Washington Insiders' New Firm Consults on Contracts in Iraq: "A group of businessmen linked by their close ties to President Bush, his family and his administration have set up a consulting firm to advise companies that want to do business in Iraq, including those seeking pieces of taxpayer-financed reconstruction projects."

My God, this stinks to high heaven. Why didn't Mr. Bush just ask us all to write a personal check to his friends and dispense with the war itself?

I Spy

I jumped headlong into Alias this weekend. We had recently been lamenting the extremely sad state of television and I was mourning my loss of quality TV programs - no more Buffy, no more Farscape, no more X-Files; Six Feet Under and The Sopranos are on hiatus until early next year. What's a girl to do? I really like MI-5, but one decent show is not enough. So, I decided to give Alias a try.

If Alias was on any other night and time besides Sunday at 9:00 P.M., I would have likely watched it from its beginning. As it was, though, I was already juggling 3 shows in that particular time slot and there just wasn't room for a fourth. Now, however, there is room. So, I went out and rented all the Alias season 1 DVDs this weekend and I am hooked. I have one disc left, which I'll watch tonight.

I think the show works because its infrastructure is so solid: once you accept the fairly ridiculous premise, everything works because the acting and, especially, the writing is so good. The show has a breathless pace (the cliffhangers are actually cliffhangers - I mean, Sydney is usually hanging from something while being shot at when the show suddenly ends and leaves you scrambling for the skip button on the remote so you can get to the next episode sooner. Too bad that doesn't work in real time), but occasionally slows down long enough for the characters to relate to one another. Or to not relate to one another, as the case may be; Sydeny's relationship with her father is the heart of the show for me, or at least that's where it lies for me in the first 16 episodes. Where the show went in the second season, I'm hoping to find that out soon.

Anyway, so that's where I've been for the past few days.

Smoking Ban Begins Tomorrow: "Connecticut joins four other states - California, Delaware, New York and Maine - in enacting statewide bans aimed at protecting workers from secondhand smoke."

While I am a smoker, this probably won't affect me too much. I never smoke in restaurants, or any other public place, except for bars, and I hardly ever go to those anymore. Anna Liffey's is notoriously smoky - a basement bar filled with Irish, English and Scottish customers, historically heavy smokers. They may have to add an outdoor patio just to keep the majority of their patrons. Or have the whole pace empty out every 30 minutes or so.

Facing Death for Adultery, Nigerian Woman Is Acquitted: "The panel also cited more substantive grounds. The police officers who arrested Ms. Lawal produced no witnesses to fornication, the court said. The court also gave a nod to what defense lawyers had called the 'sleeping embryo' theory: under some interpretations of Shariah, an embryo can be in gestation for up to five years, meaning that Ms. Lawal's baby could have been fathered by her former husband."

Alright class, now who can tell me what century this event took place in?

Man binds bear bites with duct tape: "Murphy grabbed his rifle but before he could raise it, the mother bear pinned him face-down.

It then clamped her jaws around his right shoulder and started shaking him like a rag. He said he felt teeth pressing against his skin, then a pop as they sliced through."

The couple who moved in downstairs earlier this year (was it earlier this year?), are no longer a couple. She left him in the beginning of August and a friend of his moved in. A huge, beefy, weight-lifting, no-shirt-wearing, jar-headed friend. I swear to you that, other than when he's pulling out of the driveway in the morning on his way to work, I have yet to see this guys with a shirt on. Sheila caught a glimpse of him shaving his chest in the bathroom one day. He looked like the kind of guy who might still have trouble tying his shoes, but I don't like to make snap judgments about people. Ahem.

I came to the conclusion last night, however, that this ape is actually an ape. Or maybe mildly retarded.

A VERY loud bang woke me up at about 2:30 this morning. When I say loud, I mean LOUD, like shaking the walls loud. A minute later, again. Another minute later, again. Magilla's bedroom is below mine, and I'm about to go downstairs when I hear Dave come to his room and tell him to knock it off: "I gotta go to work in a few hours, man." So, I go to the bathroom and pee because now I'm wide awake. When I get back to my room I see my cat Winnie perched on my pillow looking intently out the window at something. Then I hear the BANG again, but a bit muffled. I look out the window and see shadows from their deck on the lawn; the lights in the backyard are blazing. One of the shadows is moving (which is what Winnie was watching), and from the movement and the sound, I deduce that this Olympic-size moron is lifting weights. In the middle of the fucking night. The sound was him dropping them. He must have moved outside after Dave came to his room and thought that would be better. I'm about to go downstairs when I hear Dave again. No noise after that, except for the door slamming as Magilla came back inside.

Long-gone microchipped cat finds owner: "Call it Ted's excellent adventure, with a high-tech twist: A cat with an ID microchip implanted under his skin was returned to his owner 10 years after he jumped out a window and vanished. "

Singer Robert Palmer dies at 54 - Sep. 26, 2003.

Okay, people! You can all stop dying now, alright?? And I think CNN could have used a better photo than one that looks like it was taken while he was having the heart attack.

A few screencaps from the ROTK trailer, which will be available on the net on Monday, September 29.

I got chills.

Subway's New Campaign: "'Though Jared's story was compelling, how do you make it ongoing?' Mr. Altschul asked, adding playfully, 'Do you make him get fat again?'"

Oh please, yes!

MSN to close chat rooms: "Will Doherty, from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told CNN the decision would contribute to the 'digital divide' and create online 'gated communities' where only people who can afford to pay can chat on the Internet. "

That's complete bullshit. MSN is not the only portal to chatting, not by a long shot. Let Microsoft close their chat rooms - it's within their rights to do so. People who really want to chat will find a way to do it. And there will be fewer children roaming, unsupervised, through the chat rooms of the world.

One simple rule: Don't support ABC's cruelty. I could not agree more. What in the world are they thinking?? The only reason I can see for continuing the show is greed, pure and simple.

I rented a few movies this weekend:

The Hunted - Tommy Lee Jones, Benicio del Toro. Directed by William Friedkin (French Connection). With all the talent involved, you'd think this would have been a decent movie. It wasn't. Bad editing, ambiguous writing and del Toro's way off-the-mark performance made this one a big disappointment. Tommy Lee Jones looks awesome with a beard, though.

Bring Down the House - Steve Martin, Queen Latifah, Eugene Levy. Liked this one, laughed out loud in a few spots. This movie has been made a million times before, but the leads make it fresh.

The Kid Stays in the Picture - Fascinating and funny ego trip/"documentary" on Hollywood producer Robert Evans, narrated by Robert Evans. If you have any interest in behind-the-scenes Hollywood stuff, and can understand Evans' mumble, it's worth watching. Evans is the producer responsible for such films as Love Story, Chinatown, The Godfather, Marathon Man, and, if you believe him, for the resurrection of the flagging Paramount Studios. It has a sort of a Sunset Boulevard feel to it.

I also rented Rabbit Proof Fence, but I had a killer headache last night and just couldn't stay up late enough to watch it. I'm keeping it for an extra day, and hope to be able to watch it tonight, after MI-5.

Cheeseburger Fries - processed cheese and beef compound that has been breaded and deep fried. And we wonder why most Americans are overweight.

Casting call for the new Stepford Wives movie being filmed nearby. Too bad I'm not 5'8" or taller, slim and pretty.

Oh my God, the recall vote is back on for Oct 7. I would really really love it if, after all this, the recall was voted down and Davis remained governor.

Does the Bennifer live? This is not something I would usually post about, but if they indeed fooled the press and in fact never broke up, well, cool beans for them.

Bodybuilder arrested for offering to kill Kobe Bryant's rape accuser.

Wha?? Talk about a circus.

Site Work

I'm working on changing the layout and look of this page, finally tackling CSS. Access may be unreliable over the next day or so, or formatting will be wonky, but I'll hopefully be able to get this place in shape fairly soon. Thanks!

Ian McKellen has updated the White Book. He writes about his last day of filming in New Zealand.

Hurricane Isabel Pounds East Coast: "But a few thousand hardy — or foolhardy — souls ignored evacuation orders. Virginia Beach police suggested they write their names in permanent marker on their forearms so they can be identified if they are injured or killed.

At Howard's Pub on the Outer Banks' isolated Ocracoke Island, bartender James Tucker said he and five other employees resolved early Thursday to 'hang out and drink beer until the cable runs out.' "

We won't see much from Isabel here in Connecticut. We are supposed to get some high winds and heavy rain, though, so we're shutting down the computers here at work. Speaking of wind, I need to get home and bring the deck furniture inside before it gets blown all over the neighborhood.

This is a very cute story, but I can't help thinking there are some people out there who could use a little help.

Anyone else think Anderson Cooper is the most adorable thing on television? He's young, yet serious, without being an overblown gasbag. And he's got those dreamy eyes. ;)

Hands down, the best thing you'll read all day. No additional commentary is needed.

Read about and listen to NPR's story about Fortune's Bones, a skeleton literally discovered in a closet here in Waterbury, CT.

Woman Gets $150, 000 for Bad Hair Job. If she does end up with premature hair loss, then I think they were right to give her that much money. I won't be going to any Regis salons any time soon.

The man can't tax our Internet access anymore. Long live the people!

"Klaatu, barada nikto." I've always wondered where that phrase came from, and being, in the grand scheme of things, only semi-geeky, I had never seen "The Day the Earth Stood Still." I saw it tonight, on AMC, and I actually let out an "A-ha!" when he said it. Cool movie, elevated above others of its time and genre by good acting, a good score and some timeless social commentary. What "Klaatu, barada nikto" means, however, I leave to the truly geeky.

Appeals court blocks California recall, at least until March, and if an appeal is denied.

I fart in your general direction!!

So XF fans aren't the only freaks out there, huh? If we ever do get to England, Castle Doune should be on our itinerary.

I had a weekend overcrowded with get-togethers. Dinner on Friday night with friends; an engagement party on Saturday; and Zachary's 4th birthday party in Rhode Island yesterday. I am wiped out! It's just as well that I was out of the house for most of the time, though. When I was home and watching TV, there was no place on the dial where you were safe from mourning someone, or something. If it wasn't John Ritter, it was Johnny Cash, and if it wasn't either of them, it was a look back at the 11th of September. I caught the end of The Amrican Experience: New York on PBS last night. Former Mayor Ed Koch was crying as he told the story of a parent he met at the first annual memorial, and so was I. Mario Cuomo spoke eloquently, as usual, and his words offer hope. But my tears surprised me. I suppose it shows how close to the surface it all still is.

It's a bad week for Johns. John Ritter, Johnny Cash, and, possibly next, Pope John Paul II?

Letterman reportedly to become dad. It's about damn time. I was about to place my bet on him.

John Ritter has died. I can't believe it. I had decided last week that I was going to post about him, how he was a guilty pleasure of mine, and I never did. RIP, John. I don't care what anyone says, you were cool.

Returning From Iraq War Not So Simple for Soldiers. Excellent article.

Still Hard at Work, Wielding Questions, Science and Steel: A heartbreaking look at 3 lives still affected by the events of that day two years ago.

First Richard Chamberlain, now Tab Hunter finally comes out. Who's next? Care to place a bet?

Bush cites Sept. 11, 2001 frequently. I try not to be too cynical, but this seems to be all too true to me:

Democrats argue that Bush uses terrorism as a refuge when he is uncertain about an answer or in trouble on an issue.

9/11 is Bush's safety net, the prism through which he views all issues. Whether that's purely political manipulation or truly the way he sees things, remains to be seen. Personally, I think someone told him, "If you can't think of an answer, throw 9/11 and terrorism in there." And I get the feeling that President Bush quite frequently can't think of an answer.

At last, a reason to buy the Sunday paper.

Who's targeted by music swapping suits? Were these people still swapping music files after the new law was announced? Or are they going after individuals who downloaded music in the past? I stopped what little activity I participated in as soon as I heard that the RIAA was given permission to pursue online music swappers, but all of this makes me quite nervous. And while I feel bad for the individuals who have been served, I must say, however, that the defense that they didn't know it was illegal is pretty flimsy. Come on, you've been trading music files long enough to have over 1,000 files, yet you're not even a bit aware that what you are doing may not be within the law? What makes music-swapping so cool is the fact that you are getting something for nothing, with a minumum of fuss, and we all know that any such activity must be a crime.

One month from today, Andrew Jackson will be looking peachy.

While I have been remiss in my duties here, I am not entirely to blame - Blogger is acting up. I'm not even sure this will post. So, hang in there, please!

The New York Times Spotlight on 'The Lord of the Rings', featuring new interviews with Viggo Mortensen and Peter Jackson. I'm nearing the end of my re-reading of LOTR, and after seeing the ten minute preview of ROTK on the Two Towers DVD, I have to say my anticipation level is through the roof. I may end up eating my words but, I think there's very little chance that I will be disappointed.

"This guy owes me bacon now."

Good Lord! Why didn't anyone tell me she was undergoing a sex change?

Cool! Makes sense that is comes from the land of Bond.

Our time-travelling spammer is serious. How sad.

George Clooney can't get a date in Italy.

And in other news, Gina can't get a date in Connecticut. How about we hook these two kids up?

Who's the Loser?

The answer, at last: what the hell does Beck say in the first line of the chorus of Loser? Yes, like you I also thought he was singing, "Oh-oh-oh Canadaaa..." but no -- he actually says soy un perdedor. Knowing this doesn't mean the song makes any more sense to me, but at least I know why I couldn't figure out what he was saying. Speak English for Christ's sake! ;-)