Polar Express, The (2004)
I haven't seen the film yet, but I am curious why all the critics seem to think that this "technology" of using live actors against blue screens and animating them using a computer is groundbreaking. Ralph Bakshi did that years ago when he made Lord of the Rings. More recently, Richard Linklater did the same thing in Waking Life. They didn't use computers; they animated the actors by hand, frame by frame, coloring over them in each scene and adding background, etc. A more painstaking process but probably a lot cheaper.

STLtoday - Sports - Rams
“We don’t hold hands, get in a stance and sing Kumbaya My Lord. I’m not into that. We have a direction we’re going. You’re on the train or you’re not. If not, get out, period. I know where we’re going. I know where I’m going. You’re either with me or you’re not. Anything else? OK, thanks.”

A refreshing change to see Mike Martz actually mad at a press conference. This is long overdue. Martz is what they call a "player's" coach meaning that he treats his players as adult human beings and not like pieces of meat. Some players respond well to that like Faulk, Holt, Bruce, Bulger, Warner and on and on. Others, like a number of #1 picks on the defensive line, some linebackers, some safeties don't. I think the defensive players have no respect for Larry Marmie and just won't play for him. As for the offensive problems, I blame the play calling which has been atrocious except for the first half of the San Francisco game. The Rams fell into the trap of trying to hit the Patriots where they were hurting, the secondary. The Pats compensated, maybe too much, with a furious pass rush all day long. They needed some more touches for powerful Steven Jackson who was used very sparingly. He could have taken some of the rush out of the Pats' D line with a dozen or so runs right at them. Wear them down a bit. We shall see if the new attitude of the head coach translates into any action on the field this Sunday against Seattle.

From Revolution to Reconstruction: Presidents: Thomas Jefferson: Letters: PATIENCE AND THE REIGN OF WITCHES: "A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to it's true principles. It is true that in the mean time we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war & long oppressions of enormous public debt. But who can say what would be the evils of a scission, and when & where they would end? Better keep together as we are, hawl off from Europe as soon as we can, & from all attachments to any portions of it. And if we feel their power just sufficiently to hoop us together, it will be the happiest situation in which we can exist. If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, & then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are the stake. Better luck, therefore, to us all; and health, happiness, & friendly salutations to yourself."

Mr. Jefferson comes through again. Some good advice in these "interesting" times.

Those faulty exit polls were sabotage=The Hill.com=: "This was no mere mistake. Exit polls cannot be as wrong across the board as they were on election night. I suspect foul play."

I think Dick Morris has a point here. (God, did I just write that?) ANd that point is that it is extremely unusual for so many exit polls to be so wrong. I also suspect foul play, but not the kind Mr. Morris suspects. I really wish Kerry would have waited for Ohio to complete it's count. Very interesting that Diebold's president vowed to deliver Ohio and sure enough guess what happened. Say, can we recount those votes taken with the Diebold machines?

Yahoo! News - Bush Says Will Reform Social Security System Now: "'We will start on Social Security now. We will start bringing together those in Congress who agree with my assessment that we need to work together,' he said in his first news conference after the election."

Well that didn't take long did it? Notice how they always say "reform" instead of "dismatle"? It's like the use of "relief" instead of "cuts" when referring to taxes. What is really going on here is the mass transfer of wealth from working people to the wealthiest 1% of the country. It is the default on billions of dollars of treasury bills. Even by their own admission, the "privatization" of social security will be more expensive and more risky and STILL benefits will "have" to be cut. And for what? So the tax cuts which favored the most wealthy of us can be made permanent. We will now see if there is a Democrat with an ounce of integrity in Congress. (I am not holding my breath.)

Yahoo! News - Kerry Calls Bush to Concede Election: "Network projections showed Republicans would hold at least 54 of the 100 Senate seats, three more than they now have, and widen their slim majority of the 435-member House in the new 109th Congress, set to convene on Jan. 3.

That will make it easier for Bush to push his conservative agenda through Congress, potentially making his tax cuts permanent and appointing more federal judges including possibly some U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) justices.

'With a bigger majority, we can do even more exciting things,' said House Majority leader Tom DeLay, a Republican from Texas."

Easier? EASIER? How much easier can it possibly be? Was there a stumbling block somewhere in the last 4 years that we all missed? Man, what a chilling quote from DeLay. It's apparently going to take somebody like Barrack Obama to give the Democratic Party some semblance of a backbone. I hope he does just that in the next 4 years.

It is 10 pm Pacific time and it appears to be all over. To the rest of the world, I apologize for my country's choice. The first time, well anyone can make a mistake. But twice? That is downright willful idiocy. Even if I agreed with President Bush's policies his near completely ineptitude with regard to implementation would force me to want a change. How a president with a job approval rating well below 50% can win reelection is incredible.

Kerry and the Dems are going to have to take a long hard look at what the hell they are about. If you can't beat a sitting duck like that you have some serious problems. JFK was way, WAY too tentative and cautionary for one thing. (I am sure there are plenty more things but I am too sick right now to try and articulate them.)

And now we, and the rest of the world, will be made to suffer for that.