Yup. Wheels, all mechanical devices, any sort o book lernin'... all got to be handed in & destroyed by the Spring: CNN.com: "ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- The state's school superintendent has proposed striking the word evolution from Georgia's science curriculum and replacing it with the phrase 'biological changes over time.'
The change is included in more than 800 pages of draft revisions to Georgia's curriculum that have been posted by the Department of Education on its Web site. The middle and high school standards are expected to be voted on by the state Board of Education in May, after public feedback. "

BBC NEWS: "BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan has resigned in the wake of the criticism directed at him in the Hutton report.
Mr Gilligan conceded some of his story was wrong, and apologised for it.
He said his departure was at his own initiative, but described the BBC collectively as the victim of a 'grave injustice'.
Earlier departing BBC director general Greg Dyke said he was shocked by the findings of the Hutton Inquiry and did not accept all of the report. " I'm sure he'll be better able to defend his corner from outside the organisation.....

InfoWorld:"So how bad could it get? Just off the top of our heads -- suppose someone set up a fake Hutton Inquiry site today with a link to the report’s summaries -- how many people across the U.K. would download a worm this afternoon? And imagine the computers it would end up on.

The possibilities are endless, and since both spoof issues appear to be unfixable, it must surely place a big question mark over Explorer’s viability as a browser."

eTaiwanNews.com/: "A dead sperm whale being transported through Tainan City on its way to a research station suddenly exploded yesterday, splattering cars and shops with blood and guts.
Certified by authorities as the largest beached whale on record in Taiwan, the 17-meter 50-ton carcass was being transported by a flat-bed trailer-truck to a special research location after National Cheng Kung University officials and security guards refused to allow the whale on campus.
The animal was close to death when someone found it beached on shore on Saturday... Because of the natural decomposing process, a lot of gases accumulated, and when the pressure buildup was too great, the whale's belly just exploded and spilled blood and the innards on the street," Wang said."

LILEKS: "I wondered if the clerk was judging me: you got 75 clams in B&N script, and you buy a movie, an old comic book compendium, the Weekly Standard and pictures of the Crab Nebula? Mainstream lamer.

But I always think the clerks are judging me. Probably because they are; I spent many years in retail, friends. Don’t think they don’t have opinions about each and every one of you. It’s the only thing that keeps them sane."

even though I haven't had the chance to follow it too closely. Reuters: "LONDON (Reuters) - The chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation resigned Wednesday and the broadcaster apologized for some of its reporting on the buildup to the war in Iraq after it was lambasted in an inquiry by a senior judge.
The inquiry by Lord Hutton criticized journalist Andrew Gilligan, the BBC's management and its supervisory board of governors, for a radio report saying the government 'sexed up' intelligence in a dossier on Iraqi weapons.
Hutton said the BBC report was unfounded.
He said the BBC's editorial system was 'defective' in allowing Gilligan's report to air and the governors should have investigated it in the aftermath, during which weapons expert David Kelly was unmasked as Gilligan's source and committed suicide. "

BBC NEWS: "It's a shame not to see Scarlett Johanssen nominated. I have seen her in Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring and she was immensely watchable in both, with two very fine and subtle performances. Not since Meryl Streep have I seen such a versatile and accomplished actress. I hope at least she will pick up a BAFTA and the English will show some sense!"

BBC NEWS: "Tony Blair has scraped home by just five votes in a crunch House of Commons test of his controversial plans to introduce university top-up fees.
The Higher Education Bill was backed by 316 votes to 311 after days of intense campaigning by ministers and rebels.
Mr Blair had staked his authority on winning the vote, which was widely seen as his biggest test as prime minister.
It provides a boost hours before Lord Hutton's verdict on the death of Iraq weapons expert Dr David Kelly. "

BBC NEWS: "Tony Blair is in the last hour of trying to win over MPs for the crunch Commons vote on his plans for university top-up fees.
His chances of victory in the 1900 GMT vote have been boosted by chief rebel Nick Brown switching sides.
But Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott told BBC News 24:'I cannot tell you, within an hour of the vote, whether we are going to win.'
The vote is seen as one of the biggest tests of Mr Blair's political career. "

Two things: First, Anyone recall the West Wing episode where Donna spends all night outside on Josh's cellphone trying to convince some folks in NH to vote Bartlet in the small first ballot of the night so that the President isn't embarrassed?

Second - the real deal. There's a picture with this article of voters in Dixville Notch, N.H. I wonder if there were any students voting for the first time this year? MSNBC: "MANCHESTER, N.H. - As New Hampshire residents voted Tuesday in the nation's first primary, a tracking poll showed Sen. John Kerry with a commanding double-digit lead over former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.

Kerry’s advantage over Dean grew by 10 points in the poll as the state’s undecided voters broke heavily in his favor, deciding he was the best Democratic challenger to President Bush in November. The margin of error was 3.8 percentage points."

The next web-specific advance in technology & page design?

From Gareth at gme.jp:
: "Have been destruction-testing a few alternatives to browser bookmarks: del.icio.us, Furl, and dudecheckthisout. I can't remember when I stopped using bookmarks, because the main use I have for a link is wanting to look at or blog about something I come across in the news while reading at work, but need to reference and think about at home--which thus far has meant pasting endless links into emails that I send myself at home and end up not reading. "

Hot on the heels of the Golden Globes. The list is at Oscar.com.

The London Weblog Directory

"This site is a directory of weblogs written by people who live or work in london, organised by the rather iconic London Tube map (and also the central london suburban rail network, docklands light railway and croydon tramlink)." Enough to make me wish I lived in London.....

But hey, it's not all bad:

Job interview Thurs
Definite end to the misery of my current gig - probably as soon as tomorrow.
Joe Jackson's "Steppin' Out" on the radio.

James Lileks would make a whole column out of these marvelous moments. He's had a lot more practice than me. I'm going to stop w/ a post. :-)

The Morning News: Question: Hey Nonexpert, my girlfriend drags me to IKEA almost every weekend and it’s driving me crazy. What should I tell her? –Brent Flagg

Answer: There is no known treatment for IKEA addiction. The best you can do is learn to survive.

You need what every good situation needs: A Walkthrough.

Not really a blog though... more like a frequently updated column. ESPN.com: "HOUSTON -- Heading down to Texas for the Super Bowl, my original choice was to drive from California to Houston in a stolen van -- with Jackie Earle Haley behind the wheel, obviously -- but negotiations fell through at the last minute. So I had to fly down. And there's a story about the flight, but the details will probably anger you, so I'm warning you ahead of time. We might as well get everything out in the open, anyway."

So what makes a blog a blog? My top five:

Dated & timed content.
Permalinks to archived copies of that content.
Links to sources / related material
Frequent posts
Personal opinions

I don't always live up to my own expectations, but anyway....

Have just found Streetmap.co.uk, which lets you browse by postcode, placename or landmark to see maps of Blighty. Excellent.

BBC NEWS: "The finding of a parrot with an almost unparalleled power to communicate with people has brought scientists up short.
The bird, a captive African grey called N'kisi, has a vocabulary of 950 words, and shows signs of a sense of humour.
He invents his own words and phrases if he is confronted with novel ideas with which his existing repertoire cannot cope - just as a human child would do.
N'kisi's remarkable abilities, which are said to include telepathy, feature in the latest BBC Wildlife Magazine.
N'kisi is believed to be one of the most advanced users of human language in the animal world. "

BBC NEWS: "A Canadian teenager whose website annoyed Bill Gates' lawyers is giving it up in exchange for Microsoft goodies, including an Xbox console.
Mike Rowe, 17, thought it would be fun to add 'soft' to the end of his name to set up the site, mikerowesoft.com.
The computer giant thought it was too close to its name, and offered him $10 to take it down which Mr Rowe refused.
The new deal includes Microsoft paying for a new site, expenses and a subscription to its developer forum. "

Read the whole thing. Entertainment News: "Morgan Spurlock had a bright idea for a film project.
The first clue to his particular misery comes in the title of his documentary, which has become the darling of this year's Sundance Film Festival. It is called Super Size Me: A Film of Epic Portions and it is a sometimes comic but serious look at America's addiction to fast food.
Spurlock, a tall New Yorker of usually cast-iron constitution, made himself the guinea pig in this dogged investigation into the effects of fast food on the body. He ate only at McDonald's for a month - three meals, every day - and took a camera crew along to record it. If a server offered to super-size his order, he was obliged to accept - and to ingest everything, gherkins and all.
Neither Spurlock, 33, nor the three doctors who agreed to monitor his health during the experiment were prepared for the degree of ruin it would wreak on his body. Within days, he was vomiting up his burgers and battling with headaches and depression. And his sex drive vanished. "

Telegraph: "Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder and the world's wealthiest man, is to receive an honorary knighthood for 'services to global enterprise'.
The recommendation that he receive the honour was made by the Chancellor, Gordon Brown. Buckingham Palace is expected to announce it tomorrow, when Mr Gates will speak at a conference on 'Advancing Enterprise' organised by Mr Brown.

Bill Gates, who is to receive an honorary knighthood
The controversial software company creator - whose commercial success has led to hatred of him among his competitors - is worth an estimated $40 billion (�22 billion). Microsoft is described as the 'Evil Empire' by those who resent its grip on the computer industry."

CBS News: "(CBS/AP) The Queen Mary 2, the world's largest and most expensive passenger ship, completed its maiden trans-Atlantic voyage Monday, arriving at this Florida port.

Led by a tugboat that shot red and blue water into the air, the Cunard Line Ltd.'s ship pulled into Port Everglades, next to Fort Lauderdale, shortly after 7 a.m., two weeks after it left the English port of Southampton. About 2,600 passengers paid anywhere from about $2,800 to $37,499 for the first trip. "

MSN: "Ricky Gervais, who had no idea what to do when 'The Office' was named Best TV Comedy...managed to utter his thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press. Gervais, who also won a Best Actor in a TV Comedy prize, explained, 'I'm not from these parts. I'm from a little place called England ... We used to run the world before you.'"

Beyonce and gladiator girls will rock you: "Pop sirens Beyonce Knowles, Britney Spears and Pink have recorded a cover version of Queens classic rock anthem, We Will Rock You.
The girls recorded the song in Rome last September with the remaining members of the legendary rock band.
The track is set to be used in a forthcoming Pepsi television advert, and Queen guitarist, Brian May explained: 'It was fantastic that they wanted to use We Will Rock You as the track.'
The track features Brian May on guitar, Roger Taylor on drums, while Beyonce, Britney and Pink provide the vocals.
The Pepsi advert will feature the girls dressed as gladiators, while softly spoken Enrique Iglesias takes on the role of an evil Roman emperor.
Beyonce, Britney and Pink will appear in London for the adverts global premiere on February 1 for an exclusive blue carpet event."

Not!! c h a n d r a s u t r a: "One of the most terrifying things I've seen on television in recent months are those ads for disposable cleaning products. I watch in horror as manic, Khaki-pants wearing housewives rush in a state of housebound frenzy, jamming flimsy plastic faux mops into the nooks and crannies of their gigantic and spotless homes. Aside from the obvious Freudian readings, the commercials feature toxic attidues not only towards women (retro 50s values, etc) but to all aspects of our mental and environmental health."

but this time policemen, not pop-stars or politicians. ABCNEWS.com:
"JERUSALEM Jan. 23 — The fumes from several tons of marijuana stored in an Israeli police station were so strong that officers had to leave their work place.
The police station in the town of Dimona in the southern Negev Desert is used to store all the marijuana confiscated along the Israeli-Egyptian border, a busy smuggling route. Between three and four tons were seized in the past two months."

only this time no beer.... ABCNEWS.com: "WELLINGTON, New Zealand Jan. 23 — An Auckland Zoo elephant named Burma disrupted rush-hour traffic when it staged a breakout Friday, dropping a large log on an electric fence before marching out to munch leaves and grass at a nearby park, zoo officials said.
Burma spent 25 minutes on the loose in Western Springs Park next to the zoo while police and fire fighters closed nearby roads and onramps to the city's busy northwestern highway as a precaution."

BBC SPORT: "Jonny Wilkinson is looking increasingly unlikely to be fit for the start of England's RBS Six Nations campaign.
The Newcastle fly-half, who has had neck and shoulder problems since returning from the World Cup, had hoped to make a club comeback on 7 February.
But that is now unlikely, which leaves Wilkinson with no time to prove his fitness for England's opener in Italy. "

No Johnno, No Wilco, .... Who's next?

Independent: "Hollywood's awards season was thrown into disarray yesterday after the FBI said it had uncovered an elaborate video piracy ring and traced it back to private 'screener' tapes entrusted to a veteran Hollywood actor to help him with his voting choices for the Oscars.
The 70-year-old actor, Carmine Caridi, a specialist in mob and tough-guy roles, routinely passed the screener tapes on to a friend in Illinois, who transferred them to DVD format and bootlegged them over the Internet, the FBI said."

Dean's Scream has a home. This thing is going to snowball....

that beer & elephants don't mix. BBC NEWS: "Four wild elephants drunk on rice beer have been electrocuted in the north-east Indian state of Meghalaya, wildlife officials report.
The elephants are known to have a taste for rice beer brewed by tribal communities across north-east India.
But this is the first time some of them have died after consuming the drink.
A herd of about 20 to 25 elephants went on the rampage in a remote area in the West Garo Hills district earlier this week after getting high on the beer. "

BBC NEWS: "Egypt has closed the Suez Canal as severe storms continue to wreak havoc in the eastern Mediterranean.
All traffic through the key shipping route linking the Mediterranean and the Red Sea was suspended early on Friday because of high winds and strong waves.
Airports and roads elsewhere in Egypt were also closed because of sandstorms which reduced visibility to zero. "