It's been a while now that I have been paying attention to the Scissor Sisters. My first encounter with them was at the gym: their second big hit, Laura, was a hit with the Gold's Entertainment Channel, and I would listen to it while running on the treadmill.

My first impression was not favorable: I hated the song's hammering rhythm, and found the video silly. Additionally, I didn't get the Scissors part of the equation and found the frequent references to haircutting silly and thought the whole thing was a one "hit" wonder.

Oh, how wrong I was...

The mannerisms of James Bond have gotten on everyone's nerves. I suppose there was a time when "shaken, not stirred" was first a symbol, then a trademark. But some time around the late Roger Moore movies, when he was old enough that his sex with the "Bond girls" already seemed implausible, Bond seemed as expired as Moore.

Enters Timothy Dalton, enters Pierce Brosnan. No life enters the franchise. 007 movies had become a non-event in the past years: who wants to see a spy movie when there is no Cold War? Can 007 re-invent himself in a world of economic espionage?

Well, of course then came 9/11, and there was a new enemy to be found: terrorism. The partnership between the U.S. and the UK in matters of Cold War continued in the area of terrorism abatement, and there is a new role for a global 007.

Eureka! Finally a book that manages to be original and not controversial!

Despite frequents jabs against his own home state, Mr. Frank manages to give us an outstanding introduction to how Kansas turned from the most progressive state in the Union to one of the most conservative and (in the eyes of the authore) most backwards states.

And the reason is: elitism!

There's a movie that didn't quite have the success it was designed for. United 93 is a docudrama about the plane that was hijacked, but whose passengers managed to neutralize the terrorists. In the end, the plane crashes on a field in Pennsylvania; despite the tragedy, the heroic effort of the crew and passengers saved possibly thousands of lives.

The problem with 9/11 movies is that the events of that day unfolded in a way that has etched memories for a lifetime. Everyone that has experienced 9/11 has very personal experiences of the horror we all felt, every one of us in our own way. The depth of the emotions that day can evoke in me is beyond my own comprehension.

How can a movie reach that? I think of the day, and an infinite sorrow envelops me - seeing the tragedy unfold, unable to believe anyone would do something as stupid as sending thousands of innocents to their certain death for nothing but ideological reasons.