A phrasebook for American tourists - many of them are worth running through a translator if you don't understand the other languages.

This is the lesson I learned watching the new Star Wars movie last night. "You're either with me, or you're my enemy." "Only a Sith thinks in absolutes." George's Sith Lord Master must be Darth Cheney.

I agree with those who've said this last movie was better than the previous two. It finally gives us what we've been expecting all along from these three prequels - it shows how and why Anakin turns to the Dark Side and becomes Darth Vader, it shows where Luke and Leia come from and how they end up where they are at the start of the original Star Wars (part IV), and it shows the origin of the Empire. Mostly what made this one more enjoyable than the previous two was that throughout it you are reminded of events and situations from the original trilogy.

The previous two movies only laid the groundwork for this movie, and probably could have been compressed into 30 minutes of this one.

Of course the dialogue and romantic chemistry is poor, as usual.

As for Anakin's conversion, I get the feeling we're supposed to buy this a logical thing. He's basically got three reasons for going Dark, one being his arrogant, impatient petulance, the second being a personal fear that he hopes to defeat, the third being a desire to do what's best for the galaxy.

The third one is hard to swallow. The logic the bad guy gives to convince Anakin that going against the Jedi is a good thing doesn't really work. I'm trying not to spoil the plot, but basically Anakin is led to believe the Jedi are doing something bad, to convince him to help the bad guy do the exact same bad thing. Maybe his annoyance with the Jedi is what leads him to it, but once it was all over, most of his reasons for going with the bad guy are pretty obviously invalid. I guess the Dark Force actively corrupts someone's mind once they give in, and makes them stupid.

It was that population that gave to California a name for getting up astounding
enterprises, and rushing them through with a magnificent dash and daring, and
a recklessness of cost or consequences, which she bears unto this day; and when
she projects a new surprise, the grave world smiles as usual, and says, "Well,
that is California all over."

Mark Twain made that observation well before the integrated circuit was invented.

The quote is from
Roughing
It, an account of his youthful travels in the western US in the 1860's,
including his experiences in the silver rush in the Nevada Territory. Great
little book. Twain mostly worked at newspapers out there, but eagerly took
part in the boom, getting involved in various ventures and swapping shares with
his buddies, seeing them shoot up and down as wildly as any dot-com IPO.

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on
Innocents
Abroad, where he tells about his travels in the Middle East, as well as
his autobiography.