On the eve of the last 11 episodes of Farscape (beginning this Friday at 8pm – Tivo’ers take note), Sci-Fi finally explains why they pulled the plug on the “best science-fiction show on TV.” Basically, it cost too much and was too hard for most people to keep up with. Which also explains why low-fi garbage like Stargate SG-1 lasts seven seasons.
Hail to the King.
High-res versions of some of yesterday’s ROTK calendar shots are now online. Aragorn looks ready for business, doesn’t he?
Whoops.
The NFL admits they botched the biggest call of the Giants-49ers game on Sunday, allowing San Francisco to escape to the next round against Tampa Bay. I remember thinking the game ended screwy, what with the offsetting penalties on third down. Ah well, at least the Jets went through. They’re the NY team I root for anyway.
True Colors Shining Through.
As we embark on war in the Middle East and the states grapple with their worst fiscal crises in a generation, Dubya moves once again to protect the wealthy by eliminating taxes on dividends, despite the minimal effect it’ll have on economic growth. Typical. I’ve wondered aloud (10/12) about the double taxation on business profits before, but that was in better times, before Dubya blew out the economy with his deficit-exploding tax plan of 2001. (Speaking of which, thanks for the 300 bucks. It changed my life.) Given our dire economic situation and wartime footing now, it’s almost criminal to eliminate dividend taxes to aid stockholders, particularly when high payroll taxes continue to consume the balance of working Americans’ paychecks. (Of course, Dubya plans to pay for all this by freezing all domestic spending except homeland security.) Absolutely ridiculous…How out of it can you be? What will this plan do for the millions of Americans who don’t play the stock market? Are they suppose to pay for the war in Iraq while the wealthiest Americans watch their bank accounts grow? I swear the Monopoly guy must be taking meetings with Karl Rove somewhere in the West Wing.
Oh Joy.
Looks like the GOP will be descending on NYC next year for their 2004 convention. Expect opportunistic and wholly inappropriate uses of Ground Zero for the duration.
LOTR: Return of the Spoilers.
Is it too early to start up this train again? (Of course not.) A rare Return of the King 2003 calendar makes it online, with pics of Denethor and of Frodo in the lair of you-know-who. Mild spoilers for non-trilogy readers.
Pre-Pre-Pre-Primary.
As Al Sharpton joins the 2004 hunt (in which I suspect he’ll play the Alan Keyes role, and not just in terms of race), Adam Nagourney examines the Democratic contest so far. In related news, will Gary Hart join the fray?
They can’t handle the truth.
On his way out the door, JC Watts, the last Black Republican in Congress, reflects on race and the GOP (and compares Tom DeLay to Col. Nathan R. Jessup of A Few Good Men.)
10, 9, 8, 7…
If you couldn’t make it to Times Square on New Year’s Eve (or, like me, you were just lazy), here’s the next best thing (Via High Industrial.)
2003 Comings and Goings.
Genehack returns to his former digs, Do You Feel Loved? closes up shop, and Absolute Piffle warns of an extended break (Congrats on the adoptions.) Also, happy blogdays (belated, in CiB’s case) to Caught in Between, WebGoddess, and Dumbmonkey. Keep up the great work, y’all.