Yahoo! News - Politics Photos Anyone have $427b?

Out of Spotlight, Carson Worked on His Legacy "The bitter pill to swallow is that the stars of 'Saved by the Bell' may be remembered longer than Johnny Carson" because their shows are more accessible on cable networks, Thompson said. "If you want immortality [in television], you've got to star in something that can rerun on Nick at Nite." Screech, meet Skitch Henderson. Skitch, Screech.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that Mash ups are big with the kids, particularly as digital continues to evolve as the key distribution method for music. I know the labels are freaking out about it, but then again they've been freaking since the dawn of P2P in the late 1990s. Conceptually, I like it, and I could figure out how to use the free Adobe software I downloaded, I might try to mash some things.

Fistful o'cake

Fistful o'cake
Originally uploaded by eharrison3.

We celebrated Jacob's first birthday with family and select friends and babies on the 22nd. See the boy enjoy a *lot* of cake by clicking on the photo.

Unbelievable win for the New England Patriots tonight. Just an absolute undressing of the 15-1 Steelers at Heinz. And I got to watch it in glorious high definition. Almost makes me less sore from shoveling.

JON CARROLL: But what about Volvo drivers with Kucinich stickers? "The other category of bad driver: People with 'Kucinich for President' bumper stickers. Yep, that surprised me too -- you'd think the Kucinich people would be all polite and gentle and kumbaya. But you would be wrong."

Ask Not Why Inaugural Addresses Are So Rotten - We have the answer. By David Greenberg: An interesting piece from Slate that dissects Kennedy's inaugural address, examines the evolution of political discourse toward more casual language, and outlines how, despite being the standard bearer for excellence, anachronistic a Kennedy-style inauguration speech would be today. "Many factors sped the change. The 1960s revolution in manners and morals, with its revolt against authority, blurred the line between formal and informal speech, helping slang and vernacular elements gain a foothold in public utterances. Television not only conditioned viewers to prefer shorter, breezier exchanges, but also promoted a chattier, more colloquial style of talk. The patrician accents of Franklin Roosevelt came to sound archaic; the enunciated, British-inflected speech of golden age Hollywood actresses came to strike us as absurdly artificial. A folksy style helped Bill Clinton and George W. Bush seem appealing next to less fluent politicians like John Kerry, Al Gore, and George Bush Sr. 'As late as the early sixties, language like [George W.] Bush's would have been as off-key as going to work without a jacket and tie,' notes McWhorter. 'Meanwhile, for a presidential candidate to communicate to the public in language like Kennedy's today would ensure his defeat.'"

USATODAY.com - Unclaimed bags provide stock for this store I think a side-trip to Scottsboro is imperative the next time I'm in Alabama, which will be the first time I've been in Alabama. What a treasure-trove.

Kerry alleges voters were 'suppressed': Two Americas ... "'Thousands of people were suppressed in their efforts to vote. Voting machines were distributed in uneven ways,' the former Democratic nominee told an enthusiastic audience of 1,200 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in South Boston. 'In Democratic districts, it took people four, five, 11 hours to vote, while Republicans [went] through in 10 minutes. Same voting machines, same process, our America,' Kerry said."

Ed Beard

Ed Beard
Originally uploaded by eharrison3.

We're into week three (two judgings complete) of the fama beard growing contest. I took the radical step of shaving down to a "Big Papi" thin-on-the-sides number, in an effort to convert a liability (lack of growth) to an asset (style points, which is probably negligable). Results of week 2 will be announced later today, click on the photo to see more of "The Men of fama."

WSJ.com - Dean Campaign Made Payments To Two Bloggers: "Howard Dean's presidential campaign hired two Internet political 'bloggers' as consultants so that they would say positive things about the former governor's campaign in their online journals, according to a former high-profile Dean aide." Boy, I wonder if this is the beginning of the end for the blogosphere as the "Wild Wild West" of the Internet, untamed and untainted by dollars. I guess it's hard to separate the blogger and any sort of bias, but money taints that. Doesn't it? Also, why isn't anyone paying me?

Apple - Mac mini Although I absolutely do *not* need another computer, I am intrigued by the thought of integrating the Apple operating system into my home network. And at this price, I can't afford not to (although a keyboard, monitor and everything else you need cost extra).

washingtonpost.com - Live Online: "Cambridge, Mass.: Remember the time Jewel got bonked on the head with a frisbee during her set at the 'HFStival, and thankfully ended her depressing song? Frank Ahrens: Hahahahaha! 'HFS to the rescue!" They carried my question about the demise of WHFS (my favorite radio station when I lived in D.C.) on the washingtonpost.com online chat with the radio writer.

washingtonpost.com - Live Online: "Radio: WHFS Off the Air Frank Ahrens Washington Post Staff writer Wednesday, January 12, 2005; 4:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, Washington's largest alternative rock station, WHFS 99.1, was replaced by an all-Spanish music format. WHFS, an indie favorite in the D.C.-metro area since it's inception in the 1960s, saw many changes over its lifespan. Originally a home for music that couldn't find a home elsewhere, it became an Infinity station in 1996, and found its place on the radio dial as a mainstream rock outlet, serving listeners from D.C. to Baltimore." This is sad to me. I loved this station when I lived in D.C., although it appears to have gone more mainstream rock. I remember calling up and requesting The Replacements and R.E.M. back in the late 1980s, and seeing Guided by Voices at the 'HFStival in 1996 at RFK Stadium (and They Might Be Giants at the 'HFStival somewhere in PGC in 1992 with Tipper).

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: AP - U.S. Headlines: "American Dialect Society's words of year By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Some of the words chosen by the American Dialect Society as 2004's words of the year: - Word of the Year: red state, blue state, purple state: together, a representation of the American political map. - Most Useful: phish: to acquire passwords or other private information (of an individual, an account, a web site, etc.) via a digital ruse. - Most Creative: pajamahadeen: bloggers who challenge and fact-check traditional media. - Most Unnecessary: carb-friendly: low in carbohydrates. - Most Euphemistic: badly sourced: false. - Most Likely To Succeed: red, blue, and purple states. - Least Likely To Succeed: FLOHPA: The collective abbreviations of Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, states said to have been important in the 2004 American presidential election. "

Team hunting Iraq WMD ends its search: "WASHINGTON -- The hunt for biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons in Iraq has come to an end nearly two years after President Bush ordered US troops to disarm Saddam Hussein. The top CIA weapons hunter is home, and analysts are back at Langley, Va. ADVERTISEMENT In interviews, officials who served with the Iraq Survey Group said the violence in Iraq, coupled with a lack of new information, led them to fold up the effort shortly before Christmas." Well, the search is officially over. Go figure.

Team hunting Iraq WMD ends its search: "WASHINGTON -- The hunt for biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons in Iraq has come to an end nearly two years after President Bush ordered US troops to disarm Saddam Hussein. The top CIA weapons hunter is home, and analysts are back at Langley, Va. ADVERTISEMENT In interviews, officials who served with the Iraq Survey Group said the violence in Iraq, coupled with a lack of new information, led them to fold up the effort shortly before Christmas." Well, the search is officially over. Go figure.

Just had the pleasure of listening to the weird guy on our floor who makes phone calls from the men's room stall in the middle of a conversation. I wonder if the person on the other end knows what he's doing when he talks to them? Is anyone *that* important that they can't take a five-minute break to defectate?

Beard Contest Odds

Beard Contest Odds
Originally uploaded by eharrison3.

We have a major event happening at fama -- our first annual beard growing contest. Perhaps I'll post the rules at some point, but they grade everything from overall density to style points, etc. And on the final day, we all shave down to mustaches. It started last Monday, goes for two more weeks. An exciting time for everyone but Juliet, who is nonplussed. Notice the Vegas odds, which have me (rightly) near the bottom.

News-Leader.com | Business | Apple rivals sing subscription tune An interesting piece that illustrates where digital music may be going. I love Napster -- I can listen to unlimited songs on my PC and streamed through my stereo for 9.95/month. But in order to move them to my portible device, I have to buy the music (99 cents a song, just like iTunes). Now Microsoft has developed DRM technology that would allow me, as a Napster customer, to move these songs to my device for an additional $5/month. It's a win-win-win, except that it won't work with iPod. Yet. Looks like I'll be buying a Microsoft-compatible player until Apple goes with its own subscription model.

Blog Creation, Readership Rise in 2004 (AP): "NEW YORK -- Readership of online journals known as blogs grew significantly in 2004, driven by increased awareness of them during the presidential campaign and other major news events, according to a study released Sunday. Twenty-seven percent of online adults in the United States said in November they read blogs, compared with 17 percent in a February survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project." Have blogs jumped the sharK? Has the term "jumped the shark" jumped the shark?

Bumper Sticker 1

Bumper Sticker 1
Originally uploaded by eharrison3.

Look, it's the first ironic bumper sticker of 2005! Wishing everyone a Happy New Year. I'll post photos of our intimate New Year's gathering later on ... hope everyone has a healthy, safe and fun year.

Amazon Honor System Amazon.com is allowing customers to make donations directly to the American Red Cross -- no deduction for administrative fees -- which goes directly to the rescue and relief efforts from last week's horrible tsunami.

ESPN.com had a tease to an article today: "Swimsuit model survives tsunami, toll at 60,000." Oh, but thank God that swimsuit model survived. Why is that news?

The Onion | Boyfriend Keeps Bringing Up Scrabble Victory Ironic timing for this Onion classic in that I actually beat Juliet at Scrabble tonight. I am to the Scrabble purist what a 49-41 Canadian football league game is to your average Steelers fan: out-and-out gimmickry and an affront to the game. I favor a wide-open game with foreign words, abbreviations, slang and downright misspellings allowed. So my brilliant use of a word later found by Google to be the Engligh approximation of a Japanese word ("eien") was looked at with a jaundiced eye. It was part of a move that scored me 84 points, baby. Yes, I am just like the guy in that article.

First Pizza, the Aftermath

First Pizza, the Aftermath
Originally uploaded by eharrison3.

It's been a big week for all of us ... including Jacob's first Christmas, and later in the week, his first pizza. As the photo shows, the pizza put up a good fight ... More photos by clicking on the flickr link all the way over to the right ...

Home with Jacob again today. He's got a bit of a cold -- an extremely runny nose, but no fever. We're enjoying the digital music channels that RCN includes in our cable ... I really should listen to these more, but I forget we have them. It's all coming to the "celestial jukebox" that digital music afficiandos want -- basically, infinite, on-demand access to any song, at any time, from any location. Although this isn't on demand, but play along. Right now we're listening to "Rock en Espanol" (channel 444). It's not really rock, but it is Spanish, and Jacob seems to enjoy it.

Getting over a case of the fama flu which I was kind enough to share with Jacob. We're home today, and he now can wave "bye bye" and make noises that approximate "bye bye" on command. Of course, I have to use the cow puppet and have him say goodbye to the puppet but I'm hoping that's just a temporary crutch. I'm sure that won't stunt his social skills too much ("Jacob, this is Coach K from Duke. Say hi to Coach K (waving cow puppet furiously behind Coach K's back).")

You know what's not very fun? Being sick on Christmas. I picked up the flu that my coworkers were sharing this week, had a 102 degree fever yesterday and today. Other than the general wooziness that comes with that, and a deep chest cough, it's not so bad. I have slept a lot, but I missed the holiday with my family, and that was pretty sad. Jake enjoyed his first Christmas -- that is, he enjoyed playing with the wrapping paper, and seems to like the wooden drum I got him. We're going to do Christmas with my folks at some point -- my fever, as I write this, is gone after 48 hours, (note: it came back on Sunday) which is cool . A short-lived flu bug, I guess. Another note -- I can't believe that 60 percent of the Lakers' starting five played for last year's crappy Celtics team. The kind of stuff you get to think about when you spend most of the day in bed or watching TV.

Where's the Dioxin-Tainted Beef? - The Ukrainian prime ministerial debate. By Benjamin Healy: "Yushchenko: My opponent poisoned me. Also, Mary Cheney is a lesbian." This is actually kind of funny, in a really morbid, macabre way. I still can't fathom the dioxin-poisoning tactic by Victor Yuschenko's opposition. This is a darkly funny transcript of a would-be debate between the two candidates.

D.C. Council Approves Deal to Finance Stadium (washingtonpost.com): "The D.C. Council gave its formal blessing to a deal to bring the Washington Nationals to the city today, ending two months of acrimonious debate by approving financing to build a baseball stadium along the Anacostia waterfront." OK, baseball's back in D.C., baby. Well, pretty much. Who knows?

Crashing holiday parties: "An intrepid reporter worms his way into a week's worth of holiday bashes" This is a pretty funny article. The key to crashing holiday parties is to "act like you belong," much like the time I sat in the FirstUnion box to watch GW play St. Johns, and enjoyed free chicken wings.

Napster creator couldn't beat 'em, joins 'em: "As a 19-year-old college freshman, Shawn Fanning created Napster, the file-sharing software program that let millions of people illicitly trade copyrighted songs over the Internet. Now, three years after the courts shut down Napster, Fanning unveils Snocap, a San Francisco company that has developed a technology to make file-sharing legal. The record labels that put Fanning out of business now are signing deals with him to power a new generation of file-sharing services that debut early next year." Wow, he's back ... I wonder how he feels about the subscription-based Napster that exists today. I actually like it -- for 9 bucks a month, I can stream and download essentially an unlimited number of tracks ... and truly "test drive" albums before I buy them. I can listen to them on my PCs at work and home, and have figured out a way to stream them through my stereo via TiVo. So why buy music? Well, I can't take it anywhere that doesn't have a broadband connection (my car, my iPod at the gym) ... but someday ...

Dear Bill Gates: can we create an interesting music player? Interesting ... further to my point from yesterday, here's a piece from Microsoft technorati Robert Scoble on how Microsoft can win the music player war. Theyv'e got a ways to go ...

A piece from Jupiter analyst Joe Wilcox: Good piece about Apple, iPods, compatability and the perceived emergence of other players. The lack of compatability is a killer -- if I buy songs from iTunes but want to stream them on my TiVo, I have to burn them onto a disk and import them as an MP3. I can't move songs from Napster onto iTunes or my iPod without doing the same. I had to make a matrix to help ease my OCD-esque fears about music formats and confusion. "My buddy is right that there have been more news stories about other portable music players and their potential to snatch iPod's crown. I would argue that the iPod is posed to become much more than a music player, so in a sense no longer really competes with these other devices. Eventual platform success is predicated on many factors, including the will of Apple to seize the opportunity. Will Apple?"

Pedro spouts off on break with Red Sox This guy is a cancer and in decline. I hate to say it, because I was always a fan, but his diva act wore thing and quite frankly, I'm glad he's gone.

I was fired for blogging | Perspectives | CNET News.com An interesting story about a Delta flight attendant who was fired for her blog -- which can be found here ...

The New York Times > Technology > Symantec Buys Veritas in 2nd Software Merger This Week Wow, this is indeed a monumental merger, likely to provide enterprises with a single stop for security solutions -- cybersecurity and business continuity/storage/high availability from software. I imagine there will be a major jostling now among the other "nonaligned" best-of-breed, mid-sized players to get gobbled up by a bigger entity. Also, Windows Update is pissing me off today. It took forever to download a new patch and then has been telling me, ad nauseum, I need to restart my computer. I don't want to restart it, because it takes forever to boot back up. Jiminy!

iPod: The Gift That Keeps on Going (washingtonpost.com): "Apple couldn't ask for a better dilemma -- with nine days left until Christmas, retailers are reporting a shortage of the popular iPod digital music player." Supply chain problems and iPods. Although word on the street is that only the minis and small-capacity players are hard to find. You'd think by the third Christmas offering them Apple would have this figured out.

Caught Between Cropp and a Hard Place (washingtonpost.com): "There are plenty of reasons to not publicly finance a new stadium of any kind. But that decision should have been made before two partners danced this long. When the music stops -- and we seem to be nearing the end of this song -- somebody's foot is going to be crunched and I don't think it'll be baseball's." It really is appearing that baseball in DC will be a one-year deal. That's ultimately pretty sad.

Baseball's Return Could Be Temporary (washingtonpost.com) Wow, will the Nats only play one year at RFK? Time to stock up on memorabilia! I can't blame the DC council -- the previous bill was passing the burden of a new stadium to small businesses and tourists (through hotel taxes and other sorts of new fees). It's not like it was directly taking the money from the school system, but at the same time, it does seem that a potential owner who will reap significant benefits from luxury boxes and concessions at a new park should pony up the dough (much like Robert Kraft did).

ESPN.com: Page 2 - The final punchado: "Honestly? I'm wondering if the ongoing blood feud with the Yankees supercedes the spirit of the five-year grace period. I always assumed that a title would be impossible to top; and in many ways, that was proven to be correct. But we're still in the middle of a Cold War. We're still battling for the championship of each other. Maybe Boston's World Series title changed the relationship from 'feud' to 'rivalry,' but I don't want to start losing to them again. No Boston fan does. So we're in a surreal position. We can't really complain, nor do we want to complain ... but we don't want to lose to the Yanks. We want them to keep last year's team intact, but not at the expense of the next five years. We trust the front office, but only to a degree." Bill Simmons is an idiot. We won the freakin' World Series, for God's sake just enjoy it and enjoy baseball. It's a new ballgame now, to use a tired cliche. Being a Red Sox fan doesn't mean having to be a Calvinist and suffering for our sins at the hands of the Evil Empire. It can mean just enjoying baseball. Sports are a diversion.

Romney and Severin? Go figure I despise Jay Severin.

GW Men's Basketball Back in the Top 25 After Six-Year Absence: No. 21 AP; No. 25 USA Today/Coaches Poll :: Colonials Defeat Two Ranked Teams in 24 Hours at BB&T Classic OK, they're 21 in the AP poll. Phew.

ESPN.com - NCB - College Basketball Rankings GW sneaks into the Top 25 with wins over Maryland and Michigan State. Wow, what does it take to get beyond #25?

GW Tackles Maryland To Win BB&T (washingtonpost.com): "In one weekend, George Washington established itself as a national contender, beating two top 15 teams, both of which have won a national title the past five years. But the celebration was reserved; Coach Karl Hobbs has engrained in his team that the season's true accomplishment won't come for three months, when George Washington hopes to be invited to its first NCAA tournament this decade."

ESPN.com - NCB - Katz: GW is for giant wins

TJ Thompson on GW's big weekend

TJ Thompson on GW's big weekend, originally uploaded by eharrison3.

A huge weekend for the Colonials! First a surprisingly easy win in the opener of the BB&T Classic vs. #9 Michigan State, then a huge win vs. local "rival" Maryland on Sunday. Is the "it" team "it"?

SI's Sportsmen of the Year

Schilling and Embry, originally uploaded by eharrison3.

Tonight, thanks to Mike and Kevin Gannon, I was able to attend the SI Sportsmen of the Year Award presentation at the Avalon, honoring the World Champion Red Sox. It was pretty wonderful to see the World Series trophy up close and see players such as Curt Schilling, Allan Embry, Doug Mirabelli and old favorites Jim Rice, Sam Horn, Rico Petrocelli and Patriots Christian Fauria and Willie McGinest (who was taking a whiz next to me in the men's room) as well as Dennis Leary-- a wonderful night, all in all. Here are some photos (the lighting wasn't great). I almost got to meet Theo Epstein, but as I went up to him, he had to take a phone call, which I assume was fake to avoid having to talk to me. Who knows â?¦

Death to the Pixies! Wow, what a great show. A few things -- it was gutsy and cool to open with the cover of Neil Young's "Winterlong" (from the 1989 "The Bridge" charity tribute album). And, we got two versions of "Wave of Mutilation." The show started with sort of a perfunctory tone, as if Frank Black were going to the dentist rather than playing before 7,000 manic fans. They settled into a groove after awhile. There was no banter from the stage and I got the sense that, clearly, there is no love lost between Black and Kim Deal. So many great songs. I'll post the setlist once I find it. I particularly enjoyed "Vamos," "U. Mass," "Gigantic," and "Where is My Mind." And they played "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Here Comes Your Man," even though I had heard they were eschewing the latter. The crowd was old -- well, my age -- and didn't have the preponderence of 15-somethings that were at the last show I saw at the Tsongas, Weezer. In general, they rocked.

AP - Smiling frowned upon in visa photographs What the ?!?!?! Smiling frowned upon in visa photographs PITTSBURGH (AP) — Imagine being denied a passport for, of all things, your teeth. It could happen, but not because they're crooked. Under new rules for visa photographs that began this summer, the State Department doesn't want to see them at all, according to a story published in Sunday's Pittsburgh-Post Gazette. The new guidelines permit people to smile for passport and visa pictures but frown on toothy smiles, which apparently are classified as unusual or unnatural expressions. "The subject's expression should be neutral (non-smiling) with both eyes open, and mouth closed. A smile with a closed jaw is allowed but is not preferred," according to the guidelines.

Blunt Power Concentrated Air Fresheners Check this out -- "Pimp My Ride" is a huge success for my buddy Rick Hurvitz. In fact, according to the Web site for Bluntpower, the "fragrance breakthrough" to help you get the smell of weed out of your car, he's an unofficial spokesman (unbeknownst to him, it would seem). Given his lack of enthusiasm for the herb when I lived with him, this is wonderfully ironic. “AMAZING!!!… BLUNTPOWER® seems to casts a spell on every person who smells it!” "In the recent Atlanta Journal Constitution article, “A BLING THING, Rick Hurvitz, an executive producer for MTV’s “Pimp My Ride” says 'There’s a romance with the automobile. It’s a sex symbol. It can help you pick up a woman and vice versa. You don’t even have to unload thousands of dollars on it, either. It can be as simple as having a super cool air freshener that nobody else has'."

http://netscape.nba.com.blog.blog22.html "Did I do that?!?!?!" Check it out, Urkel -- or rather, Jaleel White -- is blogging on NBA.com.

I am an excellent dancer

I am an excellent dancer, originally uploaded by eharrison3.

Jacob Harrison, showing off the skillz with the ladies his daddy showed him. Click on the photo to see all the pictures I've posted on flickr.

ESPN.com - NCF - Maisel: The Pass for the ages I can't believe it's been 20 years since Doug Flutie threw the pass.

Washington Nationals : The Official Site Let's go Nats! I'm very excited for the new baseball team in Washington.

CNN.com - 'Virgin Mary' sandwich back on eBay - Nov 16, 2004: "'After looking at it a second time, there's nothing to indicate that the seller isn't willing to give up this cheese sandwich to the highest bidder,' he said. 'We're going to allow it to stay up.'" This is amazing. I need to get me one of these. I think if the Virgin Mary were going to appear in a sandwich, she'd hopefully be in something a little less meager and more appropriate -- maybe a monte christo?

ESPN.com - NCB - Recap - Geo Washington at Wake Forest A tough start for the ol' alma mater. I taped it, but I haven't watched it yet ... I guess they hung around in the first half but were outmatched in the second.

Hardee's rolls out new 'Monster Thickburger' - Nov. 15, 2004 I'm still not sure why this is news (I also heard a story about it on WBZ) other than that Americans are fat, and here's why.

Boston.com / Sports / Football / Patriots / The end is here for once-great Bledsoe: "In sports, as in life, it is always sad to see the end come. To watch Evander Holyfield being pummeled by someone who would not have lasted three rounds with him when he was really Holyfield is difficult to endure if you have respect for who he was and what he accomplished. The same was true last night for Drew Bledsoe, a great quarterback no more but to his credit still the same man he's always been. A good man struggling now in a hard business" I was at the Pats/Bills game last night and it was kind of sad. It's really hard to root against Drew Bledsoe. Sure, his skills eroded while he was here, and was a sub-500 quarterback his last handful of years in Foxborough, but he did help shore up a team that was about *this* close to moving to St. Louis in 1993. And for that, he should be thanked.

BostonHerald.com - Feds freeze mogul's assets after dramatic confession: This is sad. I've pitched this station a thousand times and always thought they had a chance to flourish for a business audience. Although you can't really get the station too far outside of Boston without using a toaster or coathanger.

MercuryNews.com | 11/14/2004 | Once again, Microsoft buys its way out of trouble: So Microsoft is on a ``peace offensive.'' That's the spin we heard last week after the monopolist announced its latest mega-bucks settlement with a company it had whacked with its patented arsenal of unsavory and often illegal tactics. Contrary to today's conventional wisdom, Microsoft isn't stuck -- if that's the right word -- with its current Windows-based monopoly. Last week's announcements included the unveiling of a search engine to compete with Google, a deal to provide software for a cable-television giant's set-top boxes and the launch of a video game that raked in a reported $125 million its first day in stores.

CNN.com - Colin Powell resigns - Nov 15, 2004: "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has submitted his resignation to President Bush, the White House said on Monday. Powell is the most prominent of four Cabinet officials whose resignations will be announced Monday, sources told CNN. The others will be Agriculture Secretary Anne Veneman, Education Secretary Rod Paige and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, the sources said." Wow. Last one there turn off the lights. That is huge turnover ... Was Bush's own cabinet feeling disenfranchised?

"The Great Black Hope" by Benjamin Wallace-Wells It's all about Obama now.

PICT0129_edited

The boy enjoys food!, originally uploaded by eharrison3.

ESPN.com - NBA - Artest asked Carlisle for time off: "'I've been doing a little bit too much music, just needed the rest,' Artest said. 'I've still got my album coming out Nov. 23. After the album comes out I'm going to make sure all of my time is focused on winning a championship.'" This is wonderful. Exactly what's wrong with sports. Ron Artest, who is making millions of dollars, wanted a month off to work on promoting his rap album. Then he gets suspended two games. Then he still manages to plug his new album in talking about how he'll make sure he focuses on winning a championship ... after the album comes out.

Cheating Paralmpians. What will they think of next?

Take that, Red States. A somewhat obscene, brilliant rant against the American South for its view of the Northeast at elitist snobs.

War on Iraq: Bush's Big Stick 

It concluded that some 100,000 Iraqi civilians had died between March 2003 (when the Bush administration with its British allies invaded Iraq) and September 2004; that the largest number of these deaths were caused by the unleashed air power of the invading and then occupying armies; and that women and children had suffered most.

In other words, the invaders may have managed to kill up to a third as many Iraqis in a year-and-a-half as President Saddam Hussein did in his 24-year dictatorial rule. This comparison led the Riyadh-based, pro-government Saudi Gazette to ask rhetorically, "If this is a war on terror, then who are the terrorists and who are the terrorized?"

Zogby International: "Mea Culpa: I am a Pollster, Not a Predictor" I'll say ...

Attorney General Ashcroft Resigns (washingtonpost.com) Hooray! My civil rights feel stronger already!

GW the new "it" team This is interesting -- GW is getting a lot of hype, but the Colonials have not fared well when great things are expected of them (like in 1997, when the preseason Top 25 team was barely a .500 squad and meekly lost to Michigan State in the NIT). That said, pretty exciting stuff.

Blue states=wicked smaht?

Boston.com / News / Boston Globe / Living / Arts / Encore: It's a covenant with the audience that must never be broken Boston.com / News / Boston Globe / Living / Arts / Encore: It's become a silly contrivance that must be stopped This is a great two-part piece: are encores necessary, or a charade? I've always said if I was in a band, I'd dispense with the encores and just let everyone leave a little early.

"Dear Limey Assholes ..." - A crazy British plot to swing Ohio to Kerry?and how it backfired. By Andy?Bowers: "Don't be so ashamed of your president: the majority of you didn't vote for him. If Bush is finally elected properly, that will be the time for Americans travelling abroad to simulate a Canadian accent. Please don't let it come to that. Vote against Bin Laden's dream candidate. Vote to send Bush packing." A British populist effort to swing Ohio to Kerry goes horribly awry.

TomPaine.com - Kerry Won: "Kerry Won"

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: The Red Zone: "Seeing the exit polls, the Democrats immediately started talking about values and religion. Their sudden passion for wooing Southern white Christian soldiers may put a crimp in Hillary's 2008 campaign (nothing but a wooden stake would stop it). Meanwhile, the blue puddle [remains of the Democratic party--EH] is comforting itself with the expectation that this loony bunch will fatally overreach, just as Newt Gingrich did in the 90's. But with this crowd, it's hard to imagine what would constitute overreaching. Invading France? " Maureen Dowd is smaht.

Success through secession ... From Andrew Skola: ELECTION BREAKING NEWS: NEW ENGLAND, NEW YORK CITY SECEDE Kerry To Lead Breakaway Republic Boston (Reuters) In a fiery concession speech at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall, defeated Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry accepted the now inevitable conclusion of a long 2004 election night: New England and New York City seceding from the Union. "The voters have spoken and I respect that process," said the Massachusetts senator, before an audience of friends, family, supporters and campaign staff. "And the voters have told us that it's time for tolerant, open minded and sane Americans to form our own nation." Kerry gave words to what many of his fervent supporters have long believed. "If the rest of the nation wants to be led by a bunch of gay-bashing, war-mongering, corporate-whore evangelicals, so be it," said the Senator. "We chose to live in peace, harmony and fiscal sanity east of the Hudson river." Legions of lawyers working for the Kerry campaign have shifted their attention from voting booth challenges to the legal paperwork required for setting up a new country. "We'll have the world's 6th largest economy, the world's most highly educated populace, the best NFL team, and the best baseball rivalry," said Kerry. "Once Kofi approves the paperwork and the new letterhead comes in we'll be our own. Thank god." Kerry stressed this path was the only way for the nation to begin the process of healing. "As a thrice decorated Vietnam vet I saw men whose only hope of life was the sweet, swift and sharp healing of amputating an infected and shrapnel filled limb," said the hoarse Senator. "And now we must amputate the cancerous red state tumor that is otherwise known as Bush's America." Details were not firmed up as to the fate of Democratic supporters in the mid-west, Pacific west coast, and District of Columbia. "Blue state citizens will be automatically eligible for membership in New America (TM)," stressed Kerry. "The rest of you bible thumpers, Humvee drivers and NRA members can take your assault rifles, Confederate flags and gay marriage bans and choke on the arsenic laden water and $6.50 per gallon gas prices that your vote has bought you. Best of luck with Iraq, by the way." Bush officials had no comment, other than to confirm the pending elimination of the E.P.A., the reduction of the minimum wage to $2.00 per hour, the reinstatement of the Dred Scott decision and the nomination of Ralph Reed to replace William Rehnquist on the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Providence, Rhode Island was being strongly considered as a symbolic location for the new nation's capital. "More than 300 years ago, Anne Hutchinson led a stubborn band of colonists who refused to recognize the maniacal, religious right morality of the Puritans and went off to form Rhode Island," reminded Kerry. "Today, we refuse to recognize the Puritanical zealotry of John Ashcroft, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and form our own nation, free of Cracker Barrels, Dale Earnhardt memorials and Lee Greenwood. This is a great day for New England."

RealFake Blog: Cheer up, citizen! Words of wisdom from downstairs neighbor Ezra ... Right on!

Democratic Values - How to start winning the red states. By William?Saletan Thought-provoking piece from Slate ...

Does it mean I've lost my street cred if I cop to enjoying an Ashlee Simpson song? I mean, I still very much dig the indy rock and the timeless classics (but not classic rock). Good Lord, what have I become? I blame President Bush.

Would Dubya Run in 2008? - It's more than possible if he loses this time out. ByTimothy?Noah Dewey defeats Truman!

Zogby International: "Statement from John Zogby on 2004 Presidential Election Results: ?We feel strongly that our pre-election polls were accurate on virtually every state. Our predictions on many of the key battleground states like Ohio and Florida were within the margin of error. I thought we captured a trend, but apparently that result didn?t materialize. ?We always saw a close race, and a close race is what we?ve got. I?ve called this the Armageddon Election for some time?a closely-divided electorate with high partisan intensity on each side.'" Whoops. Thanks Zogby.

Marion Barry Wins District Council Race (washingtonpost.com): "Former mayor Marion Barry (D) last night capped yet another revival of a long and often turbulent political career, easily winning election to the District Council as the representative from the city's poorest neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River. This guy is a political Lazarus. He's *back* after two (count 'em, two) drug controversies.

WSJ.com - Brash Blogs Grab the Lead Again With Early Reports on Exit Polls All sorts of election stuff going on here. I can't believe how *off* the exit polls were, particularly Zogby, who predicted Kerry would get 311 electoral votes.

Pedro in full 'fro. God bless the 'fro. 

Northpinellas: Arrest made in attack over cap

MSNBC - Red Sox's pregame ritual: Jack Daniels Unbelievable.

Rocky Mountain News: Columnists: "HELP FROM JACK: So how did the Boston Red Sox really beat the New York Yankees? According to first baseman Kevin Millar, the team had an ally named Jack Daniel. On Friday's edition of Fox's Best Damn Sports Show Period, Millar noted it was about 35 degrees at Yankee Stadium before Game 6. 'I got a thing of Jack Daniel's and we all did shots for about 10 minutes before the game. And we won,' Millar recalled. 'So Game 7 came and we had to do shots of Jack Daniel's. And we won the game.' Millar said he was thankful the Red Sox won the World Series in four games 'because the Jack Daniel's shots were starting to kill me.'"

New York Post Online Edition: sports And so it begins ... the Pedro hunt. Noteworthy for the kickass photo of Pedro with full 'fro.

Guardian Unlimited | US elections 2004 | Red Sox victory helps Kerry make his pitch Wow, maybe I could get two wins this fall. I hope so. Schilling just needs to keep his damn mouth shut.

Boston.com: "AT LAST! Pigs can fly, hell is frozen, the slipper finally fits, and Impossible Dreams really can come true. The Red Sox have won the World Series " This is a feeling beyond all belief. Amazing stuff here. I've lived and died with this team since I began to comprehend sports. Went to my first game in 1979 with my parents and Sean, once with the Cub scouts, once in the Norton box seats. Went again in 1984, saw my first Yankees game. Went to a game at Fenway in 1993 with Cuddy, who got up to get a beer in the 7th and I never saw him again. 1986 brought me to tears, back-to-back games. 1988 was disappointing -- I was homesick and my boys were swept. 1990 was a quick playoff ending. So was 1995. And 1998. 1999 had Petey coming out of the bullpen in Game 5 of the ALDS and Juliet giving me play-by-play as I drove from the Orlando airport to my hotel. And then I hated the Yankees more. Thank God I was out of the country in 2002 for Game 7. I still go to a game a year with my Dad and Sean (although we didn't get there this year) and I can't wait until the first time they, Juliet and I take Jake to his first afternoon at Fenway (although not in the bleachers). Pesky, Yaz, Teddy Ballgame, Torrez, Stanley, Gedman, Lee, Schiraldi, Billy Buck, Vaughn, Wakefield ... and anyone else who was given the goat horns -- we forgive you, only if you forgive us. I remember my Uncle Frank -- who loved sports even more than I did -- telling me about the crazy 1967 pennant race, the "Impossible Dream" season. The crazy pennant race with four teams vying for one spot on the last weekend, drivers stopping at the entrance to the Callahan tunnel so they wouldn't lose AM radio reception of the game broadcasts. He lived in NY, appreciated the Yankees but was a Red Sox fan at heart. I wish he were here now, because I know he'd get a huge kick out of this. But I know he's watching it somewhere, and he's as happy as I am.

Oh crap. They just showed a graphic, "The last time the Red Sox won a World Series ..." Things like, "Women couldn't vote." In 1986, in the bottom of the 10th with two outs, NBC showed a graphic illustrating how much a gallon of milk cost, a gallon of gas, etc. Oh crap. Oh crap. Lowe just struck out Mabry to end the 7th. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod Nixon just hit a two-run double in the top of the third, 3-0 Sox. I don't know what to say. This is going too well.

WSJ.com - Corrections & Amplifications: "NEWS CORP.'S Fox News was incorrectly described in a page-one article Monday as being sympathetic to the Bush cause." Brilliant -- this is a WSJ "correction," although I think the original article was correct. A tip of the hat to Dan Gillmor's blog ...

World Series Throws Employers a $465M Curve Ball: "World Series Throws Employers a $465M Curve Ball" Interesting press release on the projected lost productivity from employees showing up late, engaging in banter during work hours, hangovers, etc. related to the World Series. What's ironic is that I'm actually dragging down productivity by blogging about this, so maybe World Series lost productivity is now $465,000,008 right now. Amazing that they actually tried to put a dollar amount on it ...

A boyhood dream comes true ... I was at Game 2 of the Series last night with Juliet. I have to tell you, it was pretty amazing. I wasn't sitting with Tom Hanks or Jimmy Fallon, but I *was* near a shirtless guy. It was chilly and drizzly, but I had about 10 layers on. We got there early -- and with everyone bundled up, elbow/shoulder room was minimized. The biggest change for me was that no one was leaving their seats -- you didn't see the typical exodus you see during a midsummer game vs. Texas to hit the beer lines. Juliet went down to get a water and said it was a ghost town. Some random observations: *The Sox reunited The Standells to sing "Dirty Water" before the game started. How psyched are those guys? The one-hit that made them one-hit wonders gets them seats to game 2 of the World Series some 38 years after it was popular. That said, they didn't sound great -- Fenway isn't a great place for live rock unless they truck in the big Springsteen speakers. But cool nonetheless. I guess someone in the front office knew someone who knew someone who knew the drummer. *If I hear that Dropkick Murphys "Tessie" song one more time, I'm going to get violent. *There were a few Cardinals fans in the bleachers, but everyone treated them respectfully (and vice versa). *It was refreshing and weird to play a team I don't hate. I barely know these guys. *There was not a single chant of "Yankees Suck." That was cool. *Coming out of the park onto Landsdowne Street, there were two-dozen cops in full riot gear: helmets, body armor, etc. The crowd was definitely peaceful -- probably would be different if it were a clinching game -- but I hope and pray that Red Sox Nation has learned to be respectful following the tragedy last week, and the drunken a-holes that ruin it for everyone just stay at home.

Steven Tyler just sang the National Anthem at Game 1. Got to hear the flyover here right before it went over Fenway (3 F16s) ... it wasn't as dramatic as 1999, when windows rattled in Somerville and Paul Bugala either "spilled tea" on himself, or wet himself. You be the judge ...

Boston.com / News / Local / Mass. / 2 in fake beards sought in shooting, robbery: "QUINCY -- An armored car driver making a routine cash delivery to a bank yesterday ran into something unexpected, a robber wearing a Johnny Damon-style fake black beard and wielding a rifle." A "Johnny Damon-style beard?"

New York Post Online Edition: news: "The final score was 10-3. Humiliating, embarrassing, humbling. 'I feel like a 6-year-old who just watched his dog get hit by a car,' said Paul Avvento, 19, from Wantagh, L.I., who watched the debacle last night at the Stadium. 'Everything I've always known to be right has been proven wrong.' " The above quote, from today's New York Post. Schadenfreude: pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.

Boston.com: "BELIEVE! Victory over Yanks sends Sox to World Series" It really doesn't get any better than this. Plus, I just found my $10 bet I placed at Caesar's Palace back in May -- I wonder if I have to fly to Vegas to collect on it.

It's now 8-1 Sox in the 5th inning of game 7. This is killing me, just because, we've been down this path before. From Yankee fan Mike Kaplan, who graciously IMed me to congratulate me: i asked my roommate if he would be comfortable with a 17-1 lead, he said "depends what inning"

Jon Stewart 'Crossfire' feud ignites Net frenzy | CNET News.com This has become a phenomenon -- huge win for "Crossfire" and CNN, although they're not capitalizing on it themselves by driving folks to download it from the CNN site.

Cheaters never win.
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A-Rod is a cheater! There, I said it. I can't take it back.

Roberts Rules - A pinch runner is Boston's MVP. By Josh?Levin Great piece on the importance of Dave Roberts, Red Sox pinch runner extraordinaire. It is amazing that the Sox, after years of building their team around plodding sluggers that could tattoo the Green Monster, have such a speed-demon now.

Stewart Caught in the Crossfire - Something actually happens on a talk show! By Dana?Stevens Wow, just saw the tape of Jon Stewart on "Crossfire" on Friday, wherein he calls righty host Tucker Carlson a "dick."

Jesus will raise your taxes Nice Bush/Jesus spoof: how Karl Rove would spin if Bush were running against Jesus.

Good to see she's still getting work ... From MediaSource: "Amy Fisher, co-host joins 98.5 The Bone as part of the on-air team for the station's AM Drive-Time show, The Morning Brew." WBON is based in Nassau, childhome home of the "Long Island Lolita."

"We've been at it so long, our blimp had to go home." Great line from Fox's Joe Buck in the top of the 14th, after the game had been going on for 5 hours, 4 minutes. I guess the blimp ran out of gas. I'm about to run out of gas.

Brass Bonanza! It's the bottom of the 11th ... Men on 1st and 2nd, and they're playing the Hartford Whalers theme song! This is killing me. I swore I wasn't going to get sucked in again this year.

Casualties in Iraq - 2004 This is an interesting, shocking counter

Come to find out, Boston does suck. I do have to say, though, that the bleachers at Yankee Stadium lacked any of the venom that those at Fenway have. Two reasons: 1) no booze in the Bronx bleachers; 2) uh, they never lose to us? Ugh.
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Bush's Cartoon of Kerry Failed to Show Up (washingtonpost.com): "Indeed, Fabrizio said Bush's mistake was switching in recent days away from portraying Kerry as a flip-flopper and toward describing him as a devoted liberal. 'If you're going to take the wood to the guy, take the wood to the guy,' Fabrizio said. " Hooray -- the "l" word is back. Is it really that bad to be a liberal? "Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded."

ESPN.com: Page 2 - Daddy's deja vu in Game 2: "9:42 -- My dad and I just had this exchange on the phone: -- Me: 'If I were a major-league pitcher, would you show up at my home games wearing my jersey? -- Dad: 'Absolutely.' -- Me: 'Really?' -- Dad: 'Yeah. Unless you were Derek Lowe.'" The Boston Sports Guy's schtick is repetitive, but that line is pretty funny.

ESPN.com: Page 2 - Daddy's deja vu in Game 2: "'It's the end of Game 2 and the Sox are down two games. I feel like there should still be hope but I just don't know if I have any left. It's like watching 'American Choppers.' It might be a different show every time, but you always know how it's gonna end. If you'll excuse me I'm gonna go boil some water and then dump it down my throat.'" Another great email from a Sports Guy fan ...

ESPN.com: Page 2 - Daddy's deja vu in Game 2: "10:43 -- Timlin and Embree combine to get through the seventh. I have to admit, I just spent the last 15 minutes surfing the internet and checking the latest e-mails in my Sports Guy account, which has like 45,000 e-mails right now. Here's a good one from Stephen F. in Boston: 'Let me get this straight, Jack Nicholson is a Laker fan AND a Yankee fan? Can we just paint a mustache on him and call him Hitler?'"

Down again in N.Y.: "Red Sox stat guru Bill James of Lawrence, Kan., has exhaustive data that proves that Martinez loses effectiveness after pitch No. 105. There were reports of exploding silos in Lawrence when Martinez's 106th pitch was crushed by veteran John Olerud for a two-run homer. Martinez finished the inning, but did not come out for the seventh. He pitched well, but as so often happens against the Yankees, not well enough to win. The Red Sox are 11-20 when Martinez starts against New York, including losses in 18 of 24 Martinez starts since June of 2000."

I guess the Yankees *are* Pedro's Daddy. I'm not going to lie to you, the thought of the Sox season resting on the slight shoulders of Bronson Arroyo gives me pause. Schilling is pretty much done -- he says he'll be back in Game 5 but a torn tendon is pretty serious. Sat in the bleachers tonight for Game 2. The fans at The Stadium have fun at the expense of Sox fans, but by and large, it's the "1918" type of fun, not the "Jeter Swallows" and "Yankees Suck" you here at Fenway. And the reality is that they don't suck, they are indeed the gold standard. I'm having this shaky feeling that perhaps we should raise Jacob a Yankee fan, and he can avoid some of the angst that we in Red Sox Nation feel. Ugh. Did manage to bump into old buddy Rick Kilpatrick at the Stadium. We live in the same state, yet I haven't seen him since 2001 ... and then he's in the same section of The Stadium as me. Go figure.

Boston.com /David, goliath Wow, what a game last night. It didn't help that it was our anniversary, and as we were in the car dropping Jacob off at Tipper's, we got to hear Mike Timlin not give Vlad Guererro enough respect, at which point I turned off the car, used a really bad 12-word curse, apologized to Jacob and vowed not to listen the rest of the night and ruin our dinner at Cafe Umbro. Thankfully, I did not vow to not check my celphone for score updates. What a win! I don't know if I'm ready for the drama of another ALCS right now. As I type this, I'm listening to the WCCO stream of the Yankees/Twins Game 4 (which has just gone into extra innings. I *love* baseball on the radio, although I sense some tension on the Sox broadcasts between Joe and Jerry.

ESPN.com - NCB - Katz: Bad judgment in the A-10 Oh, this isn't good for the ol' alma mater, as three GW players were involved in a barfight last week.

Final U.S. inspection report expected to undercut key Bush rationale for war Well, there it is.

Playoffs start now! Let the era of pacing around the living, no sleep, fried foods and sadness begin anew!
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the'>http://theedge.bostonherald.com/musicNews/view.bg?articleid=47125">the Edge: Rockin' Wilco celebrates `American,' the beautiful It was a weekend of Wilco. First, we had firth-row orchestra seats to see them at the Wang Center on Friday night, and they were amazing. Lots of stuff from "A Ghost It Born," and it made me love the album even more. They've got a really solid six-man group now (Tweedy tends to fire people), including John Stiratt (bassist from Uncle Tupelo), two multi-instrumentalists, a great drummer (Glen Kotchke) and a guitarist. Then last night I caught them at Brandeis at the gym there, and have to say I was impressed with the crowd. Much more electric -- maybe since they were right up against the stage -- and Tweedy seemed buoyed. They also played "Candy Floss," from Summerteeth, one of my all-time favorite jangle-pop songs. Juliet enjoyed Friday too, particularly because they minimzed the noodling.

CNN.com - Paul Begala's Debate Blog: Round 1 - Sep 30, 2004: "Meanwhile, Kerry seems more like a president than the president. He's got a greater command of the facts, and a greater sense of ease at the podium. I don't know where the windy, verbose Sen. Kerry went, but I sure like the focused, strong future commander in chief."

Another great line: "I've worked with these world leaders the president talks about, for 20 years. Longer than this president."

"You forgot Poland ..." a Big Win for Kerry I'm saying it now at 9:38 p.m. -- Kerry is clobbering Bush. He is rattling off nonsequitirs and avoiding questions -- and is offering frequent malopropisms. Kerry looks strong. A few wonderful bits: *Describing how Bush's father didn't go past Basra. *The line about how invading Iraq was like if FDR invaded Mexico. *He called Bush on his fake coalition.

Franken challenges O'Reilly to bowling I would really love to see this happen.

What's a wiki? It's all about sharing Are wikis the new blogging? I love the trend of calling something the new something else -- ...

John a 'Bronze' Star Well, at least we're focusing on the important issues.

Kerry Calls Vote Change 'Inarticulate': "Bush has criticized Kerry throughout the campaign for the vote, which the president says shows a lack of support for troops in the field. Bush has mocked Kerry for saying, 'I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.' 'It was just a very inarticulate way of saying something and I had one of those inarticulate moments,' Kerry said in an interview broadcast Wednesday on 'Good Morning America' on ABC. 'But it reflects the truth of the position ... I thought that the wealthiest people of America should share in that burden. It was a protest.'"

Through the Past, Darkly ... So, I'm trying to listen to some of my too many CDs that I've ingored for too long. Today's entry is Green Day's "Dookie," which came out what, 10 1/2 years ago? It's interesting to me that I got kind of sick of them back in 1994, given that they were on the radio every 10 minutes. Now that they seem to be radio format orphans (not "alternative," too heavy for "AOR" -- although finally WFNX appears to be embracing all my favorite music of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it ain't hair bands), their music sounds a little fresher. They hardly broke new ground, but "Dookie" is a fun listen. And it means poop.

Tipper weighs in on the experience of seeing them at their ill-fated, quickly cancelled show at the Hatch Shell in 1995:

"As I recall, it was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. I was no stranger to mosh pits and was pretty young and fit at the time, but the crowd was alive and fluid in a way that you know you had very little control over. We pushed our way up a bit before the people pushing back were doing so not of their own volition. A few yards in front some skinny kids, clearly out of their gourd on something, were hurling each other into the air like some post-apocalyptic 'Bring It On.' I forget what the deciding factor was, but we high-tailed it out of there soon after we arrived.

Rich may remember this differently. In my opinion, the trouble came from misunderstood high-schoolers testing their limits and high on being out on a school night (and other things). Also, any idiot with sense would have realized a free concert with a meteorically popular neo-punk band was going to be trouble, and either cancelled ot moved it to a more controlled venue."

Give the masses what they want ... lil' tax cut checks and breakfast pizza 

"Danger: Do not do the hustle with the fridge. It may fall on you."
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TRIUMPH OF THE STULTOCRACY Demonstrating that stupefying ignorance can be bipartisan, another Ohioan interviewed for the same article said she is against the war in Iraq (news - web sites) because, like 42 percent of her fellow Americans, she thinks Iraq was behind 9/11: "We shouldn't be over there building them back up because they didn't build our towers back up." She is wrong on so many levels that it makes my brain hurt. Some people shouldn't be allowed to vote. Ugh -- Americans are both stupid and lazy.

The New York Times > Sports > Baseball > Schilling Adds Voice to Talk of the Red Sox I heard this on the drive home last night -- it was brilliant, an athlete calling in to respond directly to an idiotic claim from a sports radio host.

Dictionary.com/out-of-pocket: "3 entries found for out-of-pocket. out-of-pock?et (outv-pkt) adj. Calling for the spending of cash: out-of-pocket expenses. Lacking funds: hungry, cold, and out-of-pocket travelers. " I cannot stand when people use the phrase "out of pocket" instead of "out of touch" or "out of the office."

Boston.com / News / Nation / Kerry accuses Bush of 'reckless mistakes': "''Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator who deserves his own special place in hell,' Kerry told a supportive audience assembled at New York University, downtown from where Bush is to address the United Nations General Assembly today. ''But that was not, in itself, a reason to go to war. The satisfaction we take in his downfall does not hide this fact: We have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure.'" No flip-flop here. Kerry does a great job sharpening his message on Iraq.

Boston.com / Your Life / The Red Sox or the republic? You decide Good buddy Doug Fraim asked me this same question a few weeks back -- would I rather see Kerry win, or the Sox win the World Series? Without blinking, I said "Kerry." The Globe has a poll on their site, and 68 percent would rather see the Sox win. Now, it's somewhat misleading, because there's no pre-screening of respondents to determine their political leaning and/or rabidness of Sox fandom. I think it would be interesting if it were limited to left-leaning, rabid Sox fans like myself. I'd still say Kerry in a landslide.

Here's Jaunty Jake, enjoying some quality time in a nearly-empty inflatable pool with his wooden spoon, Spoony. Photo taken 9-4-04.
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I got bored today and changed the name of my blog. Will probably get bored again later.

 

Staring Down the Barrel of The NRA (washingtonpost.com): "Sure, Bush says, he would sign a renewal of the ban, which theoretically puts him on the side of the majority. But a president who was happy to bring excruciating pressure on Congress to pass his tax measures lifted not a finger to get Republican leaders in Congress to put the assault weapons bill on his desk. " Ugh.

New personal record!

We drove down to NY for Juliet's aunt's 75th birthday party yesterday. A really nice affair. The icing on the cake, though, is that I broke the old, longstanding land-speed record of driving from the Boston area to Hastings-on-Hudson, 3 hours flat, held for many years by Juliet. I safely covered the ground in 2 hours, 48 minutes. Driving through Dobbs Ferry, knowing I had the record in hand, I felt the same way Lance Armstrong must feel when he pedals into Paris, knowing victory is his.

 

I credit two things to my victory:

 

1. Packing a thermos of coffee, rather than stopping for coffee

2. Uh, actually, that's the only thing I can credit.

So I saw Robert Reich buying produce today at the Whole Foods in Fresh Pond. It was cool to see a former Labor Secretary, although even though I was familiar with his stature (or lack thereof) I was still surprised at his lack of height. It's a shame that that ultimately is what kept him from being elected (at least I surmise).

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Betty Goo - Sleeping Uglies It was sad, I was giddy, but the post-punk melodic hooks triumphed over darkness at the Betty Goo farewell at PA's on September 3.

Schadenfreude for Merven? It's such a shame when bad things happen to good people. It's not a shame when bad things happen to bad people -- like when a former client ("There is no Plan B!") has their name misspelled on their only piece of major coverage since they fired you. I only wish I had discovered this sooner ... New York Times Correction: May 1, 2004, Saturday A brief report in Circuits on Thursday about a new free online film service called AtomFilms Hi-Def misstated the name of a software partner in the venture. It is Maven Networks, not Marven.

Jacob, Daddy and Juliet -- photo taken by Doug Fraim, August 28; the boy looks good in everything he eats
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Pixies will make return trip to Boston YES! I can't tell you how excited I am about the prospect of seeing The Pixies.

Twin Terrors - How bad were the Bush girls? By Julia?Turner

So, I'm doing this Whatifsports.com fantasy college basketball league -- but it's a fantasy fantasy league, where you recruit fake players to play against other fake players, based on your (real) school's ability to attract key talent. Confusing, but think of it as a combination between fantasy sports and SIMS. So, my team, Marian College, blows. We're 0-10. What's worse is that I am continuing to get these (fake) threatening emails from the (fake) athletic director about my performance -- and what's even worse is that I find myself feeling badly about it. Why am I paying to do this again? Here's the last email: Coach, that was a brutal start to the season, but it has to turn around. It has to. Stranger things have happened. If you ever need any coaching advice, don't tell me - I'm worried enough as it is. Walter Ponder Athletic Director Marian

Boston.com / Sports / Baseball / Start spreading the boos: Yankees absorb worst loss OK, I'm trying to keep my cool about this. Only 3 1/2 games back ... I can't allow myself to be sucked in like last year. Or will I? OK, I will.

USATODAY.com - The GOP doesn't reflect America

Boston.com / News / Politics / Yale student arrested after getting near Cheney, shouting anti-war statements Is it illegal to shout anti-war sentiments?

The New York Times > Opinion > A War Without End Rob sent this to me. Powerful.

Newsday.com - Long Island News I need to get a Hempstead 516 shirt.

Starbucks Gossip: Tipping debate: How much should you tip for a cup of coffee? This is interesting ... I do tend to err on the side of overtipping, yet I don't tip at all when I pay with a credit card (even though there's a line on the receipt). This is my favorite post: I will gladly tip the first barista who doesn't try to correct me when I say I want a "medium" coffee. Not "benti" or "crumpo" or whatever the hell made-up word Starbucks uses, I want a MEDIUM coffee. Sadly no barista has been able to resist this temptation to date. Crumpo? That's even more made up than their made-up words.

Frederick Company Fires Employee Who Taunted Bush %28washingtonpost.com%29 Wow! This is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy ...

Swift Change Of Heart - August 20%2C 2004 Wow, this stuff is amazing. Where is the outrage?

I had this great memory this morning, driving past an MG Midget. I used to *love* those cars when I was a kid, although there's no way in hell I'd fit in it now. Anyhoo, one time when I was about 10 or so, I was walking in downtown Northborough with my dad, and saw an MG across the street. "Look, Dad, a Midget," I said, as if I had never seen one before (they were more common in 1980 than they are now). My Dad hushed me, "Be quiet -- what are you doing?" for, at the exact moment I spastically pointed out the coolest car in the world, Northborough's only dwarf happened to be walking in front of the British sports car. We had a good laugh about it later (my Dad and me, not the dwarf).

Kerry Unveils Ad Countering Attacks Over Vietnam %28washingtonpost.com%29

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Here's the end of an email exchange I had today -- the names are blurred to protect the innocent ... it all started with some fun button-pushing I initiated by sending a link to Kerry's new ads attacking the "Swift Boats for Lying," or whatever they are ... -----Original Message----- From: XXX Sent: Monday, August 23, 2004 9:10 AM To: Ed Harrison; YYY Subject: RE: FW: America Can Do Better ... I am better off than I was four years ago. -----Original Message----- From: YYY Sent: Monday, August 23, 2004 9:20 AM To: XXX; Ed Harrison Subject: RE: FW: America Can Do Better ... I am too. *** Well, I guess that's all that matters then.

http://www.johnkerry.com/oldtricks What did Reagan say in that famous line to Mondale in the debate? "There, you've done it again" or something like that? Outrage ...

Boston.com %2F News %2F Local %2F Mass. %2F Boston mayor hospitalized with stomach pains: "Menino began complaining of lower abdominal pain after eating a large amount of peanuts at a Red Sox game Monday night" Wow, the Mayor has Crohns' Disease. I remember one time, when I was in Atlanta on business in 1993, I thought I was going to die from a Crohns' flareup, also from eating a large amount of peanuts.

Boston.com %2F A%26E %2F Music %2F Prince proves he%27s still got the look Wow, what an amazing show. The guy really gets it done -- particularly the cover of "Whole Lotta Love."

Is Ikea hiding a grin%3F Brilliant!

Remarks by Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge Regarding Recent Threat Reports: "But we must understand that the kind of information available to us today is the result of the President%27s leadership in the war against terror." Man, this still makes me angry, nearly a month later. Where was the outrage that this press conference was called with no new relevant information, in order to negate the Democrats' post-convention bump?!?!?!

The Post on WMDs: An Inside Story (washingtonpost.com) Wow -- explosive stuff.

Boston.com / News / Washington / Bush misspeaks, says his administration seeking 'new ways to harm our country' Did he misspeak or have a rare, honest moment?

The Insider: Starbucks' prices won't be cheaper for much longer Wow, Starbucks is raising prices. I wonder when the day of the six-dollar latte will be upon us. How much was the milkshake in "Pulp Fiction," five dollars? It's amazing, but watching that movie after a decade of paying much money for coffee drinks, it doesn't seem that outrageous now. I dare say that I've found a decent, more cost-effective substitute with the Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee with a shot of espresso.

The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Sharpton's ad-libbing brings the crowd to its feet I watched this last night and I'm glad I did. The Atlantic Monthly recently did a piece on him that made him look like kind of a selfish bufoon. Even if that's true, and who knows if it is, and the Tawana Brawley thing notwithstanding, he is a pretty amazing orator.

USATODAY.com - Filmmaker Moore, talker O'Reilly spar in Boston I wish I had seen this exchange.

Boston.com / News / World / European survey finds Slovenes the busiest, Germans the laziest, while French may be the happiest No matter what they say, you really can't keep a good Slovene down!

Portland Sea Dogs - Official Web Site Saw the Portland Sea Dogs on Saturday ... first time at lil' Hadlock Field. Really a nice park, including a faux green monster in left, which is kind of off given that there is nothing but woods behind it. Friendly fans, scored a hat for myself and a stuffed sea dog for Jacob. Spent most of the game yelling at a Navigator named "Ortmeier," because his name was fun to yell, a la "Darryl." Good time had by all.

Boston.com / A&E / Music / Vegas casino boots singer Linda Ronstadt Wow -- even Linda Ronstadt is subject to partisan jockeying.

WSJ.com - PNC Financial Agrees to Buy Riggs National for $779 Million I don't know why, but bank consolidation, particularly when it's a bank I used to bank at (when I lived in DC), makes me sad. Perhaps it's just another reminder of our mortality. Wow, that's a downer.

Well, here's the chain I had with one of those Nigerian scammers last year: I can't find the first email -- but it was typical Nigerian scammer stuff. He claimed to be the son of Zaire's former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, so I wrote him a note saying I was sorry about his loss, but I had heard his dad was kind of a bad dude. His response: dear mr harrison, thank you for your respond to me,all i want is your ability and willingness to assist me in these hour of need,do not talk about mr father because i've surfered to come to these stage of help.so all i needed from you is your capability to handle this to me.if you proof send to me your identity like your photograph passport picture,your telephone number, your house address, your driver license.your fax number.after you i receieve all these document i mention i will tell you what to do as we make progress. thank you fred seko. -- ___________________________________________________ OperaMail free e-mail - http://www.operamail.com OperaMail Premium - 28MB, POP3, more! US$29.99/year The next week I received this email from another scammer: ----Original Message----- From: mikekolo@tiscali.co.uk [mailto:mikekolo@tiscali.co.uk] Sent: Wed 9/24/2003 6:26 PM To: Ed Harrison Cc: Subject: I NEED YOUR URGENT RESPONSE Dear Sir/Madam, Due to reasons I would explain in greater detail later,i am in search of a sincere partner to assist me in securing and investing the sum of USD15,000.000 (Fifteen Million United States Dollars)inherited from my father's business. I am the only surviving child of late Mr Johnson Mbulu, a Liberian diamond merchant.my father became rich from his extensive investment in diamond trade both in Liberia and in Sierra leone. He was assasinated in Monrovia,Liberia in November 2002 by gunmen of the Charles Taylor-led dictatorship while on a business trip. Bla bla bla ... He never responded to my note back to him: -----Original Message----- From: Ed Harrison Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2003 8:26 PM To: mikekolo@tiscali.co.uk Subject: RE: I NEED YOUR URGENT RESPONSE Hey, do you know Fred Seseko from the Congo? He dropped me a note the other day about a similar offer. You guys should collaborate. -

Wow, it appears as though I have won the Netherlands lottery, according to this email I received from Simon Jones, my fiduciary agent ... This might be my favorite line of the email: "In your best interest to avoid mix up of numbers and names of any kind, we request that you keep the entire details of your award strictly from public notice until the process of transferring your claims has been completed, and your funds remitted to your account. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unscrupulous acts by participants/non participants of this program." Followed by "N.B: Any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winners will result to disqualification. Please do not reply to this mail. Contact your fiduciary agent immediately." There's a great site where this woman has an ongoing dialogue with one of those Nigerian scammers ... let me look for it

The Seattle Times: Local News: Couple's 55,600-mile tour takes in nation's 172 ballparks I would *love* to do this trip.

Roger and Me - Why I hate the greatest pitcher of all time. By Seth Stevenson: "Also: You are fat. They say you've got this hard-core training regimen, with calisthenics and whatnot. I'm not seeing it. You're wicked fat." Brilliant!

Boston.com / News / Local / Mass. / Now hear this, MBTA: Passengers talk back: "Train, train, train of foolsI have noticed the series of ads on Red Line trains. Initially, I was intrigued by the paranoid nature of them, and how their instructions are so vague that they're essentially useless. I did also notice that two of the T/suspicion announcements, placed next to each other on a Red Line train, had different telephone contacts, which I thought was odd. So odd that I thought I should report the second ad to the first. Ed Harrison Somerville" My letter submitted to boston.com was included in this past Sunday's Globe "City Weekly." Huzzah.

WSJ.com - Portals An interesting piece from earlier in the year on digital music vs. high-end audio. I am a musicphile, but I definifely not an audiophile -- that is, I have a hard time distinguishing between good and really good audio. My brother is an audiophile ... but I just nod politely when he tries to explain the difference. I don't get it. Great quote at the end of the piece about digital audio: "Until you know it could be better, you don't know that it's bad."

The other day I found a DayRunner I hadn't used in about five years -- it was the perfect size to put a fama pad in to use at new business pitches. Anyhoo, one thing of interest was my 1998 list of "Things to Do." In addition to some more standard goals/objectives (flowers for Juliet, birthday card for my Dad, wedding gift for my friends Christian and Candi) were the following: *House by 2000/2001 (met that goal ... twice, actually!) -- check *Kid by 2002 (missed that one, slightly ... but see the next goal) *Kid by 2004 -- check And I was supposed to buy a Jonathan Richman album that I never did get around to buying, although I do see it got 4.5 stars in an AllMusic guide review (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDSUB020406070740102988&sql=Ao2jqeay04xu7). Regardless, it is interesting how these things evolve over time!

Yahoo! News - Top Stories Photos - AP Get two sources!

Yahoo! News - 20/20 HINDSIGHT IN IRAQ Wow, even the hardcore conservatives are abandoning Bush on this one. Great quote: Richard Holbrooke, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a supporter of the war:"The situation in Iraq is like diving off a diving board without knowing if there is any water in the pool."

Boston.com / News / Boston Globe / Opinion / Op-ed / How come John Kerry isn't clobbering this guy? This is a piece I wish I had written.

Great, now it's 7-2, thanks to a 3-run dinger after a second Nomar error. This is infuriating ... there's the 1918 chant again. I really shouldn't care this much -- I wouldn't mind losing, except that it's always to New York. Arrrrrrrrrgh.

It's the first Sox/Yankees game in awhile. I'm watching while I finish drafting a press release I've been proscrasting on for awhile. Sox 2, Yanks 1 (two dingers for Johnny "Hayzoos" Damon). First 1918 chant: 7:54 p.m.

MTV.com - Movies - News - Articles - 1488708 - 06282004 I saw this on Saturday. Much less self-aggrandizing than his previous work. Partisan? Yes ... but views I espouse and ones that are typically swept aside by the mainstream media.

Shaquille O'Neal on Kobe and Napoleon: "It wouldn't be a real rivalry," he said. "It'll be a media rivalry. Won't be a real rivalry. You have to do something and be something before you can become a rival. Like, Napoleon wouldn't have had a rival with a guy that had one sheep and one cow and no army. You know? I don't care how much they say, 'Hey, this guy with one sheep and one cow and his brother that's 50 years old, he's a cold cat. And he's gonna take out Napoleon and that whole army by himself.' So Kobe on the Clippers, that wouldn't be no rivalry. It'd just be, hey, he used to play here and now he's duh duh duh. It'll just be hype. Hype for a night." --from ESPN.com

Boston.com / News / Local / Romney said Kerry's missed vote cost state $75 million in federal dollars: "Romney said Kerry's missed vote cost state $75 million in federal dollars By Steve Leblanc, Associated Press, 6/18/2004 18:56 ADVERTISEMENTBOSTON (AP) A missed vote by Democra" This partisan posturing is driving me crazy. Today, I'll attack our governor, because I dislike him.

All Indian Team to be ABA's 24th Expansion Team More about race and sports. But this one makes me just say one thing -- why?

USATODAY.com - Bird: NBA needs more white stars Oh no. Tempest in a teacup. Race and sports ... just can't separate the two. Bird: "I really got irritated when they put a white guy on me. I still don't understand why. A white guy would come out, I would always ask him, 'What, do you have a problem with your coach? Did your coach do this to you?' And he would say, 'No,' and I'd say, 'Come on, you got a white guy coming out here to guard me; you got no chance.' And for some reason, that always bothered me when I was playing against a white guy." It always bothers me when a white guy defends me, because they're usually better than me. As are the black, Asian and Aleutian Indians that guard me.

ESPN.com: Page 2 - Bill Parcells drops a bomb Parcells is an idiot. And the fact that his apology was directed to "the Orientals" was even better. Moron.

Miami-Based Alzheimer's Executive Available to Comment on President Reagan's Death, Challenges of the Disease in Florida Talk about issues response! Opportunistic PR. Ugh. "But the real tragedy is ..."

KILLER, COWARD, CON-MAN
GOOD RIDDANCE, GIPPER ...
MORE PROOF ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG Quite the Reagan obituary. Worth reading.

The New Yorker: Fact: "To understand how a knuckleball works, it helps to have a basic familiarity with Bernoulli?s principle, the Magnus effect, and the Prandtl boundary-layer theory, for a start" Wow, you gotta be wicked smaht to throw a knuckler!