Rangel Calls for Resuming Military Draft - Tue Dec 31, 7:15 AM
NEW YORK - Rep. Charles Rangel, a veteran of the Korean War, says he plans to introduce legislation to resume the military draft in the event of a war against Iraq.
--This will show how serious we are about this war. AND equality! Women better get drafted too, dammit!
N.Y.C. Smoking Ban Set for March 30 - Mon Dec 30, 6:29 PM ET By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK - On the eve of the year's biggest party night, Mayor Michael Bloomberg approved one of the nation's toughest anti-smoking laws while Gov. George Pataki toughened the state's drunk driving statute.
The smoking ban, affecting nearly every public indoor space in the city, takes effect March 30, giving smokers one last New Year's Eve to light up in most bars and restaurants.
--If I had the money I would open a private, members only, smoking club in NYC. I would never go there, but I would OWN one!
NEW YORK - On the eve of the year's biggest party night, Mayor Michael Bloomberg approved one of the nation's toughest anti-smoking laws while Gov. George Pataki toughened the state's drunk driving statute.
The smoking ban, affecting nearly every public indoor space in the city, takes effect March 30, giving smokers one last New Year's Eve to light up in most bars and restaurants.
--If I had the money I would open a private, members only, smoking club in NYC. I would never go there, but I would OWN one!
Clonaid Scientist Says Proof of Cloned Baby Will Come Soon - Dec. 30
It was a dramatic scientific claim, and now it's time for proof. A 7-pound baby purported to be the first human clone is due to arrive in the United States today and will face DNA testing as a group that sponsored the birth tries to prove to a skeptical scientific community that the child is indeed a clone.
Brigitte Boisselier, the chief executive of Clonaid, a cloning company affiliated with a religious sect that believes aliens gave rise to life on Earth, told ABCNEWS' Good Morning America that scientists will be offered all the proof they required within a week.
--Why does Brigitte Bosselier look more like a retired porn star than a scientist? I love Science!!
It was a dramatic scientific claim, and now it's time for proof. A 7-pound baby purported to be the first human clone is due to arrive in the United States today and will face DNA testing as a group that sponsored the birth tries to prove to a skeptical scientific community that the child is indeed a clone.
Brigitte Boisselier, the chief executive of Clonaid, a cloning company affiliated with a religious sect that believes aliens gave rise to life on Earth, told ABCNEWS' Good Morning America that scientists will be offered all the proof they required within a week.
--Why does Brigitte Bosselier look more like a retired porn star than a scientist? I love Science!!
Nominated for quote of the year is the statement made by Representative Dick Armey, who when asked if he had been in President Clinton's place, would he have resigned?
He responded: "If I were in the President's place I would not have gotten a chance to resign. I would be laying in a pool of my own blood, hearing Mrs. Armey standing over me saying, "How do I reload this damn thing?"
He responded: "If I were in the President's place I would not have gotten a chance to resign. I would be laying in a pool of my own blood, hearing Mrs. Armey standing over me saying, "How do I reload this damn thing?"
Wrestler Admits Kaufman Feud Was Fake - Thu, Dec 26, 2002 05:55 PM PDT
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Twenty years after the fact, professional wrestler Jerry Lawler is coming clean about his supposed feud with comedian Andy Kaufman.
Kaufman, who decided to try his hand at wrestling at one point in his career and took on all comers, including women, met Lawler in Memphis. In 1982, the bickering duo appeared together on David Letterman's late night show and erupted when Lawler slapped Kaufman, who retaliated by throwing coffee at him.
While Letterman was not in on the joke, Lawler asserts in his new book "It's Good to Be the King ... Sometimes" that he and Kaufman staged the whole incident.
Kaufman died in 1984.
--You mean a Professional Wrestler actually STAGED something!! Oh The Humanity!!
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Twenty years after the fact, professional wrestler Jerry Lawler is coming clean about his supposed feud with comedian Andy Kaufman.
Kaufman, who decided to try his hand at wrestling at one point in his career and took on all comers, including women, met Lawler in Memphis. In 1982, the bickering duo appeared together on David Letterman's late night show and erupted when Lawler slapped Kaufman, who retaliated by throwing coffee at him.
While Letterman was not in on the joke, Lawler asserts in his new book "It's Good to Be the King ... Sometimes" that he and Kaufman staged the whole incident.
Kaufman died in 1984.
--You mean a Professional Wrestler actually STAGED something!! Oh The Humanity!!
Women and the Draft (Op-Ed) - By Dave Behrens Fri Dec 27th, 2002 at 01:23:41 AM EST
Every man in the United States 18 to 25 years of age is required to register for the Selective Service, and thereby subject himself to the possibility of involuntary military service. Yet, on the eve of war with Iraq, the prosecution of which may require millions of U.S. military personnel, no woman in the U.S. is required to register. This clear fact of gender discrimination has not been focused upon in public discussions, I believe, because an active draft has not been in effect since 1973.
The United States Selective Service System offers on its Website a short history of the draft with respect to women. The primary reason given for non-registration of women is a twenty-year-old Supreme Court decision, Rostker v. Goldberg. Simply stated, this decision says that since all men registered with the Selective Service are considered combat replacements, and since Congress forbids women to go into combat, women should not be registered. Of course, this reasoning is absolutely absurd, since it presupposes that every man called for involuntary military service will be used for combat, and that no man called will be used for the approximately 90% of military jobs which are non-combat related.
Some questions arise as a result of this blatant fact of gender discrimination:
1. While U.S. women enjoy exactly the same civil rights as U.S. men, why is the pretext of a ridiculous Supreme Court decision used to exempt the majority of the population, i.e. females, from even the possibility of involuntary military service in any capacity?
2. Should women be permitted to vote in elections for candidates who may have to decide on war for our country, when women will never serve involuntarily in any military conflict?
3. Title IX demands that proportionately equal funds be used for school-based athletics for males and females. Many schools have had to abandon male team sports that earn revenue in excess of their costs and which aid in the preparation of males for the teamwork and organization of military service, in order to provide gender-equal funding for female sports which perennially lose revenue. Yet there is no requirement for females to utilize the skills and strengths learned on the athletic field in the military defense of their country. Should Title IX continue?
4. Do equal civil rights for women obligate women to equal civil responsibilities?
--Hmmm... this guy has some interesting points...
Every man in the United States 18 to 25 years of age is required to register for the Selective Service, and thereby subject himself to the possibility of involuntary military service. Yet, on the eve of war with Iraq, the prosecution of which may require millions of U.S. military personnel, no woman in the U.S. is required to register. This clear fact of gender discrimination has not been focused upon in public discussions, I believe, because an active draft has not been in effect since 1973.
The United States Selective Service System offers on its Website a short history of the draft with respect to women. The primary reason given for non-registration of women is a twenty-year-old Supreme Court decision, Rostker v. Goldberg. Simply stated, this decision says that since all men registered with the Selective Service are considered combat replacements, and since Congress forbids women to go into combat, women should not be registered. Of course, this reasoning is absolutely absurd, since it presupposes that every man called for involuntary military service will be used for combat, and that no man called will be used for the approximately 90% of military jobs which are non-combat related.
Some questions arise as a result of this blatant fact of gender discrimination:
1. While U.S. women enjoy exactly the same civil rights as U.S. men, why is the pretext of a ridiculous Supreme Court decision used to exempt the majority of the population, i.e. females, from even the possibility of involuntary military service in any capacity?
2. Should women be permitted to vote in elections for candidates who may have to decide on war for our country, when women will never serve involuntarily in any military conflict?
3. Title IX demands that proportionately equal funds be used for school-based athletics for males and females. Many schools have had to abandon male team sports that earn revenue in excess of their costs and which aid in the preparation of males for the teamwork and organization of military service, in order to provide gender-equal funding for female sports which perennially lose revenue. Yet there is no requirement for females to utilize the skills and strengths learned on the athletic field in the military defense of their country. Should Title IX continue?
4. Do equal civil rights for women obligate women to equal civil responsibilities?
--Hmmm... this guy has some interesting points...
Scientist Claims to Produce Human Clone - December 27, 2002 By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - A chemist who belongs to a sect that believes life on Earth was created by extraterrestrials claimed Friday to have produced the world's first human clone, a baby girl.
The 7-pound baby was born Thursday by Caesarean section, said Brigitte Boisselier, head of Clonaid, the company that claimed success in the project. Boisselier, who spoke at a news conference, said the baby, dubbed "Eve" by the scientists, is a clone of the 31-year-old American woman who donated the DNA for the cloning process, had the resulting embryo implanted and then gestated the baby. If confirmed, that would make the child an exact genetic duplicate of her mother.
--Just because we can doesn't mean we should...
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - A chemist who belongs to a sect that believes life on Earth was created by extraterrestrials claimed Friday to have produced the world's first human clone, a baby girl.
The 7-pound baby was born Thursday by Caesarean section, said Brigitte Boisselier, head of Clonaid, the company that claimed success in the project. Boisselier, who spoke at a news conference, said the baby, dubbed "Eve" by the scientists, is a clone of the 31-year-old American woman who donated the DNA for the cloning process, had the resulting embryo implanted and then gestated the baby. If confirmed, that would make the child an exact genetic duplicate of her mother.
--Just because we can doesn't mean we should...
Somewhere in West Virginia, a lucky person is about to celebrate a green Christmas. - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -
One winning ticket was sold in West Virginia for the nearly-$315 million Powerball lottery Wednesday night, a spokesman for contest operator the Multi-State Lottery Association said.
--After taxes and all they will only get about $102 million. Hardly worth the trouble... hohoho
One winning ticket was sold in West Virginia for the nearly-$315 million Powerball lottery Wednesday night, a spokesman for contest operator the Multi-State Lottery Association said.
--After taxes and all they will only get about $102 million. Hardly worth the trouble... hohoho
Trying to Stop Vampire Hysteria December 23rd - Reuters
BLANTYRE (Reuters) - A bizarre rumor that Malawi's government is colluding with vampires to collect human blood for international aid agencies in exchange for food has led to a rash of vigilante violence.
President Bakili Muluzi accused unnamed opposition politicians on Sunday of spreading the vampire stories to try to undermine his government, already hit by political protests and widespread food shortages.
Vampire paranoia has sparked several attacks on suspected bloodsuckers, despite official efforts to kill the rumor.
Last week a man accused of helping vampires was stoned to death and three Roman Catholic priests were beaten up by villagers who suspected them of being bloodsuckers.
--I Knew it! Those bastards!
BLANTYRE (Reuters) - A bizarre rumor that Malawi's government is colluding with vampires to collect human blood for international aid agencies in exchange for food has led to a rash of vigilante violence.
President Bakili Muluzi accused unnamed opposition politicians on Sunday of spreading the vampire stories to try to undermine his government, already hit by political protests and widespread food shortages.
Vampire paranoia has sparked several attacks on suspected bloodsuckers, despite official efforts to kill the rumor.
Last week a man accused of helping vampires was stoned to death and three Roman Catholic priests were beaten up by villagers who suspected them of being bloodsuckers.
--I Knew it! Those bastards!
The Two Towers - (***) GREEN LIGHT
I loved this movie. I will be buying it the first day it's available on DVD, but, I am giving it only three stars.
Good stuff first:
Special effects were great, better than the first which we watched the night before. Gollum was WAY better than I expected. They gave him life, conveyed his internal insanity, and even showed Frodo a peek at his future if he kept the ring. The ENTs were excellent! Did you see the one put that fire in his hair out in the flood of water!The Battles! The Balrog! The Nazgul!
The acting was super. Peter Jackson drags great performances out of them all! Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins is showing the burden in his face. Ian McKellen as Gandalf the White is great as expected. Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn was great, it will take me weeks to get the drool out of my shoes that was leaking from all the women in the theater (I hope it's drool...). Sean Astin as reliable as Samwise Gamgee. Orlando Bloom as Legolas and John Rhys-Davies as Gimli I love. Brad Dourif was perfectly cast as Wormtongue, right down to the oily hair.
The Locations were Awesome!
The bad guys were bad. The good guys were great! The three hours flew by. Now I want to go see it again, dammit!
Now the bad stuff (before I buy more tickets online).
I does not stand alone as a movie. My brother Eric went with us and had not seen the first movie. He liked it but was kind of lost for the first hour. He liked it so much he immediately borrowed one of my DVDs of the Fellowship.
It could have been paced a little better in a couple places.
There were also a few departures from the book that seemed to happen for no reason.
All and All a must see.
GREEN LIGHT!!
The Clash's Joe Strummer Dies at Age 50
LONDON (Reuters) - Joe Strummer (news), frontman for British punk band the Clash and a major influence on a whole generation of rock bands, has died at his home in western England at the age of 50, a spokesman for the singer said on Monday.
--Bummer. Sharif won't like it...
LONDON (Reuters) - Joe Strummer (news), frontman for British punk band the Clash and a major influence on a whole generation of rock bands, has died at his home in western England at the age of 50, a spokesman for the singer said on Monday.
--Bummer. Sharif won't like it...
Start Trek: Nemesis - (**1/2) green light
It was good. About as good as a two hour TV episode. So if you like Start Trek, go see it.
That being said, Stop reading if you don't want spoilers.
I am sick of the Doomsday machine plot. This movie started out great! The Romulans! I wanted political intrigue! I wanted a mystery! I thought I was going to get a complex plot about the cloning of Picard and Warf being naked!
It really needed to focus tighter. Make the movie about the harrowing aspects of marrying a Star Fleet Captain! Make a movie about Datas Quest for his humanity and family. Make an action adventure plot like the original Mission Impossible!
DO NOT regurgitate the "OH MY GOD! There is a Doomsday Machine headed for earth! and The Enterprise is the only Starship in the whole damn quadrant!"
I want Sisco... But Nemesis will do for now...
Die Another Day - (****) Green Light
The story begins in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea with a spectacular high-speed hovercraft chase and continues via Hong Kong to Cuba and London where Bond meets up with the two ladies who are to play such important and differing roles in his quest to unmask a traitor and to prevent a war of catastrophic consequence. Hot on the trail of the principle villains, Bond travels to Iceland where he experiences at first hand the power of an amazing new weapon before a dramatic confrontation with his main adversary back in Korea where it all started...
This is the Best James Bond movie since Sean Connery.
One Country's Worst Nightmare - Fri Dec 20,10:30 AM ET
BERLIN (Reuters) - German drinkers could be about to face their worst nightmare -- a beer shortage.
The potential trickle in the supply of the nation's favorite tipple is due to new government regulations restricting deposits of disposable cans and bottles which takes effect in January. Retailers say it may mean there may not be enough beer in shops.
--OH THE HUMANITY!!
BERLIN (Reuters) - German drinkers could be about to face their worst nightmare -- a beer shortage.
The potential trickle in the supply of the nation's favorite tipple is due to new government regulations restricting deposits of disposable cans and bottles which takes effect in January. Retailers say it may mean there may not be enough beer in shops.
--OH THE HUMANITY!!
Playboy Centerfolds Are Less Curvaceous - Thu Dec 19, 7:02 PM By EMMA ROSS, AP Medical Writer
LONDON - The curves of Playboy centerfold models have gradually flattened out over the last 50 years, giving way to a more androgynous look, European researchers suggest.
Analyzing every Playboy centerfold since the first one in 1953, they found the models' weight hadn't changed much over time, but busts and hips had diminished, while waists had become less tapered.
--Who said we would never need math...
LONDON - The curves of Playboy centerfold models have gradually flattened out over the last 50 years, giving way to a more androgynous look, European researchers suggest.
Analyzing every Playboy centerfold since the first one in 1953, they found the models' weight hadn't changed much over time, but busts and hips had diminished, while waists had become less tapered.
--Who said we would never need math...
PETA Gives Fur Coats to the Poor - Thu Dec 19, 8:24 AM ET
TORONTO (AP) - Fur isn't for rich folks, but it's fine for the homeless. At least according to some animal-rights activists.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is giving fur coats to the poor.
PETA has teamed with a Toronto community center to donate 30 hand-me-down fur coats and jackets to homeless women.
PETA is trying to drive home its message that animals should not be victims of fashion. A PETA spokeswoman says the only people who should wear furs are the truly destitute.
--Just when I thought PETA couldn't get any more stupid. "Let's give this homeless woman a $1000 mink coat." Do they really think they will keep them instead of selling it to us meat eaters? Sheesh!
TORONTO (AP) - Fur isn't for rich folks, but it's fine for the homeless. At least according to some animal-rights activists.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is giving fur coats to the poor.
PETA has teamed with a Toronto community center to donate 30 hand-me-down fur coats and jackets to homeless women.
PETA is trying to drive home its message that animals should not be victims of fashion. A PETA spokeswoman says the only people who should wear furs are the truly destitute.
--Just when I thought PETA couldn't get any more stupid. "Let's give this homeless woman a $1000 mink coat." Do they really think they will keep them instead of selling it to us meat eaters? Sheesh!
Why Does This Metal Detector Keep Going Off?? - Tue Dec 17,10:43 AM ET
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - It took an airport metal detector to give a Canadian woman a clue to why she was suffering from persistent stomach aches four months after having abdominal surgery.
Despite the detector's beep, airport security guards in Regina, Saskatchewan, were unable to find any metal on her body before the woman's October flight to Calgary, Alberta.
Several days later the woman had an X-ray.
It showed a 12-inch-long, 2-inch-wide surgical retractor, used to hold incisions open, had been left in her abdomen after surgery four months earlier at the Regina General Hospital.
--Sheesh. Think she will keep it?
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - It took an airport metal detector to give a Canadian woman a clue to why she was suffering from persistent stomach aches four months after having abdominal surgery.
Despite the detector's beep, airport security guards in Regina, Saskatchewan, were unable to find any metal on her body before the woman's October flight to Calgary, Alberta.
Several days later the woman had an X-ray.
It showed a 12-inch-long, 2-inch-wide surgical retractor, used to hold incisions open, had been left in her abdomen after surgery four months earlier at the Regina General Hospital.
--Sheesh. Think she will keep it?
How to Ruin American Enterprise - Fri Dec 13,12:02 PM ET By Benjamin J. Stein
We're well on our way to squelching what gives this country an edge. What would it take to kill innovation altogether?
--This article was so good I put it in my opinions section.
We're well on our way to squelching what gives this country an edge. What would it take to kill innovation altogether?
--This article was so good I put it in my opinions section.
College Sets Speed Limit for Wheelchairs - 2 hours, 5 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES - or worse, expelled — for speeding at Valley College.
Campus officials recently set a speed limit of 4 mph for wheelchairs, hoping to keep pedestrians from being hurt.
"It's a safety issue, pure and simple," said Tom Jacobsmeyer, vice president of administration, who proposed the regulation after seeing a student nearly hit by a woman "going very fast" in a wheelchair.
--Now here is an issue I can get behind. Those wheel chair people already get all the good parking!!
LOS ANGELES - or worse, expelled — for speeding at Valley College.
Campus officials recently set a speed limit of 4 mph for wheelchairs, hoping to keep pedestrians from being hurt.
"It's a safety issue, pure and simple," said Tom Jacobsmeyer, vice president of administration, who proposed the regulation after seeing a student nearly hit by a woman "going very fast" in a wheelchair.
--Now here is an issue I can get behind. Those wheel chair people already get all the good parking!!
"Survivor" Brian Slapped AroundThu Dec 12, 6:30 PM ET By Lia Haberman
Survivor's soft-porn stud Brian Heidik has so far managed to outwit, outplay and outlast his Thai island teammates, but the tattooed contestant faced his biggest rival back home.
Heidik's wife, Charmaine, was arrested last month and charged with spousal abuse, according to The Smoking Gun.
Cops hauled the castaway's wife off to the slammer on November 17 after a heated argument broke out between the couple at their home in the Los Angeles suburb of Quartz Hill, per a Los Angeles police report.
Slaphappy Charmaine was left to stew in a cell for two days before being released on her own recognizance. A superior court judge allowed her to return home, in the company of a sheriff's deputy, to pick up her belongings.
--He should have known when she wouldn't eat the roach for him! Maybe she was pissed because he wouldn't tell her who won!
Survivor's soft-porn stud Brian Heidik has so far managed to outwit, outplay and outlast his Thai island teammates, but the tattooed contestant faced his biggest rival back home.
Heidik's wife, Charmaine, was arrested last month and charged with spousal abuse, according to The Smoking Gun.
Cops hauled the castaway's wife off to the slammer on November 17 after a heated argument broke out between the couple at their home in the Los Angeles suburb of Quartz Hill, per a Los Angeles police report.
Slaphappy Charmaine was left to stew in a cell for two days before being released on her own recognizance. A superior court judge allowed her to return home, in the company of a sheriff's deputy, to pick up her belongings.
--He should have known when she wouldn't eat the roach for him! Maybe she was pissed because he wouldn't tell her who won!
Eddie Munster in the News! - Yahoo News
Butch Patrick, 49, who played Eddie Munster in the TV series 'The Munsters,' shares a hot tub with blind date Lisa Marie Bolick in the first episode of E!'s new celebrity reality series, 'Star Dates,' in this undated video framegrab. The half-hour show debuts on the cable channel at 10:30 p.m., EST, Sunday, Dec. 15.
--Click the link! You gotta love TV these days!
Butch Patrick, 49, who played Eddie Munster in the TV series 'The Munsters,' shares a hot tub with blind date Lisa Marie Bolick in the first episode of E!'s new celebrity reality series, 'Star Dates,' in this undated video framegrab. The half-hour show debuts on the cable channel at 10:30 p.m., EST, Sunday, Dec. 15.
--Click the link! You gotta love TV these days!
Rights Group: 461 Pakistani Women Killed - Wed Dec 11, 6:45 AM ET By MUNIR AHMAD, Associated Press Writer
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan's main human rights body said Wednesday that at least 461 women have been killed by family members in so-called "honor killings" this year, an increase from the year before.
In such killings, women are murdered to protect the "family honor" for immoral behavior ranging from sex outside marriage, dating, talking to men, being raped or even cooking poorly.
The 2002 figure is up from about 372 honor killings the year before and demonstrates the need for increased protection for women in Pakistan, the private Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said.
--Savages. Bastards. Cowards.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan's main human rights body said Wednesday that at least 461 women have been killed by family members in so-called "honor killings" this year, an increase from the year before.
In such killings, women are murdered to protect the "family honor" for immoral behavior ranging from sex outside marriage, dating, talking to men, being raped or even cooking poorly.
The 2002 figure is up from about 372 honor killings the year before and demonstrates the need for increased protection for women in Pakistan, the private Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said.
--Savages. Bastards. Cowards.
PETA Sues Calif. Milk Board Over 'Happy Cow' Ads - Wed Dec 11, 7:51 PM ET By Gina Keating
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - How green is their valley? Do they even have a valley?
A lawsuit filed on Wednesday by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals challenges whether the California dairy industry's award-winning ad campaign featuring "Happy Cows" frolicking in verdant pastures is false advertising.
--PETA should be ashamed for the time and money the spend on this crap when real suffering still continues. READ THIS PETA!
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - How green is their valley? Do they even have a valley?
A lawsuit filed on Wednesday by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals challenges whether the California dairy industry's award-winning ad campaign featuring "Happy Cows" frolicking in verdant pastures is false advertising.
--PETA should be ashamed for the time and money the spend on this crap when real suffering still continues. READ THIS PETA!
Buy a Piece of Christmas -- Reindeer DNA in a Vial - Wed Dec 11,10:05 AM ET
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Stuck for a Christmas gift? How about a blob of real Finnish reindeer DNA sealed in a vial topped with silver antlers.
Richard Collins, project manager at Hong Kong-based DNA-Tech Ltd, said customer interest in the reindeer DNA had snowballed since his firm began selling it Tuesday for HK$480 (US$61.55) per sample.
--For that special someone that has everything...
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Stuck for a Christmas gift? How about a blob of real Finnish reindeer DNA sealed in a vial topped with silver antlers.
Richard Collins, project manager at Hong Kong-based DNA-Tech Ltd, said customer interest in the reindeer DNA had snowballed since his firm began selling it Tuesday for HK$480 (US$61.55) per sample.
--For that special someone that has everything...
Mad Mel to hit the road again - Tuesday December 10, 2002 - The Guardian
Mel Gibson is to play Mad Max for the fourth time in return for a $25m pay packet. The 46-year-old actor will once again step into the wasted landscape of a dystopian future Australia for a project titled Fury Road, reportedly costing $104m.
According to Daily Variety, the movie will start shooting down under next May, with the franchise's three-time director and co-writer George Miller once more in the director's seat. Miller has reportedly been working on the script for the past three years.
No plot details have yet emerged but it's a fair bet that "Mad" Max Rockatansky will once again be roaming the lawless, post-apocalyptic Australian outback.
Mad Max originally hit cinemas in 1979 and made a worldwide star of Gibson, who was born in America but moved to Australia as a child when his father won a prize on the gameshow Jeopardy. A sequel followed in 1981 and the most recent in the franchise, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, co-starring Tina Turner, hit cinemas in 1985.
Gibson, who won a best director Oscar for 1995's Braveheart, has been seen this year in M Night Shyamalan's supernatural thriller Signs.
--SWEET!
Mel Gibson is to play Mad Max for the fourth time in return for a $25m pay packet. The 46-year-old actor will once again step into the wasted landscape of a dystopian future Australia for a project titled Fury Road, reportedly costing $104m.
According to Daily Variety, the movie will start shooting down under next May, with the franchise's three-time director and co-writer George Miller once more in the director's seat. Miller has reportedly been working on the script for the past three years.
No plot details have yet emerged but it's a fair bet that "Mad" Max Rockatansky will once again be roaming the lawless, post-apocalyptic Australian outback.
Mad Max originally hit cinemas in 1979 and made a worldwide star of Gibson, who was born in America but moved to Australia as a child when his father won a prize on the gameshow Jeopardy. A sequel followed in 1981 and the most recent in the franchise, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, co-starring Tina Turner, hit cinemas in 1985.
Gibson, who won a best director Oscar for 1995's Braveheart, has been seen this year in M Night Shyamalan's supernatural thriller Signs.
--SWEET!
Two Towers 'even better' than Fellowship - Thursday December 5, 2002 - The Guardian
Advance word is already leaking out on the next instalment of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, following a sneak screening in Los Angeles last night. Fortunately for those involved, the advance word is extremely positive. The general consensus seems to be that The Two Towers is a richer, bloodier and more compelling experience than last year's Fellowship of the Ring.
Sky Movies critic Sandro Manetti gushed that chapter two of the Tolkien epic is "even better than the first Lord of the Rings movie... There is no quiet beginning or setting the scene this time. It's straight into the action from the start and there's no let up for the next three hours. Peter Jackson captures some of the most ferocious battle scenes ever put on film and puts his camera right in among the blood and guts."
--This is gonna be good...
Advance word is already leaking out on the next instalment of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, following a sneak screening in Los Angeles last night. Fortunately for those involved, the advance word is extremely positive. The general consensus seems to be that The Two Towers is a richer, bloodier and more compelling experience than last year's Fellowship of the Ring.
Sky Movies critic Sandro Manetti gushed that chapter two of the Tolkien epic is "even better than the first Lord of the Rings movie... There is no quiet beginning or setting the scene this time. It's straight into the action from the start and there's no let up for the next three hours. Peter Jackson captures some of the most ferocious battle scenes ever put on film and puts his camera right in among the blood and guts."
--This is gonna be good...
Earthsea Trilogy -- by Ursula K. Le Guin
- A Wizard of Earthsea
- The Tombs of Atuan
- The Farthest Shore
Ged was the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, but once he was called Sparrowhawk, a reckless youth, hungry for power and knowledge, who tampered with long-held secrets and lossed a terrible shadow upon the world...
Police Hunt Hallucinogenic Toad Thief - Fri Dec 6,10:10 AM ET
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch police are investigating whether drug addicts raided a pet shop and stole three exotic toads whose warty skin can induce hallucinations when licked.
The animals were snatched from a pet shop near a drug addicts' center in the city of Leeuwarden in the northeast of the Netherlands on Wednesday. "They are an exotic kind of toad that secrete a substance. If you lick them you may get a hallucination, comparable with a trip on LSD," police spokesman Harry Oenema told Reuters.
--And they sell these in a pet shop!?! I bet they were in PETA!
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch police are investigating whether drug addicts raided a pet shop and stole three exotic toads whose warty skin can induce hallucinations when licked.
The animals were snatched from a pet shop near a drug addicts' center in the city of Leeuwarden in the northeast of the Netherlands on Wednesday. "They are an exotic kind of toad that secrete a substance. If you lick them you may get a hallucination, comparable with a trip on LSD," police spokesman Harry Oenema told Reuters.
--And they sell these in a pet shop!?! I bet they were in PETA!
Reliable Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks Dec. 13-14 - Fri Dec 6,11:04 AM By Joe Rao, SPACE.com
Less than a month after the Leonid meteor shower, another excellent display is just around the corner. The reliable, annual Geminid meteor shower is scheduled to reach its peak during the pre-dawn hours of Saturday, Dec. 14.
The Geminids should produce a fine display of 1-2 meteor every minute for North American observers with dark skies, weather permitting. Brief bursts of activity could produce even higher rates. The nights and mornings surrounding the peak activity should prove rewarding, too.
--Magic in the skies... Magic inside...
Less than a month after the Leonid meteor shower, another excellent display is just around the corner. The reliable, annual Geminid meteor shower is scheduled to reach its peak during the pre-dawn hours of Saturday, Dec. 14.
The Geminids should produce a fine display of 1-2 meteor every minute for North American observers with dark skies, weather permitting. Brief bursts of activity could produce even higher rates. The nights and mornings surrounding the peak activity should prove rewarding, too.
--Magic in the skies... Magic inside...
Texan Killed Friend Who Drank Last Cold Beer - Reuters
BANDERA, Texas (Reuters) - A jury on Thursday handed a life prison sentence to a Texas man who shot and killed a longtime friend he accused of drinking the last beer in his refrigerator.
Jurors deliberated for less than two hours before passing the sentence on Steven Brasher, 42, for the murder of Willie Lawson, 39, on Nov. 5 last year.
"There was only two beers left, so I took one, and I told Willie not to take my last beer," Brasher said in a taped statement that was played during the trial.
--Another beer related death...
BANDERA, Texas (Reuters) - A jury on Thursday handed a life prison sentence to a Texas man who shot and killed a longtime friend he accused of drinking the last beer in his refrigerator.
Jurors deliberated for less than two hours before passing the sentence on Steven Brasher, 42, for the murder of Willie Lawson, 39, on Nov. 5 last year.
"There was only two beers left, so I took one, and I told Willie not to take my last beer," Brasher said in a taped statement that was played during the trial.
--Another beer related death...
Iraq's Olympic Panel Accused of Torture - By JONATHAN FOWLER, Associated Press Writer
A human rights group formally demanded that the IOC expel Iraq's national Olympic committee because its chief — Saddam Hussein's eldest son Uday — tortured and jailed athletes who failed to please him.
--"Run your ass off or it's the mines for you!!"
A human rights group formally demanded that the IOC expel Iraq's national Olympic committee because its chief — Saddam Hussein's eldest son Uday — tortured and jailed athletes who failed to please him.
--"Run your ass off or it's the mines for you!!"
Missiles Are Being Sold in Afghanistan - Wed Dec 4,12:39 PM ET By TODD PITMAN, Associated Press Writer
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - American-made Stinger missiles, capable of taking down aircraft, are for sale in the Afghan capital for $200,000, as well as rockets for as little as $5,000, peacekeepers said Wednesday.
--What is wrong with these poeple! Havn't they heard of eBay! Sheesh.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - American-made Stinger missiles, capable of taking down aircraft, are for sale in the Afghan capital for $200,000, as well as rockets for as little as $5,000, peacekeepers said Wednesday.
--What is wrong with these poeple! Havn't they heard of eBay! Sheesh.
Man Found Dead 44 Years After 'Trip to U.S.' - Wed Dec 4,10:40 AM ET
MILAN (Reuters) - An Italian man who packed his bags 44 years ago and told friends he was leaving for America was found dead inside one of the walls of his home.
An American woman who recently bought the house near Lucca in northern Tuscany discovered the body Tuesday as she was carrying out renovations, police said.
Inside a thick wall in the cellar the woman found human remains, two packed suitcases, a trowel and other equipment to make a wall, a rusted rifle and a bottle with a suicide note.
The note, on paper headed with the name Nemo Cianelli, explained that the man had discovered he had an incurable disease and had decided to kill himself. He said he had invented the tale of going to America to avoid upsetting his family.
Local newspapers reported in 1958 that Cianelli was missing, and speculated that he might have gone to America, but after a period of rumor and mystery, the story was forgotten.
Police said it appeared Cianelli had packed his suitcases, written the suicide note, built a wall up around himself and then shot himself.
MILAN (Reuters) - An Italian man who packed his bags 44 years ago and told friends he was leaving for America was found dead inside one of the walls of his home.
An American woman who recently bought the house near Lucca in northern Tuscany discovered the body Tuesday as she was carrying out renovations, police said.
Inside a thick wall in the cellar the woman found human remains, two packed suitcases, a trowel and other equipment to make a wall, a rusted rifle and a bottle with a suicide note.
The note, on paper headed with the name Nemo Cianelli, explained that the man had discovered he had an incurable disease and had decided to kill himself. He said he had invented the tale of going to America to avoid upsetting his family.
Local newspapers reported in 1958 that Cianelli was missing, and speculated that he might have gone to America, but after a period of rumor and mystery, the story was forgotten.
Police said it appeared Cianelli had packed his suitcases, written the suicide note, built a wall up around himself and then shot himself.
Iraq Tells the World Again We Have No Banned Arms - Reuters - By Nadim Ladki and Carol Giacomo
BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq said on Wednesday its planned declaration to the United Nations would cover biological, chemical, missile and nuclear technologies, but stressed again it had no weapons of mass destruction.
--Yeah right... and Saddam also said the check is in the mail and I promise I won't @&^ in your mouth.
BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq said on Wednesday its planned declaration to the United Nations would cover biological, chemical, missile and nuclear technologies, but stressed again it had no weapons of mass destruction.
--Yeah right... and Saddam also said the check is in the mail and I promise I won't @&^ in your mouth.
Millions of pirates are plundering satellite TV - Mon Dec 2, 7:13 AM ET by David Lieberman USA TODAY
NEW YORK -- At least 1 million households, possibly as many as 3 million, enjoy a TV fan's paradise. They get virtually every channel, including premium networks such as HBO and Showtime, most broadcast sports events and all pay-per-view services. All for free.
There's just one hitch: It's illegal.
That hasn't stopped satellite TV piracy from growing at an alarming rate. It's spreading so quickly that in a few years more people may be stealing DirecTV's and EchoStar's services than are stealing from cable -- even though the satellite business, which reports 19 million paying customers, is less than a third of cable's size.
--Bastards... Making my DirectTV more expesive!! Oh the Humanity!!
NEW YORK -- At least 1 million households, possibly as many as 3 million, enjoy a TV fan's paradise. They get virtually every channel, including premium networks such as HBO and Showtime, most broadcast sports events and all pay-per-view services. All for free.
There's just one hitch: It's illegal.
That hasn't stopped satellite TV piracy from growing at an alarming rate. It's spreading so quickly that in a few years more people may be stealing DirecTV's and EchoStar's services than are stealing from cable -- even though the satellite business, which reports 19 million paying customers, is less than a third of cable's size.
--Bastards... Making my DirectTV more expesive!! Oh the Humanity!!
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