Wednesday before Thanksgiving and I almost forget to post the Free Will Horoscope:

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Tropical rainforests produce one-fifth of the earth's oxygen, contain half of all plant and animal species, and provide ingredients for one-fourth of our pharmaceuticals. So what's behind the shortsighted destruction of this treasure? Here's one cause: Indigenous tribes often believe they can make a better living by chopping down the forests and using the land for farming. Why should they care about the global perspective, they argue, when they're struggling to survive? Recently, though, evidence has emerged that proves the locals can actually make more money from wild-harvesting sustainable resources like medicinal plants, fruits, nuts, and oils than they can from growing subsistence crops. Now let's take this vignette and apply it as a metaphor to your current life situation, Virgo: By clinging to a source of meager value, you're depriving yourself (and the world) of a richer alternative.

Cryptic, I like it.

The parade of interesting guest stars continues on "Alias." The latest star being Ethan Hawke. Should be interesting, but I don't see him as the cunning, cutthroat spy type. Maybe he'll surprise us all.

Thanksgiving is upon us, and we'll see some new things coming for the new year. Looks like we'll aslo be getting some new life soon as well. How soon remains to be seen. It will be groundbreaking when it happens though.

If I don't pig out tomorrow, I'll be surprised. Good thing I know there's a reason that we do. And also a reason that we don't.

Alan Moore is a genius. His writing is solid, and always intriguing. One of his currently published comic books, "Promethea" is just one exampe of his extraordinary ability to create fully astounding stories. Read about it.

Lastly, since this happens to be the most interesting time of year, movie-wise. Here's a HUGE article concerning the new Lord of the Rings movie. Read it and sweat with anticipation.

Someone who I'm shocked I haven't mentioned is Bill Watterson. Mr. Watterson is the man responsible for the indispensible "Calvin and Hobbes." Irreverent, imaginative, and containing a skewed innocence, this strip is a modern classic, and even moreso since the strip ceased to be published. Its legacy is still apparent not only through the obiligatory collection of strips, but also through the thousands of stickers you may see plastered on the rear windows of cars everywhere. A sad testament as Mr. Watterson would never let his property be licensed and commercialized as he thought it would cheapen his work. I agree, seeing that these stickers are an odious portrayal of what Mr. Watterson attempted to achieve. Calvin and Hobbes was about the overactive imagination of a young boy and his daily escapades with his stuffed tiger. This description only scratches the surface of the biting modern philosophies expunged by the two main characters. Very appropriate since they were named after philosophers themselves. Many memorable characters were birthed within the panels of the strip and its a shame it does not continue any longer. May we hopefully see more work from Mr. Watterson soon.

I'm going to keep it short and sweet again. Maybe this should be a Monday tradition, unless everyone else has tons of energy left over from the weekend. Ooh la la.

Apparently Britney Spears isn't over Justin Timberlake.

A man in India has invented the bamboo bicycle.

Peal Jam is surprisingly still relevant.

Crime is on the rise in Europe.

Our president doesn't like clean air.

Goodness, the weekend already! Must be time for some links!

Bruce Timm Gallery
Fotoetage
Mark Solan
Blue Over Blue
Bloggo
Basik
Solid Eye
One Twenty Eight
Tim Jorgensen
Maharishi
Atmosphere
Terminator 3

Gah! I'm so aghast. I did not post as usual yesterday, therefore my weblog is devoid of any sort of haiku-age for the week. I'd write one right here, but it doesn't seem appropriate. It would be nice if I saw some other haikus from nice people that regularly view the site. Please, pretty please...

You hate me, but you love your Free Will Horoscope:

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
After writing more than 30 stories about Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle got tired of him. In 1893, the English author killed off his well-loved character, sending him plunging off Reichenbach Falls while in a struggle with his archenemy, Professor Moriarty. Readers were unhappy with the decision, though, and nine years later Conan Doyle felt compelled to revive Holmes for another long run. I nominate him to be your role model for the next few weeks, Virgo. You, too, will find good reasons to resurrect an influence from the past or bring an old character back into your life.

Who's coming back into my life? Then again, who's coming back into your life?

For a while there, they were playing "Cell Games" on Dragonball Z. Now people are playing a new type of cell game. The interesting thing is that Nokia is trying to throw its hat into a ring dominated by Nintendo and its Gameboy Advance. I don't think it will work, but at least they're trying.

This weekend we'll get to see "Die Another Day." To commemorate this event. Entertainment Weekly has taken it upon itself to rank the last 20 Bond movies. I agree with their top choice. But then again, who wouldn't?

Want to learn how to travel abroad for free? MSNBC shows you how. What better way to go on a trip than to swindle all of your friends to go with you? Actually, it doesn't sound so bad. I've always wanted to go to Europe, anyone wanna come?

Another musician has done the unthinkable and gotten himself in trouble with the law. This time it's none other than D'Angelo. It doesn't make any sense to me how these people with so much money think they can get away with things like this. What gets me is that the police had to use pepper spray to take him down. Ouch.

Micheal Jordan's in big trouble. Remember how a few months back, his wife wanted to divorce him? Looks like we may have found the reason why.

So we're all aware we live in a world where terrorism can occur anywhere in the world. Some people tend to be more afraid than others that things can happen at anytime, which is a realistic notion. I always think that it's a good policy to trust in your law enforcement and security forces to keep you safe. See?

Environmental news for the past year has been somewhat gratifying. With the ozone hole getting smaller at least. It's awful to hear about Bush's refusal to sign the Kyoto Treaty, but I guess he has his reasons. It is awful however, when something like this happens. Ack!

Another comic strip artist for you all. Wiley Miller is best known for his work on the strip "Non Sequitur." It can be found most often in your daily newspaper's strip section. A master of satire, Wiley's linework is simplistic, yet full of life. He instills a cynical wit in all of his caricatures of people and professions. If you ever find yourself chuckling out loud to a strip, don't be surprised.

I'm going to disturb the rest of my co-workers with my snoring. Look at some of this news whilst I nap.

The latest Harry Potter movie drummed up some major business over the weekend. It's more than a phenomenon. It's an outright smash.

Two child pornography busts occurred over the weekend. First with Pee-Wee Herman and then again with Principal Ed Rooney. Sick people.

Looks like Hugh Hefner's finally cashing it in.

Wow, the war on terror is inspiring the textile industry to make safety fashionable.

It's that time of the year again. Time to start out Christmas shopping.

Make with the clickin' and lookin'.

Poulos Design
Super Mario Sunshine
Electronic Miracles
Xururu
Vector Park
Quick and Dirty
Boqemian
Kko
Sesame Studio

Bugaboo Haiku

Apples and oranges.
Peaches, pears, and bananas.
Five a day, for health.

Deja vu Haiku

Heroes in half-shells.
Trained under master Splinter
As lethal ninjas.

Nasty goo Haiku

Dialing 9-7-6
Hearing a soft, breathy voice
Telling you to pay.

Eat it all y'all, eat your Free Will Horoscope:

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
"Dear Dr. Brezsny: What's a good way to get rid of gophers? They're constantly ripping holes in my backyard, which keeps me chronically pissed off, and that makes it pretty hard to concentrate on carrying out the uplifting suggestions you give in your horoscopes. —Seething Virgo in Iowa." Dear Seething: Go out in your backyard and act like a gopher. Dig in the dirt like you were born to do it. Rip up a hundred holes. Get totally filthy. I guarantee the gophers will leave. And if there are any other kinds of pests you want to banish from your life, try a similar approach. Learn their ways. Empathize with them. See the world as they do. Their power over you will magically fade.

May we all be gophers this week and get rid of our own personal pests. Who shall I drop first, hmmmm...

Has war been averted? Only time will tell. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is just a ploy by the Iraqi government to buy more time, at the same time I'm glad someone around the world has a clear head. Isn't it somewhat sad when the person with the clearest head happens to be Saddam Hussein? That's why I think something's up.

Now we all have reason to be afraid of Flipper. Not just the friendly dolphin, he also happens to be the flesh-eating dolphin.

Scientists have been fascinated by the "Big Bang Theory." So fascinated are they that they attempted to create a "Little Bang." The process itself is quite amazing, but what's more amazing is what they found. Fascinating stuff.

Not only will we get the new new Bond flick this month, but it also happens to be the 40th Anniversary of the franchise. 5 actors and 20 films. That's not a bad track record at all.

Remember when people could actually spell? Well, it's definitely hip to be a bad speller in the music industry. If this trend continues, I may have to change my name to "Marrk."

Anyone ever read Vice Magazine? I never have, but after reading this it sounds interesting enough to despise.

Jose Ladronn is a Renaissance man. That's not the total truth however. He's more of a throwback to an older era of comic book artists. His style is incredibly reminiscent of Jack Kirby in his staunch figure drawing. Combined with his exquisite painting skills and dense inclusion of detail, his illustrations can stand alone as works of art themselves. Many may be turned off by the somewhat old-style look of his craft, but I tend to find it fascinating in its draftsmanship and imagination. If only he produced more often, I think I'd buy more of his stuff.

Excuse me while I take a short nap. Read some news.

Someone's getting married.

Kids like oral sex.

The year's best inventions.

No links today. Rain makes things suck enough that I'm too busy to do any of that. Have a good weekend!

No haikus and no quotes today. Instead, my work computer chooses this time to go crazy and freeze up everytime I try doing even the smallest thing in SoldWorks. I'm convinced that it hates me secretly and lashes out passive-aggressively in this manner. Alas, I am but a poor minion, slave to technology. Aren't we all though? Aren't we all?

It's that time of the week again, time for a Free Will Horoscope:

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
This week's counsel is extreme. Don't read another word, Virgo, unless you feel ready to carry out a task that will require you to be daringly rebellious and brazenly optimistic. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you're being asked to revise your attitudes, change your habits, alter your behavior, or do whatever else it may take to arrive at a radical new way of looking at your life: You must be able to sincerely believe that the cosmos or fate or God—whatever you want to call the Vastness—is on your side and wants you to succeed at the thing you enjoy most. Here's a big hint about one way to proceed, courtesy of author Paulo Coelho: "Know what you want and all the universe conspires to help you achieve it."

You know, it's things like these that make me wonder if I should follow a dream, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. Don't be surprised if I'm out of the country next year if this is the case.

We were all waiting to hear the verdict, and it didn't come out any less confusing. Winona Ryder's innocent/guilty?

Would you look at that? Apparently, a cancer vaccine has been discovered. Cool.

Remember that episode of South Park where Stan's dog is found to be gay? Apparently there may be a reason for it, and that reason also applies to humans.

For all of you who didn't vote yesterday, here are the results. Whether you're happy about it, or want to flee the country, these next 2 years should be interesting, to say the least.

Bill Gates has too much money. Actually, he has so much money because he's willing to take some huge risks. This just happens to be another one of those risks. Looks interesting, but how successful will it really be>

I saw 24 for the first time yesterday. I must say I was incredibly impressed with it. Not only that, but I was really impressed by Kiefer Sutherland. That guy is one bad-ass mofo.

The parade of fascinating artists continues yet again on this very Tuesday. Today we highlight Mr. Katsuhiro Otomo, a legendary manga artist and sometimes director of anime. Most recognizable is his seminal work, Akira. This title has the distinction of being the earliest and highest-profile manga and anime released on Western shores, and with good reason. Originally published in Japan, this manga weaves an intricate story of technological mayhem and adventure. The characters are incredibly well-formed, and the art is chock-full of an incredible amount of detail. The movie itself is quite interesting in the fact that attempting to compress 6 volumes of manga, numbering over 200 pages each is a heavy task to accomplish. In my opinion, it stands alone as a great piece of artwork, but as a story, the anime falls somewhat short of conveying the complete message of the manga. The story has everything, romance, psychic terror, drugs, and terrible repercussions of violence. Each brutal moment is not minced over so the reader can fully understand how threatening nature can be when toyed with. Read it, watch it, or look it up on the web. It's epic.

I'm bushed, tired, exhausted, sleepy, weary, fatigued, drained, worn out, and just plain beat. I guess I should try to hit the sack early tonight. Nah...

As if Spider-Man didn't make enough money already, it set the new DVD sales record this weekend with a large wad of cash intake. I'm impressed and I will also soon contribute towards its benefit.

Those crazy Brits come up with all sorts of new and fascinating studies when we're not looking. I find this one particularly interesting. I wonder if this will happen in California anytime soon.

If any of you tried to take the 710 freeway this weekend, I pity you.

Looks like the genius' at Nokia are going to try their hand at a very small market. The handheld game console market.

Read this article. Although I can't totally relate, I still find it terribly fascinating.

Let's wind the week down with some links, shall we?

Vote today!
Ninedots
Reality Hacking
Stephen Stickerl
Third Thing
Salted Herring
Andy Potts
Matthew Curry
Rubick's Cube
Eduardo de Felipe
Cecilia Jardemar