3.19.2004

A Friday Buffet

No real topic today, just a bunch of half-formed thoughts. I’m too busy trying to edit together a video before a rough-cut screening this afternoon (and a final showing on Tuesday) to go in-depth on anything. If anyone else wants to take the lead, go right ahead. Yeah, like anyone needs my encouragement.

Duh-byaCongratulations to Duh-bya on the one-year anniversary of his decision to effectively abandon the war on terrorism to wage his little vendetta against the guy who tried to kill his daddy. Yeah, I know, it was really more a result of the American imperialists’ agenda (still working on the terminology — bear with me), but you never were smart enough to really understand what any of that was about. But hey, at least it all worked out exactly like you said it would, right?

E.J. Dionne has a great column in today’s Post, in which he rather clearly points out that the results of the election in Spain had much less to do with terrorist appeasement than a backlash against the use of terrorist acts for political purposes. I’d suggest that little George give it a read — oh, wait, I forgot, he doesn’t read the newspaper (or can’t — I’m not sure).

I’m really ticked that I won’t be able to participate in this year’s Washington Invitational Scavenger Hunt for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Oh, I’m sorry, the AOL Washington Invitational Scavenger Hunt. I don’t really have a huge beef with AOL — and I’m certainly glad they’ve donated so much to a worthy cause — but tacking corporate names onto everything from stadiums to sporting tournaments to charity events just leaves me cold. The hunt itself, though, is one of the most exciting events I’ve ever participated in. Of course, the fact that we won didn’t hurt (the team, ABC-Ya-Later, won two years in a row, but I was only an observer the first time around). But alas, the core team members have largely disbanded or joined other teams, and the date — April 17th — conflicts with my daughter’s fifth birthday party. Kind of hard to tell her, “Sorry, but Daddy’s not going to come, since he’ll be running all over the city having fun.”

Fuck Microsoft!Speaking of AOL, is anyone else really freaked out about rumors that Microsoft may be in the running to buy AOL? Normally, I wouldn’t be concerned — it’s such a flagrant anti-competition threat that there’s no way the FTC would let it happen. But after the Bush regime’s decision to get all buddy-buddy will Bill Gates, I’d be willing to bet they’ll let it sail right through. At least the EU’s still got some business ethics. (Update: The Guardian is running a story on the talks, though Time-Warner sources are apparently denying it. The Guardian also cites the New York Post, though I don’t see any mention of it there. Of course, they don’t make it easy to check.)

And thanks to Joseph Finn’s In Apprehension..., I’ve discovered my “very British name”: Neville Garside. You too can discover yours with The Very British Name Generator, courtesy of Rum and Monkey’s Name Generator Generator.

That’s it for now — you can go on about your business. Nothing to see here.

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