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Public Hedonism and Private Restraint By / NYT — Permalink You see the febrile young teens in their skintight spaghetti strap tank tops with their acres of exposed pelvic skin. You hear 50 Cent's ode to oral sex, "Candy Shop," throbbing from their iPods. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: What's The World Coming To? Ezra's right, today's David Brooks column is very good. Greg Piper: Spring has sprung, in more ways than one — David Brooks has a good column about sex - playfully published on the least... Ann Althouse: Taking the best of both sides of the culture war. David Brooks is writing again. I always get distracted by the prose. |
TheAnchoress: UPDATE: David Brooks has a different take on things. Ezra Klein: Pop Culture Smartens Up — Brooks' column today is, well, very good. Joanne Jacobs: Fantasy sex — Young Americans are publicly raunchy but privately conservative in their sexual behavior and attitudes, writes David Brooks in the New York Times. |
| Also: Roger Ailes | |
Bolton's just too hip for scaredy-cat Dems By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink Boy, this confirmation battle over John Bolton, the president's plain-spoken nominee for U.N. ambassador, is really heating up. Sen. Barbara Boxer, the Democratic Party's comely obstructionist, has charged that Bolton needs ''anger management lessons.'' | |
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Charles Johnson: Too Hip for the Room — Another good column from Mark Steyn, on the tiresomely familiar posturing of Democratic Senators... Betsy Newmark: Mark Steyn is in top form today on the John Bolton nomination. Jan Haugland: Mark Steyn, unsurprisingly, has pretty firm opinions. His satirical take on the dems' reaction to Bolton's hands-on-hips bullying is a pleasure to read. |
TheAnchoress: Steyn on "Two Hips" Bolton Oh, you must read this, because it is just too delicious - Mark Steyn points out just what... Roger L. Simon: Belushi's Back! (I knew it would happen sooner or later) Mark Steyn does the "loco-Bolton". Pejman Yousefzadeh: This seriously: "Boy, this confirmation battle over John Bolton, the president's plain-spoken nominee for U.N. ambassador, is really heating up. |
| Also: Susanna Cornett, Scott @PowerLine | |
A New Power Rises Across Mideast WaPo — Permalink BEIRUT — Early this year, a small group of advertising executives, journalists and political operatives began meeting around the crowded tables of a popular cafe here to plot an opposition media strategy for Lebanon's spring parliamentary elections. | |
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Captain Ed: A New Power Rises In The Mideast, But It's Just A Coincidence: Post — The Washington Post publishes a long article... Pejman Yousefzadeh: WE HAVE MORE BANDWAGONING — The Washington Post bandwagons: "Early this year, a small group of advertising executives,... Orrin Judd: ONE IS PRETTY MUCH LIKE ANOTHER: A New Power Rises Across Mideast: Advocates for Democracy Begin to Taste Success After... |
John @PowerLine: "A New Power Rises..." This morning the Washington Post begins a two-part report on the stirrings of movements for democracy across the Middle East. Cori Dauber: Here's an article from two Washington Post reporters about reform in the Middle East dedicated to the proposition that... Betsy Newmark: The Washington Post has a fascinating look at some of the groups that have been working behind the scenes to bring about democratic reform in the Middle East. |
The world is his laptop Times of London — Permalink Matt Drudge's panama hat is the kind that cigar-sucking American newspaper men wore in the 1940s. Seeing him without it is like seeing the Statue of Liberty without her torch or Tom Wolfe without his white suit. | |
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Keith Taylor: Matt Drudge is an Ass by Keith Taylor Matt Drudge in the Sunday Times (h/t Sisu): Now he sounds disillusioned and says... Roger Ailes: BREAKING: Drudge Has Full Head Of Hair Under Hat — Good news for the ladies: [quote] "So are you a gay right-wing Republican?"[end quote] |
Patrick Ruffini: But now, that illusion lies in tatters as Drudge's true intentions come to the fore: [snipped quote] Bloggers are scratching their heads over this. |
Humanitarian group founder killed in Iraq CNN — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — An American founder of a humanitarian group for Iraqi civilian war casualties has been killed in a car bomb blast, a Western official in Baghdad said Sunday. | |
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Cori Dauber: (Notice even on their web site CNN refers to Global Exchange merely as a "human rights" organization. |
Glenn Reynolds: THIS IS INTERESTING, even if it's buried at the end of a story on something else: [snipped quote] It's going to be bad... |
Transcript for April 17 MSNBC — Permalink PLEASE CREDIT ANY QUOTES OR EXCERPTS FROM THIS NBC TELEVISION PROGRAM TO "NBC NEWS' MEET THE PRESS." This is a rush transcript provided for the information and convenience of the press. Accuracy is not guaranteed. | |
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Cori Dauber: Get 'em Off Script — Two of the most important reporters on the progress of the war — NBC's Pentagon beat reporter,... Tom Tomorrow: Life during wartime — From today's Meet the Press: [snipped quote] What's striking about this is that if you read the... |
Dr. Steven Taylor: Blount v. Frank: The Actual Words — Pursuant to my previous post on this topic, here's the transcript from today's Meet... |
The Neocons' Unabashed Reversal By / WaPo — Permalink The term "neoconservative" started out as an insult and is still used that way. When people say that the selection of Paul Wolfowitz to head the World Bank marks the triumph of neocons in Bush administration foreign policy, they are generally not indicating pleasure. | |
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Paul @PowerLine: Michael Kinsley thinks that the "neo-conservatives" owe the public an "admission of error." Jonah Goldberg: KINSLEY & THE NEOCONS — I've been pretty hard on Kinsley at times, but I think he makes a perfectly valid point about the elasticity of the neocon label. |
Pessimist @LeftCoaster: That may finally have happened - courtesy of Michael Kinsley: The Neocons' Unabashed Reversal [snipped quote] Flip-flop your @$$! |
Mystery Flight Newsweek — Permalink Arpil 25 issue - It's part of the routine for air travel since 9/11. Fifteen minutes after KLM Flight 685 took off from Amsterdam for Mexico City on April 8, Mexican authorities forwarded the names of all the passengers to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. | |
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Jan Haugland: Passengers trigger alarm on transatlantic flight — On April 8, two Saudi passengers on KLM flight 685 from Amsterdam to... Ace: Compelling and frightening... although somewhat reassuring, too: [snipped quote] Uh-huh. |
Cori Dauber: Now, via Instapundit, (and laced with qualifiers), comes more of the story from Newsweek. Glenn Reynolds: ANOTHER AIR SECURITY SCARE: I don't think we're doing nearly enough, or doing it nearly well enough on this score, even though this story has a happy ending. |
Confusion at Smith College American Thinker — Permalink When one starts down the path of imposing fantasies upon and against the basic categories of natural history, and insists that your own imagination, not nature itself, ought to be the basis for determining action, no end of trouble and confusion will come your way. | |
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Ed Driscoll: Chuck—Nee Charlotte—Simmons — Betsy Newmark links (via Thomas Lifson) to this unintentionally hilarious article (at... |
Betsy Newmark: Thomas Lifson links to this story about Smith College. We are truly in a brave new world. |
Iraq militias 'could beat rebels' By / BBC — Permalink Iraq's new president has said the insurgency could be ended immediately if the authorities made use of Kurdish, Shia Muslim and other militias. Jalal Talabani said this would be more effective than waiting for Iraqi forces to take over from the US-led coalition. | |
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Pessimist @LeftCoaster: Iraq militias 'could beat rebels' "Iraq's new president has said the insurgency could be ended immediately if the authorities made use of Kurdish, Shia Muslim and other militias. |
Orrin Judd: JUST WIN, BABY: Iraq militias 'could beat rebels' (Jim Muir, 4/17/05, BBC News) "Iraq's new president has said the... |
Ms. Right By / Time — Permalink Ann Coulter and I were well into a bottle of white Bordeaux—and I believe she was chewing her fourth piece of Nicorette—when it happened. From what little I knew of her—mainly her propensity for declamations such as "liberals love America like O.J. loved Nicole"—I thought it impossible for Coulter to blush. | |
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Zkg @DailyKos: The love affair between the SCLM and the extreme Right Wing continues apace. is Ann Coulter. She's perky! She's cute! PoliPundit: Quote of the Day — Ann Coulter, on why she attacks liberals: "They're terrible people, liberals. |
Joe Gandelman: Hey...don't tell ME...vote by clicking HERE to let Time know the answer to their online question. Susan Madrak: ROLE MODEL — Will writes about the pathetic spectacle of Ann Coulter on the cover of Time this week: [snipped quote] Yeah, he pretty much nails it. |
Majority Vote Should Trump Minority Rule By / WaPo — Permalink It has been almost four years since President Bush nominated Texas Supreme Court Judge Priscilla Owen to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. Since then the Senate has held two hearings, conducted many days of floor debate, analyzed Owen's judicial... | |
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Paul @PowerLine: In reality, as Rick Santorum points out in today's Post, the Republicans have never killed any court of appeals nominee through a filibuster. PoliPundit: Filibuster — Here are the key stats on judicial-nominee filibusters: "Of the 52 men and women the president nominated... |
Hugh Hewitt: Recognizing perhaps that Senator Frist has the votes, but hoping to hinder his will, the Washington Post puts out a... |
Decoded at last: the 'classical holy grail' that may rewrite the history of the world Independent — Permalink For more than a century, it has caused excitement and frustration in equal measure - a collection of Greek and Roman writings so vast it could redraw the map of classical civilisation. If only it was legible. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: OH GOD, OH GOD, OH GOD, OH GOD, OH GOD, OH GOD, OH GOD HOW WONDERFUL — There are not words in the English vocabularly... Josh Chafetz: THIS IS UNBELIEVABLY COOL: [snipped quote] Via Will. |
Will Baude: Counting Our Stock — Apparently we are on the verge of uncovering loads of classical works previously thought lost (via Alex Tabarrok). Alex Tabarrok: Oxyrhynchus Papyri — [snipped quote] More here. Hat tip to The Light of Reason. |
Getting Blogged Down in the News By / WaPo — Permalink Being away for 10 days usually means coming back to some old business. It's unusual for old business to remain new business over such a stretch, but that's what has happened with The Post's coverage of the mysterious Senate memo dealing with political strategy in the case of the now-deceased Terri Schiavo. | |
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Jay Rosen: Copy editors, take note: Getting Blogged Down in the News (Washington Post) Blogged Down (American Prospect) Blogged... Scott @PowerLine: In today's column he turns to the story of the "GOP talking points memo" that we have written about at length on several occasions: "Getting blogged down in the news." |
Armando @DailyKos: He responds indirectly to the issue today: [snipped quote] Not surprisingly, I am disappointed with Mr. Getler's response. Michelle Malkin: GETLER: POST SHOULD HAVE BEEN "QUICKER AND MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD" IN CLARIFYING SCHIAVO MEMO COVERAGE — Washington Post... |
We're Rich, You're Not. End of Story. By / NYT — Permalink OSLO — THE received wisdom about economic life in the Nordic countries is easily summed up: people here are incomparably affluent, with all their needs met by an efficient welfare state. They believe it themselves. | |
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Will Collier: The Times (to my surprise and the paper's credit) ran a really interesting and data-chocked analysis by Bruce Bawer, an... Orrin Judd: MISSISSIPPI WITH FJORDS: We're Rich, You're Not. Glenn Reynolds: MORE ON THE EVER-POPULAR THEME OF OVERRATED NORDIC AFFLUENCE, this time from Bruce Bawer in the New York Times. |
Jan Haugland: Dispelling the myth about the world's richest country — In an NYT article that will no doubt get reactions here in... TheAnchoress: An interesting and well-written article in the NY Times - by a freelancer living in Oslo - suggests that the... |
The Unregulated Offensive By / NYT — Permalink I. Justice Thomas's Other Controversy If you think back to Clarence Thomas's Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 1991, what most likely comes to mind are the explosive allegations of sexual harassment made by the law professor Anita Hill. | |
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Mary @PacificViews: Jeffrey Rosen's piece in the NY Times Magazine, The Unregulated Offensive, shows that many of the judicial nominees in... Orin Kerr: The Constitution-in-Exile Myth Returns: I just finished reading the New York Times piece by my friend and colleague Jeffrey Rosen on the alleged "Constitution in Exile" movement. Will Baude: Homeland, Sojourn — Jeff Rosen has a much-discussed piece in the New York Times today describing the so-called... |
Ramesh Ponnuru: THE RETURN OF "THE CONSTITUTION IN EXILE" — Jeffrey Rosen has an article on an alleged movement to use the federal courts to undo the modern regulatory state. Pejman Yousefzadeh: And indeed, here it is: "If you think back to Clarence Thomas's Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 1991, what most... Barbara O'Brien: Depressives in Exile — Jeff Rosen's NY Times Magazine article on the alleged "constitution-in-exile" movement is being discussed all over the Blogosphere. |
| Also: Captain Ed, Ann Althouse, James Joyner, Nathan Hallford, David Bernstein, Jeralyn Merritt, DavidNYC @DailyKos, Orrin Judd, Susan Madrak | |
Hanging up the microphone By / BBC — Permalink So what happens when a foreign correspondent finally hangs up his microphone? Stephen Sackur, who has reported from Jerusalem, Cairo, Washington and Brussels is swapping his nomadic life as a correspondent for the comfort of a television studio and new role as presenter of BBC HARDtalk. | |
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Kevin Aylward: A Very Un-Ratherlike Sign-off — BBC foreign correspondent Stephen Sackur makes a somewhat shocking admission in his Ifarewell broadcast. |
Arthur Chrenkoff: Confessions of a BBC foreign correspondent — Almost beyond parody - but at least BBC's Stephen Sackur is honest, and... |
Ecuador President Lifts State of Emergency By / AP — Permalink QUITO, Ecuador (AP)- Less than a day after imposing a state of emergency in the capital to quell protests, Ecuadorean President Lucio Gutierrez revoked the measure as thousands of people took to Quito's streets in defiance of the ban on demonstrations. | |
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Julie Saltman: Guest: Julie Saltman — UNREST IN ECUADOR...Ecuadorean President Lucio Gutierrez called off the state of emergency he... |
A.M. Mora y Leon: ASSOCIATED PRESS, April 17: President Gutierrez lifts his state of emergency in a desperate bid to get rid of the... |
Ecuador's President Revokes Protest Curbs By / NYT — Permalink BOGOT, Colombia, April 16 - Hours after declaring a state of emergency to quell anti-government protests, President Lucio Gutiérrez of Ecuador revoked the measure on Saturday. | |
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Julie Saltman: They had sided with his opposition in a failed attempt to impeach him on corruption charges. |
A.M. Mora y Leon: THE NEW YORK TIMES, April 17: Juan Forero has a good summary of the mess there if you like your news in one piece. |
Down to the Wire By / Foreign Affairs — Permalink Summary: Once a leader in Internet innovation, the United States has fallen far behind Japan and other Asian states in deploying broadband and the latest mobile-phone technology. This lag will cost it dearly. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Free Advice — If you're looking for Thomas Bleha's Foreign Affairs article on how America is falling behind in terms of... |
Jane Galt: Reading comprehension — Can you spot the error in this Foreign Affairs article? [snipped quote] Click below for the answer. |
French farmers dig in against Chirac By / Telegraph — Permalink When President Jacques Chirac made a crucial televised plea to his countrymen to approve the European Constitution this week, Fabrice Rognault, a French farmer, was too busy to watch. "I was desperately filling in my application for this year's EU subsidy," he said. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Where is some of the key resistance in France? According to England's Telegraph: among French farmers. Pejman Yousefzadeh: Yes: [snipped quote] Of course, the inconsistency in Rognault's complaint—expressin g his fear that he cannot live... |
Peter Burnet: UNGRATEFUL PAMPERED SERVANTS — French farmers dig in against Chirac (Harry de Quetteville, The Telegraph, April 17th,... |
Labor Dept. Plans Increasing Scrutiny of Union Finances By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 14 - The Bush administration is rapidly expanding audits of the nation's labor unions, citing a need to ferret out and deter corruption. But union leaders assert that those increased efforts are nothing more than crude political retaliation. | |
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TChris: Retaliation Against Unions? Is the Bush adminstration harassing labor unions for their support of Democratic candidates? |
Orrin Judd: ASYMMETRY: Labor Dept. Plans Increasing Scrutiny of Union Finances (STEVEN GREENHOUSE, 4/17/05, NY Times) |
SOURCES: COULTER TO BE ON COVER OF TIME MAG Drudge Report — Permalink Ann Coulter epitomizes the way politics is now discussed on the airwaves, where opinions must come violently fast and cause as much friction as possible, TIME's John Cloud claims in this week's cover story. | |
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Ace: 'Bout Time — Time to feature Ann Coulter on its cover. I hate to be a one-note Charlie, but this is, yes, proof of media bias. |
Steve M.: Haven't read the Time cover story on Ann Coulter yet, but Christ, look at those legs — somebody get this woman to an eating-disorder clinic, fast. |
DeLay condemns 'overheated' debate at NRA convention By / Dallas Morning News — Permalink HOUSTON - House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Saturday decried "overheated" political debate that seeks to challenge the character of elected officials. AP NRA president Kayne Robinson, right, stands with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay after presenting him the Cecil Brooks Original Flintlock Rifle. | |
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Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: When Reality Outstrips Irony ... by hilzoy From the Dallas News: [snipped quote] Wow. Just wow. |
Josh Marshall: Tom DeLay: "It is unfortunate in our electoral system, exacerbated by our adversarial media culture, that political... |
A Birthday Wrapped in Cambodian History By / NYT — Permalink TODAY is my birthday. April 17 is what's on my driver's license and other documents. But I don't know for sure, and probably never will. All I know is that I was born in Cambodia, sometime during 1970. | |
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Jason Van Steenwyk: Cori Dauber links to this heartbreaking tale of a childhood under the Khmer Rouge. |
Cori Dauber: To Honor Another Anniversary — There are too damn many anniversaries like it. |
Nigeria's Spiritual Rainmaker Is Eyed at Vatican By / WaPo — Permalink ONITSHA, Nigeria — The legend of Cardinal Francis Arinze, a contender to become the first pope from Africa in 1,500 years, stems from a moment of crisis in Nigeria's Catholic heartland. | |
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TheAnchoress: I found this profile of Cardinal Arinze at her blog, and it is interesting and helpful. |
Betsy Newmark: The Washington Post profiles Cardinal Francis Arinze as one of the top candidates to replace Pope John Paul II. |
Iraq forces raid village in hostage crisis By / AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi security forces raided a town in central Iraq on Sunday where Sunni militants were holding dozens of Shiite Muslims hostage and threatening to kill them unless all Shiites left the area, an Iraqi official said. | |
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Brad DeLong: Instead, I would have to talk about things like: Iraq forces raid village in hostage crisis : BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi... |
Atrios: Meanwhile in Iraq — What we've got here is a failure to communicate... BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi security forces raided a... |
Bob Kerrey Weighing Run for Mayor of New York NYT — Permalink Former United States Senator Bob Kerrey, the president of the New School University and a Democratic candidate for president in 1992, said yesterday that he was considering a run for mayor of New York City, declaring that Michael R. Bloomberg had failed to fight Washington Republican policies that Mr. Kerrey said endangered the city's finances and security. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Bob Kerrey For...Mayor OF NEW YORK??? by Joe Gandelman Taking a page that has worked well for former California... Michelle Malkin: DEMOCRATS IN THE NEWS — Former Senator Bob Kerrey is considering running for mayor of New York City, the New York Times reports. |
Scott Sala: It seems the Democratic slate of candidates is so pathetic, so prone to shooting themselves in the foot, that Bob Kerrey says he's considering jumping in the ring. |
DeLay Avoids Ethics Flap in Speech to NRA By / AP — Permalink HOUSTON (AP) - House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, under fire for alleged ethics violations, accused liberal Democrats and the national media of giving him a hard time in a keynote speech at the National Rifle Association's annual convention Saturday evening. | |
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Judd @ThinkProgress: Tom DeLay, at NRA convention, 4/16/05: "When a man is in trouble or in a good fight, you want to have your friends around, preferably armed. |
Jeralyn Merritt: Tom DeLay at the NRA — [snipped quote] Tom DeLay, KeynoteSpeaker, Annual Convention of the National Rifle Association, Houston, April 16, 2005. |
Iraqi Leaders Flexing Muscles LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — For the last two years, U.S. authorities have had firm control of the mission in Iraq. They have set rules for military operations and worked with Iraqi leaders blessed by Washington. | |
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Juan Cole: The Los Angeles Times points out that the new Iraqi government is likely to show greater independence from Washington. |
Orrin Judd: SUCH IS SOVEREIGNTY: Iraqi Leaders Flexing Muscles: U.S. officials may have limited influence on the direction of the new government, including its stance toward American troops. |
Think Tank's Ideas Shifted As Malaysia Ties Grew By / WaPo — Permalink For years, the Heritage Foundation sharply criticized the autocratic rule of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, denouncing his anti-Semitism, his jailing of political opponents and his "anti-free market currency controls." | |
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Judd @ThinkProgress: Heritage Sells Out — There is a revealing article in today's Washington Post on the Heritage Foundation. Henry @CrookedTimber: A mess of pottage A very interesting article about the Heritage Foundation, Malaysia, and and sums of money flowing to... Laura Rozen: The WaPo reports: [snipped quote] Will their tax filing status as a nonprofit catch up? |
Roger Ailes: A Feulner and His Money, or The Whoritage Foundation in The Tank — As if you needed any proof that the Heritage... Glenn Reynolds: EITHER THIS IS A DREADFUL HIT PIECE, or the Heritage Foundation has some explaining to do. |
'H. P. Lovecraft': Unnatural Selection By / NYT — Permalink Edited by Peter Straub. 838 pp. The Library of America. $35. IT'S impossible to read the work of H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) without experiencing a familiar sensation. The throat constricts. The lips purse. A shudder goes through your body, and the hands rise involuntarily to the mouth. | |
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Steve Bainbridge: Times Slimes HP — From the "paper of record," via CE Petit: "It's impossible to read the work of H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) without experiencing a familiar sensation. |
Stirling Newberry: Who let the trogs out? Oh look, an imbecile who thinks he knows more about literature than Borges. |
Reports Cite No Abuse of Schiavo By / WaPo — Permalink ORLANDO — In the four years after Michael Schiavo won the right to remove his wife's feeding tube, the state's social welfare agency investigated 89 complaints of abuse but never found that he or anybody else harmed Terri Schiavo, records released late Friday show. | |
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Atrios: Those Damn Internets — Consider this paragraph from the Post on the exoneration of Michael Schiavo regarding abuse... |
Roger Ailes: The Culture of Lies — Sad news for Tom DeLay, Sean Hannity, "Brother Paul" and the other lying cretins who smeared or... |
Tillman declined discharge in '03 AP — Permalink PHOENIX (AP) — Four months before he was killed in Afghanistan, Pat Tillman was told that he could opt out of extending his military service because NFL clubs were interested in him. | |
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Michelle Malkin: PAT TILLMAN, AMERICAN HERO — Pat Tillman, who was killed one year ago this week, reportedly turned down the opportunity... |
Lorie Byrd: Pat Tillman was even more a hero than we already knew. No three bandaid scratch Purple Hearts and you're out for this guy. |
Now the battle for Bow is getting bitter Observer — Permalink Blond-haired, white mannequins in technicolour saris pose in the window. A few doors along, squeezed between two leather goods shops, is an outlet for electronic gadgets. Guptee Wholesale Grocers boasts mangos, okra, stacks of tin thermoses, bags of yellow curry powder, sacks of Bombay Mix. | |
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Gene @HarrysPlace: George has it both ways on abortion — George Galloway never tires of telling conservative religious voters that he is against abortion. |
Harry @HarrysPlace: In the same paper Cristina Odone visits the constituency and talks to Muslim voters (she only talks to Muslim voters). |
Cardinals Align as Time Nears to Select Pope By / NYT — Permalink ROME, April 16 - There was never doubt that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican's hard-line defender of the faith, would have a strong hand in selecting the next pope. | |
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TheAnchoress: The other is by Laurie Goodstein who I am liking a lot, these days, even if she does work for the dreaded NY Times. Taegan Goddard: Ratzinger Leads Papal Speculation — "Any talk of who will become the next pope is guesswork, echoes from cardinals and... Steve Bainbridge: Papal Speculation — Pejman on the Ratzinger bandwagon: [snipped quote] Also, remember the old saying: "He who enters the conclave as pope, leaves it as a cardinal." |
Betsy Newmark: Or the Cardinals could read this analysis in the New York Times and decide that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger either has the... Pejman Yousefzadeh: THE RATIZINGER BANDWAGON — It appears to grow stronger, but the more talk there is about Cardinal Ratzinger becoming... Orrin Judd: POPEMAKER: Cardinals Align as Time Nears to Select Pope (LAURIE GOODSTEIN and IAN FISHER, 4/17/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] It would seem sufficient that he have a veto. |
Dean Says Democrats Will Make Schiavo Case an Election Issue By / LAT — Permalink Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Friday that his party would wield the Terri Schiavo case against Republicans in the 2006 and 2008 elections, but for now needed to stay focused battling President Bush on Social Security. | |
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Chris Lawrence: And via Stephen Bainbridge comes word that the Democrats will be bringing up Terri Schiavo again during at least the... Betsy Newmark: Just who is planning to use Terri Schiavo's death for political gain? Taegan Goddard: Dean Will Make Schiavo Campaign Issue — DNC Chairman Howard Dean said "that his party would wield the Terri Schiavo... |
John @PowerLine: Dean Vows To "Use Terri Schiavo" — Howard Dean said yesterday that the Democrats would use Terri Schiavo as a weapon... Steve Bainbridge: Politicizing Schiavo — Remember the stink everybody made a few weeks ago about that Republican senate staffer's memo on how to make political hay out of the Terri Schiavo case? Atrios: Dean — Says: [snipped quote] Embracing theocracy isn't just about enshrining into law a particular sect's moral codes,... |
| Also: Orrin Judd | |
Report on Schiavo Finds No Abuse By / NYT — Permalink State investigators in Florida have found no clear evidence that Terri Schiavo was denied rehabilitation, neglected or otherwise abused, according to documents released yesterday by the state's Department of Children and Families. | |
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Chris Lawrence: âbut you just can't kill the beast It turns out that the only folks abusing Terri Schiavo were politicians,... Steve M.: You may have seen this brief story in The New York Times — "Report on Schiavo Finds No Abuse" — but for the full story... Armando @DailyKos: That was a lie: "State investigators in Florida have found no clear evidence that Terri Schiavo was denied... |
Joe Gandelman: Investigators Say Terri Schiavo Was Not Abused by Joe Gandelman Yet more info has come out in the Terri Schiavo case,... John Cole: No Abuse Found — Investigators have come to a conclusion regarding Terri Schiavo and have determined she WAS NOT abused... Pudentilla: christians lied about michael schiavo — [snipped quote] good thing it's not a crime to file a false report with... |
| Also: Roger Ailes | |
In DeLay's Home District, Rumblings of Discontent Surface By / NYT — Permalink SUGAR LAND, Tex., April 16 - Patricia Baig, a substitute teacher with a comfortable inheritance, paid $2,776 this week to call for Representative Tom DeLay's resignation. | |
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TChris: Concerns about DeLay's unethical behavior — or, more importantly, the publicity surrounding it — have led to "signs of restiveness" back home. |
Taegan Goddard: Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that the Texas fallout from DeLay's "citations for ethical lapses and the... |
Reports Rock Support for U.N. Nominee By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska signaled Friday that his support for the nomination of John R. Bolton as U.N. ambassador was wavering after new reports that Bolton ordered an intelligence analyst removed from his job. | |
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Praktike: Shouting can only get you so far, after all. Over to you, Chuck Hagel. |
Laura Rozen: Hagel's support for Bolton is wavering, the LA Times' Sonni Efron reports. Update: Want a serious person to nominate for full time US ambassador to the UN? |
Bush administration eliminating 19-year-old international terrorism report By / Knight Ridder — Permalink WASHINGTON - The State Department decided to stop publishing an annual report on international terrorism after the government's top terrorism center concluded that there were more terrorist attacks in 2004 than in any year since 1985, the first year the publication covered. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: "No numbers, no problem!" Nothing must pop Inerrant Boy's bubble! [snipped quote] Wow. I wonder why they did that? Kos @DailyKos: Sweeping embarrassments under the rug — Sirota lists some of the wonderful government information Bush has scrubbed in... Praktike: Guest: Praktike — GIVE US THE FACTS...Jonathan Landay says that the State Department has decided to stop publishing... |
Joe Gandelman: How To Make Sure You Can Show You're Not Behind In The War Against Terror by Joe Gandelman Here's a nifty way to show... Barbara O'Brien: Just Like Home Made — Jonathan Landay reports for Knight Ridder: "The State Department decided to stop publishing an... Brad DeLong: The Bush Clown Show Continues — Matthew Yglesias reports: Matthew Yglesias: New Depths Discovered: The State... |
| Also: Laura Rozen, Taegan Goddard, Matthew Yglesias | |
IPod Devotees Rocked by Thefts By / WaPo — Permalink The burglar visited every room of Sara Scalenghe's Northwest Washington apartment, stealing an expensive digital camera and a gold necklace passed down from her grandmother. But Scalenghe did not begin seething until she confirmed her biggest fear: Her new iPod had been swiped, too. | |
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Patrick Ruffini: This is life in the realm of sogginess. Exhibit A: [quote] "I know it sounds silly, but it changed everything.[end quote] Ann Althouse: "Thieves got an illicit glimpse at ... their 'souls.'" How you feel when someone steals your iPod. |
Steve Bainbridge: I ♥ my iPod — From the WaPo: [snipped quote] I've been there, as regular readers know. |
Mr. Natural's Creator Visits the World of Art By / NYT — Permalink The cartoonist R. Crumb has never been sure what to make of praise for his work from the noncomics art world. He once drew a pitiful buck-toothed portrait of himself wearing a beret and a bewildered look, exclaiming in a half-literate word bubble: "Broigul I ain't ... Let's face it." | |
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Ann Althouse: Robert Hughes and R. Crumb talk about Andy Warhol and Albert Speer. Robert Hughes and R. Crumb, together at last. Jan Haugland: Then you definitely should read this NYT piece about art critic Robert Hughes and R. Crumb sharing a stage. |
Scott @PowerLine: R. Crumb live — Today's New York Times has one story worth reading (rated: R), on the appearance of cartoonist R. Crumb... |
The Ward Churchill Notoriety Tour By / Weekly Standard — Permalink ON A LATE MARCH EVENING in the Mission District, the line stretches down the block. Hopefuls are anxious to make the cut at $10 a head; the auditorium in the Women's Building only seats 400. | |
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Damian Penny: "Walking Eagle" — Matt Labash's Weekly Standard piece on hanging out with Ward Churchill is only available to... Ann Althouse: In The Weekly Standard, Matt Labash has a long, colorful article about Ward Churchill, whom he followed about and had a long drunken conversation with. |
Scott @PowerLine: The cover story on Ward Churchill is by Matt Labash: "The Ward Churchill notoriety tour." |
Change to the Clean Air Act Is Built Into New Energy Bill By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 15 - Deep in the energy bill that was approved by a House committee this week, under a section titled "Miscellaneous," is a brief provision that could have major consequences for communities struggling to clean up their dirty air. | |
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Mary @LeftCoaster: Ordinary Americans will be pleased to find out that states will be handed a waiver if they find that they cannot meet... Pudentilla: screw blue — [snipped quote] well we're blue, you know what that means - we hate jesus and america and deserve to die of... |
Tom Maguire: Clean Air Clown Show — The NY Times has abandoned any pretense of reporting, and handed the keys to the activists (File under "What Else Is New"). |
U.S. eliminates annual terrorism report By / Knight Ridder — Permalink WASHINGTON — The State Department decided to stop publishing an annual report on international terrorism after the government's top terrorism center concluded that there were more terrorist attacks in 2004 than in any year since 1985, the first year the publication covered. | |
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Magpie @PacificViews: And the reason for that appears to be because the new report would have shown that terrorist attacks in 2004 reached the... |
Alex Tabarrok: See no evil — Jonathan Landay of Knight-Ridder describes the administration's new method of fighting terrorism. |
Showdown on judges By / Townhall.com — Permalink WASHINGTON — Republican leaders count only two or three GOP senators who will vote against the efforts to end, by a straight majority vote, filibusters on confirmation of judicial nominations. Sens. | |
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Ace: 52 Votes To End Filibusters — From Drudge: [snipped quote] Could be a bluff, of course. Betsy Newmark: Robert Novak seems to think that only three GOP senators would vote against a party-line vote to end judicial filibusters. |
Orrin Judd: HOW WE'LL KNOW WHETHER MR. McCAIN WANTS TO BE PRESIDENT OR NOT: Showdown on judges (Robert Novak, April 16, 2005,... |
Bush Points to a Retirement System With Mixed Results LAT — Permalink KIRTLAND, Ohio — President Bush came to Ohio on Friday to highlight a state retirement savings system that he said showed that Americans would be better off handling their own old-age investments through personal accounts than relying on traditional Social Security. | |
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Julie Saltman: Guest: Julie Saltman — NOT IMPRESSED...Ohio was Bamboozlepalooza central on Friday, but the loyal few who were allowed... |
Josh Marshall: And at the end of the article in the Times there's this odd passage ... [snipped quote] Political amnesty? |
The Miracle That Wasn't By / NYT — Permalink It is an inspirational urban lesson from the 1990's: take back the streets from squeegee men and drug dealers, and violent crime will plummet. But on Thursday evening, the tipping-point theory was looking pretty wobbly itself. | |
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Steve M.: No, I don't agree with him about the wacky theory that legalization of abortion was the leading cause of the big drop in... Ramesh Ponnuru: ABORTION AND CRIME — John Tierney has a slapdash column on it. Steve Sailer's site takes apart the theory that abortion is responsible for half the drop in crime. Avedon Carol: Dateline New York — Weird and unexpected: The NYT's replacement for William Safire, John Tierney, has a column up... |
DJ Drummond: Steven D Levitt, a delusional economist, now argues that Abortion cut crime, an argument the New York Times finds worth... Orrin Judd: IF WE KILLED THEM ALL THERE'D BE NO CRIME: The Miracle That Wasn't (JOHN TIERNEY, 4/16/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] The... |
FDA Orders Levitra Ad Off the Air By / WaPo — Permalink The Food and Drug Administration has ordered drug giants Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp. and GlaxoSmithKline PLC to immediately pull a television ad for impotence drug Levitra, saying that the commercial does not adequately state the drug's potential side effects... | |
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Xan @Corrente: So it falls to me, Ms. V-Gina, to bring you the following tragic news, whose impact is, frankly, greater on me than it... |
Joe Gandelman: The Washington Post notes this: "Levitra is the second impotence drug to have one of its television ads pulled. |
Wendy's offers $100,000 reward for "chili finger's" original owner AP — Permalink Somewhere out there is a woman, dead or alive, who is missing part of a well-manicured finger about 1 ½ inches long. Authorities know where the finger ended up — in a bowl of Wendy's chili in San Jose, Calif. — but the owner is a mystery. | |
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Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: If you can point the finger at the person who owned the finger you can finger figure Wendy's will give you a reward — $100,000 in fact. |
Roger L. Simon: Public Service Announcement — It's a long shot but... you never know who is reading this site. |
A Champ in the City of Coffees By / NYT — Permalink SEATTLE, April 14 - In a bright storage room above a small bean-roasting plant in this city of coffee perfectionists, America's reigning coffee-making champion was preparing to take on the world. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: Not content with burning their coffee, Starbucks plans to eliminate baristas — That didn't take long, did it? |
Ann Althouse: Competitive coffee. The World Barista Championship. |
Ecuador President Dissolves Supreme Court By / AP — Permalink QUITO, Ecuador - President Lucio Gutierrez declared a state of emergency in the capital city of this Andean nation and dissolved the Supreme Court, saying the unpopular judges were the cause of three days of pot-banging street protests in Quito. | |
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Dr. Steven Taylor: On the Ecuadorian Crisis and Courts in General — Ecuador President Dissolves Supreme Court "President Lucio Gutierrez... |
Lambert @Corrente: Let's play Guess Which Country! Here's the story. It's real. Can you fill in the blanks? [snipped quote] OK, I'll wait .... Time's up! |
Marriage Programs Try to Instill Bliss and Stability Behind Bars By / NYT — Permalink OKLAHOMA CITY, April 12 - Marriage anxiety has gripped much of the heartland, and in Oklahoma it has reached into the cellblock in perhaps the most unexpected permutation of the state's six-year effort to bolster wedded bliss. | |
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Susanna Cornett: That ole ball 'n chain, prison style — Marriage counseling for an inmate serving a life sentence? It's being done. |
Orrin Judd: Prison Marriage Classes Instill Stability (RICK LYMAN, 4/16/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] And intact relationships keep people from becoming dependents of the State. |
Bombs Kill 4 Policemen and Wound 9 Civilians as Iraq Violence Surges By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 15 -A suicide bomber steered his car into an Iraqi police patrol south of Baghdad late Thursday night, killing four officers, and three bomb attacks in the capital wounded at least nine people on Friday, Iraqi officials said. | |
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Juan Cole: Robert Worth of the NYT reports that on Friday, a suicide bomber targetted Iraqi police in the city of Mahawil near al-Hillah south of Baghdad, killing 4 of them. Barbara O'Brien: Take, for example, a story in today's New York Times titled "Bombs Kill 4 Policemen and Wound 9 Civilians as Iraq Violence Surges." Armando @DailyKos: Oh BTW, Violence in Iraq Surges — And as Frist & Co. keep us morally safe, violence in Iraq surges: [snipped quote] Good... |
Cori Dauber: Suddenly It Was Calm — The last couple of days have seen a series of car bombings in Iraq, an increase over the last period, there's no doubt. Pudentilla: iraq still a mess — [snipped quote] nevertheless aaron brown devoted the first half of his news show last night to the... |
Inquiry Finds White House Role in Contract LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — A White House aide was told about potential problems with the Education Department paying a conservative commentator to promote an administration policy but did not prevent the contract from being renewed, according to a new government report. | |
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Orrin Judd: MAKING SCANDALS OUT OF NON-CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR: Inquiry Finds White House Role in Contract: An aide apparently knew of the Education Department's $240,000 deal with a journalist. |
Pudentilla: mendacious bags of excrement — [snipped quote] hey, they're christian, isn't that enough? do you honestly think we... |
Bill Frist's Religious War NYT — Permalink Right-wing Christian groups and the Republican politicians they bankroll have done much since the last election to impose their particular religious views on all Americans. But nothing comes close to the shameful declaration of religious war by Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, over the selection of judges for federal courts. | |
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Joe Gandelman: The New York Times Gets It Right On Bill Frist's Religious War — We don't usually do an analysis of a newspaper's... |
Armando @DailyKos: From the NYTimes Editorial Board: "Right-wing Christian groups and the Republican politicians they bankroll have done... |
Frist Accused of Exploiting Religion Issue NYT — Permalink Democratic senators accused Senator Bill Frist, the Republican majority leader, of exploiting religion for partisan ends by taking part in a telecast portraying them as "against people of faith" for blocking President Bush's judicial nominations. | |
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Ann Althouse: But which side is playing the religion card? It's hard to tell in this NYT article. Lambert @Corrente: Frist: Christ died for the Republican Party — Here's what Frist is lending his name to: [snipped quote] Clever of Frist... |
Patrick Ruffini: But the tempest-in-a-teapot over Senator Frist's appearance in a pro-family venue highlights the media's approach to... |
Security vs. Rebuilding: Kurdish Town Loses Out By / NYT — Permalink HALABJA, Iraq, April 11 - For years Nuradeen Ghreeb has dreamed of bringing clean drinking water to his hometown. That town happens to be Halabja, where 17 years ago he and his parents cowered in a basement as Saddam Hussein's airplanes attacked with chemical weapons, killing at least 5,000 people. | |
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Cori Dauber: There's a featured, front page story this morning in the New York Times about the heart break and disappointment of a... Orrin Judd: BOTH: Security vs. Rebuilding: Kurdish Town Loses Out (JAMES GLANZ, 4/16/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] We've plenty of money—why not do both? |
Keith Taylor: Today, in an article entitled 'Security vs. Rebuilding: Kurdish Town Loses Out', they discuss the ramifications of... |
Legislation Seeking to Criminalize Ultrasounds without Doctor's Order Moves in Springfield Illinois Leader — Permalink SPRINGFIELD — Pro-abortion forces won a victory in the Illinois House Wednesday as State Rep. Rosemary Mulligan (R-Park Ridge) successfully passed HB 2492 which would make it a criminal offense for an ultrasound to be administered without a doctor's order. | |
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Michelle Malkin: PROPOSED LAW WOULD RESTRICT ULTRASOUND IN ILLINOIS — Pro-abortion forces in Illinois make it a criminal offense get a... K. J. Lopez: BANNING ultrasounds |
TheAnchoress: Dirty Harry points us to this staggering little bit of legislation: Pro-abortion forces won a victory in the Illinois... |
Papal negative campaigning and the role of the Holy Spirit By / National Catholic Reporter — Permalink Among the boilerplate questions about conclaves I've been asked a thousand times by broadcast and print media this week, here's one of the most common: What does it mean that the Holy Spirit guides the election of the pope? Isn't this a political process? | |
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TheAnchoress: Some excellent stuff here. |
Paul Jaminet: Papal negative campaigning and the role of the Holy Spirit (John Allen, National Catholic Reporter, 4/15/2005) "The... |