Why not just call it Di-Lithium?
Here's an article I stole from "Die, Puny Humans", that proposes a possibly more accessible approach to interstellar travel though the controlled use of anti-matter. Did you hear that, Trekkies? Anti-matter! Way kewl.

"Dread. Pure dread."
You've all heard me rave about Ringu being the scariest movie I've seen in recent memory. While the Dreamworks remake, The Ring is game, it still pales in comparison. Well, the director of the original, Hideo Nakata, has a new film which is another adaptation of a novel by Koji Suzuki, author of "Ringu". The American title is "Dark Water", and, for all you Angelenos, it's screening twice at AFI FEST in the beginning of November. American horror directors should take note: sure, it's easy to make someone jump out of their seats with a loud noise and a sharp cut. But a movie that takes its time to make you afraid to go to sleep at night will stick with your audience (in other words, build buzz through word of mouth) forever. Check it, if you dare.

Politicians killed in plane crashes
It's always cool when CNN reads my mind. So far, the tally is 7 Democrats to 5 Republicans killed in crashes. Retrospectively, I would probably like to see an "Untimely Death While In Office" spreadsheet. Not to mention the "Untimely Death While Campaigning for Office" poll. And let's not even get into Wellstone's family disinviting Dick Cheney from the senator's funeral...

Writing Craft Quote of the Day

"The only real difference between me and the signboard guy in San Francisco who rants about the Clintons betraying 16 galaxies and a zegnalogical rocket society is that I get paid for my perception of the world. And I own better suits."
- Warren Ellis

Ellis is a comic book writer who occasionally referred to himself as either Stalin or Emperor Ming on his old online forum. But, delusions of his own grandeur aside, he is one of the best in the business these days, penning some of my favorite titles, like Planetary and the original run of The Authority. Here's a brief interview where he gives his take on the future.

After "The Punch"
Apparently, Sports Illustrated is going to pub;ish excerpts of "The Punch" in next month's issue. Here's an article from and SI reporter, who gives a little insight into Kermit Washington's relationship to Rudy Tomjanovich today. Proof once again that one of the most powerful skills in the world is mercy and forgiveness.

Senator Paul Wellstone killed in plane crash
So, for those of us who are keeping score: Ron Brown, JRK Jr., and Mel Carnahan where the last few politicos I can think of who've died in plane crashes. Carnahan was another guy running for a senate seat against Jon Ashcroft. When Carnahan was kiled, his wife took his seat and beat Ashcroft. No such luck with the Wellstones. Where am I going with this, you ask?

I'm going here: Can anyone recall who was the last Republican to get killed in a plane crash?

In fact, can anyone remember who was the last Republican to get assassinated? I think it was Lincoln, when the Republicans really weren't the party that they are today, if you catch my meaning. Makes you wonder if Al Gore had an ulterior motive when he did his whistle stop tour in 2000 on a train....

Barbers seek Jackson 'Barbershop' apology
Proof, once again, that natural systems eventually find their own equilibrium. I love it.

NASA: The Next Generation
Here's something I stole from Warren Ellis's blog, lovingly entitled "Die, Puny Humans". I think I learned more about the scientific challenges of long range space exploration in this one article than I have in the last few years. Now, if only we can get over this War on Terrorism/Iraq thing and get back to elevating the human race....

What if Bruce Wayne was P. Diddy?
Here's a blurb about a new show featuring yet another obscure Black Marvel superhero, the Night Thrasher. Personally, I've been waiting for a character like this to show up on the radar any day now, so I'm pleasantly pleased. And, as usual, I'm amused at how horrified the fanboys are about this.

13 Scariest Films Ever, according to EW Readers
Since this is the season (for Halloween, that is), I think this list is wholly appropriate, especially since they actually include just about every movie on my own personal list. The only one I wouldn't include is Rosemary's Baby. I remember watching it and thinking "What's the big deal?", even though I think the ending is one of the most insanely hilarious things I've ever seen ("Praise Satan!!!" What a bunch of fruitcakes). But any list that gives John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, and George A. Romero their propers is A-OK in my book.

Why NBA rules against fighting are so stringent
Those of you who follow the NBA today know that Rudy Tomjanovich is the coach of the Houston Rockets. What you may not know is, back in the day, he was a player for those same Rockets. In a game against the Lakers, a fight started, Rudy rushed to his teammates aid, and the Lakers "enforcer", Kermit Washington, hit him with a punch so hard that Tomjanovich nearly died, right there, on the basketball court. There was so much blood that the announcers for the game, who could hear the sound of the punch from their box, rushed down to the court to see if Rudy was still alive. This book talks about how that fight radically altered how the NBA handles on-court violence, as well as changed the lives of these two men forever. Great read. Check it out.

IBM builds Skynet
Yes, I know computers that can maintain and fix themselves are more cost efficient. But that's never stopped them from rising up against their carbon-based oppressors in the past! Haven't these idiots at IBM seen The Terminator? Or, at least The Matrix? On the other hand, the techie in me does think it's pretty kewl.

Belafonte v. Powell
So, someone was surprised that I didn't have anything to say about this, so, here's my humble opinion:
I completely understand why and how Harry Belefonte can say what he said about Colin Powell, but it also demonstrates how little he understands politics. Say what you will about Colin Powell. In the grand scheme of things, he's probably the only reason why there aren't American troops in Bagdad right now. Without Powell pushing him to seek Congressional and UN support, Bush would have just gone blasting into Iraq back in August. Powell is the voice of reason over there. I agree with Mr. Belafonte that Powell probably doesn't agree with Bush's policies in his heart, but Powell knows his invaluable to Bush's re-election plans. Powell's presence is probably the only thing keeping the moderates in Bush's corner at the moment. So, if Powell resigned before the end of this 1st term, Bush is out in 2004. Powell knows it, and, more importantly, Bush knows it. So Bush has to appease Powell at some level to keep him in his administration. Powell can do the math and knows he wields much more power inside Bush's administration than on the outside (notice how Bush completely ignored James Baker's calls for caution on Iraq, and Baker was the guy who helped him steal the 2000 election!). On the other hand, Powell can't come off as overtly anti-Bush, because then he becomes an albatross - Bush's conservative base would demand that he fire Powell, or he'd lose their support. So, this is why we get the dance: Powell works on Bush in private, and supports him in public. Powell gets certain policy concessions he feels are important, and Bush gets to strengthen his chances of re-election in 2004.
Now, in the worst possible world, where Bush is re-elected, I guarantee you Powell will step down, citing reasons like "fatigue", because he won't have anymore leverage over Bush.
So, what does all this mean? It means that Belefonte is right on Powell's beliefs, but completely off-base about Powell's agenda. The general isn't Bush's lapdog. He's the President's leash.

"Wanna see something REALLY scary?"
For all you New Yorkers, if you can only see one film as a part of this series, do yourself a favor and see the original, Japanese version of The Ring. I've seen a sneak preview of the American version, and, as much as I like Naomi Watts, and as welcome a change it is from the standard U.S. horror flick, the original is SO much scarier. Ultimately, I agree with another reviewer's assessment of the two films: the difference is the director. Gore Verbinski is a very competant studio director who can hit most of the right notes. But Hideo Nakata wants to scare the Hell out of you, by any means necessary. If you have to get it overseas from Amazon, it's definitely worth it. I'd recommend watching Ringu first, then seeing The Ring in the theatre.

"Who Ever Heard of Women Taking Over A Prison?"
Last night, I saw a video print of the indie feature CIVIL BRAND, about a group of sistas incarcerated in a prison owned by a private company that uses them as slave labor in an American sweatshop. Sounds crazy , doesn't it? If it doesn, then I guess you've never heard of The Corrections Corp of America, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, symbol CXW. Point being, it's real, and it's happening right now. So, is anyone surprised that Lion's Gate Entertainment wouldn't give the filmmakers the necessary days to complete the film after only 15 shooting days? So, like any other industrious director, Neema (a former neigbor of mine) cut together what she had and still ends up with a complete film. They've won several audience awards at UrbanWorld and the American Black Film Festival. Did I mention that it has a rediculously talented cast, including LisaRaye ("PLayer's Club"), Mos Def, MC Lyte, Da Brat, Tichina Arnold (Pam from "Martin"), Monica Calhoun ("The Best Man"), Lark Voorhees ("Saved By The Bell" & "How To Be A Player"), and Clifton Powell (Cutty from "Dead Presidents"), who absolutely steals the show. Check out their site to see if and when they're coming to your town, and, for all you Angelenos out there, catch it at AFI FEST next month, and maybe you all can convince the studio to finally give it a theatrical release.

Latin Reniassance
Latin will always have a special place in my heart, so this article makes me feel good that more students are studying Horace & Cicero. Now, if only they can teach them Cicero's beliefs in a true republic, when faced with the looming dictatorship of Caesar....

Under Pressure
Some of you may recall an e-mail poll I took a few months ago about stress. Clearly, I wasn't the only one who noticed what's been going on lately. Best Quote: ""Fortunately or unfortunately, [stress] is part of our character building. But there is a moment when you think, I don't need any more character building. What I need is a vacation."

Old Panthers Swallowed By Cubs
So, this is my first foray into the world of Fox News, and, yes, the ruimors are true, they do have a conservative bias. But this is an item that I haven't seen on the other news sites. I'm really troubled that these new Black Panthers seemed determined to repeat some of the mistakes of the old Panthers, just in a grander, more elaborate fashion.

Falwell: "Muhammad was not a terrorist"
Sometimes, I think Jerry Falwell has Turret's Syndrome. Note the death toll associated with his loose lips.

TiVo, We Hardly Knew Ye
Favorite Quote: "It's not rocket science, but to mangle the words of H.L. Mencken, lots of businesses have gone broke underestimating the technophobia of the American public." Nerd entrepeneurs, take heed.

Falwell Brands Mohammed A 'Terrorist'
Between Falwell's comments and the whole BARBERSHOP debacle, I find myself reminded of a verse I recently read in the Bible, where Jesus basically said nothing you put into your mouth can make you unclean, since it eventually passes right through your body as waste. Only that which comes out of your mouth, having originated in your heart, can make you unclean. "I hate to be mean, but he needs Listerine. Not a sip. Not a swallow. But the whole damn bottle."

10 Paces At Dawn
If I was Bush, I would agree to it, but only in Florida. You know Don King would have a field day with this. Highest Pay-Per-View byrate in the galaxy. Besides, according to Runner's World, G.W. is the fastest road racer we've ever had in the Oval Office, and Saddam has a bum knee. "Stick & Move" is what I say, Georgie!

For MGM, BARBERSHOP is just the beginning
Realizing that they might actually be onto something, MGM has decided to cash in on the Black community, full-time. It helps that they own tons of old black exploitation films from the '70's in their library. Not sure how I feel about this. I'd like to think it's good, because it gives those films and filmmakers more exposure. But, who really knows?

Booty-Shaking Praise Quote of the Day
"Wow, that's my baby's mama right there."
-said by a young man on the streets of New York after watching the video for Christina Aguilera's appropriately named new single, "Dirty".
OK, so, a personal rule of mine is, anything that makes my mouth open in shock that isn't porn, gets blogged. After all this talk about three dimensional characters and sacred cows, here's someone who's perfectly at home wallowing in her naughtiness. And God bless her.

The Big Lie
Here's a 60 Minutes report that tries to speak about the origins of the "4000 Jews played hookie from the WTC on 9/11/01" urban legend. Proof that, if someone believes you're a liar with unlimited resources to fabricate the truth, no amount of proof will ever convince them that you're not lying. This whole notion of a Jewish conspiracy is extremely troubling. Another example of the lengths people will go to in order to simplify their world view. Rather than accept the more probable idea that Islamic terrorists, pissed off at America's completely self-serving foreign policy in the Middle East, finally figured out a way to hit us where we live (i.e. a world where people do bad things with the best intentions), so many people on The Left would have you believe that Bush allowed the Mossad to murder 3000 American citizens to justify destroying al Qaeda and Iraq (i.e. a world where wholly bad people are the only ones who do bad things, because they enjoy it). Let's be honest: if Bush & Sharon were that good, why would they leave such an obvious trail by letting 4000 people call in sick? Wouldn't an extra 4000 dead Jews simply strengthen the case against the terrorists (since they're already committing mass murder)? Or, if they were trying to let those Jews escape, just have them all be on the ground floor, or our getting coffee or something, before the 1st plane hits. Logically, it doesn't make sense, friends. Can't we just grow up and accept that any person is just as capable of doing good as bad on any given day under any circumstances. The US and Israel have helped screw up the Middle East, which, in turn, lead al Qaeda to blow up the WTC as payback, which, in turn, has scared the US so bad that they need to beat up al Qaeda and anybody even remotely similar to bin Laden (i.e. Saddam Hussein). Evil begats evil.

Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths
Here's a book that caught my attention on NPR this morning. Of particular interest where the authors comments that many of the aspects of exclusivity attributed to Abraham by these three religions (i.e. we are saved, the rest of you are going to Hell) are not present in the text at all, but are creations of the institutions years later, when the leadership tried to justify their power & position. Sounds like it's worth picking up.

Haley's widow sells "Roots" for a song
Given the impact that "Roots" has had on the lives of so many people of color, I'm deeply disturbed that his wife was not able to reap enough royalty fees to avoid bankruptcy. I'm even more disturbed that she apparently had no one to go to for help before she was reduced to this. Revs. Jackson & Sharpton are so lathered up about a movie: where were they when a survivor of one of our icons needed help?