The Last Ephor

Thailand : "The 32 months of violence in the Moslem south have so far caused nearly 4,300 casualties (40 percent of them fatal). During that period, there were some 5,500 incidents of Islamic terrorist violence. " Iraq? No. Thailand. I've been told that the primary (or even sole) reason for Islamic terrorism is American foreign policy. Prithee, what then, explains the attacks in Thailand? Is it their intervention in Iraq? Um, no. Rather, they are a polyglot nation that has not submitted to Sharia. Unless or until they do so, they're a target.

Brangelina to Marry When Everybody Can . Brilliant! It's the perfect dodge for any man who doesn't want to get married. You can pander and condescend at the same time! It's pandescendering! Whiney moralizing and simultaneously avoiding responsibility, the epitome of Hollywood.

Marketing, thy name is viral. This one is brilliant. I've not seen all the videos but I concur with the idea that these were shot in one shoot and then later re-edited to appear as if they were done over several weeks. The precursors to this was the website for Spielberg's AI which had phone numbers with voicemailboxes and such. Very interesting the way that one was set up. Also, there was the LOST website which included red herrings and some clues about the series. I was following a site about a girl who was born to a very wealthy and powerful european family and who made off with a chunk of daddy's money after she overheard plans to marry her off to a man she didn't love. It was well written and seemed quite implausable. Several MSM outlets did some research on her and came up snakeyes. You can read the whole thing here. There hasn't been any activity in a while so I guess the project died (either that or she did, I know, gallows humor).

Agassi's Career Comes to Close With Loss . Truly the end of an era. Agassi was one of those rare sports figures who conducted himself well in public and on the court. The polar opposite to McEnroe who's antics both on and off the court reflected poorly on him. I watched part of the match yesterday and Agassi did indeed start strong but it was evident after the third set that he was slowing down. It's too bad he didn't win but losing like this really showed him that it was time to retire. Well done, Andre.

Agassi's Career Comes to Close With Loss . Truly the end of an era. Agassi was one of those rare sports figures who conducted himself well in public and on the court. The polar opposite to McEnroe who's antics both on and off the court reflected poorly on him. I watched part of the match yesterday and Agassi did indeed start strong but it was evident after the third set that he was slowing down. It's too bad he didn't win but losing like this really showed him that it was time to retire. Well done, Andre.

Steve Irwin has died. Unsurprisingly, he was killed in an accident when he was too close to a dangerous animal. He leaves a wife and two children behind, I sympathize with their loss. Irwin lived as he died. He was fodder for those who made jokes about his apparent recklessness with wild animals. I'm inclined to agree with them. He always claimed what he did was safe and careful but I've seen the show and putting your face within inches of one of the most venomous snakes in the world simply isn't smart. According to the article, he was killed when a stingray's barb pierced his heart. I thought stingrays were reluctant to sting and would only do so as a last resort. I wonder what Irwin was doing when he was stung. I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to interact with the animal when it decided it had enough. Very sad. Rest in peace Steve.