Idle Chatter

Take a Breath, Not Umbrage
NBC closed the Book of Daniel a lot more quickly than I had anticipated. The show's creator posted the announcement, and the NBC message boards were quick to pin the blame. Excerpts from the first three messages:

One thing I've learned from the interaction here at this forum is that activism against the religious right is mandatory...

Because of you, I have realized how dangerous these right-wing groups are, and as a result, I am going to join in the fight to tell them to shut the hell up.

….before the other side fills this thread with the many "I told you so" and "Thanks be to G-d and Jesus" comments….

Please, people, cancellation was the result of the lack of eyeballs, not enraged Episcopalians. People do have anger issues, and it ain't the religious right. Take a breath and ask yourself: WWJD?

As in "Down the..."
One of our customers filed bankruptcy. The case was heard by Judge Drain. Not surprisingly, we lost.

New Year's Resolution: Eat Less Fish
Yesterday's news item:

More than half of one species of catfish sampled in the South River had skin tumors, matching the highest rate in the nation, wildlife officials said.

"The fish are clearly exposed to cancer-causing agents, and at this point, we really don't know what chemicals are responsible," Fred Pinkney, the Fish and Wildlife Service biologist who conducted the study, told The Washington Post. "We suspect it's from (polluted) runoff."

But the government is on top of this one:

"This has been a known problem for quite some time," [spokesman] McIntire said. "If you catch any fish that looks strange," he added, "throw it back."

I Smell a Business Opportunity Since He's Got Extra

Item #1:

A middle-aged Tokyo man found to be living with 10 younger women said he attracted them by reciting an incantation that came to him in a dream.

A rapid series of weddings and divorces left the man with a large group of ex-wives, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who shared his surname and continued to live with him.

Item #2:

A rural province in South Korea plans to give financial aid to help lonely male farmers pay for mail-order brides from overseas.

South Kyongsang province plans to start a trial program in which it will give 6 million won ($6,113) to male farmers who marry foreign women, an official said Tuesday.