Bush Administration Has Never Tortured

Yes, that's the new line from the White House. Dana Perino said, "This president has said that we did interrogate terrorists, and we did so to protect the country from possible imminent terrorist attack. We did not torture."

When did the White House change its name to the Ministry of Truth? Oh, I forgot, waterboarding isn't torture anymore. I'll have to make a note of that.

Weekly Music Video

Who has not wanted "money for nothing and your chicks for free"?

Dire Straits - "Money for Nothing"

Geek Films - Star Trek and Watchmen

New information is out for two geek films coming out next year. First up - Star Trek.

A new trailer has been released.



I'm not sure what to make of the trailer. I think the film is going to look fantastic no doubt about it. As for the story and the acting, I'm still not sure. I just haven't seen enough to get a good feel for it. Part of that could be my trepidation at the whole project, but we'll see.

For more proof of how good it will look, check out the Enterprise. It's sharp, sleek, and new looking while still being true to the original design. Matt Jeffries would be proud.


Next up - Watchmen.

Another trailer has been released for this flick.

As with Star Trek, I have no doubt that this movie is going to look incredible. In fact, I am more impressed with the visuals for Watchmen than I am with Star Trek because Zak Snyder and crew seem to have managed to bring most of the visual panache of the graphic novel to the screen.

That said, I am also nervous about the script for this. Rumor has it that the ending has been tweaked. Supposedly it still has the same effect, but that the cause has been changed. I don't want to give anything away for those who have not read it (and if you haven't you really should), but suffice to say that any change in the ending risks screwing up everything that came before. We'll see.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high for either of these films, but you can bet I will be seeing both in theaters next year. I hope they turn out good enough to make me want to pay to see them multiple times on the big screen.

Weekly Secret

Speaking of medication side effects...



PostSecret

My secret fear with my two daughters is that they will some day be diagnosed with one or both of my diseases. More than the fact that no parent wants their children to be sick, I would feel responsible and I don't know how I would handle that.

Drugs and Side Effects

In the study I am in for my multiple sclerosis, one of the drugs I take is Avonex. It could be a placebo, but the nurse at the clinical coordination site tells me that based on the side-effects, I probably am taking the real deal. And it is those side effects that make me wonder why anyone would take this drug. For about 24-hours after taking the injection, I am down for the count. My body aches. I am more tired than usual. I just have this horrible "blah" feeling and I don't want to do anything except lie down and veg. I'm sure my liver appreciates the 2400-4800 mg of Ibuprofen I take just to be half-way functional for the day.

I have just over another year to go in the study and I have a hard time seeing myself continuing to use Avonex. Other than the cost ($400 per shot), I feel like I lose a day every week. I inject myself a couple of hours before I go to be on Saturday night so that I can sleep through part of it, but Sundays are just shot. I keep asking myself if the drug does enough to slow down the advance of MS in order to make it worthwhile and I just don't know. It's a tricky balance for anyone with a major disease. When do the side-effects of a medication outweigh its benefits?

Right now, I'm not sure that taking Avonex is worth it for me. I've got a year to think about it, though.