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A judge in Tennessee(my home state) thought it appropriate to arrest a spectator in his courtroom and force the “accused” to submit to a drug test for no other reason than a hunch.  Wow.

While the judge did not get off unpunished, the fact he is still allowed to stand in judgement of others with such disregard or ignorance of the rule of law defies logic.

A judge in Dickson County, Tenn., had officers pull a spectator out of his courtroom “on a hunch,” held him in custody and made him submit to a urinalysis for drugs, the man claims in Federal Court. Benjamin Marchant claims that General Sessions Judge Durwood Moore admitted that he “routinely drug-screens ’spectators’ in his courtroom if he ‘thinks’ they may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” Moore allegedly called it the “routine policy of the court.”

All The President’s Men is the type of detail oriented and tedious film I enjoy too much.   I love the feeling of being a part of the situation.  I was the third reporter on this story being overloaded with information and details that make sense but do not lead to any rational conclusion.

This film could easily have been further fictionalized to provide more excitement, but in reality, the reliance on the minutia created a higher level of suspense than any higher level of physical danger ever could.  Only a few times do we catch wind of the danger all of the characters are subjected and even then it’s a passing subplot to the importance of “story”.

Sadly, we seldom see films of this vein any longer.  Partially due to our unwillingness to sit through a two-hour movie on process but mostly because Michael Bay would never fit a half naked woman blowing up aliens into the plot successfully.

[note: I am not a movie critic or a writer of any sort.  This entry is only my quick opinion on the movie in question.  Click here to see the entire 100 Films in 2010.]

My first New Year’s resolution is less of a resolution and more of a goal.  I will watch every single member of AFI’s 100 top movies.  Before I even start this task, I can claim credit for 51 films.  Many of the 51 films are my absolute favorite films and films I have watched dozens if not hundreds of times.  I, however, will view these movies again.  Here are the rules I have arbitrarily concocted up for my goal.

1) AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies(10th Anniversary) will be list used.

2) All 100 hundred movies must be watched regardless of previous viewing or difficult acquisition.

3) All effort must be made to watch these movies in order from 100 to 1.

4) Rule 3 can be disregarded if Netflix does not offer the next movie in line on demand.  In these cases, the next available movie offered by Netflix on demand must be watched.  Movies skipped must be added to the top of the snail mail queue.

5) After viewing each movie, I must write at least a 200 word brief on the film.  This should not be construed as a review or a synopsis, but rather my reaction to the film.

6) All 100 films must be finished by December 31, 2010.

Below are the first 10 movies on my journey:

100) Ben-Hur

99) Toy Story

98) Yankee Doodle Dandy

97) Blade Runner

96) Do The Right Thing

95) The Last Picture Show

94) Pulp Fiction

93) The French Connection

92) GoodFellas

91) Sophie’s Choice

As I go through the list, I will keep a ranking of my own based completely and solely on my enjoyment of each individual film.  Think of it as King of the Mountain.  The first movie I watch will, by default, be my favorite movie until another film knocks it off its vaunted pedestal.

Good luck to me.

…until David Tennant’s final episode as the Doctor. To whet your appetite, here is preview for tonight’s episode, “End of Time:Part II”, and a trailer for next season with the new Doctor.

[hattip: BoingBoing]

Watching something like this really shows you how minute and tiny we are in our own world and in the Universe.  Our day to day lives are so hectic and we spend so much time on what ends up being such meaningless tasks that we really do forget how amazing the natural world is.

As an 18 year old, My college roommate, Seth, and I travelled to Rocky Mountain National Park to for a short vacation.  We drove all night and camped in the back of his blue 1993 Ford Ranger pickup truck.  The nights were cold and we had no sleeping bags but none of this matter to us as we were so in awe of the majesty that surrounded us.  Growing up in Arkansas and Tennessee, we had both seen mountains, but nothing of the level of these sleeping giants.

One morning we woke before the sun had risen to hike to the base of the Twin Sisters.  As we climbed up the mountain, past the tree line, through the 2 inches of virginal early fall snow to the summit, we stayed silent.  There was nothing that either of us could say that would make sense before the vistas in front of us.  We made the summit around midday and just sat for hours eating our lunch and staring westward towards the expanse of the Rockies.

These moments come far too rarely in our world.  Whenever the do come by its best just to sit back and just be glad that in a world and Universe so daunting and magnificent, we still have a place to call home.

I finally joined the 20th century and bought a smartphone. This thing is awesome.

I guess being a 30 year old who looks 18 has its advantages.

The experts found that people who looked younger than their actual age were far more likely to survive, even after they adjusted for other factors like gender and environment. The bigger the difference in perceived age within any twin pair, the more likely it was that the older-looking twin died first.

…who happens to be an atheist.  This time its from the Charlotte Observer.  Of course, we get more quotes from the insane H.K Edgerton:

“My father was a Baptist minister. I’m a Christian man. I have problems with people who don’t believe in God,” said Edgerton, a former local NAACP president and founder of Southern Heritage 411, a group that promotes the interests of black Southerners.

2 points to make about that quote.

1) Good for you. Your father was a Baptist minister. You are a Christian. You have a problem with me. That’s great. My father was a sane man. I’m an sane man. I have problems with people who have a tenuous grasp on reality.

2) Since when is Southern Heritage 411 a group that “promotes the interest of Black Southerners?” Really? Go to their site and show me anything to do with the advancement of the interests of Black Southerners. Anything.