A Good Tag

I was tagged by Lynn at State Street. I kinda like this meme.

1: Black and White or Color; how do you prefer your movies?

I know that it's trendy or arty to choose b&w, but I remember the days of b&w, and I think that we'd all pine for colour if it were taken away.

2: What is the one single subject that bores you to near-death?

I guess it's not a subject exactly, but I quickly tire of Conservative ranting. They're angry people for the most part with ideological fixes for every known ill, but not one of them works from what I can see. But I guess that I'm doing a little bit of liberal ranting there. See how irritating it is? :)

In the interest of full disclosure, I just took this test and discovered that I am about as liberal as you can get. In the interests of further disclosure, however, other tests have pegged me only slightly to the left of centre.

3: MP3s, CDs, Tapes or Records: what is your favorite medium for prerecorded music?

Since I purchased my iPod and since I subsequently got tiny, cute, convenient, portable speakers for it, I'd have to go with MP3s. Perhaps I am lazy, but It's so darn convenient to find your album/playlist of choice with the turn of a little dial as opposed to hunting for and through a pile of CDs. The other day, for example, when I was preparing a roast, I ported the speakers downstairs and selected Josh Groban with a flex of the finger; the day before, I chose Great Big Sea just as easily.

4: You are handed one first class trip plane ticket to anywhere in the world and ten million dollars cash. All of this is yours provided that you leave and not tell anyone where you are going … ever. This includes family, friends, everyone. Would you take the money and ticket and run?

No, I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't. What's a life without the companionship of your beloved and your scions? Maybe that's true wealth? Mind you me; I sure would like to be a little wealthier and be able to travel hither, thither, and yon on a whim.

5: Seriously, what do you consider the world's most pressing issue now?

I rather think that it's global warming. There are those who think that it's already too late, and that severe repercussions are inevitably looming. On a optimistic note, however, I recently heard it opined that When the USA really gets it, they will really get it, and great progress will be made. They'll need some enlightened leadership for that to happen. Al Gore where are you?

6: How would you rectify the world's most pressing issue?

The irony wrt global warming is that The Greens are radically against nuclear power. I understand this to an extent, and I would almost certainly be part of the NIMBY crowd on this issue, but it might be the only viable interim option: a breathing space until better solutions are found. Fifty percent of American electrical production is from coal. That's unfortunate: very unfortunate.

7: You are given the chance to go back and change one thing in your life; what would that be?

I would take more English courses in university, take the English option at College of education, and opt to continue to teach English rather than become a department head of geography. And I'd probably stay at that rural school while I was at it.

8: You are given the chance to go back and change one event in world history, what would that be?

I'd have to be careful here. When I changed my personal history in #7, above, I pretty well changed it in a way that wouldn't much alter the basic course of my life. I wish there would have been a way for the Jewish people to regain a homeland without all of the war and struggle that has ensued. The Brits and the UN didn't handle it very well, but I doubt if anything would have worked. However, since we're in the realm of fantasy, I would have found a way for it all to have happened peacefully with good will all around. Hey, it's my fantasy!

9: A night at the opera, or a night at the Grand Ole’ Opry: w–hich do you choose?

Oh heavens, that's hard. I visited Nashville, briefly, a long time ago, and none of the local kids at that time would have countenanced the Opry. However, to go to the Opry, I'd, by definition, be on vacation, and that's pretty darn enticing. You see, I can find Operas closer to home, so I'll choose The Opry for now —— with reservations. Now, if the Opera in question was in Paris, or Rome, or even New York, I'd probably make a different choice.

10: What is the one great unsolved crime of all time you'’d like to solve?

I would like to track down and have imprisoned the perpetrator of this confounded meme. Just kidding —— see the title.

11: One famous author can come to dinner with you. Who would that be, and what would you serve for the meal?

Well now. I greatly admire Barbara Kingsolver, but I have heard Maeve Binchey on the radio and she is quite a joy, and then there's Bill Bryson, also an interesting and entertaining chap. Of the three, I think I'll go with ... the Apostle Paul. (How's that for a leap?) I would really like to know, without all of the theological filters that probably screw up everybody's interpretation, what he truly believed regarding The Christ. My stipulation would be that he'd be taught modern English in his translation to my time and place ... or me Greek if I were to go back there in time.

I think that I'd want to expose him to something typically modern and germane to North American culture: a great grilled cheeseburger with really good fries, I think: not McDonalds or other such fare but really good stuff. What about a coke to wash it down? I'd have to make very different choices for any of the other three.

12: You discover that John Lennon was right, that there is no hell below us, and above us there is only sky —— what'’s the first immoral thing you might do to celebrate this fact?

I already suspect that John was right, but I fail to understand how that would affect my morality. I think I'm pretty moral and would stay that way.

I am tagging the following people, but please don't feel obligated if you're not in the mood: Gina, PBS, Dave, and EC.