Ha ha. Well, I'm quiet because I'm bitter and resentful that the city sends goons into parking garages to find cars that don't have a City of Chicago sticker (which gets me absolutely nothing -- since I only use the car to drive to work, I never park in public lots) and put violation notices on their windshields. Twice in two weeks, not that I'm counting.

Also, the media in general make me bitter and resentful.

-- Mark
And I'm worried about the baggage retrival system they've got at Heathrowe.

Okay, the whole O'Reilly thing shocked me, too. But I didn't expect this protracted a silence.

Somebody say something!

--Joe
Something.

Edited by author 02-10-2004 03:12 PM
In what may also fall into the "real or hoax" category, I give you the apology of Bill O'Reilly.

For those keeping score at home, in the lead-up to the war O'Reilly said the following to ABC news:

"If the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush Administration again, all right?"

And now, 330 days later, it has come to pass. Well, sort of.

--Joe
And in the weather today, right now it is snowing in Hell.

is this a real business, or a hoax?

It's got to be a hoax, capitalizing on the prevalence of weird phenomena around the world.

If John McCain were president, he'd hit them with a stick.

Anyone else notice how warm it's getting?

-Alyce

In an American cartoon about tennis, if the current episode ended with the young prodigy (Ryoma) and the big gun from the opposing team (Sanada of Rikkaidai) walking out on the court for an unofficial match in the rain, the following episode (previewed at the end of this episode) would not be titled "Ryoma Utterly Beaten" -- sort of gives it away, you know?

For the new season, they've changed the opening and closing animations. Again. This time, the closing animation has more flowers than I would have guessed were appropriate for an allegedly-shounen sports anime.

Tezuka still isn't back from Germany. :( Seems like he's been there forever. I want Tezuka back.
 
-- Jessica
There is no honor in selling lies, even if people are queueing up to buy them.

Edited by author 02-10-2004 11:22 AM
A quick whois search and some follow-ups with Google reveal a number of things that don't quite add up. First, that the registrant claims to be a Jack Brady at the Northminster Presbyterian Retirement Center in Jefferson, Georgia. That the only record for the registered address of "48 Georgia Avenue" online is an "AZAR'S LIQUORS, INC." And the registered telephone number "+70.65551212" won't get you anything but information in Georgia. (I didn''t dial it, but that's Georgia's area code, and 555-anything is information.)

I'd say it's either a hoax or a scam. Definitely not a legitimate business. And I agree with Joe: if it is a legitimate business, then these people are scum.

--Fred
No, I don't know why I bothered looking this stuff up.

is this a real business, or a hoax?

Well at the very least it's not run by sincerely religious people -- or at least nobody from any denomination that's either reputable or widespread. The fact that they offer to do Jesus faces and crop circles in the same breath is proof enough of that to me. That and the fact that they're charging $2500 a pop to lie to the faithful.

It's entirely possible that it is a real business, set up to cater to the kind of gullible people who read the tabloids and *believe* them. In which case they (the people in business) are the worst kind of scum imaginable (almost as bad as televangelists). They should be locked in a small room with professional torturers armed with X-Acto knives and Jeanette McDonald/Nelson Eddy music.

--Joe
Tramp, tramp, tramp along the hiiiiiiiighwaaaaaaaaay...

Another entry in the "real or fake" website competition... is this a real business, or a hoax?

http://www.iseejesus.com/

-- Jessica
They also do crop circles.

I'm all in favor of hitting people, especially TV reporters.

--Jon

Wasn't that the unofficial Ross Perot platform?

What, hitting people? You're thinking of John McCain.

-- Mark

Ooh! Ooh! I just got a great idea for my new political platform!

Wasn't that the unofficial Ross Perot platform? Although I think he expressed it quite eloquently with a series of pie charts.

Why for the name of God does Google think we want Bill O'Reilly's book? They ought to be pictching us Al Franken's!

Speaking of books, for those who don't already know, I've self-published a book of poetry. Today's Musing tells all about it.

-Alyce
Fair, balanced and not a bit looney.

Mark, bury the feelings of dorkitude deeply. Nobody else thinks you're a dork. Repress! Repress!

In other news, today is day four hundred and three.

-- Jessica
I want my metabolism back, damn it.

Did I forget anyone?

I suppose it doesn't count that I was the emergency stand-by hot-swappable Joel that remained quietly on the shelf this year.

Damn.

--Mike

Did I forget anyone?

Squire Jim appeared as the Head of Otakon Spec Ops (now there's a stretch) in show 701 (Crusher Joe).

Donna Ulan (in her pre-Smith days) was an FBI agent serving up piping hot Ken Starr supoenas to both Dr. F. and the audience in show 201 (Battle Arena Toshinden).

I believe that's everyone.

--Joe
"...So as you can see, we're practically family."

For a change.

-- Mark

Doh! That's right (Crow's New Voice)! I feel like a dork.

-- Mark