GET YOUR WAR ON!!!
And, now, for the lighter side of American hegemony and genocide, here's a charming little comic strip to help you keep the important things in mind. Yes, it's excessive, but boy, does it tickle my funny bone.

Sun Kings
Here's an interview that Patrick Goldstein of the L.A. Times conducted with James Cameron and Steven Soderbergh, the producer and director, respectively, of the film Solaris, starring George Clooney.

Favorite quote, from the King of the World himself: "Hollywood is desperate to be loved, and that desperation to be loved causes them to follow you out of the movie theater and down the hall and put a synopsis of the plot in your pocket. It's pathetic."

Now, as far as the movie itself goes, let me just say this: If you go to movies for nothing more than eye-candy and escapist entertainment that will not challenge you or your opinions of the world and yourself, Solaris is definitely not the movie for you. If, on the other hand, you are excited by stories that contemplate the very nature of love, life, reality, and God, I don't know that I can give a much stronger recommendation than this film. Beyond the fact that it's beautifully shot and performed with deep intensity, it really begs the question: just how real are the people in our lives? And, in the end, does it really matter? Do yourself a favor and see it on the big screen before it disappears.

"Feelin' Like A Space Brain"
This article from SPACE.com talks about the statistical and evolutionary probabilities necessary to spawn so-called "intelligent" life (i.e. smart enough to build a radio telescope that could be used to communicate with other entities) on another planet. Personally, I'm constantly amazed by the arrogance of certain scientists to actually assume that, in the entire universe, human beings are the only beings capable of coherent thought. I suppose it supports some more creationist-leaning theories on outer-space, but it just doesn't seem logical. The factors that are necessary for life, relative to the sheer number of stars and planets out there would seem to make it inevitable.