Revisiting Legends: Indiana Jones

Adventure stories, especially those pulpy treasure hunting myths, are a guilty pleasure of mine. Over the weekend, I completed Haggard's novel King Solomon's Mines while also watching the first three Indiana Jones films - the latter two with my wife, in her first viewing unbeknownst to me.

All of these works capture a person's imagination in so many ways by depicting dark continents and foreboding omens that block the path to untold fortune and glory. Given that, we should see so much more entertainment like this - thoughtful, creative, exhilarating. Yet we don't. Our sense of adventure seems to have dissipated with a fading love for history, and with the world seeming smaller now than at the time period of the works I re-visited.

Montana Democrats Continue to Embarrass Themselves on National Stage

It has been an interesting couple of weeks in Montana politics. While one elected official tries to make nice with the president his party continues to demonize, another who seems bent on replacing Trump as Commander in Chief made himself look really foolish on the national stage.

Unions Need to Evolve to Survive

The last several weeks have seen a sea change for unions in the United States. After decades of protection from labor-friendly administrations and judges, the tide has turned and is no longer in their favor.

And while many in the labor movement may see nothing but one defeat after another, there is a real opportunity for a fresh start and a return to labor’s roots, while also forgoing the recent history that labor has had in using coercive means to bolster fundraising and membership.

Does the Star Wars Franchise Already Need a Reboot?

There's been a rumor floating around for weeks now that Kathleen Kennedy, George Lucas's hand-picked successor for head of Lucasfilm, is out at Disney. Whether she is stepping down or is being removed is all part of the scuttlebutt, but the speculation is rampant.

While some are saying "they wouldn't fire her just because of Solo!", those people ignore the bigger picture. Whereas Kevin Feige's Marvel Universe has had a nearly perfect score (taking the first two middling Thor films aside), the Star Wars films have only had one slam dunk with both critics and audiences, and that was The Force Awakens. The other three have all faced some sort of blowback.

Anyone will tell you that fundamentals are what drive consistent performance, and with this franchise, they are just not there.

Can Rubio Right His Own Wrong?

Joining the chorus of politicians who have recognized that one can’t repay their debts if they cannot work, Sen. Marco Rubio (R – FL) is reaching across the aisle to correct a mistake from earlier in his career.

B While in #Florida legislature I voted for a bill that allowed state to suspend professional licenses of those who defaulted on student loans. I WAS WRONG. Today I filed a bill with @SenWarren to fix this. How can they pay back if they can’t work? #Sayfie https://t.co/fcbJUkJ6BJ

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 14, 2018

Rubio is working with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D- MA) to protect citizens from the potential suspension or revocation of the professional or driver’s license due to missed student loan payments, an approach that many critics see at face value to be counter-productive.