Volume 1 Issue 31

December 31, 2002

Adieu To '02

Strange German New Year's Traditions, Don King Blvd, and Hollywood's latest threat to Western Civilization

So as we bring 2002 to an end, things really haven't gotten better, but on the other hand, things aren't a lot worse then they were last year. Of course 2003 will bring some trepidation with the impending war(s) but hopefully it will bring prosperity to us all. Because of a shortened work day here I don't have time to do a full rant, plus I'm sure most of you won't have as much time to read as usual, but you'll get the holiday as well. So, best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy 2003, and see you in the swamp next year!

Highlight of the Day...don't miss it: In Germany, they have a very strange way of celebrating the New Year. Every year, every TV channel shows a short 17-minute British film from the 1960's. It's not considered to be very funny, and has never been aired in England, but it is obsessively watched, in English, by almost every German. I even didn't believe this story, until I went to a few German Networks' websites and saw it promently displayed (I don't speak German, so who knows what it said).. I really don't know what to say about it...except, "Same procedure as every year!" -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56521-2002Dec30.html
Oh, here's a collection of strange stories of the year from the Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56565-2002Dec30.html
Now on to the regular insanity...
Quote of the day: From a Phila Inquirer article about Philadelphia's crime rate falling 11% this year (See, Chief Ramsey, it is possible!): "Barring a New Year's Eve bloodbath, Philadelphia will end the year today with its lowest number of murders in 17 years" Something tells me to stay out of Philadelphia tonight...Oh, and the homicide clearance rate there is 80%, as opposed to 25% in DC. So how did the City of Brotherly love do it? By putting more cops on the streets in visible locations, something the DC Police leadership has long refused to do, saying it wouldn't work. -

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/4843808.htm

North Korea Update: North Korea will likely now pull out of the Non-Proliferation treaty, another sign of their accelerated development of nuclear weapons -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2617491.stm
A BBC Correspondent was able to independently tour Pyongyang in 2000, giving an account of a fascinating nation -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspon dent/995692.stm

Get ready to ship out! Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) continues his push to reinstate the draft with an op-ed in the Times today -

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/31/opinion/31RANG.html

Yikes: Jim Lewis gives us some of the more sticky consequences of human cloning, if it has indeed taken place. Such as...if this child is a clone of her mother, and then they have a clone of her father...genetically there is nothing to keep them from mating with each other, since they in theory are unrelated. -

http://slate.msn.com/id/2076137/
The Washington Post points out we've had this type of hoax before though, in 1978...could this be another one? -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56233-2002Dec30.html

Next we'll have a Liza Minelli Avenue - There is great commotion in Atlantic City over a plan to rename a stretch of Mississippi Avenue Don King Blvd. Now, apparently one of the reasons to do this is because King gave $10,000 to the school system there. If I gave $20,000 could I get a road named after me? -

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/4843808.htm
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/atlantic/123102DONKI NG_D31_3RD_4TH.html

Also Only in NJ: Some public officials from North Jersey are in a dispute over one spitting on the other at a Christmas Eve party -

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_3_id=19&page=6 150005

Do you like to eat? A solider at Fort Belvoir racked up a $7000 grocery bill during a shopping spree he got for being named solider of the year -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56770-2002Dec30.html

Oh, Canada!: The Canadians really don't seem to like us anymore -
http://www.canada.com/national/features/yearend2002/story.ht ml?id=DE4F1F61-2715-476F-8DFF-A17A73DFEE21

Transportation Innovation: Even China now has better trains then we do. They're putting the finishing touches on the world's first mag-lev system, which will travel at a cozy 260mph. There is some criticism though that more traditional trains in Europe can travel almost as fast, while costing much less. Of course in the US, the fastest passenger train, the Acela Express, usually tops out at around 130mph, and only on small stretches of track. -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2616339.stm

The vanishing pay phone: One day...we'll mention a pay phone in conversation and a kid will say, "Pay phone? What's that?"...*sigh* -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49017-2002Dec28.html

Article above most of our heads of the week: Einstein's theory of relativity may be outdated, some scientists say -
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/30/science/30CND-LIGH.html

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!: No, please, no...a Friends movie?
'Friends: The Movie'? Hit American TV sitcom Friends may make its big screen debut next year - complete with all six famous cast members and a raunchier adult slant. The Emmy-winning show has already had its television run extended by a year after all six stars agreed to a tenth season and it is thought that the promise of a movie spin-off convinced them all to stay on board. The film antics of the New York buddies will be far more risqu=E9 than the televised shows and could include sex and nudity. A studio source says, "Without those pesky American television network censors, it will be much more adult and will even include nudity." Reports suggest that hunky air head Joey Tribbiani played by Matt LeBlanc will be the one to disrobe first. The source says, "Matt has a huge female following, not to mention gay men. They will likely flock to the movie to see him bare all." Actors Lisa Kudrow , Matt LeBlanc , Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer were already willing to extend the show's award winning run but both Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston had misgivings due to their outside success in Hollywood. A source says, "They all agreed to do one more year after the movie deal was struck. They all want to be movie stars - that's why they caved in." However, the tenth season will run slightly shorter than its predecessors with only 18 episodes compared to the usual 22. All cast members will be paid $930,000 per episode and will net a percentage of the film's profits. The source continues, "They're being paid $9 million each for the film, plus a percentage of the profits and since it will likely be a major hit, they stand to walk away with a fortune."

A Reminder - Don't Drink and Drive: Like Diana Ross, who was pulled over yesterday in Tucson with a .20 BAC! Seriously folks, take it easy this evening, and don't drink and drive! -

http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/News/12/30/diana.ross.dui.ap /index.html

Happy New Year!!!

Gregory S. Gadren