What a pity it isn't reported in PRINT, which is why I READ. Having no interest in watching somebody jawing a story at me, I won't be watching this. Instead, I think I'll go Google it and see if I can find it blogged somewhere.

Salon writers' childish desperation for face-time is getting old. Next time, do what journalists are supposed to do - WRITE IT.

I saw this film recently. Must say, as much as I love John Cusack's work and find it invigorating and thoughtful (Max was one of the best films I've seen in recent years), I found this one heavy-handed and not that interesting. There was too much about it that was over-the-top and on-the-nose. Not that I think they're overstating the future of our present reality, but the style of the film was not conducive to acceptance, at least as I saw it. It might engage others, but after about an hour I was starting to lose interest.

There was one aspect that I rather liked - the story could be seen as a ten-years-later account of the doings of Martin Blank, Cusack's character in Grosse Pointe Blank. They're essentially the same guy. Hauser wanders around Turaqistan with the same bemused, alienated, increasingly desperate introspective/arrogant/personable charm as the earlier Blank. It was easy to imagine that Martin had broken up with Debi because he couldn't find legitimate work (once a hit man, always a hit man), and had fallen back into contract killing, scoring this lucrative contract; that the wanna-be-corporate hitman Grocer had graduated from contract killing to politics, done a term as VP and was now masterminding corporate warfare, thus combining his former careers. Even Martin's secretary Marcella is still in evidence, as Cusack's sister Joan plays Hauser's assistant Marsha Dillon - did she get a great job with Tamerlane only to find herself thrown together with her old boss? It's fun to mull over the parallels.

But otherwise, this film could have been much better. High marks to Cusack and his team for the effort, but yeah...could have been better.

but not particularly effective. People use Google for far more than just looking for something to buy. This strategy will only affect the people shopping. What about people looking for information, which as I understand it, are the majority using search engines? This supposed strategy won't have any effect on their decisions at all. I certainly am not going to drop my use of the best search engine on the internet just to get 2% back on the few things I buy online.

Talk about desperate. They're practically on their knees begging. Pathetic.

Personally, I'm sick to death of both Obama and Hillary. If I didn't know better (which I don't), I'd think the shift to a two-year election cycle was a deliberate ploy on the part of neocon power players to cause exactly the kind of fatigue that many Democrats are feeling these days. (The Daily Show ain't kiddin' when it calls the race The Long Flat Endless Bataan Death March to the White House!) Every time I hear either Hillary or Barack start in again, I want to shout SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY! Stop bitching and pissing about each other and start concentrating on the important stuff - like the ASSHOLES who have ruined this country! Like the BATSHIT LOONY you'll be running against! Gods!

I don't believe either of them will win. I'll vote for the Democratic candidate, whoever it is, because there is no way in HELL I'm sitting this out. That's how we've ended up in this sorry mess to begin with, too many people whining about how the candidates "aren't who I want", and so they're taking their ball and going home. Thus the ghouls waltz into office, when they're not simply snatching it of course.

My man Edwards, who I feel was the only one with a REAL chance to win and win big, was elbowed out of the way by the media in favor of the two glamour candidates, both of whose chances are slimmer than his were. So my vote will definitely be accomplished while I'm holding my nose, and it won't be done with any sense of hope, only the sense of bailing water while the sharks circle around. Let's hope our country doesn't end up a big bucket of chum.

Me, me, me, me me. My feelings, me, my whining, me, me, me.

Barely relevant quote.

I, I, I, I, I.

(repeat)

For gods' sakes, Cary, is it so damn hard to work up the brains to give this LW a straight, useful answer? Look, here's how you do it:

Transfer.

There's an answer the LW can work with. He can do some research online, send out some emails, and find a school that does not include this rotation that he fins so objectionable. As he states, there are many out there, but in different areas than where he lives. It'll involve a move, certainly, but if he's been doing well in school, it shouldn't be too hard. Hell, even if he isn't doing incredibly well, I'm sure there are other vet schools that will be sympathetic to his beliefs, and agree that large animal work is not relevant to the area he wants to specialize in.

There, was that so freaking hard??