May 31, 2005

"Non!"

Confirming weeks of pre-referendum concerns, France rejected the very constitution it helped create this past Sunday by a rather sizeable margin. Expect Holland to follow suit, as the French rejection has tremendously shaken the European community's confidence in the validity of the proposed constitution. Back to the drawing board, boys.

An early sign of what will undoubtedly be a string of post-rejection shockwaves, Europe's currency has seen its appeal cool off, as investors' lack of confidence in the rattled financial environment of the EU has pushed the value of the dollar back up. Let's hope we can capitalize on the current attractiveness of our currency, before investors remember our massive debt and once again look elsewhere.

May 31, 2005

One euro equals 1.23479 dollars

May 27, 2005

French Fried

On this date in 1974, Jacques Chirac was appointed Prime Minister of the French Republic. One of the so-called "young wolves" of French politics, Chirac has been instrumental in the resurgence of international European prominence.

This coming Sunday - exactly 31 years later - Chirac stands to absorb the biggest political defeat of his illustrious career, as poll after poll suggests the French will most likely reject the EU constitution. Sadly for the French president, many are using the vote as a personal jab at Chirac, whose popularity has seen a dip in recent months. Unless the large contingent of undecided voters can pull off a miracle on Sunday, we may be witnessing the beginning of the end of one of the most important European political careers in decades.

May 26, 2005

Four days and counting...

You've got to be kidding me, France. What is wrong with you?

May 24, 2005

You go, Girl!

23-year-old rookie racing sensation and fellow Beloit, Wisconsin native Danica Patrick chases history this Sunday at the 89th Indianapolis 500. A favorite here at the office, we were thrilled to see Danica earn the highest starting position for a female driver ever - fourth.

Danica was on Letterman's show last night, and those who are into Indy racing probably know that Letterman is an owner of Patrick's team. For obvious reasons, it was clear that Letterman was trying to get Danica to comment on the significance of her appearance in this weekend's race. Danica probably represents the best chance for a female driver to finally break the gender barrier and ride down victory lane that we've seen in many, many years. To her credit, Danica seemed unwilling to focus too heavily on the gender issue, instead steering the conversation to more technical racing-speak.

That's what's kinda cool about her - she's all business. I'm sure if Danica wins this Sunday's race, we'll see her acknowledge and even embrace the importance of her accomplishment, but for now she's more than happy to keep it in check.

Good luck, Danica. Dust 'em all.

May 20, 2005

Last Lap

Love him, hate him, say what you will about him - this guy was a stone cold killer! Reggie Miller played his last NBA game last night, losing at home to the defending champion Detroit Pistons. The loss marked the end of one of the most thrilling clutch players in the history of the game. Unfortunately for Reggie, he was never quite able to lift his team over the hump and win the ultimate prize - a championship. Reggie was unlucky enough to have had his prime years overlap those of Jordan's Bulls and Shaq's Lakers, and he always came up just a step or two short. Unless, of course, he was terrorizing the New York Knicks - it was always a blast to watch him torture Spike Lee, and yet comforting to watch him fail to attain the crowning NBA achievement. Fittingly, Miller's last shot attempt in the NBA was a three-pointer - which was blocked by Big Ben Wallace.

Peace out, Millertime. I'll miss ya'.

One last thing...

Reggie sucks.

May 19, 2005

The Flying Rodent

I just watched 10 minutes of selected scenes from this summer's much anticipated Batman Begins. It looks extraordinary. I love origin stories, and this one really looks like a winner. Christian Bale seems like the perfect choice to play the Dark Knight.

Can't wait.

May 18, 2005

Why the long face, young Skywalker?

Revenge of the Sith premieres nationwide tonight at midnight. I'm thinking of seeing this one in the theaters. I hear there's some sort of battle.

May 16, 2005

Heads or Tails?

Fellas, you have two options here:

American soldiers actually did desecrate the Quran, in which case the sign on the left makes no sense and the one on the right does.

OR...

American soldiers did not desecrate the Quran, in which case the sign on the left makes perfect sense and the one on the right is moot.

Which one's it gonna be, boys? Can't have both.

May 15, 2005

The Smartest Guys in the Room

I went to see the new Enron movie last night with Bryan and Judy. Wow. That Jeffrey Skilling guy is a jerk! The scariest part of the film was the indepth examination of Enron's corporate culture - a win at all cost, show no mercy, personal responsibility be damned, conflict of interest insider tradefest that made up the numbers as they went, with absolutely no regard whatsoever for the naive, trusting shareholders whose lives were on a fast track to financial ruin.

While Ken Lay is probably the name most closely associated with the Enron scandal, it's Skilling who really makes your skin crawl. The guy completely bought into the whole "survival of the fittest" philosophy, and his attitude filtered into the behavior of his traders in a very real way. It was quite shocking to listen to the recorded telephone conversations of several Enron traders laughing amongst themselves and counting their profits while California burned under the intense heat of one of the worst power outages ever. Seriously, these guys are creepy!

May 11, 2005

Let's shake some dust!

Sad news from the entertainment world...

One of my favorite programs, HBO's Carnivale, was cancelled yesterday. The show just couldn't build a following big enough to warrant a third season, and HBO decided to cut it loose. I'm really going to miss Brother Justin Crowe--one of the creepiest villains ever created.

May 09, 2005

Youth Gone Wild

From the "I wish they had that when I was a kid" department...

I saw Playstation 2's Eye Toy in action for the first time while I was visiting my family this past weekend. For those who are unfamiliar with this product, it's essentially a camera that utilizes one's physical movements to create the illusion of interaction with video game characters on the television screen. My cousin's stepchildren demonstrated a couple of the game options for me, and appeared to be having a blast while doing so.

One of the biggest complaints critics of video games have is that they aren't very helpful in encouraging physical activity with children. After watching my cousin's kids work themselves silly last weekend, I gotta' admit--the Eye Toy offers an ingenious solution to that problem! Those kids were jumping, punching, and kicking all over the place--a full-on workout. There's something about seeing themselves on a TV screen that seems to be so appealing to children, and this game really exploits that attraction. Well played, Sony.

Now getting them to settle down when they're done is, I'm sure, an altogether different adventure...

May 06, 2005

Tears of an Angel

How could God let this happen?

Oh, right. It's just a damn stain.

Nevermind.

May 04, 2005

19.5

Quick sidenote to Chuck's thoughts on the latest season of 24...

It took me 19.5 hours into the season to realize what's wrong with 24 this year. There's no Kim!

Let me explain...

Kim provided two vital ingredients to the successful formula of the original 24. To start with, Elisha Cuthbert is smokin' hot in a very Lolita kind of way. Taking her off the show is like taking Daisy Duke off The Dukes of Hazzard. Most importantly, however, is that she provided the perfect outlet for all the really, really bad ideas the 24 writers came up with. If there was ever a bear trap or nuclear fallout shelter or kidnapper to be found, Kim was sure to find it for you. Now they don't have Kim to waste their stupid ideas on, and everybody suffers.

Way to go, 24 writing staff. You blew it.

May 01, 2005

Awwww. How cute!

Exactly nine minutes from now, America's favorite homicidal infant renews his quest for world domination and matricide.

Welcome back, Griffin family. We've missed you.