Month: December 2005

What, haven’t you been reading this weblog?

All right– people hang things too low. There. Now go forth and have a good time.

…but I’ve already gotten some wonderful holiday presents from many of you, it’s almost making my heart leap with what could possibly be coming next.

Happy Festivus, all. And if I don’t get online before then, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Io Saturnalia (dang, I think that one already passed), and Happy Unbirthday to “Bob”.

New Jersey: Land without sarcasm – Yahoo! News:

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – New Jersey, trying to overcome its reputation for corruption, traffic and toxic waste dumps, has rejected dozens of sardonic and sarcastic entries in a contest for a new tourist slogan.

A list of five possible slogans released on Wednesday leaves out “New Jersey: We can always use another relative on the payroll,” and “Come to New Jersey: It’s not as bad as it smells.”

Voters get to pick the winner in the competition launched after Gov. Richard Codey nixed “New Jersey: We’ll Win You Over,” created by a consultant who was paid $260,000.

“It makes me think of when I was young and single and asked a girl out,” Codey said in a statement. “She turned me down. I said, ‘Give me a chance, I’ll win you over.'”

Nearly 7,800 entries were submitted to promote a state not widely known for its pristine countryside and sun-soaked beaches.

The five finalists are: “New Jersey: Expect the Unexpected,” “New Jersey: Love at First Sight,” “New Jersey: Come See for Yourself,” “New Jersey: The Real Deal” and “New Jersey: The Best Kept Secret.”

Voters in the Garden State have until January 1 to make their selection.

The Best Kept Secret is true– and we’d really like to keep it that way, okay?

Do you agree with President Bush’s decision allowing domestic surveillance without court order?

And if you do, please explain your position in comments. I’m quite curious why.

http://weblogawards.org/2005/12/best_of_the_top_250_blogs.php

And they would have done better under an Australian ballot.

There are lots of other neat menorahs there, but I have to imagine the market research on this one was a bit thin.

CNN.com – ‘West Wing’ actor dies at 58 – Dec 16, 2005:

Damnation. One of the great character actors, emphasis on character. Not just Leo McGarry and Tommy Mullaney, but all the other little roles where he added that particular spark, like in The Rock and Presumed Innocent.

And yes, it’s an hell of a writing challenge/opportunity for The West Wing. But that’s for another day. Today, a toast to a fun actor. Here’s to you, chief.

Bush can settle CIA leak riddle, Novak says:

Newspaper columnist Robert Novak is still not naming his source in the Valerie Plame affair, but he says he is pretty sure the name is no mystery to President Bush.

“I’m confident the president knows who the source is,” Novak told a luncheon audience at the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh on Tuesday. “I’d be amazed if he doesn’t.”

“So I say, ‘Don’t bug me. Don’t bug Bob Woodward. Bug the president as to whether he should reveal who the source is.’ “

Can’t we do both?

Why shouldn’t we bug you, Bob? We know you know who committed a crime and you won’t come forward about it. Just because someone else who’s there didn’t call 911 either doesn’t absolve you, certainly not when you know the other people haven’t called 911.

…because after Stephen Colbert/Bill O’Reilly slash fiction, what more can you add that wouldn’t be, pardon the choice of words, anticlimactic?

Well, this is almost clever.

Somebody’s sending comment spam to the various blogs here, but they’re putting URLs of news organizations from the NY Times to Fox News to Alternet. One presumes that they hope that they’ll be blocking anything resembling a news source in the course of putting out spam.

Yet another reason to hate spammers.

I’ll be writing up my days at Philcon and other stuff shortly.