These days I am watching the BBC comedy "Spaced" starring Simon Pegg, while reading Slavery by Another Name: the Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. The author Blackmon won a Pulitzer for it.
The big news is that Republican Arlen Specter (photo at right) is switching parties, stating that his political philosophy is more in line with Democrats.
The White House apologizes for the Air Force One flyover in downtown NYC... that is not cool to New Yorkers, people, and the same thing could have been done with notification or PhotoShop!
In other info: a man in Kansas lives in an abandoned missile base, with photos from Wired magazine. Get your advice from F*ck Feelings, which has nothing to do with anything porny. Did you know Erin Andrews and Layla Kiffin (Lane's wife) are in the same sorority? Important information, there.
Failblog has a photo that seems to reference that myth about Catherine the Great. Megan Fox was shot for the cover of Esquire not with a still camera, but with a high-resolution video camera called redONE. And the remaining American Idol contestants are going to sing standards made famous by Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and the Rat Pack... here's hoping Allison Iraheta kills it.
Addicted to checking your favorite web pages all the time? Use "KeepMeOut.com" to warn you when you're over-procrastinating. And get your feet rubbed while you eat barbecue! For real!
As for your St. John's updates:
=> Apparently forward Sean Evans may have broken his hand. No official news; that's from his Facebook.
=> Guard prospect Lance Stephenson still has not made a decision on where he will play ball + ostensibly go to school next year. Arizona is rumored to be in play, as well. This is making this writer fall asleep, so I'll send you over to others as the saga continues.
=> As for the other recruits, St. John's is no longer listed on Kevin Parrom's 5. JUCO (sophomore) point guard Malcolm Armstead visited Oregon but is "thinking about" things... some of these "things" might be his Junior College coach Greg Heiar getting the Director of Basketball Operations job at the University of Memphis. No recent word on Malik Stith.
=> In better news, a date for the upcoming season is finalized: December 9th, Madison Square Garden against Georgia in the SEC/ Big East Invitational. St. John's and Georgia will be the undercard to Connecticut vs. Kentucky, which will definitely bring in some fans and media. At least they'll be on TV. The other pairings in the invitational are here.
=> Also: DJ Kennedy is being honored by the city of Pittsburgh's Department of Parks and Recreation.
=> St. John's is also looking for fan input on a new mascot. Unfortunately, with choices like "Thunderbird," "Red Storm Dog," and "Storm Hero," accompanied with silly/ clownishly cute renderings, the mascot search has caught a lot of flak from around the blogosphere.
=> In sad news, former St. John's star and New Jersey Nets center Jayson Williams seems to have attempted suicide in a hotel suite he was staying in. Police believe he was distraught over his divorce, parents' illness, and impending retrial for manslaughter.