Left to my own devices

Saw the movie Looper last night. The film has much critical acclaim and filmgoer kudos. I thought it was just okay. There are some issues with its pacing, and very much with its plot. If you haven't yet seen Looper , and plan to, then don't read any further. Otherwise, let's get down to business.

I've been shaking my head over The News-Gazette 's editorial from last week regarding the Chicago teacher's strike. It's not that I disagree with their overall negative opinion of the strike (I mean, I do, but it's ok to disagree). No, what upsets me most is that the N-G engages in what has become a national pastime of late: union bashing. It's not that unions aren't without fault, just that their faults are common among other organizations, yet unions are often uniquely on the chopping block because of their issues. Take, for example, the following passage from the aforementioned editorial:

It's been awhile since we've had a Pic of the Week. Here, then, is actor Kevin Zegers, as seen in the movie  TransAmerica (2005) . He turned 28 today. Happy Birthday, Kevin!

The first five episodes of Doctor Who 's Series 7 are airing this month worldwide. In much of the press for the new season, the creative forces behind the program haven't been shy about wanting to tell us how "cinematic" and "epic" the new episodes are/will be. Anyone with half-a-mind not to trust everything that is told them tend to yawn in reaction to such hype, yet I find the whole 'it's like a movie!' trend in television to be a curious thing.

This weekend is the 3rd Annual Champaign-Urbana PrideFest . Once again held at Urbana's venerable Lincoln Square, this year's festival has been expanded, not only in the number of days it takes place on, but also the number of acts/performers and stage locations (with the 'main stage' moving outside). Tracy Nectoux over at Smile Politely has done a nice write-up about the festival. To be honest, I'm a little underwhelmed about going to PrideFest this year. To be clear, this is not a comment on the festival, itself, or of the hard-working organizers, volunteers and businesses who devote their time and efforts to making it a special weekend event. No, I'm more reticent about attending because, frankly, I'm feeling a little tired of the need to be so 'out' with the subject of sexuality.

There was a free sampling of Sirius/XM Radio over the Labor Day weekend, and so I was able to partake of its offerings for a few days. I had the satellite radio package for a free, three-month trial after purchasing a car last year, but while it contained a nice variety of music and information channels, it wasn't enough for me to sign-up and become a paying customer. And this weekend reminded me of a glaring issue with one of its stations -- 90s on 9 (or, music from the 1990s, on the 9th channel of Sirius/XM 1). The issue, dear reader, is that the 1990s presents too-diverse of a line-up to provide a coherent listening experience. The aforementioned issue (opinion?) isn't a new one. I can remember sitting at my friend Terry's apartment, circa 1997, when he remarked upon the diversity of Top 40 radio for the decade. I consider Terry to be somewhat of an authority when it comes to the world of music, and so what he said carried some weight. I thought about it, and ...