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Unrelated thoughts....
Today I watched several hours of MSNBC and CNN. Don't ask me why. It might be some masochistic streak in my personality. Or I am secretly addicted to non-stop updates on all things Michael Jackson, Sarah Palin, and the endless speculation about the impact of Al Franken becoming a potential 60th vote for Democrats in the Senate (provided Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd are ever well enough to enter the chamber.) Because that is all I got, despite a new show ever hour featuring a new batch of reporters and personalities and pundits. Any mention that 4,000 U.S. troops initiated a full-on assault against the Taliban in Afghanistan today? Not. A. Peep. But I did hear that Sarah Palin challenged President Obama to a jog-off.

Friends of mine will wonder, "Where were you when all this was going on?" I can only answer, "Well, my head was up my ass, you see...."

Jeff Parker and Steve Lieber have launched their first issue of "Underground," a comic book mini-series about a woman attempting to preserve an ancient subterranean cave from the tourist industry. Things go bad quickly, thanks to hasty dynamiting by eager developers, putting lives in jeopardy. Parker is a witty and smart writer, and Lieber draws action-packed scenes with a strong attention to details, both geological and human. Highly recommended.

Read a preview online or download a PDF of the first issue. And give Steve some love: He and his brilliant author-librarian wife Sara Ryan were burgled of their laptops recently a loss that I can only imagine feels like a lobotomy.