;alsdjfalsdkjfalshdf;ajhsdefohw Pirates

I won't spoil Pirates of the Caribbean At World's Edge, but a couple of things:

-Yes. It is worth seeing on a really big screen (it would be great in IMAX).

-If you haven't seen them lately, it is a good idea to watch 1 and 2 again before you go see 3. You might miss the subtlety of the humor. Like the running sea turtle gag.

-90% of the audience left at the start of the credits. Think about it. If there was an additional scene at the end of the credits before, maybe there's something at the end of this one....I'm just sayin' ! Stay through the damn credits!!!!

BTW - there is nothing at the end of the Shrek 3 credits.... The music just gets worse and worse. Erm, unless you like that sort of music.

Was we robbed?

Go to Google images and type "underwhelmed".

Enshrined there in thumbnails is an illustration of my feelings with respect to the passage of the Iraq war funding bill. I find myself, a lefty of the extremist ilk, quite unable to join in the festival of collective spleen venting against the Congress.

For the record, I do not think the troops should be in Iraq another day. Cutting off funding was a good idea. Adding a timetable was a good idea. Point made, speeches made, no veto-proof majority possible? Move on (to borrow a slogan).

Getting into a high-profile power struggle right now is not a good idea.

The US is in the midst of a Constitutional crisis. If you are following Gonzo-gate at all, you may have noted that, in the last few days, concrete testimony of illegal actions by the Attorney General have emerged. In essence, the Legislative Branch is using its oversight privileges to determine if the Executive overstepped its authority over the Judicial Branch.

A standoff right now between Congress and the President would be used to further charges by the Right that these hearings are politically motivated. It would also push coverage of the revelations further off the front pages and out of the lime light. The public needs to be constantly reminded that there is real malfeasance here, that there are members of this administration willfully breaking the law.

Call me barmy, but my eyes are on a bigger prize. We can stop this war by impeaching all the criminals who started it.