Has anyone else had a dream that they got a postcard from one of their internal organs?

Well, I just got one in real life - from my pancreas. How wierd is that?

2003 is the year of the sell-out. I just found out that i could double my salary tommorow by becoming an Olive Garden manager - 40 k a year starting out. All because I have a degree.

I need help beavers. 40,000 - That's a house, a family, and a suburu.

Darden is not the eviliest of corporate entities - right?

And Working for the Olive Garden - Joe N, and Joe L,, I need your help here, Can I still run for Congress when I get older? Will the voters respect a former Of mgr? (My answer: a defiitive NO!)

Post your favorite links, Joe, and I'll put 'em up. Elite democracy at it's finest.

I love this nasa photo gallery. They make great wallpaper. I set a new one several times a week.

2003 is Year of the Goat (black sheep). It begins on Feb. 1.


Seriously.

Just noticed that 3 of my four most recent posts includes variants on nest feathering. Maybe I am in some sort of mind meld with your mom, Matt. Is this the year of the Crow or something?

I'd say a good deal more than three years in toto, though Ryan hopped the bandwagon relatively late in the game. The Northwestern J-School helped to start this movement (and probably merits the prize more than any pol) which now even includes a downstate "Innocence Project" at our very own UIS (albeit one which does not deal with capital crimes). I agree that Ryan did a good thing, but the Nobel Prize? That would be like giving it to Nixon or someone of that ilk, although Ryan is a good deal more petty than ol' Tricky Dick. It is a rare thing when a lame duck does anything but feather his cronies' nests. Ironic that, during this generous gesture, George was busy setting up his friends with lucrative state appointments which Blago is now attempting to terminate. Social justice and politics as usual make strange bedfellows.

Here here. The public has a misconception that Ryan did this as he was walking out the door of office. He DID, but there were three years of research and a "distinguished" panel that looked into this issue. Oh, and if Bill O'Reilly hates Ryan's decision then I know that I like it. I don't care about his motives -- If he is a megalomaniac or if he is a sadist. He did a good thing.

Ryan gets the Democrat of the year award. And Blago gets my Republican of the year award for the symbolic cleaning house of state government. Congratulations guys, for continuing to make the distinction between political parties meaningless. Keep up the good work!

According the my astrological chart, 2003 is a year of change, and so far it is living up to the hype.

There's been a lot of shit talking lately about the Noble Prize, particularly with Arafat winning and then Jimmy Carter. Now the "Give Death a Chance" posse is attacking Ryan, questioning his motives and the way he went about granting blanket clemency.

Personally I'm inspired. He researched the death penalty, and realized his pro-capital punisment position was wrong. How cool is that? - a politician admitting he was wrong, and actually doing something about it (and it was a Republican.)

Congratulations on falling out of your chair on the air.

Hefner is pretty great. Hymns to cigarettes and alcohol! Not to mention the postal service. Best album is The Fidelity Wars.
BTW, Laura and I were on the radio with Sara on Friday. I got to do a station announcement and promptly fell out of the chair on air.

I believe that Ryan is turning traditional political mores on their head with his move. His hatred of Chicago Dems goes back to Daley's obstructionist tactics. He also is no longer enamored with the Republican party, feeling (correctly, I think) that the Repubs sold him out when the bribery scandal hit. It's not as if there hasn't been a history of corrupt campaigns in Illinois. Ryan had to pay the piper for the sins of those before him, and his loyal hack-soldiering left him out to dry. Ryan can get back at suburban republicans, the corrupt Chicago machine and whinging downstaters (embodied by Jim Ryan's disloyalty) in one fell swoop, along the way garnering a nomination for the Nobel prize and a probable academic appointment with which to further feather his nest.

That has to be difficult. I feel for 'em.

I wanted to recommend two bands: Interpol and OK Go.
Interpol sounds like Joy Division, except not as morbid, and OK Go is a clever poppy rock outfit from Chicago. I think all beavers will like these bands.

Here are the lyrics to the Interpol song, NYC, which is my current favorite:


I had seven faces thought i knew which one to wear
I'm sick of spending these lonely nights training myself not to care
the subway is a porno pavements they are a mess
i know you've supported me for a long time
somehow i'm not impressed

New York Cares (got to be some more change in my life)
New York Cares (got to be some more change in my life)
New York Cares (got to be some more change in my life)
New York Cares (got to be some more change in my life)

subway she is a porno and the pavements they are a mess
i know you've supported me for a long time
somehow i'm not impressed

It's up to me now turn on the bright lights
It's up to me now turn on the bright lights

New York Cares (got to be some more change in my life)
New York Cares (got to be some more change in my life)
New York Cares (got to be some more change in my life)
New York Cares (got to be some more change in my life)

It's up to me now turn on the bright lights
(got to be some more change in my life)
oh, It's up to me now turn on the bright lights
(got to be some more change in my life)

* From the album, Turn on the Bright Lights

Check out the song, Get Over It, by OK Go.


Military guys that I have met have always been way sharper than I gave them credit for. Leon Deltoro was the first guy I had heard to ever question the Standard Operating Procedure of scrambling fighter jets during a hijacking that was NOT done on September 11, 2001. (Leon lived in D.C. at the time.)
He was also blunt about military service: Most are in it for scholarships and to get paid, to die if necessary, and they are very aware of that.

Leave it to Mike to come up with the hard edgy news that other papers shy away from. Mike asks the qeustions that other journalists don't ask. Every article I read on the commutation of death sentences by Ryan has asked the question, "What were Ryan's motives?" But Mike Mann boldly answers that question by saying "ryan's blanket clemeney is a direct attack against chicago, and it's political machine and police force." Brilliant. Insightful. I agree.
But why do you think Ryan has a vendetta against Chicago?

And I have to mention Rod "The Bod" on the cover of the SJ-R yesterday jogging in front of the Old state Capitol. It's time for a change! It's time for a sexy Governor.

My cousin's Marine unit got called up and they depart for california this a.m. and then off to the middle east tomorrow. He's handling it okay but his fiancee is freaking out. She doesn't like GDub right now.

does anyone else agree with me that ryan's blanket clemeney is a direct attack against chicago, and it's political machine and police force?

i told my born again friend at work that my bumper sticker that says "NO!" is an anti-war sticker, and after a couple of ane coulter huff and puffs he asked me what i would think we should do if we found out a country gave money to a terrorist organization that attacked the united states.

this guy is getting on my nerves.

i told him as a christian myself, we should reach out our collective hands and hug.

he dutifully informed me that if i found myself in an arab country they would not hesitate to chainsaw my head off. Then he called me a pacifist, and did a little hippie dance to mock me.

Later on that night i talked to a thick-neck consevative, ex-military type, and he told me that he thought G dub is going to go down as the absolute worst president this country has ever had.

i think it's great that the military guys are finally getting smarter then the fundametalist chirstian war-mongers.

is it too late to vote for King George?

in the old ages he would have been be-headed.

Welcome to Springfield Governor Blago.

This is a great video by the Faint called 'Agenda Suicide'. It reminds me of a combination of a Radiohead video and the Sims video game. You would think these guys are from Manchester in the 80's, but they are actually from Omaha, Nebraska (with the likes of Bright Eyes and Cursive) of the 00's. Their sound is much poppier than this video suggests. It happens to be a dark video (which is why I like it), and I'm told most of their songs are about sex and death. But i listened to a cd a friend gave me over the summer and all the Faint songs are sugary and sweet.

On another Bright Eyes note, Sarah from the Acryllic Afternoon Friday radio show on WQNA loves to play Bright Eyes. Every freakin' week I tune in I hear it. She has a sense of humor though. Afterwords she'll give out the Suicide Hotline number.