aeon flux, anyone?

er, nothing against charlize theron, but there's no way i'm going to pay to see this film. it looks utter rubbish. has to be by the way they're relentlessly advertising it.

why is it that the only truly powerful transition from comic to film is sin city. now that's a film.

coincidence?

i was watching the bbc america news at around 6:15pm. there is a report about a leaked document in britain where george bush meets with tony blair and in the document it alleges that george bush wants to bomb the al jazeera news station in baghdad.

as soon as the report shifts to a clip from an al jazeera spokesman, condemning the possibility of civilians being deliberately targeted, the tv goes dead, i see a still frame from the cartoon network, and we lose all internet connection in our apartment. it comes back, some five minutes later and there is no mention of the lost transmission and no report.

some coincidence! the bbc news america is taped and i have never seen this happen before.

makes you feel all cosy inside........

tai shan

new at the national zoo.

alright, i admit it; he's cute.

welcome to the friendly nation's capital...

just in case you've thought about an impromptu visit to d.c and fancy a quick tour of the washington monument...

here's what you have to wade through first. nice and welcoming, isn't it?

makes you feel the true fist of a butchered democracy.

in web-speak, using all capitals is universally recognised as SHOUTING!

MUST READ - ALL VISITORS ENTERING THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SECURITY SCREENING. DEVICES USED FOR SCREENING MAY AFFECT INTERNAL MEDICAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES INCLUDING PACEMAKERS AND DEFIBRILLATORS. ADVISE PARK STAFF BEFORE ENTERING IF YOU HAVE ANY MEDICAL DEVICE OR CONDITIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED BY SCREENING EQUIPMENT. MUST READ II - PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE FOLLOWING ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT: WEAPONS (GUNS, KNIVES, STUN GUNS, IRRITANT GAS DEVICES, AMMUNITION, ETC.) AEROSOL OR NON-AEROSOL SPRAY CANS, SMOKING, EATING OR DRINKING, SUITCASES, DUFFEL BAGS OR BACKPACKS LARGER THAN 18" X 16" X 8", STROLLERS, PETS, (EXCEPT GUIDE DOGS ACCOMPANYING VISUALLY OR HEARING IMPAIRED PERSONS), ANY TANGIBLE OBJECTS THAT COULD REASONABLY THREATEN PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY, FOOD (EXCEPT A SMALL QUANTITY OF SEALED FOOD ITEMS), BEVERAGES (EXCEPT WATER OR BABY FORMULA IN CLEAR PLASTIC CONTAINERS). IMPORTANT INFORMATION - PARKING IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON DC IS LIMITED AND THE TRAFFIC VOLUME AND CONGESTION CAN BE HIGH. USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS ENCOURAGED. THE SMITHSONIAN METRO STATION IS THE CLOSEST SUBWAY STOP TO THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT. SPECIFIC INFORMATION - RESERVATIONS MADE AT LEAST TEN DAYS PRIOR TO THE TOUR DATE WILL BE MAILED TO THE CUSTOMER. RESERVATIONS MADE WITHIN 10 DAYS PRIOR TO THE TOUR DATE WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PICKUP ON THE DATE OF THE TOUR AT THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT TICKET KIOSK. THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT TICKET KIOSK IS LOCATED AT 15TH ST. NW AND JEFFERSON ST. (ON SOUTHWEST SIDE OF THE MONUMENT). THE TICKET KIOSK IS OPEN FROM 8:30 AM THROUGH 4:30 PM FOR PICKUP OF "WILL CALL" TICKETS. SPECIFIC INFORMATION II - GROUP TOUR GUIDES WHO ARE CERTIFIED/LICENSED WILL NEED TO PROVIDE THEIR TOUR OPERATOR LICENSE NUMBER WHEN MAKING ADVANCE RESERVATIONS. NON-LICENSED AND SCHOOL GROUP GUIDES WILL NOT NEED TO PROVIDE A TOUR OPERATOR LICENSE NUMBER WHEN MAKING ADVANCE RESERVATIONS. WHEN PICKING UP "WILL CALL" RESERVATIONS, GROUP GUIDES WHO ARE CERTIFIED/LICENSED WILL NEED TO PRESENT THEIR VALID GUIDE CERTIFICATION/LICENSE WITH PHOTO ID, AND THE RESERVATION CONFIRMATION NUMBER. WHEN PICKING UP "WILL CALL" RESERVATIONS, NON-LICENSED AND SCHOOL GROUP GUIDES WILL NEED TO PRESENT SCHOOL OR BUSINESS LETTERHEAD CONTAINING: THE NAME OF THE GROUP, THE NAME OF THE PERSON PICKING UP THE TICKETS, AND THE RESERVATION CONFIRMATION NUMBER. THE PERSON PICKING UP THE TICKETS FOR THE GROUP WILL ALSO NEED TO PRESENT A PHOTO ID. IMPORTANT INFORMATION 1 - THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT IS WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE AND HAS A WHEELCHAIR THAT MAY BE USED WHILE VISITING THE MONUMENT. IMPORTANT INFORMATION II - THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT MAY CLOSE ON SHORT NOTICE FOR VARIOUS REASONS, AND TOURS MAY BE DELAYED OR CANCELLED. REASONS FOR CLOSURE INCLUDE: ELEVATOR MALFUNCTION, SAFETY OR WEATHER RELATED INCIDENTS, AND OTHER NECESSARY CLOSURES AS AUTHORIZED BY THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE. IMPORTANT INFORMATION III - THE STAFF AT THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT ASKS THAT YOU ARRIVE AT LEAST 10-15 MINUTES PRIOR TO YOUR RESERVED TOUR TIME. GENERAL INFORMATION - GOLDEN AGE PASSPORTS, GOLDEN ACCESS PASSPORTS, GOLDEN EAGLE PASSPORTS AND NATIONAL PARKS PASSES DO NOT APPLY TO WASHINGTON MONUMENT TICKET RESERVATIONS. DIRECTIONS 1 - THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT IS LOCATED AT CONSTITUTION AVENUE AND 15TH STREET NW IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON DC.

Important Message By clicking on the Accept button, you acknowledge that you have read and understand all conditions and requirements associated with this tour.

just in case you thought i was car crazy or something...

i give you the world's most desirable vehicle...

to me, at least :)

survey for ya!

if you could have any toy, what would it be?

a full 'works' subaru rally car would be mine.

i will publish a list of all respondents' answers (minus names)

so far i have:

helicopter
turntables
bicycle (a really good one...)

p.s. ..i'm writing this eating tiramisu and drinking a cup of tea before i go to bed. mmmmmmm!

hey america: this is what a real jag looks like!

letter to the new york times:

perhaps paul duchene, writing for the new york times ought to do his homework before pretending to know anything about jags.

he fails to mention browns lane by name. no excuses. every jaguar fan in the u.k. knows this name is the (holy grail) home of jaguar. since shut down by ford...

failing to mention the mkII, possibly the most famous british sports car of the 1960's (when it was launched, capable of 125mph, it was the fastest production car in the world paul, on our then speed limit-free motorways) cannot be forgiven. ever been to coventry paul? do you even know where it is? it would seem not.

last but by no means least, this car became an icon for another reason. because it was the fastest car one could by, it became the most desirable car used in britain by two very different sectors of british society: the cops and the robbers!

that's right. armed robberies were committed by villains using this as their getaway car and were being pusued by our lads in blue driving the very same vehicle. as for ultimate bragging rights at the pub, this car was it!.

conclusion: your article suffers because you gleaned all your information from some photo-pretty coffee-table book. omission of the markII proves this book was not written by an englishman....













do your homework, dude...i suggest watching some old 'the sweeney' broadcasts as a starter...

football faithful

instead of the ludicrous practice of footballers praying, (ever seen anyone pray after committing and losing a fumble, not making a game-deciding catch, or after taking a really hard hit, and especially after losing a close hard-fought game?...) perhaps the washington redskins ought to have a team therapist in the huddle. anything to stop the 4th quarter melt-down that has now reached three in a row...

or perhaps daniel synder can get together with comcast and offer free fan-counselling sessions for the legions of long-suffering redskins fans with every ticket sold, and every game watched on tv.

stretching absurdity

the all new hummer, the hybrid BS. apparently it runs on hot air from virginia, and can be seen every weekend in adams morgan.

the true meaning of festivity

q: why does america have this crazy love affair with celebrating a national holiday, that is typified with families driving to depressing malls (that all look the same), only to line up hours before some crap store opens it's doors, then behave like selfish, spoilt brats, caring only for themselves, sometimes fighting!, in order to save some bucks, presumably on gifts for people they care about?

a: greed. a most unattractive quality.

today, in america, is:

national 'be very thankful that only by chance were you not born a turkey day........'

just got in from the lounge - hence my previous post

on a cold, wet, the first bit of snow night in d.c. there were a lot worse places to go the eve before thanksgiving.

join me in rooting for denver tomorrow.

happiness is...(this really only makes sense if you're english...)

it's snowing :)

enjoy!

happy thanksgiving everyone :)

just got my delivery from chemical records, so i'm happy.

off to pennsylvania early tomorrow to see some of rebecca's family. back on friday. let's hope it snows (not toooo much, as we're driving....)

censorship - of the worst kind

we're not a tv lovers. we only watch films, sports (me), simpsons, documentaries, and the occasional 'pimp my ride'. that rules out all tv shows and the so-called drama.

so as i'm flicking through, waiting for monday night football, i come across a film. in the film, the tv network has done a rigourously adept job of making sure that no 'unsuitable' part of the female anatomy is shown - the classic blur, and also no profanity (silence). this was just an 'ordinary' (whatever that means) non adult-rated film, but the censors felt compelled to reduce it to absurdity, so heavy handed were they so as not to offend anyone.

but within a few moments, i see in all its voilent detail, an attack on a woman, a shooting, a killing, guns being fired everywhere and no hint of censorship whatsoever!

i find a scene of someone being attacked violently and being shot a lot more in need of (possible) censorship than the prospect of the occassional female breast on the small screen.

just who are you protecting, mr. censor. for what reason and why?

this country has an extremely unhealthy attitude towards sex, but apparently has no problem with firearms and people being murdered by them on the small screen. oh, that's right, i forgot: that's drama........

seen michael moore's 'bowling for columbine'?

only on ebay.........

q: when does $400.00 worth of hardware cost $3,350.00?

a: when it's the launch date of the new xbox 360

conclusion: i'm putting an order in for the new sony ps3 as soon as they announce the launch date.......

"At the Toys "R" Us in San Francisco's Richmond district, which quickly ran out of its two-dozen-odd allotment of 360s, a hysterical woman demanded the manager come over to her house on December 25 to explain to her young son why he wasn't getting a Christmas present."

perhaps the store manager and all the staff should visit the woman's house a day early, with a free psychiatric evaluation voucher, instead........ho, ho, ho!

"staying the course" - by dick cheney

'staying the course', as is now weekly wheeled out by the white house, smacks nothing more than an excercise in face-saving. 'staying the course' is undertaken at horryifying economic and human cost by politicians, who happily let others foot the bill.

where were you, dick cheney when 'staying the course' was being doled out to the american people during the vietnam war? the hypocrite was dodging the draft....

First he enrolled in Casper Community College; then he went to the University of Wyoming. That kept him out of the draft until August 7th, 1964, when Congress initiated massive conscription in the armed forces. Three weeks later, Cheney married Lynne Vincent, his high school girlfriend, earning him another deferment. Then, on October 26th, 1965, the Selective Service announced that childless married men no longer would be exempted from having to fight for their country. Nine months and two days later, the first of Cheney's two daughters, Elizabeth, was born. All told, between 1963 and 1966, Cheney received five deferments.....

xbox 360 armed robbery!

A Stafford, Virginia, Electronics Boutique store was the scene of an armed robbery this morning. According to sources, the perpetrator made off with two Xbox 360 systems, forcing the store manager to hand them over at gunpoint.

Sources tell GameSpot the local police responded quickly, cordoned off the store, and immediately pursued the thief. The thief was apprehended shortly afterward.

- the thief was then ordered to play the original sony playstation non-stop for 24 hrs with only "scooby doo night of 100 frights" for gameplay.....

dj nutty coming under a boot attack

a stiletto heel in the sternum really does aid in the picking of records....