Occasionally Wright

An Open Letter To Cook County

Dear Cook County, GA,

At no point in the future will I ever intentionally stop in your county to spend a solitary cent. If there was a way to get to Florida without driving through your county I'd do it. Who, in their right mind, imposes a 50 mph speed limit on an interstate through a rural area directly in between two 70 mph zones? I'm sure it's a great revenue generator for the county, but you won't generate any more revenue from me.

American Idol All Over Archuleta

My wife likes American Idol so I watch American Idol. It's that simple. I got sucked into this season because there was one contestant who was actually entertaining to listen to- David Cook.

It shouldn't surprise me that a show like American Idol set up the final for a David Archuleta but wow- could they be any more in love with this guy.

Here's the thing- David Archuleta went safe with every song selection and bored me to tears. David Cook experimented, showed he could sing something other than ballads, and actually had stage presence.

David Archuleta is a better singer. David Cook is a better musician and artist and will go on to have a much, much better career. Hopefully he loses so he isn't saddled with a stifling American Idol contract.

By the way, my wife pointed out that after David Cook's first song Randy said it was a great way to kick off the 2007 finals showdown. 2007? Really?

Prince Caspian

I haven't seen Prince Caspian yet, but it doesn't surprise me in the least that it's getting reviews like this:

The unexpected success of the first episode of C.S. Lewis' seven-part Chronicles of Narnia three years ago — $745 million worldwide — has spawned the inevitable sequel, a darker, more violent and more overtly faith-based follow-up... The Narnia assembly line is already cranked up for further installments, but they had better be more interesting than this uninspired sword-sorcery-and-spirituality spectacle.

The review tells you more about its writer (Hap Erstein from the Palm Beach Post) than it tells you about the movie. First of all, anyone that thought the success of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was unexpected grossly underestimates the appeal of CS Lewis. Secondly, the assembly line is cranked up for future installments because other books were written. Finally, this movie may be somewhat uninspired but it's not necessarily the fault of the moviemakers. Of the seven books that make up the Chronicles of Narnia I'd rank Prince Caspian sixth. Here's how I'd rank the entire series:

1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
2. The Last Battle
3. The Magician's Nephew
4. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
5. The Silver Chair
6. Prince Caspian
7. The Horse and His Boy

How would you rank them?

Friends Waiting For News From Burma

It boggles my mind that the government of Burma/Myanmar still isn't allowing much-needed aid into the country, and while disasters like this halfway around the world are usually pretty faceless, this one is hitting home.

Ruth and Aung Lawt are two of my mother;s best friends back home. She babysat their first two children and she occasionally takes care of them. They moved to PEI nine years ago and both of them are originally from Burma. Aung runs the sushi stand at the Superstore on University Avenue. Ruth runs the Monsoon tea room downtown. Both of their families live in Rangoon and neither one of them has been able to get in touch with any of their relatives. Aung would probably go back and try to find them himself if he was allowed back in the country. He's a former political prisoner though and can't go back without risking his life.

If there was an easy way to get aid into Burma I'd plead with you to do so, but as it stands the only way I can think of to help these people right now is to support Monsoon.Knowing Ruth and Aung they'll do everything they can to help their families when they get word form Burma. If you're looking for a good lunch in Charlottetown this week feel free to stop by Monsoon and show some support for this incredible family. The restaurant is at 79 University Ave.