Citizen Kane, Terrorism, Tests

I'm still not sure that I'm ready to form an opinion on Citizen Kane yet. To be sure, I liked the film quite a bit, and found it to move fairly rapidly. I was especially impressed with the direction, as its look was very modern, and some of the techniques used were clearly the inspiration for much of film today. I think I'll need to see it a few more times before weighing in on whether it's really "the greatest film ever."

It seems like The Breeze's opinion page has covered nothing but the War in recent weeks. Several letters every day, and columns both for and against the war. Every new entry is a response to the last round, and nothing new is ever said. Cyclical arguments abound, and people seem to be arguing past one another (not answering questions, just trying to follow one's own beliefs). Comparisons of anti-war protesters to the Taliban, comparisons of anti-anti-war protesters to the Taliban...what a waste.

I'm going to change my tune with regards to the latest plane that has fallen out of the sky and say that it was probably no accident. Such massive failure of an airframe is highly unlikely to be unintentional, but the media are covering the story as if terrorism and/or sabotage are the remotest of possibilities. There has been no real questioning of the investigation in any of the major players: could it be by choice or by force? Are the newspapers subconsciously trying to soothe the fears of the public by downplaying the possiblity of terrorism, or has the Bush Administration pressured them to do so? Either way, I have a feeling that we'll never know the whole story behind Flight 587.

On a less grave note, I have two tests today, one of which will have major implications for my final grade in the class. I am speaking, of course, of the CS 240 exam on, among other things, algorithmic efficiency, recursion, and sorting. Studied for over an hour last night, and I'm feeling fairly confident going in. After that test's done, we've got a test in ISAT 142 - Calculus for Dummies. That should be an easy A in the bag.

Happily, after the ISAT 142 test, I have marching band; after that, I'm done with classes until after Thanksgiving break. Tomorrow I plan on seeing Walt at the rental agency regarding a lease for the fall--that is, if I can get a hold of him on the phone. You know, it's funny; I leave a voicemail message saying, for all intents and purposes, "I'd like to give you money. Please call me back," and I don't get any response. Strange kind of business they run.

November 15, 2001 - 09:38 AM