This just in:


Pixar Ends Talks With Disney


Wow - this is a very interesting turn, and one that wasn't totally unexpected. I'm thinking that Disney has more to lose at this point than the Leader. (Steve Jobs is often saluted as "Leader!" for all the Macophiles on Dealmac )

Yahoo! News - 'CtrlAltDelete' Inventor Restarts Career


Thanks to Stephen Hopkins for pointing this one out! Apparently, everyone gets their 15 minutes - when is mine??

Stossel on the Top 10 Media-Fed Myths

Thanks to Mark
for pointing this out.

Here's the one I found most interesting:

(It goes along with the LA Times Editorial, Bush's Impossible Math that was published today. You might need to sign up, but it's free)

Myth No. 6 — Republicans Shrink the Government

Republicans always trot out the slogan that they oppose big government and want to shrink the federal payroll. President Bush tells us that "big government is not the answer." President Reagan told us, "Our government is too big and it spends too much."

But for more than 75 years, no Republican administration has cut the size of government. Since George W. Bush became president, government spending has risen nearly 25 percent.

And the spending increase isn't just tied to the war on terrorism. The Office of Management and Budget says spending at the Environmental Protection Agency is up 12 percent, it's up 14 percent at the Agriculture Department, 30 percent at the Department of the Interior, 64 percent at the Department of Labor, and 70 percent at the Department of Education.

And the pork keeps pouring out. Even the Peanut Festival in Dothan, Ala., got $200,000. Republican congressman Terry Everett got them the money. He wouldn't talk to us about it. But the locals said they like getting your money. "I think it's a waste of money, but if they're going to waste money, I guess it's better to waste it here than anywhere else," one man told me.

Economist Stephen Moore, a Republican, says, "We fought a war against big government and you know what? Big government won."

He noted, "You look at what's happened to the government in the 10 years since the Republicans took control of Congress, the government is twice as big."

Republicans don't Tax and Spend, they just Spend and Spend. Spend and Spend. I wish I knew who was going to pay all this....... won't be the Bushies, I wager.

I just have one question: What did Bush know, and when did he know it?

Either way, there's a huge problem. Either Bush knew there were no WMD's and lied about it, or he's even a bigger idiot than advertised. Not a comforting thought.

The rest of the world hardly wanted to support Bush in his personal drive to avenge his family honor, yet they kowtowed to the US anyway.

Dang. I hate it when the French are right.

Symantec Security Response - W32.Novarg.A@mm

Well, if you didn't know already, this will help you out. Please update your virus definitions! All of us Mac users are sitting this one out, but I'm still getting tons of error reports because other people are infected and are sending out more viruses spoofing my address.

Virii like this really slow the whole 'Net down.

It's Tuesday, here's your BSA story for the day:

Boy Scouts Find Body

We rescued a huge dog once, and some of our guys helped an injured skier, but thank God we've never found something like this!

Joshua Tree 2004


For anyone who is interested, here are some pictures from this past weekend.... And if you don't know, I'm the one in the last photo on page two.

Newsweek Poll: Kerry Leads Bush :

In addition to Kerry taking the Whitehouse in this hypothetical poll, Newsweek also states, "Overall, 52 percent of those polled by NEWSWEEK say they would not like to see Bush serve a second term, compared to 44 percent who want to see him win again in November."

Pretty high dissatisfaction, if'n you'rn askin' me!

Kid Wins! Brings Giant Corporation to its Knees!

Microsoft to take over MikeRoweSoft.com

The only hitch is, the kid ends up with an XBox and Microsoft Training. Should have held out for a Mac. ;)

I'm off to Joshua Tree National Park

Spending the weekend backpacking into the desert. No snow there now, but night time temps are in the thirties. Should be fun! The desert is beautiful this time of year.

I've still been so incensed by the State of the Union that I haven't really coagulated my thoughts. Sheesh - how many more programs is Bush going to start? A billion here, a billion there..... All the while he's telling me about how the "tax cuts are working." But I don't know anyone who is actually paying less tax this year than last. In addition, cities and states are getting the shaft (paying for all those expanded federal programs) and they're trying to raise new revenue too!

Jeesh, here I am complaining about tax and spend and sounding like a Republican! But they're the ones I'm gripping about.

I'll need to relax this weekend.

Microsoft: We took MikeRoweSoft too seriously

Ya think?

One of the strangest web sites I've ever seen

You can do anything!

Kids celebrate smoky saint's day

You know, I couldn't make this stuff up!

I love the part about "I help out with Mass, then I come here and my parents think it is okay because it is only one day a year."

How about joining me for next year's celebration of St. Crack?

A really interesting point of view from the Muslim World

What do those in marginally democratic countries think of our political process? Read this and find out!

Kerry wins Iowa; Gephardt's exit expected

Wow. I really expected Dean to do better. But, I also think his platform plays better in the North and in urban areas.

On to New Hampshire!

In case you weren't sure what to serve for your Super Bowl party:

Pairing Potato Chips With Wine?

I like Merlot - but I'd always wondered if Doritos Cool Ranch were appropriate. Now I know!

Microsoft takes on teen's site MikeRoweSoft.com - Jan. 19, 2004

They really are the Evil Empire! Leave the kid alone, eh?

Hubble casualty of Bush space plan - Jan. 17, 2004

Pardon the pun, but this seems short-sighted!

I saw this on The Onion:



It worked better there - you had to mouseover to get it to work......

s a v e D I S N E Y . c o m

Brigitte sent this link to me - it's pretty interesting!

Latte Drinking, Bunless Burger eating, Left Wing Freak show!

Hey, everybody in the rest of America - bunless burgers are no big deal! We've been eating them that way for years! All you have to do is go to In n' Out and ask for your Double Double "Protein Style." They wrap your burger and all the fixin's up in a big ol' piece of lettuce and voila! a low carb burger. If you're really brave, ask for it "Protein Style, Animal Style." No bun, grilled onions, extra sauce, all wrapped in lettuce.

Frankly, BK's take on it seems really unappetizing - but I notice that Carl's Jr. and Hardee's (one and the same) are doing the lettuce wrapped deal too now.

Well, you can certainly count me as one of those LWFS folks who eat a burger without the bun.

I've come to the conclusion that Bush's "Tax Cut" is a sinister plan to provide more opportunities to spend more. Especially on nation building. Here's Bush's real (no I mean it! This is the official Whitehouse release on Bush's tax "cuts"):

The President's Agenda for Tax Relief

Here's the opening quote:

"These are the basic ideas that guide my tax policy: lower income taxes for all, with the greatest help for those most in need. Everyone who pays income taxes benefits — while the highest percentage tax cuts go to the lowest income Americans. I believe this is a formula for continuing the prosperity we've enjoyed, but also expanding it in ways we have yet to discover. It is an economics of inclusion. It is the agenda of a government that knows its limits and shows its heart."

— President George W. Bush


Let me say it loud and clear: There's *no* tax cut. I don't know where the money is really going, but no one I know is getting it. Every single person in my office, at every pay level, is paying more in taxes this year than last. TRUE! Not one person is taking home more money per paycheck in 2004 than 2003.

Where's all this "money?" Who's actually getting their taxes cut? Bush claims it's everyone, but as far as I can see - it's no one.

Nighy and Freeman for Hitchhikers

One of my favorite books - I'm feeling a little worried about the movie adaptation. I felt this same way about "Lost in Space" and look how that turned out. But, "Lord of the Rings" looked hopeless too, and look how that turned out.

Danger, Danger, Will Robinson!
The entire first season of "Lost in Space" was released on DVD today - gravitate over to the video store!!

Scouts still doing good

Here's my "It's Tuesday, it must be Boy Scout Day" blog reference. A letter writer from Modesto comments on the BSA.

O'Neill: Bush planned Iraq invasion before 9/11 - Jan. 10, 2004

Wow. This is very damning. If this is true, then not only did Bush lie about the reasons for invading Iraq, but it also means he did so on the backs of all those victims of the 9-11 attacks. That is almost too gruesome to contemplate. The smoke from this fire keeps getting thicker.

An opinion piece in the L.A. Times discusses the four generations of Bush family involvement in the Middle East Oil Industry.

The Barreling Bushes

Very, very interesting. I've been asked in some quarters to show that GW had any involvement with Enron. I think it's pretty clear that his ties to Saudi oil and the entire energy industry go even deeper than that.

Whither the 'left-wing freak show'?

Let *me* take the poll!!! Am I part of the Left-Wing Freak Show?

Let's see..... a new ad from the kind, loving folks at clubforgrowth.org (I'll give you the web site, but I refuse to link to it!) have used their massive club to tweak out a huge part of America.

Here's some of the text...

"Howard Dean should take his tax-hiking, government-expanding, latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times-reading …"
 
His wife jumps in: "Body-piercing, Hollywood-loving, left-wing freak show back to Vermont where it belongs."

Tax-Hiking? Well, if that means repealing Bush's stupid tax "rebate" then I qualify for this one.

Government Expanding? I don't think I can count this one, but maybe the end result of certain policies I support would expand some areas of the government, but certainly reduce others.

Latte Drinking? I'm pretty much a regular (it must be very good, but plain) coffee kind of guy. Given the choice over the last couple of weeks, I've chosen the house drip every time.

Sushi Eating? I'll cop to this one. I don't eat it much, but won't hesitate when it's presented. (No wasabi though!)

Volvo Driving? Ooohh. This one counts. Probably counts twice! We have two of them, and they're our third and fourth ones.

New York Times Reading? I admit that I read the NY Times when it's available. But I don't have a subscription. A half point maybe? (LA Times doesn't count? I get it at home and at work!)

Body Piercing? Not me. (I'm pretty sure the woman in the ad has earrings on. They looked pierced to me! Hypocrisy?)

Hollywood Loving? Yeah, you bet. I work in Hollywood, promote Hollywood movies. I guess if you live off the land, you'd better like it.

Left Wing? I'm certainly left of *these* folks!

By my count (only one for the Volvo though) I get a 5.5.

Does that qualify me as a "Freak Show?"

I wonder if my involvement with the Boy Scouts (certainly not a bastion of Left Wing Freak Shows!!) or the Presbyterian Church (I guess Left Wing depends on who you ask, there.) mitigates my freakiness. Once again, the Right tries to classify and pigeonhole people, without taking into account their complete person. A Christian, a Boy Scout Leader and a Democrat!?!? Impossible! Despicable! Ruinous! What are you teaching the children?!?!

Right Wing Radicals that don't know when to shut up (Rush, are your ears burning?) are moving this country to a point where everyone is polarized. "Yur either fur us, or agin us!" Calling people names and "sending them packin'" isn't the way to get a useful dialog started. Of course, these Right Wing Anti-1st Amendment types don't really care about starting a dialog, they just want to shout you down.

"Go home all you people who are different from us! Go away before I start throwing persimmons at you!" Grumpy Right Wingers are no better than the guy who yells at all the neighborhood kids from his front porch.

Ohio Woman Admits Lying in Lottery Case


Duh!!

'Battle apologized to her husband, her lawyer and Jemison, saying she wanted to use the money to help her family and recently laid-off Cleveland police officers.

"I'm not a bad person, I'm really not," she said. "Everyone has a past."'

Hey, *everyone* has done something heinous, so why not you? Bull - oney.

Relativism at its zenith.

Wow! That's really cool!!

We have a couple of groups of guys who might be able to do something similar - hint, hint!! (You know who you are!)

CNN.com - Report says Iraq didn't have WMD - Jan. 8, 2004

Hmmmm...... didn't we already know this? At least deep in our own hearts?

I still don't believe that that end justifies the means. Yes, Saddam was/is a bad guy. He brutalized his people. He was a despot and deserves to hang for the things he did. But, I don't believe we had the right to overthrow a foreign government for those reasons. It isn't moral, nor just. It's just being a bully.

And now, GW, where does it stop? What should stop any other country in this world from invading us and trying to overthrow our government, because we actually *kill our own people?* Many countries already refuse to extradite criminals to us if they may face the death penalty. By the same twisted logic we used, it isn't a big stretch (except for the fact that we'd kick their butts if they tried) to believe that some other government, in a fit of moral outrage, might try to protect us from our own government.

What's good for the goose, may well be fit for the gander.

Found a new search engine

It groups your results, which helps to cut down the clutter. So far, it seems pretty good. It out-Googles Google.

But will it ever replace the word "Googling" in the English language??

So Which is Worse?

Is it Britney Spears for being such a publicity hound? Or is the news media for fawning all over this story?

Here's an excerpt from CNN:

How Spears' misstep will affect her career is anybody's guess, but at least one public forum -- an America Online message board -- had a great deal of criticism for the singer. (AOL is a division of Time Warner, as is CNN.)

"She has reclassified herself as worthless. I hope her fans boycott her music and use her CDs for compost," said Pecanwombat.

OH COME ON!! CNN is now quoting AOL message board posters? And someone named "Pecanwombat?" What is that!

I just can't hear Walter Cronkite saying, "Internal source, Pecanwombat, stated....."

Hey everybody - she's rich, she's famous, she's good looking true. But she's still just 22 and liable to make a few mistakes. Let's move on to something more interesting, ok? I wonder when Bennifer will actually tie the knot..... ;)

Oh, yeah - Happy New Year!! Check the archives for pics from Park City.