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It's a little surreal watching the Hurricane Katrina coverage. The absolute chaos on full display right now is staggering. I've even heard several folks on the news speculate that New Orleans may, in fact, be lost. New Orleans! It's way too early, of course, to know the full extent of the damage that's been done - and will continue to be done - but seeing these unbelievable images on the television really makes you wonder...
Posted by Mert at 10:30 PM | Comments (0)
We had our fantasy football draft this afternoon. I'm very excited about the 2005 edition of Hermann's Head. They're a scrappy bunch of chaps. Dangerous, some say. Underhanded? Perhaps.
Go Head!
Posted by Mert at 12:10 AM | Comments (0)
This sunday, Rome makes its debut on HBO. I'm really excited about this series. It looks fantastic.
Interesting timing - August 24, 410, was the day Rome fell. For three straight days, the Romans watched in horror as Alaric and the Goths sacked the Eternal City. The crumbling western half of the greatest empire in the history of the world was finished by the end of the century.
Now, a millenium and a half later, I get to grab a bowl of popcorn and enjoy all the decadence and debauchery that was the Roman Empire as prime time weekly entertainment - without all the inconvenient stabbing, of course.
Wonderful.
Posted by Mert at 09:58 AM | Comments (0)
Late summer is the most wonderful time of the year. Pre-season scoreboards and fantasy football talk signal the onset of an exciting new NFL season.
Which reminds me - Dan Marino never won a single Super Bowl. Not one. Ever.
Posted by Mert at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)
Congratulations to 2005 PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson, who birdied the 18th hole to claim his second major title earlier this morning. Phil set up his winning putt by unleashing one of the best clutch chip shots you'll ever see. With his ball buried - almost literally - in the deep rough just off the green, Phil calmly placed his shot within a couple feet of the hole, and that was that.
Good job, two-time major champion Phil Mickelson.
Posted by Mert at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)
Considering it fell around $0.18 as a result of French EU constitution concerns, the euro's current position is quite impressive. In early July, Luxembourg ignored Franco-Dutch hesitations and agreed to ratify the controversial and potentially dead treaty anyway. As a result, the euro got a much-needed boost, slowly inching its way back up.
August 14, 2005
1 euro equals 1.24550 dollars
Posted by Mert at 03:30 PM | Comments (0)
A few months ago, my co-workers and I had a little fun at Chuck's expense. In hindsight, it was probably a poorly timed gag, but I figure enough time has passed to re-visit the experience.
Here's what happened - Lance, The Other Dan, and myself decided to find a practical use for some excess cardboard laying around the office. While Chuck was away fulfilling his civic duty as a juror, we thought it'd be cute if we "gift wrapped" his office for him. Well, some things look better on paper than they do in real life. Needless to say, The Chuck wasn't too happy.
But c'mon. Look at that picture. How ridiculous is that?
We love you, Chuck.
Posted by Mert at 04:23 PM | Comments (0)
And so it begins...
Gosh, who would have ever thought there might be a problem between the Shia, the Kurds, and the Sunni? Wasn't it supposed to be one big lovefest once Hitler II was deposed?
Here's to tunnel vision...
Posted by Mert at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)
After an unfortunate turn of events resulted in the disappointing eviction of vastly entertaining Big Brother 6 houseguest Kaysar Ridha last week, a cool twist to the game allowed America to vote one of the evicted contestants back onto the show. By a whopping 82% - 82%! - King Kaysar earned his way back into the house.
Go stir some s**t up, Kaysar. You da man.
Posted by Mert at 11:55 PM | Comments (0)
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday, dear Hulkster,
Happy birthday to you!
Say, that's an attractive mustache.
Hmmm...
Posted by Mert at 11:42 PM | Comments (0)
Awwwwwww yeeeeeeah!
Just came across an old Ems Dispatch favorite while channel surfing this evening - Red Dawn.
Ah, good ol' Reagan-era Cold War paranoia. Those were the days, weren't they? Nuclear winter and the godless Commies. Any second, a Russian could fall from the sky and start shooting up your school.
Lousy Trotsky-lovers.
Posted by Mert at 08:08 PM | Comments (0)
Rock legend Jerry Garcia died ten years ago today. Time flies, eh?
Yup, the Grateful Dead. I still don't get it.
Posted by Mert at 10:39 PM | Comments (0)
*** SPOILER ALERT! ***
Don't read this if you're a Six Feet Under fan and aren't completely caught up yet!
So this week's SFU episode was one of the best they've ever had, in my opinion. It was quite moving watching the Fischer clan lay Nate to rest after watching this guy struggle to be a decent man for so many years.
Of particular interest was the timely return of Billy - the perpetually unstable and sometimes terrifying character played by Jeremy Sisto. The nature of Billy's tumultuous relationship with his sister Brenda has been one of the most complex and ambiguous themes in the show's 5-year run, and it's good to see him return as the series comes to an end.
I'm really gonna miss Six Feet Under. Good job, Alan Ball.
Posted by Mert at 01:07 PM | Comments (0)
al-Qaeda bigshot Ayman al-Zawahiri released a videotaped statement to the press earlier today, in which he vehemently denied media reports of any marital infidelity.
"Let me make this absolutely clear - I did not have sexual relations with that woman!" stated al-Zawahiri. "I would never betray my beloved twenty-seven wives like that. To do so would interfere with my noble mission of killing Westerners. Besides, girls don't even like coming down here. I mean, seriously, look around - would you want to spend any time in these caves if you didn't have to? Hell, I haven't showered in four years! Chicks start throwing up if they come within 10 feet of me!"
Efforts to obtain statements from al-Zawahiri's wives were thwarted by the hundreds of layers of clothing they are forced to wear.
Developing...
Posted by Mert at 04:04 PM | Comments (0)
Recent research suggests the use of Ecstasy may help Parkinson's sufferers. Apparently, some afflicted mice showed noticeable improvement after being injected with the drug.
How cool is that?!? Here's what I'm gonna do - I'm gonna send Michael J. Fox a telephone number and a copy of Moby's 18. Let's see what happens!
Rollin', rollin', rollin'...
Posted by Mert at 05:29 PM | Comments (0)