Kish and I went to see Unknown on Saturday. We both like Liam Neeson and were in the mood for an action-adventure film. Unknown met those requirements — but not much else.
Unknown is a story of a man who is knocked unconscious in an accident, lapses into a coma, and is surprised to learn when he awakens that he has been replaced, in every facet of his life, by another man. It is the kind of movie that asks audience members to completely suspend their reasoning faculties and tries to maintain such a break-neck pace that you don’t have time to consider the plot holes and implausibilities. It features a big twist toward the end, and I won’t spoil it for anyone who wants to see the film. However, it is the kind of twist that renders the overall plot so improbable that I, at least, felt a bit cheated.
With his craggy face and physical size, Liam Neeson is a believable action hero who looks like he could throw a punch and absorb a beating. His character is helped by an illegal alien taxi driver, played by Diane Kruger, and a former East German spy, played by Bruno Ganz. (Ganz is an accomplished actor and turned in a fine performance, but as I looked at him I couldn’t help but think of his performance as Adolf Hitler in Downfall. His depiction of Hitler, as Der Fuehrer is advised that the Russians are closing in, has been turned into countless YouTube parodies in which a subtitled Hitler supposedly reacts to unexpected results in sporting events. Whenever Ganz was on screen I found myself thinking of Hitler talking about his TO Dallas Cowboys jersey.)
Unknown is no great film, but it’s not an unpleasant way to spend a few hours on a cold and rainy day.
S.A.D. is a condition that is associated with the winter. The 
I haven’t joined the Facebook brigade because Facebook just seems weird to me. The whole concept of “social networking” and having a wall that anyone can write on is odd. I don’t know how accessible I want to be to people from my past. I’ve also thought that there is something kind of pathetic about people who aren’t in their teens reaching out to others and asking them to be a “friend.” It’s like high school all over again! I’ve been afraid that, if I join Facebook and have to wrestle with awkward social issues like “friending,” I’ll probably suffer some kind of sympathetic acne breakout, too. And, unlike, say, Bob Dole, I’ve never made a practice of referring to myself in the third person — and Facebook seems to be filled with breathless, third-party references.
The show is part of 
The situation has become intolerable. Venice now experiences 100 floods a year. The Venetians and the Italian government have finally taken action. Their plan involves construction of massive inflatable gates that will lie flat on the sea floor under normal circumstances, only to be inflated so as to block sea water from entering the lagoon when water levels rise. The project is, as you would expect, controversial. People have raised questions about its cost, its effectiveness and its environmental impact. Amazingly, due to political wrangling it took four decades for construction on the project to get started — even though the situation is growing increasingly desperate.
In Ohio, as in Wisconsin and other states, the ability of public employees to engage in collective bargaining is being revisited by the legislature, and the pro-union forces were having a big rally. As we approached the Statehouse along Third Street, buses were rolling up and discharging union members who were joining the rally. The crowd, probably numbered in the hundreds by that point, began a spirited “Kill the bill!” chant. Union members were handing out fliers with the schedule for the day. The TV trucks were there, with their satellite dishes extended, and we ran into an NPS radio reporter who was happy to have some good audio to use in her report. As we turned the corner of the Statehouse, we saw more union members heading toward the rally. At the corner of Broad and High we watched as a firefighters bagpipe and drum corps marched by playing some unknown tune, their kilts flapping in the cold winter wind. A policeman who was holding back traffic gave a high five to one of the marchers. By the time we got back to the firm, a helicopter — probably from one of the local stations — was hovering overhead to get some crowd shots. And when I drove home that night I heard that the rally would be capped by a lawsuit contesting the decisions on how many of the rally attendees were permitted to enter the Statehouse.
The dogs that were next most likely to bite were shih tzus, chihuahuas, and poodles. No surprise there, either! Every dog knows that those poor guys act macho to make up for their shrimpiness or the fact that they are constantly getting combed or coiffed or treated in some kind of really embarrassing way. Any dog would rather roll in poop than have someone put a bow in their hair or keep them in a purse. The shih tzus and chihuahuas try to compensate for their humiliating condition with a chomp or two. It’s sad, but predictable.
We can fairly conclude that something is happening, because Gaddafi’s kid gave a bizarre, finger-wagging, fight-to-the-last-bullet speech. You wouldn’t expect that kind of diatribe unless circumstances were dire — although trying to assess the conduct of the Gaddafis by applying the standards of normal, rational behavior is probably doomed to failure. From the speech, it sounds like Gaddafi Junior is a chip off the old block in the weirdness department.
In this instance, the presentation of the colors ceremony was performed by three Marines. It was accomplished deliberately, in complete silence, and with great dignity and respect. The three Marines walked down the center aisle of the church at stately pace and retrieved a folded flag from the altar. They slowly unfolded it so that the flag was fully unfurled when Taps was played. The Marines then carefully refolded the flag, presented it to each other, and slowly saluted the colors before presenting the folded flag to the widow and walking slowly out of the church. This simple ceremony was the culmination of the service and was a deeply felt moment for everyone present in the church.
