2/1/01 - New redesign in effect (as always in flux.) Special thanks to this great Brazil site for the jpg and WOIFM for the scrollbar-altering code. I promise I'll take down the WAV file after 24 hours.

Carville goes house on Sen. Feingold for the latter's voting to confirm Attorney General-designate Ashcroft. Hmmm...I gotta say I'm inclined to agree with the Senator on this one.

WWII is refought at a theater near you. "And, like commercials, cell phones, and house arrest, you'd better get used to it."

After 117 months of expansion, the economy stops growing (Well, at least according to one manufacturing figure.) The Bushes must think they're cursed.

Forget billion-dollar tax cuts...how about a one-time $500 prosperity dividend to every American?

ESPN surveys the fall and rise of Latrell Sprewell.

The Internet downturn strikes home. This site never made the transition to Blogger (although I use it for the Cauldron), but gosh knows I thought about it. It was and is a great service...it's just too bad things didn't break the way they might have. Good luck to all involved.

1/31/01 - Sorry, Al. It appears Prime Minister Big Time is now the most powerful and influential veep in history. And after only ten days...

From Daily Radar, the fifteen most unintentionally destructive comic book characters. Hulk Smash!

In case any of y'all are interested, the official Depeche Mode site is now previewing two tracks - "Dream On" and "Sweetest Condition" - from their forthcoming record, Exciter (I know, the name is stupid.) More will follow on a daily basis. With new Depeche Mode and REM albums on the way, Spring 2001 looks to be quite a high-school nostalgia trip for me.

The sordid history of the killer mastiff, which mauled a San Francisco woman to death last week. What at first appeared to be just an accidental tragedy (and a dog owner's nightmare) now seems to involve white supremacists and the Mexican Mafia.

There is unrest in the Galactic Senate... The gang at TheForce.Net have posted the full current version of Episode 2's opening scroll. Mega-Spoiler, if you dare. Also, word is the first trailer will appear before Planet of the Apes, which makes sense given they're both Fox properties.

Have-lots and Have-squats: Inside.Com looks at the sadly bifurcated state of the freelance writing industry. (Via 20-20 Hindsight.) From this article here, sounds like you have to get plugged into the Conde Nast crowd to make the real big bucks. I actually interviewed with them just out of college, and the place was rife with little black dresses and the lingering odor of CK One. Indeed the woman who interviewed me had - in an attempt to appear fashionable (I presume) - made herself look ridiculous. She looked like a cross between Janet Reno and Carrie Donovan (from the Old Navy commercials.) Suffice to say that, fashion agnostic that I am, I never would have fit in there.

Corona has gotten their hands on some great Planet of the Apes publicity stills, including all the main characters in costume. Here's Tim Roth as the baddie.

X-Files Season 9: The "dark side of pregnancy?"

More progressive in-fighting: It appears the Dems aren't much enjoying the Clintons' farewell. I'm sure everything will resolve itself in a few months after Dubya becomes stale.

Japanese and Aussie blogs, take note. The one and only Bob Dylan is coming to your town. Unfortunately (for us Americans), it looks like this tour will preempt any chance of Dylan singing "Things Have Changed" in his signature "abrasive, untrained and wretched" voice at the Oscars. (Class assignment via Tomb of Horrors.)

Sega jettisons the Dreamcast. That's too bad...my brother and sister-in-law have one and I definitely enjoy the sports games. At any rate, given the lackluster reports coming in from PS2 buyers, I suspect this move will only increase the market share for Microsoft's X-Box.

Ewan MacGregor may be joining the cast of Black Hawk Down as Grimes, whom if I remember correctly is a company clerk who ends filling in for a wounded ranger. Ewan doesn't really accord with my mental image of the guy, to be honest. I would have picked Phillip Seymour Hoffman or something.

The Village Voice surveys the year in marijuana prohibition, detailing all the incarcerations, deaths, and lives ruined by overzealous prosecution of the current nationwide war on weed. But remember, beeresponsible...

Despite his stellar, unselfish play and his model citizenship since "the incident", Latrell Sprewell is snubbed once again for the All-Star team. The Commish can still rectify this questionable decision today when he announces a replacement for banged-up Grant Hill. Update: Stern did the right thing and added Sprewell to the lineup, officially ending the league punishment phase of the Carlesimo choking incident. Good call.

In other Knicks news, New York traded G Erick Strickland for F-C Othella Harrington yesterday. I loved Strickland's defensive intensity, but the trade makes sense. New York is glutted in the backcourt and any young, big, halfway-decent frontcourt player is much more needed right now than Strick. And this trade definitely lessens the chances of the GM doing something stupid like trading Houston for Mutombo.

Scientists manage to create cells in space-like conditions, furthering the possibility that life began somewhere in the void.

1/30/01 - Are rumors of a last-minute Clinton gift spree bunk? I was inclined to think not, but Eric Boehlert makes a compelling case here that the story has been blown way out of proportion by shoddy reporting.

On cue from the Constantine link of last Friday, Dr. Mike of the Tomb of Horrors posts the prospectus for Alan Moore's Twilight of the Superheroes, a multi-issue crossover that might have been. Required reading for any longtime DC fans.

Smashing Peanuts...Good grief! (By way of Not Enough of Me.)

Get your Sopranos mob nickname (Via Blivet and Backup Brain.) If anybody cares, I'm "the Sicilian."

More recent Fellowship pics for your perusal, including this excellent shot of Gimli.

Faster than you can say Al Gore is a chump, Citizen Activist No. 1 Ralph Nader has been blacklisted by Gore-loving Democrats. Hate the game, fellas, but don't hate the playa. Or better yet, hate your playa. If you keep this behavior up, you risk further fracturing the Progessive wing the next time around.

So what kind of leadership could we have expected from a Gore-Lieberman administration? After a 13-year-old kid sets himself on fire, Joe Lieberman asks MTV to rework Jackass. While he's at it, why doesn't he ask the kids' parents not to raise stupid children? Anybody who willingly pours gasoline all over themself and lights a match doesn't need a TV show to get into trouble. And, Senator, why don't you drop the morality act and get down to the nation's business?

In related news, Gore campaign operative Carter Eskew defends their strategy from the recent DLC attack. No mention of the fact that Gore is intensely unlikable.

Straight Talk Redux: John McCain hits the road for campaign finance reform. Meanwhile, fellow independent-minded progressive Bob Kerrey makes the case for a tax cut...a payroll tax cut.

Amazing. Somehow the lowly Washington Wizards have won five in a row. Now, if the Clips start putting together big winning streaks I'm heading for the hills.

Imprisoned Native American activist Leonard Peltier castigates former President Clinton for his pardon methodology.

Perhaps due to Dubya's recent victory, another high-profile political son looks to avenge the father next year.

Hunter S. Thompson weighs in on Sunday's lame SuperBowl: "You knew that one of these two rag-arm bums was going to crack wide open from fear & pressure & shame, and it quickly proved to be Collins."

Alas, Napster, I knew thee well. It may not have been right, but it sure felt good.

1/26/01 - Third time's the charm? - With Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh opting out, the role of the Agents' megabaddie in the Matrix sequels may now fall to Francoise Yip of Rumble in the Bronx.

Franklin Foer explores the "sociology of Bushies," and argues that Dubya has replaced Clinton's Ivy League army with his own platoon of Organization Men.

God bless Michael Kinsley, and God bless America.

Interesting...word is the next film by Tarsem, director of The Cell and the "Losing My Religion" video, will be none other than Constantine, as in John Constantine of Hellblazer and Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. Apparently, Sting has expressed interest in the role some time ago, but I think he's probably a bit too aged for the part by now.

The 2004 Presidential race begins in Iowa. Said one former Bill Bradley aide of a possible comeback, "I've talked to him a couple of times...I've heard some rumblings."

Nice big (but slow-loading) Fellowship teaser trailer here.

The new Georgia flag passes committee by a 5 to 4 vote (unsurprisingly, it was a party line vote - Democrats for, Republicans against.) The flag now goes to the full Georgia Senate, which is majority Democrat and which will more than likely adopt it.

E.J. Dionne surveys the recent spate of Democratic self-recriminations.

Many condolences to Steve at Now This on the recent loss of his nephew, Brady.

1/25/01 - In today's New Republic column on nepotism, Andrew Sullivan examines the recent rise of Michael Powell to the FCC Chairmanship, and calls his appointment "easily Bush's most suspect yet."

According to a recent study, rats dream about the mazes they've spent the day learning. Which is pretty depressing if you think about it. I was kinda hoping they'd be dreaming of Minnie Mouse serving them colossal hunks of cheese or something. If the rats can't escape the rat race, how can we? (Photo courtesy of Daily Radar.)

Private Citizen Gore has announced that he plans to teach at 3 universities - Columbia, Fisk, and Middle Tennessee State. Meanwhile, the fallout from the Gore loss continues to reverberate today through the Democratic party, as the DLC and labor wings both blame each other for the veep's slide. Again, the DLC seems to think the only alternative to New Democrat Rockefeller Republicanism is "Old Liberalism." Doesn't sound like Sandelian progressives had much of a voice at this function.

Ellen Goodman rails against Dubya's pro-life funding ban of last week.

Georgia makes South Carolina look silly by swiftly and sensibly dealing with their own Confederate flag issue. Hopefully, the Georgia Senate will close the deal.

Just when it looked like he was through, a job applicant from Ashcroft's past has some very troubling allegations to report about the Attorney General-designate's interview method. And Majority Leader Lott isn't helping Ashcroft's cause by making stupid comments about "cesspools" and "extremism." Meanwhile, while Gail Norton has gotten past committee and will more than likely be approved by the full Senate, Jon Kerry explains in the Globe why he'll be voting against her.

Interesting...this year's Superbowl footballs will get DNA tags.

Ok, I thought I was having a really lousy week. But I have to defer to the woeful tale of this construction worker.