There’s even Harkness smooching.

It may see the light of day later this year!  Once again we may be able to watch the young, boyish and cute Larry Kubiac.

Personally, I think this is ridiculous, considering the amount of taxpayer subsidies this overratted entertainment product receives through publicly funded stadiums.  I will continue my non-interest in the NFL.

Rent yourself!

How incredibly stupid that an activity that makes all involved happy is criminal nearly everywhere in the country.  Think of all the income tax that the federal, state and local governments are forfieting.

I remember the TRS Model 1 computer being used by the “home computer owner”!  It’s on what I learned to program in BASIC in the back of a Radio Shack store around the time this was being aired.

How amazing that what was once a novelty is now threatening to kill traditional printed newspapers.

It’s got a great photo section included what is probably one of the best pictures of sexy Tyler Labine.

As is typical for one of my first time jaunts, not everything worked out as planned.  It turns out the address printed on the sample ballot, which is also on the voter ID card and the school’s website, doesn’t quite lead me to the school.  Instead, Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps and my GPS led me to the middle of a residential neighborhood, with nary an elementary school in sight!

I had to rush home (the GPS did manage to do that for me.)  Fortunately, after a million or so clicks, lots of pissed of pacing and a good deal more profanity than I normally use, I found a county site that had directions to the school.  So, about 45 minutes or so after my intentioned arrival time, I managed to pull into the school’s parking lot.  After only one spin around the tiny parking lot, I even managed to get a space.  (Hey, things were looking up.)  It’s now about 20 minutes after the polls opened.  Yes, there is a line, but not quite as bad as expected.  It’s just wrapped up and down a narrow corridor, lined with folding chairs that make the experience much more intimate that I prefer to be with strangers that aren’t in a bar and paying me oodles of compliments.  The further we get down the hallway, the hotter it gets.

At last, I’m within visual range of the check-in station. There are two check-in machines and about eight voting machines what will probably be several thousand voters during the day.  Not the best of planning, but other areas are even worse.  (I read one polling station in another state had one machine for 400 people.)   Of course, as my prize is within my reach, if not in grasp, the nice lady in front of me has an issue.  It takes a good 10 minutes or so, but they figure out that her polling station was moved to the nearby high school.  I thought to myself, if they are able to determine this, why can’t she just vote here?  (One of the amendments we voted on addresses this.)

Finally, I’m up!  I hand over my idea and they find me!  Whoo Hoo!  No challenger! No registration issues!  They hand me the the smart card and I walk over to the stage two where another poll worker chooses a machine for me (not my ideal situation) and instructs me inserting the card into the slot.  I thank him (I’m an expert at inserting things, so this was somewhat unnecessary, but the explanation would be longer than letting him tell me what to do.)  and he leaves me alone.  The process goes quite smooth, despite the fact that I am using a touch screen that has no paper record.  While my choices all show up on the final screen with no funny business, I’ll never know exactly how they showed up in the final results.  (This is how you create the illusion of smooth election.)  About an hour after I stepped into the line, I’m done.  Yet another poll worker hands me my “I voted” sticker and I leave.

Democracy lives! (I hope!)

I imagine the news will disappoint a good number of fans who expected their favorite Doctor to have a run of Tom Baker endurance.  While I certainly enjoyed Tennant’s run immensely, I find myself welcoming this news. Ever since William Hartnell was forced out bowed out of the role, it’s been designed to be handed down from actor to actor, allowing the show to evolve in a way that no other show can.  When the original series was canceled in 1989, Sylvester McCoy was determined to hand the role over to his successor at some point.  He had that opportunity to do so in the 1996 TV movie.  Yes, the movie was sub-par, but at least he was able to do so.  Now we’ll get to see it passed on again right at the time a new team takes over the production.  I think we’ll see a fresh start and some great originality.  (Hopefully part of that includes giving the Daleks a rest.  They need to bow out for a few years at least.)  A new Doctor is always a fun ride.  My only hope is Stephen Moffett allows the show to keep its gay sensibility.

I will stay out of any speculation on who should/will inherit the role.  It’s a British Institution and I’m not British.  There will be plenty of others posting their ideas all over the internet until the successor is announced.  Until then, there will be five more specials for us to appeciate Doctor Number 10.

The show endlessly reran the episodes of four (a fifth was added just before the anthology was cancelled) serials most likely purchased on the cheap.  The oldest of the shows, “Children of the Stones“, a mid seventies relic, ran alongside it’s early eighties cousins: “The Haunting of Cassie Palmer“, “Under the Mountain“, and my favorite, “Into the Labyrinth“.

“Children of the Stones” wasn’t the most entertaining of the series, but it was unique amongst its bretheren.  Where the other shows followed the typical children run away, find some strangers and have some adventures, the father and son team of “Children” had an unusual, open and equal relationship.  For what may be the first time on television aimed at children, a parent and his offspring treated each other with the level of intelligence and responsiblity they both knew each had.  The somewhat outlandish claims made by the son weren’t immediately dismissed by Dad.  He even took the time to investigate, and when necessary, defend them against the more closed minded opinions of the villiagers.

The production values of the show were typical of the low budget British drama with a mix of videotaped studio material and 16mm film location shots.  Yes, it looks cheap, but the cast makes up for this by being at worst competent and at best, a pleasure to watch.  A year after this, star Gareth Thomas would get his own ongoing series playing Roj Blake in Terry Nation’s attempt to make an adult Doctor Who called Blake’s 7.

The good news is that there is finally a Region One DVD release forthcoming in January.  After nearly a quarter century absence from American television screens, we’ll be able to watch this gem again.

The following exchange took place on Craigslist, the New York community message board:

“What am I doing wrong?

I’m tired of beating around the bush. I’m a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25-year-old girl. I’m articulate and classy. I’m not from New York. I’m looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City so I don’t think I’m over-reaching at all. Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a businessman who made around 200-250K. But that’s where I seem to hit a roadblock. $250,000 won’t get me to Central Park West. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker, and lives in Tribeca. She’s not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? Here are my questions specifically:

• Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics - bars, restaurants, gyms.
• What are you looking for in a mate?
• Is there an age range I should be targeting?
• Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the Upper East Side so plain? What’s the story there?
• Lawyers, investment bankers, doctors. How much do those guys really make? And where do the hedge fund guys hang out?
• How do you rich guys decide on marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY.”

An Investment Banker’s Response:

“I qualify as a guy who fits your bill - I make more than $500K per year. Here’s how I see it: Your offer is a plain and simple crappy business deal. What you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here’s the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity - in fact, it is very likely that my income will increase, but it is an absolute certainty that you won’t be getting any more beautiful! So, in economic terms, you are a depreciating asset. In Wall Street terms, we’d call you a trading position - not a buy and hold. It doesn’t make good business sense to ‘buy you’ (which is what you’re asking) - so I’d rather lease. The deal that makes sense for me is dating, not marriage.”

Now, despite the revulsion and disgust that was my immediate response, part of me has to admire the obvious naked (he he) truth of this (spectacularly beautiful) girl’s request.  You do have to wonder if she realizes that in addition to coming across as selfish and greedy, she’s incredibly shallow.  The only thing she offers is her beauty.  She even points out that her yoga classmate bagged someone better than she was ever able to.  So, does this girl have a personality, or is she basically a lifetime prostitute bought like a single premium annuity.

Now, the businessman’s response is classic.  “The only thing you offer is your looks, so I think I’ll try you out and them dump you on the curb when those crows feet set in.  Heck, you don’t even mention if you’re any good when getting nailed or if you spit or swallow.  By the way, the guys you want consider you too old since you’re way past your sell date for Barely Legal.”

Am I just being mean when one of the the “I’m pretty therefore better than you” crowd gets put in her place?

Now, I’m told there was a further response from Ms. I have no marketable skills and must gold dig to survive.  I’ve not been able to find it but if you’ve read it, please let me know.

Since the conservative groups are buying these books and donating them, I say they should be accepted.  Please, spend all your money and donate them to every library in the country.  The message is weak and these books only preach to the choir.  Their best use is for freedom loving people (liberals) to use them as resources to discredit the faulty ideas they contain.  They won’t have to spend their own money to do this.

What can be better than for the conservatives to finance their own downfall?

Gwen Ifill is better today than she was during the Chaney/Edwards debate in 2004, but she is giving too many passes to Palin, especially on the gay marriage questions where Palin outright lied about her support.  At least she did a better job than Jim Leher who did not attempt to control the debate and made the disasterous attempt to try and make the candidates talk to each other.  Hopefully Tom Brokow will do better with the next one.

In conclusion, Palin is an attention whore with a grating voice.  Biden isn’t Mr. Warmth, but he’s Mr. Intelligent and Mr. Competent.