: increased government spending and intervention in markets to try to spur economic growth. Amity Shales, author of the excellent book The Forgotten Man, offers a terrific summary of why the New Deal didn't work.(hat tip: Nota Bennett)

The fundamental problem with President Obama's economic policies is the underlying assumption that government action can solve problems that can be more effectively and efficiently dealt with by market forces. The only guarantee with the President's proposals is that the economy will be no better off and in fact probably be in much worse shape no matter how much new spending is dressed up as "stimulus".

If the President's program actually helps the economy recover it will be the first time that increased government spending has spurred economic growth. History (and particularly the New Deal) suggest that the President's stimulus is doomed to fail.

Interview: Bruce Campbell

Recently I had the opportunity to sit in on a conference call with Bruce Campbell from Burn Notice. Here's the article about the interview that I wrote for Blogcritics. Enjoy.

Bush's Legacy and Obama's Burden

As we approach the end of George W. Bush's presidency, many postmortems will be written to explain how horrible or wonderful the President performed depending on point of view. No doubt many liberals will be quick to proclaim Bush as the worst president ever. But he did in fact have many achievements.

I believe that history is likely to judge him far more kindly as time passes. President Bush's lasting legacy will be the War on Terror. His response to the 9/11 attacks reset forever our approach to terrorism. Unless President-elect Barack Obama totally dismantles the anti-terrorism measures adopted under President Bush (and I don't think he will), President Bush will long be remembered as the President who forever changed America's approach to terrorism.

But there are those critics of President Bush who will bring up the economy as evidence of malfeasance on the part of the outgoing President. A couple of factors to consider: (1) the foundation for the economic collapse was laid back during President Clinton's time in office when regulations restricting lending practices at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and (2) the financial crisis occurred so late in President Bush's term that there was not time for him to see the crisis to a conclusion.

Come January 20th, the economy will be Obama's problem. It will be the issue most likely to dominate his presidency much as the Great Depression did for most of Franklin D. Roosevelt's time in office. The best way that President-elect Obama can succeed is to realize first that blaming President Bush will get him nowhere.

Mr. Obama has stated on several occassions that FDR has been a role model for him as he prepares for the presidency. He would do well to remember that Roosevelt's economic policies did more to prolong the Great Depression that to relieve it. Unfortunately for him, Democrats have never met a government program that they didn't like. Unless Mr. Obama can demonstrate a willingness to stand up to his party and try to relieve the economy through other means besides more spending we may be in for tough economic times for many years to come. That will be the legacy that will dog President Obama, not President Bush.

Quick Takes 1-9-09

A new year and time for another new roundup of interesting links.....

Pride and Prejudice as a Facebook page. Very cool indeed. (Hat tip: nosh)

Not just pro-life but pro-woman.

Need a cool nickname? Try this.

I don't think that President-elect Obama will be able to blame Bush much longer for the bad economy. (Thanks to Lorie Byrd)

Name that party. Hint: it's not in the first eleven paragraphs. No news bias here, right? (Hat tip: Hot Air)

America as a celebritocracy. (Hat tip: Jonathan) However, I'm more in agreement with Bill Bennett that the nomination of Dr. Gupta as Surgeon General is a smart move.

Bailout for porn kings? Let's hope not. (Warning: adult content)

Rejoicing in Red Sox Nation: John Smoltz signs with Boston. Assuming he's healthy, that could be a big pickup for the Sox.

John Zeigler meets Sarah Palin and finds her to be a real person.

This story brings a whole new meaning to the term "ugly divorce". (Hat tip: Dave Barry)

January 10th at 9pm Eastern Fox News will feature a special presentation of Gary Sinise's tour of Iraq. You won't want to miss this. Here's a special message from Gary that's worth reading.

With the inauguration almost upon us, it's interesting to look back at the history of prior inaugurations with Jane Hampton Cook:



Have a great weekend.