Towns, Elmer L. Theology for Today. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2008.

Laguna Hedionda.

Early in the second day of the tour of the Uyuni region, this volcano was visible for much of the trip.

Taken 23 July, 2009.

The ground on the salt flats of the Uyuni in Bolivia is just a comparatively thin layer of earth crust over water. Gas emissions break through the salty crust and create these shapes which stretch out far into the horizon.

• Final Exam and Research paper for Church History I
• Tested Positive for Typhoid and Paratyphoid
• Completed paperwork and deliveries to a) get a new passport and b) not go to jail
• Staton’s Quince
• Katherine Returned to the States
• Discovered that not only is my backup drive fried, but I also seem to not have my data (read: school papers) on my laptop drive, either (read: panic).

I woke up today thinking that Staton had been 15 and Katherine had been in the States for at least two weeks. But no, just a few days.

Note for future reference: research papers on historical subjects, like, say, medieval scholasticism, are murder when one has no access to a physical library. JSTOR is lovely and all, but, man. I miss books.

The Mises Institute has released the Austrian Bailout.

Austrian Bailout Package–Part A

1. Suspend Basil II regulations (to at least 4/2/09)
2. Cancel FDIC insurance on all demand deposits after 1/1/09.
3. Increase FDIC premiums on short term time deposits of less than one year.
4. Make interest earned (starting 1/1/09) on bank time deposits and non-governmental, non-agency, and non-authority bonds tax free (not demand deposits and MMMF).
5. Convert Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s status from conservatorship into receivership.
6. Convert AIG’s status from government owned to receivership.
7. Cancel the Primary Dealer Credit Facility (PDCF) and the Term Securities Lending Facility (TSLF) at the end of the announced program (January 30, 2009).
8. Announce that the Federal Funds rate will be allowed to “float” at market rates starting January 30, 2009.
9. Announce that the Federal budget will be prorated beginning with the fiscal year starting 10/1/08 including all defense spending and transfer payments.
10. Restore constitutional monetary status to gold and silver to act as an alternative medium of exchange (no capital gains taxes).

A meeting was recently held in which the leaders of the Opposition movement and Evo Morales, president of Bolivia, were scheduled to discuss solutions and compromises in light of the recent referendums. The opposition leaders attended. Evo did not; Evo sent a low-level flunky in his stead. The opposition closed the session and returned to their respective locations.

Santa Cruz is, essentially, taking the attitude of – “Fine. We can the blockade game, too. You [Evo, et al.] have three days.”

This means, for example, that:

• The roads from Santa Cruz to the non-opposition departments, including neutral/stuck-in-the-middle Cochabamba, are closed.
• The borders to Argentina and Brazil from the opposition departments are closed.
• Gasoline lines from Santa Cruz to the non-opposition departments are closed.

Pragmatically, this affects our family’s life in a couple of ways:

• Most of the beef in Cochabamba comes from Santa Cruz and Argentina. The grocery stores and butchers are selling just chicken at the moment. Our preferred butcher, which is seemingly ritzier than the others with its nice building and clean environment, but is in fact cheaper than anywhere but La Cancha, is planning to fly the meat in from Santa Cruz. This means that although some beef will be coming in by plane, it will be a) in short supply, and b) much more expensive.
• Gasoline is being rationed today and tomorrow, after which it will probably not be available at all. Our car is gasoline only. The government is providing free conversions to natural gas, but that will require gutting the car of its A/C, power steering, etc. We’ll wait, thanks.

Politically, Bolivia could be reaching a breaking point. Up until now, the leaders of the opposition have been refusing to make too many ultimatums in preference to a desire for negotiation and, to a certain degree, a willingness to compromise. They’ve sat with the mediating organizations. They’ve kept their autonomy movement limited to politics and words. They agreed to the August referendums. After Evo’s extreme, and frankly silly, rudeness by sending a flunky instead of attending the meeting himself as promised, the opposition have made their ultimatum:

“Agree to our terms, or…”

Public buildings are being stormed. Borders and roads are blockaded. Hey, this sounds familiar – is this not extremely similar to how Evo led MAS in 2003/4 and 2005 in the Gas Wars and the run-up to the presidential election? The difference is that Evo and the Masistas could just sit in the way, cause problems, and have protests. The opposition this time is made of political bodies -  whole political departments. Evo is considering sending in the military… which would cause him to lose all credibility and would escalate the situation even further. News reports are filtering in of people caught inciting violence under the banner of the opposition – but when investigated, they’re members of MAS. Both sides are in on this.

Quiet Streets for Families: Día del Peatón from Lorien Johnson on Vimeo.

Here’s the pitch: take advantage of the critical success of Gladiator and the hype of the more recent 300 by dropping the ready-made plot of Arthurian legend into the Roman Empire. Toss in the dignified Ben Kingsley as the most notable wizard of quasi-history, put Mr. Darcy himself, Colin Firth, in a suit of Roman studded leather, and for that extra touch of intrigue cast Aishwarya Rai as the Bollywood Xena. Production company’s ticket-selling dream and the audience’s popcorn-chomping epic of the year. Right? Wrong.

The Last Legion is a lackluster experience which limps along upon a talented cast forced to serve as a mere crutch and motivated by the flickering shine of a should-have-been brilliant idea.

Romulus, blandly played by Thomas Sangster aka That Precocious Kid from Love Actually, is the young last emperor of Rome upon whom all hope for civilization seemingly rests. His guide is Kingsley’s Ambrosinius, a mysterious scholar with a talent for tricks and a well-used battle staff. Aurelius, a Roman General portrayed by Firth, is assigned to the protection of his young new emperor. The trio quickly finds their world torn asunder as Rome is conquered, and thus begins their accidental yet inevitable quest for a fabled sword and last loyal legion of the Roman Empire. Joining their quest is Rai as a beautiful martial artist from India and the Eastern Empire.

The legend of King Arthur and the sword Excalibur is a tale of epic proportions, and its prequel, as The Last Legion is purported to be, must be of equal stature and glory. Glory, however, is precisely what The Last Legion lacks. At no point is the audience invited to understand why this child emperor, this Caesar, is worth the massive battle. Sure, he’s a cute kid and he doesn’t deserve death, but is that really enough on which to stake two hours of adventure? Not even the Sword of Caesar, more commonly known as Excalibur, or the powerful Kingsley dressed up as a finely-veiled Merlin are able to capture the imagination and spirit of an eager audience.

The direction of Doug Lefler does achieve one feat: Lefler manages to make the grandiose landscape of Britannia’s scaling cliffs and sparkling seas nearly as bland as Dorothy’s Kansas – before the color-changing tornado. Patrick Doyle, the preeminent composer modern British cinema, is seemingly ill used in this endeavor, as the soundtrack is rarely of note and feels as if clips were randomly chosen from a dollar store disc of stock audio.

The Last Legion is not void of value. Indeed, the film is a modern rarity in its combination of a cleverly creative idea, a quality cast, and the ability to be safely shown to and enjoyed by children and adults of any age. These excellent qualities are precisely what make the overwhelming failure to excite and inspire so very disappointing. The Last Legion deserves more – perhaps we can convince Peter Jackson and his awe-inspiring ilk into a do-over more worthy of Arthurian Legend.

Today, Thomas walked into an office for his very first job interview.

Today, Thomas filled out his very first job application (in Spanish, no less).

Today, Thomas got his first professional job: teacher of English grammar.

In short, Thomas rocks. I have brilliant siblings.