Sitting here looking at my Monty Python desk calendar and decided it was time for my list of the best movies we'll go straight to hell if we watch. Here goes:

5. Last Temptation of Christ (1988) -- One of the first really controversial treatments of Jesus, at least in my lifetime. Martin Scorsese got vilified for this film, and who knows if that contributed to his long wait for Oscar.

4. The Passion of the Christ (2004) -- Jews hated it because it portayed them as scheming Jesus haters. Christians glorified it as a profound passion play. Still, how many of us watched it because it's the most famous snuff story in history?

3. Da Vinci Code (2006) -- Didn't much care for the book, although the novelist did weave an interesting story. My biggest question, of course, is what the hell happened to Tom Hanks' hair?!? Oh yeah, sacrilege, blasphemy, etc. etc.

2. Dogma (1999) -- One of my favorite movies, how many ways can this get you damned? Chris Rock an apostle? George Carlin a cardinal? A Black Jesus? God a woman? If you've never seen this movie, by all means go rent it and see Jay and Silent Bob in their first major roles. It'll give you something to chuckle over while you spend eternity in the fiery pit.

1. Life of Brian (1979) -- This movie was the catalyst for this post. What a laugh riot -- Brian is a kid born a couple of mangers down from Jesus, and experiences odd events in his life strangely familiar to Biblical scholars and Sunday school rejects alike. Sprinkle in some typical Python moments and you have a recipe for eternal damnation comedy-style.

First of all, I can't believe that A-Rod and Bor-ass opted out of the contract without giving the Yankees even a chance at proposing an extension. And that $350 million number being thrown around? Pie in the sky, won't happen.

Now I've been saying for a week now that A-Rod's options are severely limited. Who's going to get in on the bidding war? Few teams are financially capable and have a need he can fill:

• Yankees (who warned that they'd move on if he opted out);
• Mets (no DH, and Wright and Reyes playing in his spots);
• Cubs (no owner, so nobody's going to commit to such a huge contract);
• Red Sox (fans don't want him, and Lowell is so much cheaper);
• Dodgers (they have an opening, but would Torre help or hurt? Besides, I'm not sure they have the money for him, and it seems they prefer Miguel Cabrera);
• Angels (ditto the Dodgers);

No, it seems that Bor-ass has made a collosal mistake and A-Rod has realized it. That's why he's doing what I've been advocating for a while now, which is meet with the Steinbrothers man-to-man and do a deal. He'll have more bridges to repair than Giambi did in his post-steroids-admission days, but if he starts out 2008 like he did 2007 the fans may forgive him.

If he ditches Bor-ass altogether, the fans will REALLY forgive him. 

When I was a kid things were clear-cut -- lies were lies and truth was the truth. Funny thing is, as I've gotten older I'm finding that the two aren't mutually exclusive.

Here's a great example of what I mean. Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan is writing a book about his years with the administration, titled "What Happened." His publisher today released this short excerpt, intended to spark interest in the book: 

"The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White House briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.

There was one problem. It was not true.

I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice president, the president's chief of staff, and the president himself."

Wow, sounds like pretty damning evidence of conspiracy to violate the law. Or does it? Here are two scenarios, read each one then go ahead and re-read the excerpt above.

1. Bush, Rove, et al. decided to leak Valerie Plame's name to the media, and ordered McClellan to lie about it.
2. McClellan to brief the press as he always does, after his typical consultations with Bush, Rove, et al., and it turns out that what he said wasn't true.

Scenario #1 is a Democrat's wet dream. Scenario #2 could be the fault of any one person, perhaps not even one of the five mentioned.  Either way, McClellan's statement is totally correct.

Funny how truth works, isn't it? 

Last week I had the pleasure of conversing with Chad Fullerton, President of the McMaster student community group MacInsiders. Chad wrote a very nice article about our social learning website, which has been sending alot more Canucks our way since.

Thanks for it, Chad!