I haven’t been tagged with this particular meme, but what the Hell, I’m opinionated enough to think that people care what I think about this stuff, so here goes:

1. Black and White or Color; how do you prefer your movies?

Intelligently written and competently directed, I don’t give a damn if they are color or black and white, as long as the format matches the message.

2. What is the one single subject that bores you to near-death?

Politics and partisanship, unfortunately, both play a key role in question number 5 below…

3. MP3s, CDs, Tapes or Records: what is your favorite medium for prerecorded music?

Hell, I still have tapes and records of my favorite artists back in the day I was buying all three formats available, CDs, tapes, AND records. I prefer whatever format gives me the best fidelity at a reasonable price, which tends to be CDs. For marginally interesting music I buy the AAC files from iTunes (slightly superior to typical MP3 files, but not by much… I’m a believer in using the most advanced technology that gives the desired result).

4. You are handed one first class trip plane ticket to anywhere in the world and ten million dollars cash. All of this is yours provided that you leave and not tell anyone where you are going … ever. This includes family, friends, everyone. Would you take the money and ticket and run?

Nope. Been there, done that. I moved to France alone, lived there for over a year and one-half alone, and returned alone (all except for a cat, who did NOT appreciate the change of venue, believe me). I’ve had enough of being alone, no matter what money might be “sacrificed” in the process.

5. Seriously, what do you consider the world’s most pressing issue now?

The idiots who think that security and freedom are a trade-off against each other and do not or refuse to understand that the two are complimentary instead of in opposition to each other.

6. How would you rectify the world’s most pressing issue?

I try to rectify this issue every day by posting to this weblog and every other venue available to me. I only wish I could spread the message wider. Want to help?

7. You are given the chance to go back and change one thing in your life; what would that be?

In MY life? To not get married to the wrong person like I did back when I was young and stupid.

8. You are given the chance to go back and change one event in world history, what would that be?

Damn, this one is tough, but somehow I think the crucifiction of Jesus would have prevented both the atrocities committed by the so-called Christians in the Middle Ages and possibly have changed the nature if not even the formation of Islam. Somehow, the easygoing nature of paganism exhibited in the Roman Empire is preferable to the religious zealotry demanding “death to the infidels” that has been shown by BOTH Christianity and Islam in the past millenium and one-half.

9. A night at the opera, or a night at the Grand Ole’ Opry — which do you choose?

I’ve been to both, and I prefer the opera. I’d like to see The Magic Flute by Mozart one of these days.

10. What is the one great unsolved crime of all time you’d like to solve?

Literally? The murders committed by Jack the Ripper. A more relevant crime? What really was the vote in Florida in 2000…

11. One famous author can come to dinner with you. Who would that be, and what would you serve for the meal?

It depends on who is considered an “author” because Sir Issac Newton was an author, and I’d love to have a discussion with him over Scotch and smoked salmon.

12. You discover that John Lennon was right, that there is no hell below us, and above us there is only sky — what’s the first immoral thing you might do to celebrate this fact?

Ummm, what if I already think that there is no Hell below us and above us only sky? Does that mean all my acts are already immoral? God is unknowable by us, and heaven and hell are mere creations to make us feel better in the face of the infinite.