] The following is a copy of Mary (Ann) Wright’s letter
] of resignation to Secretary of State Colin Powell.
] Wright was most recently the deputy chief of mission
] at the U.S. embassy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. She
] helped open the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan,
] in January 2002.

More background on Wright:

] I have been a diplomat for fifteen years and the Deputy
] Chief of Mission in our Embassies in Sierra Leone,
] Micronesia, Afghanistan (briefly) and Mongolia. I have
] also had assignments in Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan,
] Grenada and Nicaragua. I received the State Department's
] Award for Heroism as Charge d’Affaires during the
] evacuation of Sierra Leone in 1997. I was 26 years in
] the US Army/Army Reserves and participated in civil
] reconstruction projects after military operations in
] Grenada, Panama and Somalia. I attained the rank of
] Colonel during my military service.

Key Points:

] I disagree with the Administration’s policies on Iraq

] I disagree with the Administration’s lack of effort in
] resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

] I disagree with the Administration’s lack of policy
] on North Korea

] I disagree with the Administration’s policies on
] Unnecessary Curtailment of Rights in America

More high level resignations...

More than a dozen students from Hamburg's Sachsenweg School were to depart this Tuesday until their hosts suggested they stay home rather than bring "anti-American feeling," said Sachsenweg English teacher Jutta Kuehn. The German agency that coordinates educational exchanges said other programs also have been called off.

The 'boro makes Salon.com, but not in the best way.

U.S.-German rift reaches schoolyard level

Salon interviews Phoebe Gloeckner, writer and artist of a graphic novel series based loosely upon her own life. She has some very interesting views on the catharsis of creating art and how it affects not only the viewer, but the creator as well. The interview itself is a very good read, even if you never pick up a copy of the "Dairy of a Teenage Girl" series.

"OK," she says, taking a deep breath. "I believe that all art is about the artist," she says. "So, yeah, my work is about me. But being an artist -- art is artifice, it's creation. By reading that book, you're not experiencing what I experienced. You're perhaps experiencing my interpretation of it, but you're bringing yourself to it. In that way, I always hesitate to say this is a true story. I'm not attempting in any way to make documentary. You can never represent everything. It's always a selective process.

"I mean, really, my motivation is, 'This all happened to me. I feel really totally fucked-up. I don't understand any of this. Let's look at it. Let's not look at it sideways or make it look prettier, but let's just look at it for what it is.' I think the reason people relate to it is because I don't avoid things that may seem unpleasant. I don't really judge things ... I just look at them."

Not your mother's comic book

After a couple months of this, Bershadsky had had enough; she wanted to do something about the jobs she was seeing. So she went to a domain-name registration service and bought a URL for a new site she thought would, if not exactly make a difference in the world, at least make her feel better. The URL Bershadsky registered was fuckthatjob.com. "It was exactly what I was feeling," she says. "It felt right. I couldn't think of anything else to call it."

Funny, yet not so funny story.

Take this tech job and shove it

Even if ratings were collected with absolute accuracy, it might not be enough for an industry that prefers to chase after elusive demographic segments instead of cultivating advertisers eager to reach the audience that's already watching. In "Farscape's" case, Sci Fi wanted the show to perform better with boys. But the show has already attracted a broad audience, including large numbers of women attracted to the show's strong female characters, feminist storylines, and the sexual tension between human John Crichton and his alien flame, Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black).

The Neilsen system is not only outdated, it is rejected by anyone with a sense of self worth. As one who has been targeted as a Neilsen household, I know just what their approach is. You get a diary in which you're supposed to keep track of every show that you watch. That's fine, I suppose I can handle that. But wait, they add an insult to it. There's a $1 bill in the envelope and a letter that says, "If you were honest about what you put in the diary, please keep this dollar. If not, please return it with the diary." That's got to be the biggest load of crap I've ever read, yet it was there in black and white in front of me. Granted, it may be more than $1 (I participated in the mid 90s, though, so it's not *too* long ago) today but I doubt by much.

Using 5,000 households to track the viewing habits of 200 million people is just patently wrong. Like the article states, you then have to hope that those 5,000 people have more than a basic cable subscription and can get the SciFi Channel!

One of the current 'Scaper tactics that was overlooked in this article is in patronizing the advertisers. There are web sites that list who advertised each week and fans are encouraged to let them know how much the corporate support is appreciated. I'm sure that has to make some level of impact, but probably not until the series is already gone.

Dolemite

Can Farscape Fans Reinvent TV?

Norman Lear, the Emmy-winning producer of ‘‘All in the Family," said Wednesday he will collaborate on several episodes of the Comedy Central satire ‘‘South Park."

sweet!

Norman Lear to co-write South Park episodes

The legal house of prostitution 15 miles east of Reno has been closed ever since the IRS seized the place in 1999 following the conviction of the bordello's manager and its parent companies in a fraud and racketeering case. The women who worked there were evicted and the brothel was padlocked.

Let us all pause for a moment of silence.

Feds to Demolish Infamous Nevada Brothel

] Burgess Falls State Natural Area, located in Middle
] Tennessee, lies on the eastern edge of Tennessee's
] Highland Rim adjacent to the Cumberland Plateau. This is
] characterized by sheer bluffs, narrow ridges, rolling
] water, and abundant mixed forest. The Falling Water
] River runs through the area, providing breathtaking
] scenery and numerous waterfalls.

| Tennessee has good country. I'm not talking about music.

The Cumberland Plateau/Mountains is a fantastic area. There's a cave near Fall Creek Falls with a single domed room big enough to hold the Gaylord Entertainment Center. Fall Creek Falls itself is twice the height of Niagara Falls.

Get outside and explore something other than the concrete jungle.

Tennessee State Parks: Burgess Falls State Natural Area

Texas is planning on firing up the BBQ grill again in a couple of weeks as the next contestant on "Texas Death Row" steps up to the chair.

My question, though, is whether or not the fact that his appeal of "ineffective council" is reiterated by the fact that his lawyer didn't file the paperwork on time?

Move Over 'Simpsons' because 'Texas Death Row' Plans 300th Episode

I noticed this when ordering some more address labels - you can get checks, address labels and contact cards in hexadecimal. I went for the Tolkien cards and labels, but thought this might be of interest to others. Imagine handing out these cards at the next con with your contact info on them.

Ultimate Geek Cards