My voter-registration card arrived yesterday.  So, looks like I’m legal for Election Day.

Because just because he’s dead doesn’t mean he deserves a movie.  And just because he got a movie anyway doesn’t mean it’s good.  As the steadily balding and steadfastly boring cinematic pope, Thomas Kretschmann treads water for a while until a tidal wave of the usual biopic suspects (temporal fragmentation, indifference to characterization or theme, dialogue bound for Barlett’s Familiar Quotations) drags him under.

First off, “commerations” to Pulao on a prelim turn-in!

Secondly, in the upcoming elections, all the winds seem to be blowing in the right correct direction. And I must say, I’m hoping to have a big celebration on election night, but three things caught my eye today. None of these stories suggest that opinion in this country is changing, but it does remind me that it takes more than opinion to win in electoral politics.

It first takes a transparent and clear system for voting. And with the NY Times analysis of voting maching troubles that don’t even have . . .

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O mighty Python, O mighty Boa!
One moved fast, the other no slowah…

Hunters and agents were on your tails,
and perky blondes with skin so pale.

Boa Vs Python, Brother versus Brother;
both hunting, both hunted, pitted against the other.

Alas! I knew only one could prevail
but what if that train had derailed?
Would you still be battling, great serpent gods?
Would I still be taking midnight odds?

All I know is now it’s done,
but Komodo Vs Cobra is on at one.

Sometimes I get weird calls at work; this was one of them.

The guy started out simple enough; he had seen an ad in a magazine for a free business book, and he had read to call our number — had he reached Riverglenn Publications*?

No, we used to be Riverglenn, now we’re Streamfield; sorry, sir. Yes, we’re still located at 412 Winterset, Minneapolis. No, we don’t offer that book anymore. Must’ve been an old magazine!

And that would normally have been that. But the guy went on. He was talking from somewhere noisy; I heard clacking shoes, clanging, conversation . . .

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