I love going to the movie theater. Or, at least, I used to.

When I was growing up, my family did not have a lot of money, and so it was a rare treat to go to the theater to see a movie. As a young college student, I got hired as a projectionist at a small movie theater in New Hampshire, and I absolutely loved it. There were many late nights, after splicing all the movie reels of a newly-delivered film together, that I would sit with my brother and my closest friends to sneak preview the movie until the small hours of the morning.

To me, the experience of a larger-than-life movie on a larger-than-life screen is thrilling. I love the smell of popcorn and the auditory onslaught of music and explosions from the sound system. I love seeing all the movie posters for upcoming films.

I especially love the movie trailers. It seems to me that lots of other people do too; of some 10-billion videos watched annually on the internet, movie trailers rank third, after news and user-created video. To me, the experience of watching the trailers is an important part of the theater experience. It's like the appetizer before a great meal, or if the meal turns out to be bad, it can save the memories of the evening. The same can be said about movie trailers; how many times have you heard that the trailers were the best part of the movie?

I took my sons to the theater today to see "Despicable Me". This was only the second time my children have been to the theater, and I was probably more excited for them than they were about seeing the movie. However, I was dismayed to find out that my movie experience has been sold out. Before the trailers (but after the trivia and random bits of information), a number of commercials were run for everyday products, such as deodorant, and other health and beauty aids. I was horrified, even though my children didn't know any different.

To me, the practice of running product advertisements before the movies is like going to a nice restaurant and being served airline peanuts before the appetizers and meal. It cheapens the rest of the meal. What's worse is that in the movies, you're a captive audience so to speak. You can't change the channel, and most people aren't likely to get up and stand in the hallway while the ads are running. I can practically see the advertising executives greedily rubbing their hands together and laughing wickedly.

Sadly, I know this is just the start. I wouldn't be surprised if at some point in the next decade, films will take regular commercial breaks, or display ads in a running ticker along the bottom of the screen.

I sincerely hope I'm wrong about that.

Apparently, Reno, Nevada has invested a lot of time and money to beautify the city. Recently though, "graffiti artists" (also known as street punks), have been adding their own brand of beautification to highway landscaping.

It's amazing how something so fundamental as property rights can be dissolved so easily, all in the name of "public good".

Today, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Big Business with a 5-4 opinion that granted private developers the power to demolish people's homes in favor of business parks, malls, and gyms for the purpose of economic development and increased tax revenues.

Any why wouldn't the government be in favor of increased tax revenues?

The poor souls in New London, CT who are poised to lose their homes (some of which have been in their family's posession for generations) will b