Irish Hockey

Nice article found at the Chicago Blackhawks website this morning.

Favorite Oscar Moment

Makes you wonder: when WILL comedians ever get their due?

Not that the Academy gets it consistently right, anyway...

New JFK Footage

New footage of JFK's last moments (BBC)

The film shows a clear view of Jackie Kennedy A previously unreleased film of President John F Kennedy's motorcade has revealed new details of the final moments before his assassination.

The silent film shows the president and his wife Jackie shortly before the fatal shot was fired.

Amateur photographer George Jefferies held onto the film for more than 40 years believing it was unimportant.

But Dallas museum curator Gary Mack says it is bound to provide new fuel to the conspiracy theorists.

The film shows the president's coat bunched up on his back - a detail some will see as evidence that the bullet wounds on the president's body did not match those on his jacket.

The film also shows "the clearest, best film of Jackie in the motorcade", says Mr Mack.

Also visible is secret service agent Clint Hill, riding on the back of the car. After the shots were fired, Mr Hill jumped onto the back of the vehicle and drove with it to the hospital.

The new film only came to light when Mr Jefferies mentioned it in conversation to his son-in-law, Wayne Graham, who persuaded him to donate it to the museum.

Mr Mack said: "Everyone who captured the motorcade before the assassination thinks their pictures are unimportant. But to historians, all photos and home movies are important to possibly answer questions that will be asked in the future.

"I've already seen the footage on a conspiracy web site."

He said since the president's jacket was riding high on his back, the entry wound in his body did not appear to match the expected position in his coat, which would add fuel to claims that more than three shots were fired.

There were at least 150,000 people lining the route of the motorcade and Mr Mack has encouraged anyone with film or photographs of the event to come forward.

Beware Of Rising Prices

Found this last night at Wal-Mart: Don't ask why I was there, I'm never proud of it when I am...

Dokken's Definitive Rock Collection.

Say...I like Dokken. George Lynch was The Man. And Don had a great voice. I was even willing to forgive them for that Dream Warriors music video, where Freddie Krueger shook his groove thing.

And what a deal! Marked from $14.88...down to $15.00!

Sold!

Dontcha just love the attention to detail in our society?

New Toy

Cingular/The New AT&T has just sent Craig and I the brand-new Samsung Blackjack phone. They gave us RAZRs last year, and decided it was time to upgrade us.

We found out this was happening on Monday, and began weeping with joy immediately.

I intend to find out every single thing this device can do over the next week or so. I am a kid in a candy & electronics store right now...

Greatest. Tribute. Ever.

Ragz found this, for Ragz = Tha Man.

Enjoy. And expect the chorus to stay with you, for it is mighty.

Stunning Antarctic Photos on Flikr

Some great shots here, brought to my attention (as most great items are) by The Dark Lord Warren Ellis.

I was asked recently why I have this amazing fascination with Antarctica. Why my novel (still in rewrites, be patient with me) is set there. Why I have so much interest in our planet's floor-level freezer.

The answer is that I have no freaking idea whatsoever. It's the same reason why I love Tibet and the Himalayas. Perhaps it's because I know that I will never be able to see it firsthand myself, and I've always wanted to. The time for that would have been in my twenties, which feel like they were an entire lifetime ago now (and I'm not even forty yet).

There's just something appealing to me about a place where humans should not be able to go, yet they do, and accomplish amazing things. Something unspoiled and majestic about massive wonders of nature that no matter what we do, we can barely leave a scratch on the surface.

Say what you will about global warming and what it's doing to the Western Ice Sheets...but the continent is still going to be there, in one form or another, long after human beings are turning to carbon deep in the earth...

Zappa on SNL

Just because I found it while looking for something else.

And because the man was never one to back down from kickin' ass live when his stuff was so carefully produced and timed in the studio.

Let us be Frank...

New Family Member

We have adopted Trevor, our first non-Hamster family pet.