Himalaya

Movies
Happened to watch Himalaya last night on DVD. Great flick - highly recommended for rental. (I'd purchase this one). Was Oscar nominated for Foreign Film of Year in 2000. Yaks/Caravans/Nepal/Winter storms - great story, beautiful scenery,beautiful people and wonderful music - all in a spectacular mountain setting, often at 17,000+ feet. Watch the movie and then watch how they made the movie under Special Features - that will blow you away. I'd tell you, but that would spoil it. Enjoy the movie first, then be surprised when you watch what they did to film this. Family entertainment - 5 stars. You miss, you lose. :) (I'd adopt the little kid in this movie in a heartbeat)

Taxes
It pays to file electronically - couldn't have been more than a few days and already my VA return is sitting in my check book. Impressive. Speaking ot taxes and the working poor (yep, that's me! - well, close, anyway. :) - did anyone catch Nightline last night? They were doing a 3 part series on the "Working Poor in America". David Shipler, the author of Arab and Jew: Broken Spirits in a Troubled Land, which I listened to earlier this year via audible.com, sat down with Ted and 3 families were profiled. Would be curious to know what you thought of it - unfortunately, I missed it. Tonite's show asks the question of what the hell is happening in Iraq?

Digital Photography
Another positive review of the D70 over at Imaging Resources. It's a tremendously capable d-SLR that noticeably advances the state of the art for cameras anywhere close to its price point. The lens it ships with is first-rate, with a wider focal-length range and faster maximum aperture than the Canon equivalent, and the camera itself just feels good in the hand. It's also remarkably responsive, with true instant-on availability, a responsive shutter, and truly exceptional continuous-shooting ability. Naturally, none of this would mean anything if the D70's images weren't up to snuff, but image quality is absolutely first rate as well. All in all, the D70 is an excellent camera, with features and performance well beyond what one might expect from an attractively priced d-SLR. Highly recommended!

Word of the Day
disingenuous
adj. Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating: “an ambitious, disingenuous, philistine, and hypocritical operator, who... exemplified... the most disagreeable traits of his time” (David Cannadine).
Pretending to be unaware or unsophisticated; faux-naïf. Usage: "It is disingenuous to say when a driver or passenger who fails to buckle up gets hurt or killed, it is their right and no one else gets hurt. ... " or " But the most disingenuous part of the plan is that Mr Sharon has cloaked this aggression in a withdrawal from some Palestinian areas. ... "

Quote of the Day
"I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming that comes when you finish the life of the emotions and of personal relations; and suddenly find - at the age of fifty, say - that a whole new life has opened before you, filled with things you can think about, study, or read about...It is as if a fresh sap of ideas and thoughts was rising in you."
Agatha Christie (You rock Agatha! - says this 50+ curmudgeon!)