Navel Gazing Jerkily

Conditions: Cloudy.


Let The Exercise In Pointlessness Begin

Not content with ushering through a radical reforming of health care in America this week, President Obama has also made strides in a diplomatic agreement with Russia regarding Nuclear Weapons reductions.

Flanked by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, Obama said he was pleased to announce that "the United States and Russia have agreed to the most comprehensive arms control agreement in nearly two decades."

The new treaty, which lasts ten years, will reduce the limit on deployed strategic nuclear warheads by more than 25 percent, and on launchers by half. It will also reestablish an inspection and verification regime that expired in December. Each nation will have to make its stockpile cuts within seven years after the treaty is ratified.
[...]

Though the pact recognizes Moscow's strong opposition to US plans to set up missile defenses in Europe, it does not restrict the United States from building such bases. Instead, the two nations have each drafted nonbinding statements outlining their positions on missile defense.

In its statement, Russia said that it reserved the right to use the withdrawal clause, available to both parties, if it decided the American missile defense plans threatened its security.

- truthout.org/

And the missile defense disagreements still overshadows everything.

Well this is all nice and good, but a 25 percent reduction in deployed missiles is not 100 percent, and it's never going to be. It is a move by America to get Russia to destroy it's missiles to better prevent them falling into terrorist hands, which is kind of insulting to the Russians, but they've signed up for it so what do I know. I just hope we all bear in mind that in no way does any of this have anything to do with getting rid of nuclear weapons, because the genie does not go back into the bottle.



Film Review: Green Zone.

Having seen previous Paul Greengrass movies I knew what to expect and purchased a ticket situated a little further back in the cinema than usual. And sure enough Greengrass brings us yet another shaky cam feast, where no matter what is happening, be it a dialog scene or an action scene, you are guaranteed not to be able to make out half of it thanks to the camera being shaken around as if it's being held by drunken uncle at a wedding. And as a special bonus, Paul has degraded the picture quality as well, so not only can you not tell what's happening, it looks as if it's coming in on that old television in the garage with the broken aerial. How charming.

It's a double pity this time because the film itself is pretty good. Matt Damon stars as a soldier tasked with charging around post-invasion Iraq looking for WMD's, and gradually figuring out that there's none to be found, and so trips over the big conspiracy that set the war up in the first place, and pits him against powerful forces who want the truth swept under the carpet.

This is heady stuff, and it's dragged out through an authentic-feeling fog of war that blanketed Baghdad in 2003. As with all Iraq movies, it will leave you feeling frustrated and angry, because of course we know the good guys aren't going to win, and the ending will not be a happy one. And that's bad, but you have to say everyone in front of the camera is doing a bang-up job regardless. The music is pretty good too, as is the plot. The action sequences are very exciting, and the characters are nicely filled out. It's just such a shame the camerawork is so distracting. Just think what a proper director could have done with this. Three blurs out of Five.


- Peace out.