First of all, and here's the beauty of the internet (where you can commit random acts of corporate-inspired kindness just because you want to), here's a non-paid endorsement list courtesy of me.

Zappo's is the place online for shoes. Kids shoes, ladies sandals, spats for men (wingtips with black and white leather just like Al Capone used to wear). Shipping is free in the US... and our order was upgraded from USPS to UPS for no extra change. Nice. Then there's All-Of-mp3 for those of you that know technology and love music... if you have a PayPal account to pay for things online (keeping your credit card numbers safer), you can buy $10 of music. Unlike iTunes, which will charge 99¢ per song, All-Of-mp3 charge by the megabyte and it's just 1¢ per MB. This means a three minute song encoded at near-CD quality (192 kbps) will cost 5% what it does at Apple's store. How can they get it so low? They're Russians! Finally, buy $25 worth of books or music at Amazon.com and the shipping is free. Got a Greg Bear book, The Killers' new CD and Beth got some things she likes too.

Life goes on. My sister Wendy's getting married in England on the 18th of September. Sorry I can't be there, but send me a few digital pictures and I promise one will make it onto this blog.

We've just had the 4th of July here. Being a Limey, I feel like I should be saying sorry to people for having troops barrack in people's houses. Mind you, if G.W.Bush is going to ignore the part of the Constitution that says people are only to be denied access to the judicial system if there's an incoming invasion or rebellion, I shouldn't feel so bad.

One person this week wrote into the local paper and said how great his President is and compared his idea of America perfection to "the failure of Europe". The failure of Europe. Hmmmm. To paraphrase John Cleese as Reg in "The Life Of Brian": apart from the system of democracy, the first Bill Of Rights (Magna Carta, 1215A.D.), road systems, Western versions of religion, Shakespeare and the modern English language, Beethoven, Mozart, penicillin, evolution, skiing, every sport Americans play and watch in large numbers (with the exception of lacrosse), the invention of the train, cars, battletanks, fighter planes, radio, television, the discovery of DNA's construction, the invention of the pocket calculator, pocket TVs, the affordable home computer and the internet... WHAT HAS EUROPE EVER GIVEN US?!? I suggest the dittohead that wrote this diatribe go back to the rock he crawled out from. You don't need to be a dittohead to be a Christian, if that's your thing.

Listen : Such Great Heights - The Postal Service ... You Were Right - Badly Drawn Boy.