Saturday November 29
Black Friday
Retailers call it "Black Friday" because it has traditionally marked the day of the year when they get out of the red and start to profit. Others call in insanity and a crass reminder of the commercialism pervading American culture. But I've got to say that one hasn't really lived until you've braved the mall crowds in the early pre-dawn hours on the morning after Thanksgiving in suburban America.
I paid tribute to the shopping gods at 6:30 a.m. yesterday in Alparatta, Georgia -- surrounded by good old boys, SUVs and a surprisingly diverse mix of racial and ethnic groups. Oh yeah, we bought a few things, too.
Posted by glenn at Friday November 28
A Day of Thanks
Thanksgiving is a day of family, food and fun, but it is also a time to reflect on life and, from time to time, actually give thanks for the bounty of our times. 
In modern America we tend to forget about the holiday itself between the parades, football games and Twilight Zone marathons. As a country we've got a lot for which we should be thankful.
That goes for me as well. I practiced a few random acts of human kindness today, and maybe made a few other lives a little better in the process.
Thursday November 20
Warner-EMI Deal
IHT: Time Warner Weighs 2 Bids for Unit. This story ran today in both the International Herald Tribune and the New York Times, quoting me on the antitrust viability of an acquisition of EMI by Warner Music.
Wednesday November 19
Face Plants
Skiers know the term "face plant" well, meaning a frontal fall into the snow, head-first. Now, British scientists report that a face transplant may be technologically possible (and actually easier than reattaching a severed finger). Face Transplants Possible But More Research Needed [Reuters]. The physicians hope face transplants will help seriously disfugured patients with the psychological effects of facial injuries and defects. But I am still having trouble telling John Travolta and Nicholas Cage apart in the movie Face Off. Reality follows fiction once again.
Monday November 17
Hiding Away In the UK
U.K. Prepares to "Unwelcome Bush" [msnbc.com]. Forty years ago John F. Kennedy toured Paris and Berlin to a hero's welcome by Europeans in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Today, our President goes to the UK and will stay out of the limelite -- protected by the largest British security operation ever -- to avoid protesters gearing up for massive anti-American demonstrations. Who deserves the criticism here?
Sunday November 16
Roid Rage
So four NFL players have been linked to the new "designer" steriod THG, according to CBS News. But, in contrast, 5-7% of baseball players tested positive for steriods in anonymous tests administered during the 2003 season. Judge for yourself which game is cleaner. I think the answer is clearly football.
Wednesday November 12
We're Not Popular
A classified CIA report leaked today says that the United States is "losing" popular support among Iraqis. Duh!
God and Country
Suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore says he did not violate judicial ethics laws in refusing a federal court order to take a 5,300-pound granite monument to the 10 Commandments out of his courthouse. "10 Commandments" Ethics Trial to Begin [FOXNews.com]. Well, 40 years ago George Wallace stood in an Alabama schoolhouse door and refused to comply with another federal court order compelling integration. There's a history here, and it all points to these guys taking the law into their own hands. Hebrew National hot dogs can advertise that they answer to a "higher authority," but not judges in the United States of America. Unrepentant Roy Moore should take a civics lesson and learn some of the sordid history of his own state.
Tuesday November 11
Now They're Targeting Muslims
Yesterday's Al Queda bombings in Saudi Arabia signal a "new tactic," according to CNN. Sure do. Osama bin Laden is now going after Muslims instead of Americans and other Westerners. It's about time. It also signals that these fanatics don't care who they kill or why anyone should die in their obsession with Islamic purity. I'm all for tolerance, but there's no way to tolerate this kind of inhumane obliviousness to the value of human life. Let them all blow each other up!
Friday November 7
My Ozone Made Me Do It
According to Toronto's Globe and Mail, scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in California have found evidence that human bodies produce ozone gas -- a component of smog -- that contributes to hardening of the arteries. Humans Produce Ozone, Researchers Find. So maybe Ronald Reagan was right after all and trees really are responsible for polution!!
The End of the Solar System
After traveling for more than 20 years, the Voyager I spacecraft is now nearing the edge of our solar system and is about to pass into interstellar space. [usatoday.com]. It is 8.37 billion miles from the Sun, three times further away than the planet Pluto. Not a bad ride. There's only 44,000 years left to the next star, and after that we're into the realm of "V'Ger" from Star Trek. Very cool stuff.
Wednesday November 5
Not A Bad Sound Bite
The press stories on yesterday's appellate arguments in the Microsoft antitrust case focused on snippets from the main actors -- Robert Bork for CCIA and SIIA and Brad Smith for Microsoft -- but I managed to land one sound bite of my own. I think it captures what the appeals court will be grappling with as it decides this landmark case. Microsoft Penalties: Tough Enough? [cbsnews.com]. Problem is, though, that most people, perhaps even judges included, have the impression that the case is dead and buried as a result of the government's 2001 settlement. Not true, but a hard public perception to overcome, nonetheless. As Dan Gilmore wrote,
He's right about the attention span, wrong about the "last gasp," and plainly right that the case still matters.
Monday November 3
Not Google, Too!
While Google continues exploring an IPO, Friday's business press indicates that Microsoft has been making overtures to buy the Internet search leader. I agree with this opinion piece from The Mac Observer, titled For The Love Of Everything That Is Good, Let It Not Happen. Let's go back 6 years and ask how the software market would be different if Microsoft had succeeded in acquiring Intuit and thus taking over Quicken -- perhaps the single best piece of consumer software on the market today. We all should shudder at the mere thought.