you ever just sit there in amazement at how brilliant humans are on this planet?...the ideologies/philosophies/inventions/creativity that explodes at every moment is absolutely stunning...of course it is these same wonders that causes the reactionary downfalls....

i sit at work spending hours reading the paper....then going online do to further historical research to understand a more thorough grasp of the subject...and the headlines of the times today...

1. Israeli Soldiers Thwart a Boy's Suicide Bombing Attempt

a crazy crazy occurrence in itself...but there must be an acknoledgment of the intelligence of those pious terrorists....it is not only their determination that must not be underestimated but also their sheer ingenuity...which poses a traumatic scare....

2. Atheist Presents Case for Taking God From Pledge

the doctor presenting his case...a person of the books....knowledgeable/smart/cohesive and most importantly generically smart enough to work within his constitutional boundaries to fight for his goals...for him to have pushed his case up through the ranks of the court system...his pro-atheist arguments must be astoundingly eloquent and well thought out...the article doesn't go in depth but i assume that his stance is quite intriguing.

 

in other news...

what is the big deal with american idol....fox has the crappiest shows...yet this show remains to keep it as a close number 2 in the ratings...this show sucks...i've been forced to watch it a few times..and everytime it just gets worse...what makes it worse is that its always friggin on...every friggin day of the week..BLAH

On a typical week, "American Idol'' accounts for 10 percent of Fox's 15 hours of prime-time programming. Often, Fox broadcasts special editions of "Idol,'' like last week when three and a half hours were broadcast, and then the total rises well past 20 percent. When "Idol'' finishes this season in May, Fox will have televised at least 41 hours since starting again in January, about the same number of hours that hit hourlong series are broadcast during an entire season. - NYT.

 

**never caught onto google...i yahoo...but i'm already waiting on line when it goes public PROGOOGS**

for all you POKER FREAKS OUT THERE (by art chung):

Like Pilates and metrosexuals, poker's current popularity is a direct result of overwhelming media attention. If it's not the umpteenth showing of Celebrity Poker Showdown on Bravo, it's the giant displays of poker manuals at Barnes & Noble and the countless articles by journalists chronicling their failed attempts at playing poker. And no wonder. Poker has become the participatory activity du jour of journalists because it's a sport that even pencil jockeys can play. With all due respect to George Plimpton, I'd rather not put on shoulder pads to see "what it's like" to be tackled by a 300-pound linebacker. But I'm certainly willing to sit at a table and summon up my inner alpha dog over paper cards and clay chips.

Poker also requires a certain level of self-analysis, a quality that writers have in spades. In the recent poker anthology Read 'Em and Weep, David Mamet offers this thought: "Poker reveals to the frank observer something else of importt will teach him about his own nature. Many bad players do not improve because they cannot bear self-knowledge. The bad player will not deign to determine what he thinks by watching what he does." It's not enough to be able to guess what cards your opponent is holding; you need to know what he thinks you're holding.

 

 

 

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Boucher Sale
What: Precious and semiprecious gems (coral, turquoise, pearls, and more) are up to 35 percent off at this Meatpacking boutique. (Get it? Open your French dictionary: Boucher means "butcher.")
Why: That DeBeers ad is taking its toll. Time to raise a right hand.
When: Fri. & Sat., noon-8 p.m.; Sun., noon-6 p.m.
Where: 9 Ninth Ave., at Little W. 12th St. (212-206-3775).