Triumph Tinged With Regret

"The Return of the King", which just won the New York Film Critics Circle Best Picture Award, gets a rave review from Elvis Mitchell at The New York Times.

Strom Thurmond's family confirms paternity claim - Dec. 16, 2003: "An attorney for the family of former U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina on Monday confirmed that at the age of 22, Thurmond fathered a child with a teenaged African-American housekeeper in 1925."

Wow, she looks just like him.

Camera Down the Hole, and the World Follows It: "So how did the United States military pull it off? That is, not how did they make that we-got-him video ricochet around the world, but how did they get the shot? Who invaded, with camera, not only Mr. Hussein's spider-hole existence, but also his private lice check? "

U.S. to ’Work With Iraqis’ to Decide How to Bring Justice: "'I've got my own personal views about how he ought to be treated, but that's up to the Iraqi citizens,' Mr. Bush told reporters at a late-morning news conference. And while Mr. Hussein will continue to be questioned by his captors, Mr. Bush said he doubted that the answers would be truthful."

I have not heard more welcome news in a long time. I was up very early on Sunday morning, and I sat down with my cereal and turned on the TV at about 7:00. I do not kid you when I say that I sat blinking at the television screen, not believing what I was hearing. Congratulations and thanks to the soldiers who found him and brought him in successfully.

Along with everyone else, I've been wondering what affect his capture will have on the developing government as well as the violent opposition attacks. Not all of the "insurgents" are pro-Saddam, so his capture will probably not affect their activities at all. Will the certain knowledge that Saddam can no longer hurt them change the way Iraqis view coalition forces? Will things be easier for us now, or will they get worse?

I also wonder if the French, the Russians and the Germans are squirming at the thought of what Saddam might reveal in order to save his own skin. He's a coward, a megalomaniacal coward, so I think he'll let spill certain things he thinks will save his ass. Which is why he didn't kill himself, I think. All the better for us - if he had killed himself during the raid, he would have died a martyr. This way, he will be held accountable for his crimes, and all the world - most importantly the people of Iraq - will be able to see what a despicable and pathetic human being he is.

Poor People Pretty Much Fucked: "Although poor people have never had it particularly sweet, America has long been considered the land of opportunity, where upward class mobility is hard work's reward,' Park said. 'However, our study shows that limited access to quality education and a shortage of employment opportunities in depressed areas all but ensure that, once fucked, an individual tends to stay fucked."

Keiko's long journey has ended.

He Gave Life to Gollum: "Computer-Graphics Supervisor Describes How Team Created `Lord Of The Rings' Character"

A Connecticut connection to LOTR.

'Batman' Bags Bad Guy.

Christian Bale as Batman, Michael Caine as Alfred, and Cillian Murphy as a bad guy? Might this actually be a good Batman movie? And have they moved Gotham City to England?

Ralphie Parker didn't turn out so bad.

CDC to monitor children's flu complications: "Children's Medical Center in Dallas has seen more than 500 kids with the flu since October. One day last week, two dozen more appeared, most with enough lung disease to be put on ventilators, said Dr. Jane Siegel. "

Gosh, this is so scary. I think people tend to forget how truly dangerous influenza is, how dangerous it has always been. A report on All Things Considered last night predicted a possible flu pandemic in the near future, similar to the pandemic earlier last century, in 1918, where a good percentage of the world's population had the flu, and millions died. From the CDC:

The Spanish Influenza pandemic is the catastrophe against which all modern pandemics are measured. It is estimated that approximately 20 to 40 percent of the worldwide population became ill and that over 20 million people died. Between September 1918 and April 1919, approximately 500,000 deaths from the flu occurred in the U.S. alone. Many people died from this very quickly. Some people who felt well in the morning became sick by noon, and were dead by nightfall. Those who did not succumb to the disease within the first few days often died of complications from the flu (such as pneumonia) caused by bacteria.

That's not to say that millions of people would die in this day and age - medicine has advanced quite a bit in almost one hundred years - but it still gives one pause, doesn't it?

Get wound up, '24' fans: devious Sherry will return: "To the delight of 24 fans everywhere, the much-missed Penny Johnson Jerald has returned to work as President Palmer's ex-wife Sherry, the conniver America loves to hate. It's 7 p.m. now on Fox's time-driven hit series; look for Sherry to show up at 10 on Jan. 13. "

Woohoo!

Cannibal 'murder' shown to court: "The two-hour tape showed the 42-year-old ex-soldier stabbing, decapitating and devouring Bernd Juergen Brandes."

Wow, that is about as horrific as anything I've ever read.

Woman 'hasn't slept for eight years'.

Now I can't complain because I had a bad night's sleep! What's left?

Pilot survives 24 hours in subfreezing weather: "After swimming ashore, Strahan battled the frigid conditions -- temperatures ranging between zero and 10 degrees above zero -- and hiked to the trapper's cabin, never able to remove the frozen shoes from his feet. "

Now I feel badly about complaining about this weekend's cold. What a snowstorm! I don't think we ended up with quite as much snow as they had predicted, but the 14 inches we did get is quite enough, thank you. It sure is pretty.

We also put up our Christmas tree yesterday, which only fell over once! Our saving grace: it wasn't decorated at the time.

Jagger knighthood: Richards rages: "Richards' own chances of arising Sir Keith, already thought slim after 59 years of hard living, will have receded even further. "

And I don't think he really cares. He's a nutter, but good for him for speaking his mind. That's what rock stars are supposed to about, right? All that anit-establishment stuff. He's the real thing, that's for sure.

Terrance Martin, Aged 7, Corrects Bush. Cute story.

Alleged cannibal tried for murder: "A German computer technician accused of killing, dismembering and eating the flesh of a man who agreed to the deal over the Internet has gone on trial for murder. "

Read the search warrant application filed after the report of an alleged rape at the current "Real World" house: "Two days after the attack, MTV producer Kevin Lee told cops that, after talking with several cast members, he believed that the woman was attacked in one of the home's two bathrooms. But it does not appear that MTV staff, cast members, or the show's producers, Bunim-Murray, reported their rape suspicions to police. In fact, after the incident, the entire production traveled to Mexico to film there. "

I found a virus on my computer last night - the W32.Welchia.Worm. I'm embarrassed to say that the reason I contracted this virus was that I practicing unsafe computing. I had completely forgotten to reinstall Norton AntiVirus after I upgraded to XP. You play with fire, you're gonna get burned.

Portly dates popular in Portland: "Are you chubby and looking for love? A good destination might be Portland, Oregon, where, more than any other place in the United States, men and women state a preference for going out with someone who carries 'a few extra pounds.' "

Packing my bags as we speak.