If you're looking for a good column on the two years post-9/11, as usual, Mark Steyn has it covered.
Posted 11:05 p.m.

    Evidence No. 1,340 why I won't be getting married anytime soon: This evening at Publix, I do my shopping and head for the cashier that has a longer line, but I choose it for a reason. If you guessed that reason involved a female, you know me well. The girl bagging groceries is named Melissa, and is actually an office worker but helps out when things are busy. The last six months, I have been smitten with her (such a warm, freckly face with sandy blondish, whispy hair), but have never gotten further than "Hi" and "Thanks." Yeah, I know, I'm such a wordsmith.

Anyway, tonight she helps out with my groceries, then smiles and asks if she can help take them out to my car. In my mind, I'm thinking, "Yes! My opportunity!" In reality, I turn on the machismo and say, "Nah." (You dolt - she knows you're man enough to put the bags in your car!) In a terrible effort to redeem myself, as I walk past I laugh, say "Thanks, and you know, you're always my favorite person here." She turns and laughs, but our time has past. I blew it ... again. Now I have to go to Publix tomorrow and buy groceries I don't need, just to see her, hopefully, or wait until next week when I'll be but a blip on the grocery radar. Jeff=moron. The worst that could have happened was her pouring my milk on the pavement and shopping at Kroger from now on.

Someone, please butter me up, quick, tell me that women want me, and men want to be me! It's not as if I was throwing a pity party while in there; I was in a bouncy good mood. If I can't take the opportunity at that moment, then when?
Posted 8:00 p.m.

    Finally! It's the end of For Love Or Money 2, and a wasted summer at 9 p.m. Mondays is complete. In the end, Erin chose Chad, and Chad chose "love," or whatever that is in a reality-show environment. So he turns down $1 million, only to get rewarded by Erin, who 'won' $2 million and promised to split it with him. Either way, the over/under on how long they stayed together after the show ended has to be three months, and the number of times they actually dated face-to-face, about five. I'm tired of the premise of the show, and the show itself, and won't be participating in the future. I'm spent.
Posted 1:15 a.m.

    I am back from Memphis after a pleasantly long weekend traipsing around the Bluff City with friends and family, ranging from lazy dinners to surprise birthday parties. You can see Steven’s pictures already from our daytrip to the old stomping grounds of Union University in Jackson. I hope to have some more soon, and most notably, none of me at the urinal! Oh, Steve will pay … yes, pay heartily.

I got in Wednesday morning about 7:30 a.m. and went straight to bed, up by 1 p.m. to see the Braves game, then met Sydney for dinner. Thursday was the Union trip and hanging out with Kimberly and the Russells. Friday, I was able to spend time with Nana, including lunch and shopping at the Old Time Pottery Barn. It is a strange occurrence that so many times I’ll go shopping with females, and I end up with all the purchases. Stereotypes for sale! Half off! (I'll take two). That afternoon, I was able to squeeze in a couple of unproductive hours at the driving range, hitting the ball neither long nor straight, and not just because it was windy.

Friday night, a surprise birthday party for George Brown with seemingly every worker at my first television station, WMC Channel 5, No. 1 in ratings in Memphis! With it being George, you’ve met many of the partygoers before, here and here, including Kimberly, Wally, Brent and Steve.

Saturday morning, I met the Russells (except, Jenny had to work, so substitute Linda instead) at Bartlett Soccer Park for Austin’s practice. Steve asked me to tape him coaching and the boys in action, and I happily obliged. The morning was packed with nostalgia, remembering many, many years of kicking the ball in the Fall. Just as Steve was coaching, and my Dad coached me before I was old enough for the “Classic” (i.e. tryout) team – Rangers ’75 in the house! – I will certainly be looking forward to coaching my sons/daughters in their athletic endeavors.

After practice, Steve and I went to Applebee’s for lunch, watching the second quarter of the Memphis-Ole Miss game. Memphis ended up winning, breaking a 13-game losing streak to SEC schools, and yea there was great rejoicing.

Saturday afternoon and evening was spent with Mom and Aunt Lynn, whether it was shopping for items at Lowe’s as they fix up their home and move to Chapel Hill, to watching baseball/football and “Trading Spaces.” Making myself useful, I also moved Aunt Lynn’s bed downstairs for Granddad and Mom-Mom to use when in town this week. They didn’t make me paint, though, but really, should I complain? Would you? I didn’t think so.

Sunday morning, church with Steve, Jenny, Austin, Matthew, Linda, Kristi and Joe at Bartlett Baptist. The preacher was really good, and I don’t say that just because he incorporated my favorite verse, Joshua 1:9, into his sermon. One awkward moment was during the offering after the sermon (I know: after? Don’t give the folks a chance to wait and see if your sermon was good enough!), the overhead screen showed a video of people ‘offering’ excuses for not placing their credit cards in the plate to be maxed out. What a guilt trip!

And now I’m back in Atlanta, working hard (OK, not at this moment, but I was) and ready for another great week, including seeing “Les Miserables” at the Fox Theatre with Kim, a lovely lass in my singles class at church. Pictures from this weekend, hopefully coming soon.
Posted 3:11 a.m.

    A victory for Eeyore fans everywhere: “Eeyorish” is among 3,000 new words and expressions in the new edition of the Oxford Dictionary of English! Nothing pessimistic about this news, so take that, Piglet fans! No one is ever “Piglety,” but many a gloomy gus can be Eeyorish now!
Posted 1:15 a.m.

    Aw, geez, Monday night was not the end of For Love Or Money 2, but a friggin’ “reunion” show! Aarrgghh! Just wrap it up, already! I didn’t learn anything new, didn’t come to like or dislike any of the men or women any more than before, and still can’t see why anyone would have picked Rob over the money in the original. What I did learn, however, is that “FLORM 1” runner-up Paige falls in love far too easily, and is incredibly annoying with all of her “as long as they follow their hearts it will be peachy” gobbledy-gook, which comes across as dishonest because she's too afraid to hurt feelings or spark conflict.
Posted 1:15 a.m.

    Ads for Woody Allen’s new film, Anything Else, contain anything else than Allen himself. Yet, the French use him as their spokesman for their whining over Iraq, telling us not to be such sticklers over representing liberty and extending freedom to the oppressed masses of the world. Seems the admen know what the French don’t: Allen is creepy and doesn’t sell to American audiences.
Posted 12:45 a.m.

    This week's best Vents from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
    - People who always see the glass as half-empty make great bartenders.
    - It's hard to tell if those activist Christians in Alabama are worshipping God or that slab of rock.
    - If Georgia's the Peach State, does that make our cops peach fuzz?
    - Sometimes I wish God would simply appear and announce a new commandment: "Thou madest this mess. Thou shalt leave me out of it."
    - The closest a person ever comes to perfection is when he fills out a job application.
    - It's not a good sign of things to come when your son finishes his second week of kindergarten and announces that he's learned everything he ever needs to know.
    - These new T-shirts without tags make it difficult to find the back when you're dressing in the dark.
    - If raising children was going to be easy, it wouldn't have started with something called labor.
    - All the people who think it's cute to give their children unusual first names, remember that child will be asked to spell and pronounce that name for the rest of their lives.
    – Thou shalt not covet anything that is thy neighbor’s – except on yard sale Saturdays.
    – Atlanta Thrashers fans are being asked to donate blood. Man, they must be expecting a really rough season.
Posted 12:33 a.m.

    You need look no further to attest to the looniness of the extreme element of animal rights activists than the situation in Washington state after 10,000 mink were “freed” from a farm. The animals, once released, converged on local farms in search of food, killing at least 25 exotic birds and numerous livestock. Do the wackos care? Not one bit:

"The amount of suffering that has been prevented by releasing them from cramped cages and freeing them from an extremely cruel death more than justifies a temporary disruption to the ecosystem," said veterinarian Andrew Knight, director of research at the Seattle-based Northwest Animal Rights Network.

Funny (in a not-funny way), but if, say, the EPA raised water levels for local fisherman, temporary changing the ecosystem, one imagines Mr. Knight would throw a hissy-fit of biblical proportions.
Posted 12:15 a.m.

    Reading so many nattering nabobs of negativity in the press lately, maybe you should instead get another view from a soldier who recently returned, with much different point of view (i.e., optimistic).
Posted 12:15 a.m.

    Steven's site has undergone a nifty rehaul, so go take a look and tell him how cool he is (despite the UNC logo) on the guestbook.
Posted 2:55 p.m.

    Dagnabit! Democrats in California figured out that Taco Bell is part of our Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. I guess we'll have to move operations to Wendy's for awhile, since they're open until 1 a.m. and we can sneak out late. In the meantime, stop by the Bell and pick up numerous crunchy beef tacos.
Posted 2:22 a.m.

    While newspapers and news programs prey on the free-for-all of Arnold's comments 25 years ago, nary a word is spoken about how his main opponent, Cruz Bustamente, was associated with - and doesn't renounce it at all - a racist organization.
Posted 8:24 p.m.

    If you meet a Canadian who seems sour, don't worry, they're just not allowed to smile.
Posted 8:44 p.m.

    How sad is France's socialist government (that contributed to the numbers of elderly who died in the recent wave)? The government is considering abolishing a national holiday to finance more health care.
Posted 8:31 p.m.

    The Sports Guy, a.k.a. ESPN.com's Bill Simmons, opened his mailbag, one of which asked, "If you could own any movie prop from any movie, what would you choose?"

Fine question. Let's think about it. Simmons himself names one of mine, the Wonderboy bat from The Natural. My favorite baseball movie, and the ultimate prop from the film. Well, besides Glenn Close and that white dress. My top ten:

10. The blowup pilot in Airplane! would allow me some snooze time on late night drives.

9. The coolest car in showbiz, from Grease: “Now, this car could be system-matic! It could be hydro-matic, ultra-matic. why, it could be Greased Lightning”

8. “The plant” in Mr. Roberts. Sure, it was tossed into the ocean at the end, but it should still be in decent condition, if salty.

7. J.B. Books’ saddle in The Shootist. John Wayne’s exit film, and a saddle fit for a legend on screen and off.

6. The Holy Hand Grenade from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I dare say that no feral rabbits with big, sharp, pointy teeth would haunt me!

5. A very cool pet from The Princess Bride, an ROUS (Rodent of Unusual Size), that I would fee snakes to in an act of revenge for all the poor mice that have perished.

4. The chariot from Ben-Hur, to be the object of jealousy from everyone as I ride into the CNN parking lot for work and park my horses under the stairs with the motorcycles. Although, having Messala’s chariot might be better because of the sharp spikes emanating from the wheels, which would enable me to take road rage to the next level.

3. Harrison Ford’s whip from any of the Indiana Jones movies. I dare those pantywaist Democrats to come knockin’ on my door and asking to support Howard Dean!

2. The treasure map from The Goonies. Sure, the gang already raided One-Eyed Willie’s ship and set it loose, but an authentic pirate map, where X marks the spot, would be mega-cool. Maybe I could also get the wallet with ID of Chester Copperpot, who was whipped by a bunch of kids in search of the jewels.

1. Proton pack from Ghostbusters. Who doesn’t want an unlicensed nuclear weapon to trap the undead? Fun for parties!
Posted 12:45 a.m.

    In the wake of the bombing of the Baghdad United Nations compound last week, one employee actually said, "We didn't expect this … The UN is working for the benefit of the Iraqi people. Why would they want to do this?"

Well, I don’t want to sound flippant (lie), but how about, because the perps are terrorists! Golly, I can’t believe that any evildoing Islamofascists swarming around Iraq wouldn’t welcome any governing body other than a Muslim dictator imposing harsh rule on the citizenry. Just because you’ve (meaning, the UN) allowed terrorist-harboring nations like Libya and Syria to head the human rights commission, or Iran the nuclear agency, doesn’t mean you’ve appeased these radicals. Why? Because you can’t appease terrorist fanatics. Lesson learned for the UN? Doubtful.
Posted 12:40 a.m.

    The second-to-last episode of For Love Or Money 2, and I’m pretty well worn out of everyone on it and the entire premise. It was fine the first time around, but to subject us to another round of girl-choosing-boys-but-she-knows-they-get-money, I just don’t care if they pick her or pick the cash. Even worse, the entire twist is a hoax. In the fine print after the credits, NBC tells us that the prize is like the lottery: The $2 million will be given over forty years, or Erin can take, say, half of it now if she “wins”. The $1 million given to the guy if he takes it instead of her, is over twenty years. What a crock. Sure, I could use 500,000 smackers, which would be what I’d take since I’d have it now, but the show hands the person a check that says “$1 million,” and that’s what I’d demand! Even still, taxes will take half of it.

As for the show itself, Rob, the bachelor from the first "For Love or Money," was booted. She just didn't trust that he was in it for love and not for revenge after she picked the money. But his appearance sufficiently got the final two, Chad and Wade, doubting her honesty and trustworthiness. So I'd wage that neither will pick Erin. I wouldn't, either. No reality show pairings have ever worked out, so why take the risk that a girl I don't know, a girl who kisses every guy in the mansion just because the cameras are rolling, is not one I'll plan on settling down with. They say money can't buy love, but I'd have a jolly good time finding out!
Posted 11:21 p.m.

    This week's best Vents from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
    - I'm a divorce lawyer, and I say let gays get married. I need new business.
    - Every two weeks my husband brings home his pay. We refer to it as our reality check.
    - I am very disappointed to learn thieves prefer a $55,000 Cadillac Escalade over my $75,000 Range Rover. Couldn't we import a better class of car thieves?
    - Old version: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." P.C. version: "Thou shalt have no god."
    - They are now selling Halloween shower curtains. If you decorate your bathroom for Halloween, you scare me.
My entries:
    - America has been in countless conflicts in just the past century, so why is Vietnam the only one the left remembers?
    - President Bush could name Smokey Bear to head the EPA and the left would still find something to whine about.
    - (Braves relief pitcher) Ray King is hereby forbidden from ever entering a game in which the Braves are leading or tied.
Posted 11:09 p.m.

    I didn’t even know this existed, but now I’m upset that it’s going away: An inventive language created by doctors to talk about patients behind their backs (usually making fun of them) is dying off. Read the article, and understand why it should stick around for a long time.
Posted 2:05 a.m.

    In front of Freddy vs. Jason, a new subdivision of Trailer Park:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: I don't know if this is a remake or a retelling. Either way, I won't see it. I hate horror flicks (see Jason, Freddy vs.). But this is a very well done trailer that does a fantastic job setting up the scene and the creepy factor of ten out of ten. The sound effects work best, from a camera flash to spooky sounds utilizing the surround sound speakers moving around the theater.

Scary Movie 3: Saw the first, laughed in several parts, avoided the sequel, but might actually see the third. This is a funny trailer (which makes me wonder if all the good parts are in it), and the movie should find easy targets in spoofing The Ring, Signs, 8 Mile and The Matrix Reloaded, among others. Cameos aplenty, just in these two minutes, so the movie, I hope, delivers dozens of well-timed appearances.
Posted 1:21 a.m.

    It really is amazing how different I feel on weeks I attend church services vs. weeks that I don't. After sleeping late last Sunday, I was listless for a few days and not in the right frame of mind. Just today, attending services and sunday school, plus lunch with the singles class afterwards, I was in a good mood and peppy at work tonight.
Posted 1:15 a.m.

    When I was in high school (class of '93), specifically the church youth group (class of AD 33), the only time you'd see a contemporary worship service with praise music, bands and less formal dress, was at conferences. Then, little by little, big churches began incorporating them into Sunday mornings to attract (or keep) folks who don't like traditional worship. Nowadays, it's very common, and my church (Johnson Ferry Baptist) just added its second contemporary service (there are also two traditional). In fifteen years, it will be rare for a church not to have a contemporary service, and many churches may have only contemporary as the younger generation ages, used to songs not in stuffier hymnals, swaying with the music and in polo shirts instead of coats and ties. All that is great, so long as the message stays the same, which is up to the preacher, of course.
Posted 1:15 a.m.

    One of money-guru Clark Howard's shownotes this week was about how families so often block wishes to be organ donors when their family members are dying or brain dead. Why are families so intent on hording organs that could otherwise be used by non-vegetables? Here's a note to family and friends for when I kick the bucket: Empty me out. Take all the organs. Well, leave the funny bone. Even I could use a laugh six feet under.
Posted 9:12 p.m.

    I am an idiot.

(Pause, wait for folks to pretend not to have noticed by now.)

Let me tell you about my technological know-how. Or, know-not-how, as it were. The last month, my answering machine hasn't been working, because, well, it doesn't answer. After two weeks, I wasn't sure if it was broken, since maybe I just wasn't getting any calls. (Lonely. So lonely.) By three weeks, I called myself on the cell phone to see if it picked up, since by now even telemarketers should have left a hang-up or two. Answering machine doesn't pick up, I breathe a sigh of relief that maybe, just maybe, Maura Tierney called but couldn't leave a message expressing her undying love for me.

So yesterday, I go to Best Buy and spend $50 on a new machine. I plug it in, record a new outgoing message, and prepare to toss the old one in the Goodwill pile so they could take a shot at it. Before, though, I needed to erase the outgoing message. In the meantime, I notice a little button on the machine labeled "Ans On/Off." Hmm, I wonder, has that been off the past month? I turn it on, plug it back in the phone jack, call my number and after three rings, Ta Da! We have a new/old answering machine.

This afternoon, I slinked back to Best Buy and returned the one I bought yesterday, thanking them for taking returns with no questions asked. I explained anyway. She thinks I'm an idiot, and who am I to disagree?
Posted 6:25 p.m.

    Check out the pictures from space of last week's northeast blackout. (And here’s the whole country at night, on a non-blackout night.)
Links courtesy National Review Online's The Corner.
Posted 6:15 p.m.

    Here's a nifty idea: Sorority Eye for the Straight Guy. Five hot co-eds, who ultimately, I'm sure, have a pillow fight to celebrate the new look of their charge.
Posted 6:11 p.m.

    In case you thought we were too passionate about the "American Idol" finals, other countries take it a bit more seriously:

      And you thought "American Idol" fans were excitable. They've got nothing on the millions of Syrians, Lebanese and Jordanians backing their national favorites on "Superstar," the show's knockoff in the Arab world.
      Competition went smoothly until last week, when front-runner Melhem Zein, of Lebanon, was eliminated in the semifinals. Angry fans in the audience pelted each other with chairs or anything else they could find, and the two remaining contestants fainted. The live broadcast came to a halt.

    If you're a fan of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" on Bravo as I am, you'll appreciate a trial balloon floated for a reverse show, "Straight Eye for the Gay Guy." Sample:

HOME DECOR.
The basics: Don't buy so much breakable crap. If it's delicate, it's a threat. Straight guys like stuff that can take an errant basketball and all you have to do is pick it up and put it back. Extra points if it's stain resistant. Or just colored so you can't tell. Other than that, forget all the stereotypes you have heard about straight guys' decor. It does not consist of poker-playing dogs, neon bar signs and girly pictures. The truth is, the typical straight guys' home decor is no decor at all. Why put stuff on the walls you can't just paint over when spills and sprays get too thick? And if you put something on a wall, it's like an admission of defeat that you will never put a home theater there. Straight guys decorate with electronics. So keep it simple. You don't have to dust walls.

The end. No, I'm nowhere near my goal, but I have to change gears and go back to what worked before: Low fat eating and exercise. First reason: Went to the doctor yesterday, and I continue to be anemic (it's been recurring a few years now), plus it looks like my prostate could be enlarged again (called "prostititis"), and he recommended against Atkins until we can get me normal, since I'll be on antibiotics. Second reason: I wasn't entirely depressed with his advice, because I was getting bored with Atkins. Just not enough variety. So wish me luck and good fortune in getting the weight down without the quicker Atkins way.

p.s. Amusingly, spellcheck wants to change "prostititis" to "prostitutes" - not to mention spellcheck isn't recognized.
Posted 10:35 p.m.

    Reichen and Chip won the fourth version of Amazing Race, which is fine, other than I didn't like how they competed (especially the yelling at foreign people for not speaking English). It was they and CBS who constantly made a point about them being gay, when no one else cared. At the end, the pair kept talking about how being gay doesn't mean they can't compete as well. Really? Gee, I never would have thought that; why did they? I think they're heterophobes, actually, which is why they were the ones to initiate competition and jabbing with Jon, claiming he didn't want to lose to them. He never said it, and I'm pretty darned sure that CBS would've aired it if he had. I wish Jon and Kelly would have won, because they had the most personality throughout, whether happy-go-lucky or gritty and crass. They should have been eliminated at least twice, but kept holding on. They played it well, and Reichen and Chip played it like a'holes.
Posted 9:05 p.m.

    Seriously, can I tell you how my faith in humanity has been restored? A month ago, I bought a new CD burner for my computer at Best Buy, scoffing at the $10 rebate offer. I've never gotten one back. Never. Well, make that once. Today in my mailbox, a check from Memorex for ten scrumptious bucks! Life is just baked fresh for my sweet tooth!
Posted 9:20 p.m.

    This week's best Vents from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
    - Since Saddam Hussein has lost his two sons, and, given that the coalition forces are closing in, can we say he is up Tikrit without a paddle?
    - Since donotcall.gov was such a success, how about donotspam.gov?
    - I love A&E's "Biography" but can't stand it when they humanize someone I want to continue to dislike.
    - Diet resolution: Maintain current weight. Wait for rest of America to become obese. Look good in comparison.
    - Will the Episcopal Church be adding the song "YMCA" to its hymnals?
    - How sad that we have to commend those New Yorkers for not killing each other during the blackout.
    - I wouldn't say that our school was "persistently dangerous," but the senior class picture was hung in the post office.
    - Why is it when you go into an empty movie theater, the next two people who come in sit either directly behind you or in front of you?
    - While I was growing up, it was polite to say, "Pardon me, miss, but your slip is showing." With today's fashions, I have had to change my approach to, "Pardon me, miss, but your gut is showing."
Posted 9:13 p.m.

    Steven's site is back up and running after a Time Warner-induced hiatus. As an AOL Time Warner employee, may I say, Don't blame me, I'm in another division! He's got a new Random Musing, new Poll and the Guestbook is always humming, but wait ... no new pictures? Geez, dude, it's as if you have a life and can't commit three hours a day to your site!
Posted 3:35 a.m.

    I feel the need to come out of the closet: I am a Trading Spaces fan now. Ever since I started watching at 4 p.m. before getting ready for work, I’ve been hooked. Not only that, but I’m in love with designer Genevieve Gorder and Carpenter Amy Wynn Pastor. Now when I enter a room, I think, "Wow, Doug and Hildi could really mix up this place and make some poor lady cry!"
Posted 2:32 a.m.

    Trailer Park:

The Alamo - Good looking, but it's been done. See Wayne, John, who put his heart and soul (not to mention his own money) into the epic already in 1960. This version seems to be more honest in one aspect, letting the ultimate battle take place at dawn as in reality. But it also seems to go for a modern spin with a love story and seeming to try and tell it from both sides of the conflict. Careful, filmmakers, messing with our American legends

Paycheck - Ben Affleck in a futuristic film about a topic that no doubts gets your heart pumping: 'reverse engineering.' Um, yeah, me too. But John Woo directs, so it might be worth a shot.

The Missing - Cate Blanchett stars in a Ron Howard film, which seems to be some sort of spiritual Indian mojo mystery horror thriller.

Intolerable Cruelty - I find it interesting that the trailer lets the viewer take in George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones, but never trumpets it as a Coen Brothers movie. Their names appear in the end credits very quickly, so you might not notice. I'm more excited in it being by the Coens than Clooney or Zeta-Jones starring.
Posted 1:38 a.m.

    Anyone else notice the increase in shots of people's rear ends in commercials lately? Society (or I should say the media) is so sex-ercised nowadays, I feel uncomfortable just watching my own network with my grandparents. Every story or ad is sexual, it seems.
Posted 1:15 a.m.

    I think we can all agree that we're tired of the New Yorkers whining that they lost power for a day, as it has been covered by the NY-based media constantly as if it were a national tragedy. Thankfully, those of us who pulled out the world's smallest violins are not alone. For one thing, many Memphians were without power for over a week after severe storms earlier this month, but nary a word was spoken by the national media, yet when the talking heads can't make their coffee, all hell breaks loose. Blah blah blah, call me Mr. No Sympathy.
Posted 9:55 p.m.

    It's another AMAZING RACE 4 lowdown. Last week, no teams were eliminated, meaning this week we were guaranteed that four would be knocked to three. Circus performers Jon & Al finished last, and got the boot, so engaged Jon & Kelly, friends David & Jeff and gay couple Reichen & Chip are the final three teams.

This week the teams left Korea and headed to Australia and back to Western civilization. First, though, a politically incorrect observation: Is it wrong the leftist "diversity" pairing, the gay guys, were the most upset that everyone in Korea didn't speak English? They cursed every single person who couldn't understand them, while the other teams patiently looked for another taxi or sought help at hotels.

Unfortunately for the clowns, they were screwed by a fog delay in Korea, as the other three teams' flight took off earlier. Then David and Jeff went for the final Fast Forward, so it was inevitable the final 45 minutes of the show that Jon and Al would lose. The editors tried to trick us at the end, since Reichen and Chip didn't read the last clue received at the roadblock and drove to the pit stop, receiving a 35 minute penalty for not going on foot that kilometer or so. Jon and Al were much further back, though, and weren't helped.

p.s. In case you don't know me too well and wonder about all of my weird viewing habits, might I say that I thoroughly enjoyed all three hours of the program on Sparta, aired on PBS but produced by Channel 4 in Britain. It also helps when your classical historian host, Bettany Hughes, is a babe. But the history was just as interesting, and if your PBS hasn't aired it yet, or repeats it this weekend, watch.

UPDATE: Heh. Looks like I'm not alone.
Posted 6:31 a.m.

    Steven is back from his sabbatical, and feels frisky with some online polls.
Posted 5:55 p.m.

    Let us debate pop culture. On the front page of the Living section in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week, they tossed out fodder for argument by pitting pop culture icons against one another. I'll throw out my opinion on a few of them:

Ginger vs. Mary Ann - Neither would date Gilligan, but this is a conflict of sexy starlet vs. girl next door. Give me the girl next door any day, so hello Mary Ann!

Captain Kirk vs. Captain Picard - No contest. The brash and emotional Kirk was better suited to getting the Enterprise out of trouble than the Frenchman who used diplomacy or the luck of the crew for rescue.

Leno vs. Letterman - This is actually a tough one. Leno can get old, but his comedic shtick can be funny more times than not. Letterman repeats tired jokes over and over, but is the better interviewer and has the Top Ten. For that, Letterman wins.

Britney vs. Christina - Miss Spears may have turned slutty, but nowhere near the absolutely disgusting image Miss Aguilera pulled out a couple of years ago. Give me the still-wholesome-like Britney, but with Christina's singing talent.

King Kong vs. Godzilla - Big lumbering ape vs. a mutant lizard? Neither. I prefer the flying turtle, Gamera.
Posted 5:50 p.m.

    I can't think of better news out of the California governor recall effort than last night, when Arnold Schwarzenegger announced on "The Tonight Show" that he will run for the post. Jesse Ventura, move aside, because Arnold has the charisma and the big name to charm voters and bring out the weirdos to the voting booth. Imagine the first time Arnold addresses the assembly in Sacramento and Democrats try to engage him in the game of politics. Bad idea. The Terminator finishes the job!
Posted 5:50 p.m.

    Those who know me won't be surprised at all that I'm very much against the Episcopal church approving its first openly gay bishop. My religious beliefs don't show me anywhere in the Bible where homosexuality is approved by God (unlike other items in the Bible, it does not contradict itself on this subject), and therefore I can't believe that any church would allow someone to lead a congregation while overtly committing a major sin.

Scrappleface hilariously parodies, it won't be long before the Episcopalians allow a Muslim or atheist bishop.

By the way, the new bishop has an ex-wife and somehow slogged through heterosexual sex enough to have two daughters, though he left them when he "discovered" his gayness to take up with a man.

UPDATE: I'll let Lileks take it from here:

If he’d cast off his family to cavort with a woman from the choir, I’m not sure he’d be elevated to the level of moral avatar – but by some peculiar twist the fact that he left mom for a man insulates him from criticism. It’s as if he had to do it. To stay in the marriage would have been (crack of thunder, horses neighing) living a lie, and nowadays we’re told that’s the worst thing anyone can do. Better to bedevil other lives with the truth than inconvenience your own with a lie. Right? If others are harmed in the short run, eventually they will be happy because you’re happier. Right?

Newsmax reports that Hustler smut magazine publisher and now-California gubernatorial candidate, Larry Flynt, "called for a "National Prayer Day" on Aug. 5 to 'pray for the death of [FOX News Channel host] Bill O'Reilly.'" "The pornography publisher and California gubernatorial candidate's event is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. PDT in Los Angeles, and Flynt's political Web site offers a sample "prayer" describing in explicit and graphic terms how O'Reilly's death might come to pass. "'Dear (God/Allah/Buddha/other entity of your choice), we ask you to afflict Bill O'Reilly with a brain aneurysm that will lead to his slow and painful death,' the 'prayer' reads."
Posted 9:00 p.m.



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