I’ve just installed POPFile which may begin to eliminate my ridiculous spam load. I’ve been getting a lot, as everyone has. It has seemed to have leaped in frequency since the start of the War, for some reason.

POPFile is an automatic mail classification tool. Once properly set up and trained, it will work in the background of your computer, scanning mail as it arrives and filing it however you wish. You can give it a simple job, like separating out junk e-mail, or a complicated one - like filing mail into a dozen folders. Think of it as a personal assistant for your inbox.

Pre-registration for Do Not Call Californians can now pre-register for the nationwide Do Not Call list that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is expected to launch this summer. California is joining in the national Do Not Call registry which is FREE to consumers.

If you sign up today, you can stop unwanted telemarketing calls beginning in October under the nationwide program.

We will deliver the pre-registered California telephone numbers to the FTC as soon as the federal agency is ready to receive them � most likely in July 2003.

Toymakers Study Troops, and Vice Versa “The M-16 rifle is based on something Mattel did,” said Glenn Flood, a spokesman for the Pentagon, which is looking to toys and electronic games for parts, prototypes and ideas that can be developed effectively and inexpensively as battlefield tools. Inspiration has come from model airplanes (reconnaissance drones), “supersoaker” water guns (quick-loading assault weapons), cheap cellular phones for teenagers (video-capable walkie-talkies) and gaming control panels (for unmanned robotic vehicles).

I just found out:

An editor from Top Food Sites has reviewed Foreign Groceries Museum and given it the Top Food Site Award. Your site is now listed on http://www.topfoodsites.com/

Gathering of the Gargoyles 2003 In Gargoyles we had an animated series with a dramatic plot, continuing storyline, ethnically diverse cast, and clean gothic style. It received an unprecedented number of episodes and a devoted fan following. It survived two seasons, a revamp and years on the shelf. It has survived thanks to devoted fans who, since 1997 have gathered together to talk, socialize, and work towards getting the series back on the air, and giving it the recognition it deserves.
In the summer of 2003 we ‘gather’ once again. In past Gatherings we’ve traveled to various locations, making many new and interesting friends along the way. 2003 brings us back to the beginning, the place the Gargoyles call home, the place where the Gathering first started. The 7th Annual Gathering of the Gargoyles - New York City, New York. Time again to take wing and glide; come join us. Have a great time with fellow fans, meet the people responsible for bringing us the show, and join us to help bring Gargoyles back on the air!

Another example of cultural reverse-engineering. I was watching a Family Guy episode where Stewie does a cool-in-the-70s spoken word performance of “Rocket Man” complete with tux and cigarette. I wondered if it might be a Shatner parody. Indeed, it is. I guess on some TV special in 1978 (Science Fiction Film Awards) he did this. See the streaming video here.

Update: a U.S. solider has been detained as being responsible for this attack.

What makes one person a terrorist and the other a solider? Perhaps there are Geneva Convention issues here, but perhaps it’s just propoganda.

Attack Injures 10 U.S. Troops in Kuwait KUWAIT CITY - A grenade and gunfire attack injured 10 American soldiers at the 101st Airborne Division’s camp in Kuwait early Sunday, U.S. military officials said. Six of the troops were seriously hurt.

“From our reports it appears that a terrorist penetrated Camp Pennsylvania, one or more terrorists threw two hand grenades into a tent,” said George Heath, spokesman at Fort Campbell, Ky., home base of the 101st.

(full story) Senate Votes to Shave New Bush Tax Cuts

But doesn’t the headline just rule?

Words of wisdom from Ted Turner If you ever have the chance to merge with AOL, stay away.”

Mulletfest 2003
Inspired by a movie, a group of Huntsville residents gathered for the city’s first Mulletfest, celebrating the hairstyle known as business up front, party in the back.

Catherine Shearer, coordinator of the event, said she had the idea for paying homage to the mullet - a hairdo in which wearers keep their bangs short but let their locks grow freely in the back - after watching the movie “Mullet Men” in Montgomery.

The few dozen partygoers wore overalls, flannel shirts and sleeveless undershirts and dined on fried pigskins, Moon Pies and RC Cola. They watched mullet movies, received free mullet haircuts and competed in a mullet haiku contest.

“What entices me is not so much the haircut but the fact that 30,000 people show up at the beach every year to watch grown men throw fish,” Hubbard said. “But where the haircut is concerned, I guess there is a carnival aspect to its attraction.

“Onlookers are taken aback. In its way, it’s beauty I suppose. It’s the Venus de Milo of coiffures.”

Where to start? I just don’t quite see Saddam in his bunker reading the National Post and sighing to himself “Ahhh, at least they love me in Canada…” simply because people criticize the US. What a strange thing to say. I agree that one the die has been cast, it’s not worth debating, but the economic hammer that he US wields is a little too obvious here. And it’s depressing.

Stop Criticizing U.S. Over Iraq, Says Canada PM Prime Minister Jean Chretien, trying to clamp down on a wave of anti-American comments by his administration, urged Canadians on Thursday not to criticize the United States for attacking Iraq because this could be construed as supporting Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
In recent days several members of the ruling Liberal Party — including Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal — have blasted the United States, which is by far Canada’s closest ally and trading partner.
Canadian business executives are increasingly voicing fears that the lucrative trade relationship between the two countries could be hurt if the criticisms do not stop. In particular, they say any clampdown on the border could be crippling.
Chretien, who said on Tuesday that an attack on Iraq would be unjustified, did not criticize Washington on Thursday and said he hoped the war would be short with a minimum of casualties.
“At this point I think there is no use debating the reasons why some people think war is necessary and some people think it is not. We should not say anything that would comfort Saddam Hussein,” he told reporters.

Full story “Americans ought to be prepared for the importance of disarming Saddam Hussein to protect the peace.”

What the hell does that mean?

The Perfect Workout Shirt! Available in grey w/navy letters or navy w/red letters. 100% Cotton. Adult sizes: S, M, L, XL and XXL.

Filmmakers Showcase ‘Tiny Screen’ Films for Phones For big screen filmmaker Bonnie Palef, whose credits include such Hollywood hits as “Moonstruck,” “Marvin’s Room” and “Children of a Lesser God,” the challenge of the tiny screen was to make an impression with the audience in just a few minutes.
“It’s still about story-telling,” Palef said. “You have to distill a great amount of material into a soundbite… It forces you to be creative.”
Palef submitted a film called “What Great Thinkers Think,” in which the Dalai Lama’s exploration of the concept of love is illustrated by dogs and roast chicken

George Fields, Professional Speaker & Entertainer
George is unique in professional entertainment. He is a gifted speaker, insight-giver and motivator. He mystifies with his memory and magic and delights with his music. Audiences love his stories and yarns which are told in a relaxed, down-home voice and manner. George has so much fun that most people ask for the recipe.

Prior to becoming a full-time entertainer, George was a YMCA youth director, a college athlete, a soldier and a church staff worker. He is a husband, father, seminary graduate, good neighbor and good friend to all!

For your next special occasion, we invite you to experience George. He’s a one-of-a-kind catalyst for fellowship. He entertains and inspires with integrity. His soft-touch style carries a hard-punch message.

glarkware :: shirts :: please touch my monkey Basically, possession of a monkey shirt confers all the fun of monkey ownership without the risk of contracting some parasite-borne disease or getting poo thrown at you. So get yourself a “Monkey” shirt and a little accordion and hit the streets, Holmes.

We just signed up to compete in Stockstock, a film festival consisting of short films made entirely from stock footage. We select a limited amount of stock footage and give it to you�your job is to make it into some kind of short video presentation

Yahoo! News - Fox Licenses ‘The Simpsons’ to THQ for Wireless If you’ve ever wanted your cell phone to say “D’oh!” when someone calls, you’ll soon have the chance. Twentieth Century Fox on Monday said it has licensed “The Simpsons (news - Y! TV)” to the wireless division of video game publisher THQ Inc. to be developed into games, ring tones, screensavers and messaging tools around the world.

I just discovered that New Yorker cartoonist BEK or Bruce Eric Kaplan is also a TV writer. He writes for Six Feet Under (using his name, not the abbreviation), and wrote for Seinfeld, including the episode that dealt with Elaine’s desire to get a cartoon accepted by The New Yorker. He also used to write for Cybill, which makes me think that is how he met up with Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under (who was a frustrated writer on that show).

I was googling folks I used to know and found that Wes Carroll has several websites, including one that promotes his mouthdrumming - as a “human beatbox,” clinician, and instructor.

From This Hour Has 22 Minutes, an apology from Canada to the US. Streaming video link here.

I’ve been playing with this business networking site called Ryze. You can see my page on Ryze here.

Anger management attendee arrested for assault in Fremont
So much for controlling his temper. A Fremont man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a 37-year-old acquaintance whom he had recently met at an anger management seminar.
David Glen Wilson, 36, had hired the 37-year-old man to install marble at his home on the 5500 block of Truman Place, police said. They began working on the project at 9 p.m. Sunday and continued through the next morning.
At about 9 a.m. Monday, Wilson discovered his pit bull puppy was missing, so he and his girlfriend and the acquaintance went looking for it. Later, Wilson found his pet chicken dismembered in the backyard and assumed his new acquaintance had killed the animal, according to Fremont police spokesman Bill Veteran.
Police said Wilson had another full grown dog tethered outside, which was in reach of the chicken.
Police do not know who actually killed the chicken, but said Wilson attacked the victim, slashing him with a knife above the eye, choking him and wrestling him to the ground before the victim broke free. Wilson allegedly then smashed all the windows on the victim’s van with a two by-four and slashed the tires.
The victim, meanwhile, fled to a neighbor’s house and police were called. The victim was treated and released from Washington Hospital in Fremont. Wilson was arrested on suspicion of vandalism and assault with a deadly weapon.

Strangest Email Ever (Just About)

This person must have typed in their address into the SUBSCRIBE TO FRESHMEAT box on portigal.com

(which they think is portugal, but they can’t even spell either correctly in their email message)

>Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2003 13:52:22 +0100 (CET)
>From: sada ba
>Subject: hotel resevation
>To: freshmeat-approval@1-host.com
>
> dear sir
>i would like to travel to potigal on the 5 th april
>2003 to on the 15 th april 2003
>i would like you to book a (1) single room for
>mr atou sow sock. i would like you to do the
>confirmation well and send it to me true my fax number
>00221 8264445.payment will be cash on arival day
>thanks best regards to you
>from mr atou sow sock

(Yet Another Local News Story about animals going wild. And pretty badly written, as well)
Turkey Trouble in Danville
Mon Mar 10, 9:53 PM ET
Ann Notarangelo

Some people in the East Bay are crying foul over the exploding wild turkey population. The birds are running rampant in some areas, creating problems for residents.

Dusk is about the time of day when the wild turkeys roost for the night. It will finally be quite in one Danville neighborhood — until the dawn of a new day.

It�s a call of the wild Danville residents know well. They start early in the morning — 5:30 in the morning. Some love it, some loathe it.

“They wake us up every morning,” said resident Anne Wyap. “They just run around all day.”

Some gobble along with them.

This intimacy with a 25-pound bird comes from living in their midst. For nearly 10 years the number of wild turkeys has risen steadily across the East Bay. And there are times when more than a 100 call Danville home.

“They seem to have a path coming down the street through our yard and into the other yards,” said Wyap.

Which conveniently answers the question why did the turkey cross the road? All this was once a novelty but for half the neighborhood the amusement has worn off.

“I wouldn�t mind a few but I sure don�t like 30, 40, 50 turkeys walking around messing all over the place,” said resident Raleen Gjerman.

“We try spraying them with water, but then you have to take the hose around,” said Wyap. “We chase them.”

The turkeys rule the roost.

“They’re a nuisance,” said resident Anita Gatti.

The Gatti’s home is a safe haven for the turkeys. A least a dozen hiding in plain sight.

There were 128 turkeys here two years ago and Fish and Game tried to trap them.

“They told us they were going to catch them and take them up to Sacramento, but the turkeys were smarter than the Fish and Game — they only got 28,” said resident Carol Gatti.

The National Wild Turkey Federation is willing to pay to relocate the birds but right now the birds are more interested in mating than eating. Hunting season is just around the corner, but not in this part of the Bay Area.

I am really disgusted, as usual, with local news. FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Death) sells, I guess. Even for stuff that hasn’t happened yet. Now the freakin’ weather gets the same treatment as everything else.

A series of powerful storms brewing in the Gulf of Alaska will smash into California later this week, ending weeks of mild winter weather with a siege of heavy rains and high winds that could bring flooding, mudslides and electrical blackouts.

March 6, 2003 - United Airlines today announced changes to its travel policies to address the needs of customers who want to purchase tickets for future travel but are concerned about the unsettled international environment. “We want our customers to know that they should feel confident about booking future business trips or spring vacations,” said Chris Bowers, senior vice president � Sales and Reservations. “If a military conflict should begin, United Airlines will be providing support and flexibility for customers to change plans.” United’s policy changes, if a war begins, are as follows:

For customers who choose to postpone travel, the full value of the unused ticket will be applied toward the purchase of a new ticket with no change fee. Future reservations will be subject to availability and applicable fare rules.

Customers with domestic itinerary tickets issued before the start of a military conflict may postpone their travel through September 1, 2003.

Customers with international itinerary tickets issued before the start of a military conflict may postpone their travel through December 31, 2003.

To be eligible, customers whose travel falls within qualifying travel dates and who choose to postpone their travel will need to contact United prior to their originally scheduled departure.

For customers en route who want to change their travel plans, United will assist with rebooking and will waive change/cancellation fees for a specified period of time.

Specific travel dates will apply to these policies and in the event of war, United will communicate publicly the effective dates of the airline’s revised travel policies.

Dear Friend

If this describes you …
1. You have a positive mental attitude
2. You are focused on being the best you can be
3. You fly with the eagles and avoid the turkeys
4. You hate the negative �BS� that�s sprouted on TV and in newspapers
5. You are totally focused on being the best you can be

Then tgiMondays is definitely for you.

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