After a 5-year haitus, Half-Life is finally going to have some offspring. Half-Life 2 is slated to be released in on September 30. I'm sure it will be good, but with this kind of wait, shouldn't it be stellar?

It's been awhile since I've posted a link to a cool site, but Matias Zadicoff is one talented jack. His site, Mediaramas, is one of the slickest I've seen.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois announced last week that his administration is considering the possibility of a governmental takeover of all the casinos in the state. I don't have to tell you with which party this gentlemen is associated. Isn't this the kind of thing that the mafia does? You'd think he'd be more considerate to the gambling industry since they've contributed to his campaign even though he promised not to accept campaign contributions from gambling interests.

Iowa St. basketball coach Larry Eustachy was photographed chillin' with some Natural Lite at a college party at 4 o'clock in the middle of the night. This is a guy who's 47 years-old and has a wife and two kids. Can you say, "Cry for help"?

Stardumb: Professional Sports v. Hollywood and Music
Why the arrogant Hollywood elite draw the short straw in the forum of intellectually based arguments. Even though their mouths say, "Stop the War!" their scripts read, "We hate Republicans."

Cool stuff:

• Online Conversion: Trade kilometers for miles or ounces for litres. This site has all the tools.
• Slipups.com: If you have some time to kill, browse through over 11,000 goofs, blunders and bloopers. Most are just lack of continuity. This site is similar to Easter Eggs, looks to be run by the same folks.
• The Nitpickers Site: Similar to Slipups.com but even more fun as it just crashed my brower.

In case you forgot, Natalie Maines of Dixie Chicks said she was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." So, instead of apologizing for a disrespectful comment, they pose naked on Entertainment Weekly. Oh yeah, now your spoiled-brat comment is all forgiven. I'm sure the public will forget.

Don't say I'm crazy, some people do use Big Macs to making investing decisions. And only some of them are kooks.

What is evil? This definition is very clear:

Anything which impairs the happiness of a being or deprives a being of any good; anything which causes suffering of any kind to sentient beings; injury; mischief; harm;

So, is someone who doesn't actually commit the evil act, but rather, protects and supports the person doing the act, also evil by relation? Most would agree that this is true. With that said, Sen. Santorum is being persecuted for something he didn't say while Sen. Boxer has worked for years to protect the people who kill babies via abortion. Boxer's stance on partial birth abortions is pure babble. While the gay journalists would want you to think that Santorum is evil, those shoes actually fit Boxer.

Need some vacation ideas? My Dad found Vacation Rentals by Owner, which makes it easy. Now, Boca... or Maui...

It's not like we didn't know it was true, but now even North Korea is admitting they have nuclear weapons.

Very few things enrage me like bad officiating. It's like when my brother cheated in Monopoly, I went straight to violence bypassing all other means of resolution. Some people say that the referees in the NBA do a good job. I say, "Let's let an impartial third-party audit each game and publish the results." Well, I didn't say it, Mark Cuban did, but the point is still valid.

Look at this write-up of last nights Lakers vs. T-wolves game. Generally, the author is bound by some unwritten law not to criticize the refs, but there are (4) times where he specifically questions a call. And these were all in the overtime period.

1. ...after fouling out early in overtime on a questionable call, the Timberwolves...
2. ...Bryant made a 3-pointer five seconds later, was fouled by Szczerbiak on another questionable call and completed...
3. ...Bryant was fouled by Rasho Nesterovic -- who was standing still with his hands straight up -- on a drive...
4. ...Jannero Pargo made two free throws after another suspect foul call, putting the Lakers ahead...

So either is the author was extremely biased against the Lakers (heaven knows I am) or the refs should get a failing grade for the job they did in this important game.

Matrix 2 & 3 are coming to IMAX! Can you tell I'm excited about this movie?

Mel Gibson has done some great work in his time (and some not so great as well) but will his new project thrive or die? The Passion is a movie about the final hours of Jesus on planet earth. That's not so strange, but the entire dialog will be in Latin and Aramaic. No subtitles. When asked in this interview, why do yet another film on the life of Christ, Gibson replied, "This film will show the passion of Jesus Christ just the way it happened. It’s like traveling back in time and watching the events unfold exactly as they occurred."

First CNN and now the AP. Honest, truthful reporting is becoming more rare. In case you haven't heard, Congressman Rick Santorum is underfire for a comment he made regarding a Supreme Court case. Here's the quote from the AP story:

``If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything,'' the Pennsylvania lawmaker said in a recent interview, fuming over a landmark gay rights case before the high court that pits a Texas sodomy law against equality and privacy rights.

Please note that "(gay)" was added by the AP. Santorum did not say the word. It's being inferred by the reporter along with the judgemental statement that followed the quote. Taking things out of context and misinterpreting quotes should be Journalism 101, but more and more news groups follow their agenda rather than best practices. Now his opponents are calling for his head even though he was merely reiterating Justice White's 1986 opinion.

Even though we all love to have fun, sometimes you need to sit down and focus on the really important things in life. Even with dangers like SARS and all, I think it's critical at this time in our country's evolution that we all learn who makes the best pizza. It's just that important.

Cable is spanking DSL in a recent speed study. But real life is that DSL beats Cable sometimes and Cable beats DSL other times. Only thing we can do is learn from others—Broadband Reports.

What do alligators, an angry drunk woman, gunfire, a lake, and a 40-year-old lifeguard have in common? They were all together in St. Petersburg on Monday.

Nikola Tesla, The Master of Lightning, was an extremely smart, albeit strange, man who wouldn't let other peoples criticisms stop his drive to invent. He was most assuredly, one of the greatest inventors of the modern era.

Radiohead's 6th album, Hail to the Thief won't be released in the US until June 10, but it's already getting great reviews.

Now, That's What I Call Music is one company's take on each year's best pop music. Ahh the memories of youth.

We all know that Microsoft wants to take over the world, and now we know how they're doing it.

The Pope and his "new mobile throne" is back on the streets, dishing out blessings and prayers to all!

Pure Bill Walton says there are Many reasons to be thankful for Michael.

CNN has an agenda to report what makes the conservatives look bad and liberals look good. Why? Because liberalism is their god. Heck, it's even more important than ratings. And now they don't even have those.

How male or female is your brain? [These tests take some time, but I got EQ: 25 which is low even for a male. My SQ was 33, also more male than female. What does this tell me? I think I already knew that answer.]

Representative John Lindor is sponsoring the Fair Tax bill which turns out to be H.R. 25 in this 108th Congress session. Here's what I know. This bill may not be perfect, so I'll give it a 92%. But if this bill is a 92, then our current system is an "F" at 63%.

Heard this ironic twist on Paul Harvey today.

"The world has to be upside down.
When the best rapper is a white guy.
And the best golfer is a black guy.
And the Swiss hold the America's Cup.
And France is accusing the United States of arrogance.
And Germany does not want to go to war."

Peoria, Arizona finds nothing wrong with burning the American Flag, but don't you go and fly it!

The Great Sasuke has just won an assembly seat in Japan! Ventura is pissed he doesn't have a cool mask like that.

Islam doesn't hold the patent on militant religiosity. In India, the Indian People's Party solicited three surveys to better frame their Gujarat Anti-Conversion bill. Apparently, the purpose of this bill will be to make it illegal to convert from Hinduism to Islam or Christianity. Needless to say, proponents of freedom in the matters of religion are not happy with these actions.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis launched many a child's imagination with this rich and colorful fantasy epic. The books were published over 50 years ago, and now they're finally getting to the task of re-creating the first book in film. Much of what exists today in the world of fantasy and sci-fi fiction, owe their careers to the receptive public that Lewis nutured with Narnia.

The Brits are "sending the love" to their troops via the e-bluey. This process is based largely on American technology, so why aren't we Yanks doing the same thing?

So now the free-speech crowd is complaining that Google's porn filter does more than it's job. If they'd only agree to the reasonable solution of moving the porn people to a .xxx domain it would lessen the problem by 90%. But no, that'd make too much sense.

If you've ever doubted the agenda of the mainstream press, here's further evidence. And this time, it's so monumentally shocking, that Joe American can't simply "not care."

Eason Jordan is the Chief New Executive of CNN and has been to Baghdad more than a dozen times, witnessing firsthand the brutally and pure evil of the Hussein dictatorship. But he wouldn't share this information that could have potentially prevented the unjust persecution of hundreds, if not thousands of Iraqis. All the while, CNN runs with stories crafted to make Bush and the Republicans like the enemy. CNN should be ashamed of itself.

Now Mr. Jordan has coming forward with the truth. Now that the threat has been eliminated. Now that the world has already heard the truth firsthand from those abused.

And here I thought it was the job of news people to give us the news. Pathetic.

Norway, one step closer to socialism, voted yes to a ban on smoking in bars or restaurants country-wide. The ban will be enforced in the spring of 2004, at which time Norwegians will have less freedom than they have today. I wonder how much they mind?

Now that's an issue - an issue I call a form of theft - theft by deception - theft due to John Q Citizens ignorance / lack of initiative to think - whatever you want to call it - but this is something worth educating the public on. Spread the word!

High speed Net access through your electrical lines? Sound too good to be true? It's only in a few markets now, but if it catches on, it will be the fourth avenue for broadband to your home. Once your high-speed connect is in place, then you can use this new technology from Phillips that allows DVD-recorders to accept streaming media. Now things are heating up!

User submitted link on someone finally calling a "spade" a "spade." Neil Cavuto calls the French, Germans and Russians "crass," "phony," and "pathetic." His honesty is apparent.

Just remember that this French-bashing is all in good fun. Really it is. Why don't you believe me? ;^)

From the same site comes this piece. American Leaders vs. Celebrity Entertainers: Background Check

There is euphoria in Baghdad for the Iraqi people who've long be under the foot of the tyrant, Saddam Hussein. The war is not over, but it's clear that the people of Iraq are truly grateful for what the coalition forces have done for them. If you don't believe it, you probably have a hard time believing that the world is (in fact) round.

Whatever you do, DON'T wreck your truck on I95 carrying a load of over 80 million bees. You've been warned.

Syracuse won the NCAA tournament (81-78) last night as Kansas shot a miserable 12-30 from the foul line. I guess a couple of those might have helped, huh?

<sarcasm>Tennessee and UConn in the finals?!? No way. I'm totally surprised.</sarcasm>

The two most dominant woman's programs in recent years are set to once again battle it out. Tennessee has won 6 in the last 16 years, UConn 3 of the last 8. I think I speak for America when I say, "Yawn."

Daylight Savings Time is coming. Some folks have a different idea.

Not that I'm a fan of these bands, but their sharp-edged sound will add to the whole aura of the Matrix universe. Opening day for The Matrix: Reloaded is May 15th. Let us hope it holds innovation as dear as did its parent.

Hollow and typical. That's the kind of inaccurate language being used all over the country by business. These folks are trying to set a new direction by REbranding. Of course, these brands mock as they teach.

In times of war, citizens need water, food, clothing and apparently Planned Parenthood thinks they need abortions, which they call "The most fundamental freedom is the freedom of reproductive self-determination." In this information age, you really have to watch the spin. Reproductive Health Care=Abortion. I wonder how well Iraqi women understand our language, much less the the way we twist the truth?

It turned out that Unreal II was just decent. Now I'm jonesin' for some new video game excitement. Doom 3 won't be out 'til October, November or later? Enter the Matrix looks promising, but it's a couple of months away. NoLF2 just wouldn't run on my computer. That sucked because the first episode was quite good. So which one of the best-selling games should I be looking at? I'm going to have to go with Icewind Dale 2 because with that $20 rebate, it's only $8.99... whattadeal!

Amnesty International is hardly a conservative organization. But the mainstream media has conveniently forgotten their liberal ally, since Amnesty voiced outrage at the significant human rights violations that are taking place in Iraq. Even before the war, Amnesty put together a dossier citing evidence of these offenses. Other reports are widespread.

The problem I have with our government is not that we're going in to Iraq to hopefully create a true democratic state and thereby ease tensions in the Middle East, but why did it take so long?

Hussein and his conspirators have used fear, like any other dictator, to quell any potential opposition to his power. And the techniques? Oh, the typical stuff like arrests, torture, rape and murder. I'll only guess that the reason we waited so long to start a war to remove Hussein was because we were trying to diplomatically build global support for effort. How did we know there'd be so few countries with a moral compass that would help them understand the truly evil nature of this regime.

Now here's a good idea—Iraqi-Americans who want to fight Hussein and work towards an Iraqi democracy. Three cheers! How come you don't see this news on ABC, CNN or MSNBC? I imagine that'd be too "pro-war" for their tastes. Remember, despite what Edward R. Murrow wanted, the purpose of news is to be comprehensive, accurate and timely; not select only certain stories to run and how to run them.

I don't want to merely pile on, but having 1 in 3 French desire Saddam Hussein to win against the coalition, means I'm not spending money on: Car & Driver magazine, Dannon Yogurt (Yoplait is General Mills), Evian, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Michelin Tires, Motel 6, RCA, T-Fal, or Universal Studios. [full list] It's one thing to be against the war, but it's quite another to hope the evil dictator kills your neighboring countries soldiers.

Don't ever doubt that Time magazine and writers like Michael Kinsley hate anything politically conservative. Now, Kinsley is trying to say that Affirmative Action is responsible for Bush's admittance into Yale, when we all know it was his family connections. Trying to say that they are the same thing is insulting to the intelligence of their readers. We've already established that while not a genius, Bush is definitely not dumb.

Petition your lawmakers to make the ban on Internet access taxes permanent. Otherwise, we open the floodgates for many different types of taxes that'll make life on the Net more costly and confusing.

ZDnet has an interesting interview with Martin Cooper who patented some technology in the development of cellular phones.

With so much unpleasant news in this time of war, it's uplifting to hear about the US rescue of POW Pfc. Jessica Lynch.

Something has been bothering me for some time. Everyone knows that stuff costs money, right? Everything costs something. So, take for example, the recent anti-war protests. How much could a couple of cheap cardboard signs cost? Then there's the permits, phone bills, stationary, envelopes, postage, Web site, etc. This doesn't even consider the related costs.) It all adds up. So who pays for it?

Some people would be shocked to find out that Workers World pays for a lot of it. They don't even hide the fact that they are socialists. (They won't use the term communist because it has a negative connotation.) From their own site:

"Isn't it time to take the step from activism to a commitment to change the world?"

It's clear they don't want America to continue on as a capitalistic society, even though capitalism (and the supply and demand it promotes) is the primary reason why America has experienced unparralled success. So with liberal partners like Internation Action Center (founded by highly suspect Ramsey Clark) and A.N.S.W.E.R. they spend their money and recruit their radicals to promote a purely socialist agenda.

So now we're at war. And protesters are all too eager "use" their support. But you know what? America was not founded on socialism. In fact, we've fought it's freedom-depriving practices since our inception.

Thus the fight continues. Arm yourself with knowledge because just because someone lives in America doesn't necessarily make them an American.

Madonna is trying to avoid a Dixie Chick reaction. Shows she still cares about the almighty dollar.

Now even ABC is reporting the AP feed that there are ties from Iraq to al-Qaida. So now, what will all those people who swore that Saddam didn't have anything to do with 9/11 come back with? Because they surely won't admit they were wrong.

If I'm reading Dante's structure correctly, when Uday Hussein arrives in Hell, he should expect to be sent to Circle 7 (Round 1) for his eternal address. But you know? He could work his way down to Circle 8 if he really applies himself. He's done some truly horrific things to his own people merely to give himself pleasure. Sharar Haydar, a former Iraqi soccer player is glad that the ill-named Olympic Committee headquarters was destroyed. I heard today about another Iraqi weight lifter who when he heard that "they were coming for him" decided it better to kill his wife, children and then himself, rather than let everyone be tortured. That's so incredibly horrible, I can't even respond to it.