MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

FOR THOSE OF YOU WISHING FOR A WHITE CHRISTMAS CLICK HERE

LOVE, PHILIP & NANCY

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Well, here comes another review of a good movie!

It seems that every movie I’ve seen lately I like! I don’t know if I’m just lucky, a good picker, or that there is just a lot of good movies being made; whichever it is I’m enjoying it.

This is a good movie, an interesting movie, but not necessarily an entertaining movie. It was good for me because I’m an avid fan of World War History, especially WWII. Of the many WWII books, both fiction and non-fiction, I have read: this screen play is consistent with all of them.

I have always been fascinated with the genius of the Franklin D. Roosevelt strategy to recruit and use of the Captains of Industry to fill the strategic logistical and administrative positions required for the overall non-combat related functions of managing and prosecution of World War II. The amazing thing is that these Captains of Industry stepped up to the challenge! William Joseph Donovan was one of these Captains of Industry.

One thing the movie brought out that I had not been aware of was the significance of the Skull and Bones society. I did know that the elite, upper-class, Ivy League, rich and privileged young men were often used in special military units, such as: The original OSS operatives and JFK as a PT Boat Skipper.

The story of Intelligence and Espionage, from the U.S. point of view, is very strange. We had none at the beginning of WWII. It was thought of as not civilized by our government, at the time. Following is a quote from Bill Donovan: "Espionage is not a nice thing, nor are the methods employed exemplary. Neither are demolition bombs nor poison gas... ...We face an enemy who believes one of his chief weapons is that none but he will employ terror. But we will turn terror against him..."

We had to start from scratch with the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) in 1939 and 1940 with the help of the British. It is fortunate that there were men like Donovan and others that were able to get the job done when it was needed. Just after WWII the OSS was disbanded and then rejuvenated in 1947 as the CIA to deal with the exigencies of the Cold War.

As noted earlier, the screenplay was excellent, as was the directing, and the performances of all the actors. This film will be a contender for both Best Picture and Director of 2006.

Holiday Greetings to all.

I’ve just added some new Links to the “Links” section of this BLOG that I think are really cool; maybe you will too, so take the big plunge and give them a try.


They are just below this posting in the left hand margin under “Links”.

APOCALYPTO

I was surprised! This is a very good movie. I do not think it is in the “Best Film of the year” class, but none the less a good movie.

Maybe it could be “Best Foreign Language Film of the year” though; the entire dialog is in what ever the Mayans spoke, or a simulation of it, with sub titles. The sub titles were not a problem at all, the film flowed smoothly with them.

This film could easily be called Naked Prey Redux; the plot lines are almost identical!

Apocalypto: Mayan warriors chase an escapee through the South American wilderness, escapee is triumphant in the end.

Naked Prey: Zulu warriors chase an escapee through the South African Wilderness, escapee is triumphant in the end.

Naked Prey was released in 1966 and starred Cornell Wilde, and was also a very good film.

SHADOW COMPANY

What an ironic turn to discover this video clip, “Shadow Company Video”, on AOL the morning after seeing the just released major motion picture “Blood Diamond”; and having featured it as my BLOG posting for the day!

This video and the motion picture, in my opinion, corroborate one another almost 100%!

The video clip is forty five minutes long, so get comfortable, when you have the time to spare, and watch this truly awesome video.

There is an eighty six minute version one can purchase for $25.00 at the link the video clip is on.

The Shadow Company Web Site: Shadow Company

FILM REVIEW:

BLOOD DIAMOND

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, and Djimon Hounsou.

This is a great film; a must see.

Entertaining, Informative, well made, and well acted.

This film brings to light what the world wide, mainstream, media does not find newsworthy (Market Share worthy); and the United Nations unable (like corrupt, factionalized, and impotent) to act upon! SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!

I especially liked Leonardo DiCaprio’s acting in the depiction of his character, Danny Archer, a Diamond Smuggler, Mercenary, and former Rhodesian Patriot Soldier.

This film will cause one to reflect…

Thank you Hollywood for stepping up to the moral fore front when no one else is willing to do so. Just maybe it will do some good.

This film will be a serious contender for Best Film of 2006!

SPACE TOURISM!

Three different companies are booking flights into Space for year 2009: Virgin Galactic, Space Adventures, and Benson Space Company.

Space Adventures has already taken three space tourists to the International Space Station.

Click on the companies’ names to visit their web sites; the video on Virgin Galactic is awesome!


Save up your bucks: it’s expensive.

RETURN TO THE MOON

We are going back, according to NASA

This is another step toward my favorite theme: Terraforming, Mankind’s manifest destiny!

NASA plans to have the first new landings on the Moon’s South Pole by 2020 and the beginning of permanent staffing by 2024.

Here is a Moon Link Link for more information.


Following is an excerpt from the article:Two key themes, according to NASA, were to prepare for future exploration, with Mars the next stop, and expansion of human civilization. Both NASA's science and engineering communities agreed on a permanent outpost, an agreement rare for two conflicting sides of the agency, Horowitz said.

BIRDING THE LOWER KLAMATH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Today Nancy and I decided to go check out the daybreak fly out of Bald Eagles at the Bear Valley Roost. The Bear Valley Roost is in the Klamath Basin, approximately one mile from the intersection of highway 97 and the southern Oregon border, in Oregon.

The Convocation of Eagles we expected did not appear. We did spot a couple of Mature and a couple of Immature Baldies, several unidentified Hawks, two Mule Deer, a Jack Rabbit, and three Coyotes hunting rodents in a vast field of stubble.

We are a couple of weeks too early: the more than two hundred mating pairs of Bald Eagles that come to this roosting spot have not arrived in significant numbers yet. Their peak numbers are through the months of January and February. During these months one can view up to fifty or one hundred Bald Eagles flying out from the Roost eastward over the Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuges on a given sunrise. The Klamath Basin, in general, has in excess of eight hundred wintering Bald Eagles every winter.

From the Bear Valley fly out spot we went directly across the highway to the Worden Truck Stop for breakfast and then out to the Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuges to see what was to be seen.

We took the short loop through the Refuge. The first half was, for the most part, uneventful; but the second half was a bonanza: The last half mile of the loop has a tree line opposite the canal that parallels the road. Just before the tree line we spotted four Ring Necked Pheasant Cocks meandering along the roadside. They were brilliant with the early morning sun glinting of their feathers in gold, bronze, green, and red hues. As we got closer to them they flushed away across the canal, and in the process, flushing the entire Bouquet of twenty or thirty others, both Cocks and Hens, hitherto unseen. Just after the Pheasants started the tree line; along the tree line we counted twenty-five, mature, Bald Eagles! Intermixed with the Eagles in the trees were approximately twenty Red Tailed and Rough Legged Hawks. One does not fully appreciate just how large a Bald Eagle is until one see them perched next to a large Hawk; the Eagles are twice the size of the Hawks!
At the end of the tree line is the highway home and the end of this days birding of the LKNWR. What a great day it turned out to be. We were back home by 9:30 AM and JBIB’d for a nice Sunday morning nap!

ANCIENT CALCULATOR

The Antikythera Mechanism.

December 1st, Athens Greece: Scientists have finally unraveled the mystery of an ancient device found on the sea floor 100 years ago. The device, called the Antikythera Mechanism was found at the depth of 164 foot, inside the wreck of a 2000 year old Roman Ship, located between the southern mainland of Greece and the Island of Crete. The Mechanism is estimated to have been built in Rhodes between 140 and 100 BC.

After more than 100 years of studying the extremely encrusted and corroded Mechanism, modern scientists, utilizing the latest X-Ray scanning technology, have been able to decipher the inscriptions and markings on the device and determine its original purpose: it is an Astronomical Calculator and/or Navigational Device. Taking information and measurements from the original Mechanism, modern scientists have re-constructed some models of the Mechanism to experiment with. The overall size of the Mechanism is approximately 8 by 10 by 8 inches. The Mechanism is operated via a hand crank.

The earliest known devices of this complexity, in the Western World, only date back to the Middle Ages (5th through 16th Centuries).


Here is a LINK for more information and pictures.

OWLS BASKETBALL!

The Owls were hoot’n again tonight!

The Hustling Owls started their first conference game tonight with a 71 to 46 win over Concordia of Portland Oregon). The Owls finished their pre-season with perfect 8 and 0 records.

Tonight’s game was close for the first half with a score 28/24 Owls. But the Owls came back from the locker room on fire, and with an attitude, blowing Concordia off the court by out scoring them 43/22.

Tomorrow night the Owls play Corban College of Salem Oregon. I believe the Owls are favored to win this game too.