We just saw it. My first comments were nearly identical to your friend's. Cumberpatch got the role because of "the voice," as Chauvinist the Elder says approvingly.

"The voice" could have been put to better use if he'd been quoting Shakespeare or other literary references like the original Khan though.

I'd give it a B. It's too bad it played sooooo heavily off the original movie plots. A reviewer on Medved (his producer?) said he realized he was watching impersonators re-enacting the original actors, which kind of taints the experience.

One of our parishioners donated a new building to contain a 24-hour adoration chapel. All the framing is up and is reading for finishing. We're invited to enter the building after all the Masses this weekend to write our favorite scripture verse on the studs before the drywall goes up, thus "anointing" the building in Scripture. I'm looking forward to it tomorrow.

What would you all say is the more dangerous trait in a politician, anyway? The tendency to lie? Or the tendency to not know what the hell you're doing?

The nice thing with the Obama administration? You don't have to choose.

That's just a picture of protesters taking poor Ambassador Stevens to Al Qaeda General Hospital, where he was later declared dead.

They're just like us. Same aspirations. Same dreams for their children.

Shut up. M'kay?

Nope. I'm anxious that the reason for the investigation is properly explained. I'm very confident the facts will speak for themselves.

These investigations are crucial, not because we're going after the president. There are no individuals being singled out and targeted. It's the opposite of what the Democrats in position of authority did to conservatives (via the IRS), to American voters (Benghazi cover-up), and even to their friends in the media.

We just want to know the truth (about government corruption) so that the necessary reforms to prevent these abuses of power may be made. 

I did not say no one should go to jail. But "who's going to go to jail" is where the investigation ends, not where it begins. It begins with being able to trust in our government_at_all.

Thanks for all the great ideas!

I'm keeping the scotch idea for when Chauvinist the Elder gets further along in her high school career and we know her teachers better.

In the meantime, I've combined some of Joan's idea (see below) with other things I've found at B&N and some gift cards. But, most important, my kids have lovely note cards on which to write lovely notes to their teachers. Thanks again.

It's a Fit&Fresh lunch bag cute enough to be a purse. With matching containers and ice pack! 

Again, these are public charter school teachers (independent parent-board, accountable only to the CDE, not the district). The teachers are dedicated to the kids and the Core Knowledge curriculum (from which Common Core is a cheap knock-off), non-union, overworked, and underpaid.

The school runs bare-bones. I know. I've been on the inside of parent fundraising efforts to fix things in our 40-year-old facility which would be considered regular maintenance expenses in the average public school.

Our teachers are not getting 5% raises. I just hope they won't leave due to the hardships imposed by the job. They could certainly do better in the regular public system. The families try to make it worth their while to stay by, at minimum, expressing gratitude.

Somebody's been editing my posts...

Whoever it was, thanks! Great t-shirt pic!

Not my kids. OPCs: Other People's Children. ;-)

Sal, Have you read anything yet about a select committee yet? That's what I'm waiting for. If Republicans come through, I'll give them credit.

I haven't read Noonan yet, but the headline is right.

I agree with you entirely. It is Krauthammer's approach: "Let the facts speak for themselves." It's why I oppose how McConnell, Boehner and others are framing the issue. No one should be using the "i" word. The leadership should be talking about the importance of protecting the political process. We have to investigate and get to the bottom of this to protect the people from being manipulated by un-elected bureaucrats in their own government. The results of 2012 have been called into question by political suppression by the IRS. This is a most serious matter.

I'm not optimistic. I just think it's now or never to make the case. People have a sense of fair-play.  We have examples, which are way more potent than lengthy dissertations on conservative philosophy. 

If the corruption of the political process by the IRS isn't persuasive, well, it really is the end.

I was going to critique the Pope's message. I was going to bemoan how this will embolden the social justice elements in the Church. But, frankly the ignorance (socialism is not a doctrine of the Church, people!) and anti-Catholic sentiment is leaving me feeling pretty alienated from people I may disagree with on theology, but otherwise agree with on the subject of capitalism. 

I'm out.

I really wish you had let a Catholic make the critique, Doc. I was prepared to do it when I read this this morning, but I've been on the run all day. 

Now it looks like the non-Catholics are taking this opportunity to dump on Catholics and Catholicism, to misstate the teachings and what we believe, and to otherwise put people of good faith on the defensive. It's not a whole lot different than when Democrats mischaracterize conservatives.

How about you let us speak for ourselves?

Yeah, teachers have, in the past, reaped the benefits of public employment at the end of their careers. I don't think their future prospects are so good.

In the meantime, our public charter school teachers work very hard and make sacrifices (financial ones too) for our kids. And while their compensation is better than private school teachers, it is significantly less than regular public school teachers. The least we can do is express some gratitude.