I finally jumped on the bandwagon-train and got a blog.
Euro Trash: Even drug dealers are giving up on the dollar, from Slate.com.
Jerry Orbach, star of "Law & Order," Broadway musicals, dies at 69, from Boston.com.
Flour, Eggs, Sugar, Chocolate... Just Add Chemistry, from The New York Times.
When comedy drew blood, from Salon.com. "From 'Chappelle's Show' to 'Da Ali G Show' to 'Team America,' this was a banner year for satire. Does the country have to go down the tubes to produce laughs this big?" It's worth watching the ad for the free day pass.
Eggheads' Naughty Word Games, from The New York Times.
I know all about these kittens, from the Poor Man. These kittens hate us for our freedom.
All the President's Lawyers: Should the attorney general be the president's yes man?, from Slate.com.
Is Heaven Populated Chiefly by the Souls of Embryos? Harvesting stem cells without tears, from Reason.com.
Life of the Party, from Mother Jones. "Democrats need to start acting more like the people's party they once were -- and less like a traveling road show that packs up after each election."
Not a Turkey in the Bunch: Christmas feasts from the top-five food magazines, from Slate.com.
Teen sues school district for barring her from dance: Confederate flag or prom dress?, from the Houston Chronicle.
Howdy friends! What a year!, from the Times. "Imagine my delight when I received a personal Christmas round robin from Laura Bush."
Down and Out in Discount America, from The Nation. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this article... but it is definitely interesting. Here's a disturbing passage: "Wal-Mart spokespeople have denied that the company encourages employees to collect public assistance, but the documents speak for themselves. They bear the Wal-Mart logo, and one is labeled 'Wal-Mart: Instructions for Associates.' Both documents instruct employees in procedures for applying to 'Social Service Agencies.' Most Wal-Mart workers I've interviewed had co-workers who worked full time for the company and received public assistance, and some had been in that situation themselves. Public assistance is very clearly part of the retailer's cost-cutting strategy. (It's ironic that a company so dependent on the public dole supports so many right-wing politicians who'd like to dismantle the welfare state.)"
Dave Barry: One nation, purple or maybe plum, with goofiness for all, from the Miami Herald.
Where's the Dioxin-Tainted Beef? The Ukrainian prime ministerial debate, from Slate.com.
Just Leave Christmas Alone, from the Washington Post.
Washington Post Buys Microsoft's Webzine, from the Washington Post.
A la O'Reilly, a shower of gifts, from the New York Daily News (scroll to second item).
Crèche Test Dummies, from Slate.com (12/21/2001). "Nativity scenes on public lands are illegal, rules the Supreme Court. Except when they're not."
Because, apparently, Sec. Rumsfeld's usage of an automated-signature device is the single greatest reason to call for his stepping down, from low culture.
Today He Is a Dog; Actually, He Always Was, from The New York Times.
A Toy With a Story, from The New York Times. "Ms. Ellsworth has squeezed the entire circuitry of a two-decade-old Commodore 64 home computer onto a single chip, which she has tucked neatly into a joystick that connects by a cable to a TV set."
Fooey to the World: Festivus Is Come, from The New York Times.
How To Talk About the Deficit: A lesson in the art of avoidance from the Bush economic conference, from Slate.com.
Big-Government Conservatism, from the August 15, 2003 Wall Street Journal: How George W. Bush squares the fiscally expansive / conservative circle. "Bush has never put a name on his political philosophy, though he once joked that it was based on the premise that you could fool some of the people all of the time and he intended to concentrate on those people."
Mathematicians crochet chaos, from the BBC.
Baby Gap: How birthrates color the electoral map, from The American Conservative.
Clinton repels park snark, from the NY Daily News (second item).
Today Locusts... Tomorrow, Four Horsemen, from Wonkette.com.
Amazon Grace: If you're a holiday shopper, you must read this, from Slate.com.
Gwen Stefani: Could the charming, hyperactive kook really be our new pop queen?, from Slate.com.
Against Secret Ballots: Who was Minnesota's faithless elector?, from Slate.com.
What Is Dioxin, Anyway? Where does it come from? And are its effects reversible?, from Slate.com.
The Kevin F. Sherry Sweater Project. Made me laugh out loud.
Rumsfeld vs. the American Soldier: What Rummy's survival says about Bush's plans for his second term, from Slate.com.
Troops' Queries Leave Rumsfeld on the Defensive, from the New York Times.
Cats are Democrats, Dogs are Republicans, from Kirk Toons, courtesy of Heather (The Haolepino).
The Media and the Military: American reporters would shudder to think that they harbor class prejudice--but they do, from The Atlantic Monthly, courtesy of Heather.
Whitewashing torture?, from Salon.com. (You have to watch an ad to get access if you're not a subscriber.)
Soldiers challenging 'stop loss' policy: Class-action suit expected against extended service, from Boston.com.
Rumsfeld Offers Troops Pep Talk (Ballistic Glass TK), from Wonkette.com.
This is where we un-ironically invoke the theme song to Team America, from low culture.
Revolt of the Porcupines!, from Reason.com. "The Free State Project wants libertarians to take over New Hampshire. Is this a revolutionary plan or a pipe dream?"
The disappearing dollar, from the Economist.
What Corporate America Can't Build: A Sentence, from The New York Times.
Welcome to North Korea. Rule No. 1: Obey all rules, from the Christian Science Monitor.
Changed Lives: Miracles of the Passion, courtesy of Rachel, who suggested it as a holiday gift for Ed, Mark A, and/or Josh.
Biotic Baking Brigade: Speaking Pie to Power!, courtesy of Rachel.
Gays challenge military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy, from Boston.com, courtesy of Mark A. This gives a totally new meaning to the phrase "backdoor draft."
The Crying Game: Should we decide capital punishment with our hearts or our heads?, from Slate.com.
Jerry Falwell: The Biggest Decision of His Life, from Wonkette.com.
An Immodest Proposal: Have the Blue States Over for Dinner, from Wonkette.com. Here's the article: Declaration of Expulsion: A Modest Proposal: It's Time to Reconfigure the United States, from Human Events. One thing the author left out is the flag question; if "they" expell the majority of the original 13 colonies, will the US flag have only five stripes? Just wondering. Also, I think Hawaii should be expelled as well.
Corrupt? Absolutely. Tom DeLay unites the critics of the Republican Congress, from Slate.com.
Bush in the Stalin Seat, from Wonkette.com. "Astute Wonkette operatives point out that the WH advance team, despite having eliminated pesky words from their backdrop, still have a hard time delivering an unambiguous message." Standing on the Shoulders of Uhm, Who's that Guy Again?, from Wonkette.com. "Even more alert Wonkette operatives note that the world leader Bush overshadows in this excruciatingly hideous backdrop is not Stalin. It's some Canadian. Sorry for over-reacting."
Support the ribbon industry, from low culture. To paraphrase my brother-in-law: "Speaking as a former troop... I think the way to support them is to bring them home."
Next Question: Reporters Walk Line Between Deference and Diligence in Quizzing Bush, from the Washington Post, courtesy of Mark A.
Gay book ban goal of state lawmaker, from The Birmingham News. Funny comment from Reason's Hit & Run: "What will Allen do about books whose homosexual content is a matter of academic dispute? Is Billy Budd banned? What about The Merchant of Venice? And let's not forget my contrarian readings of Treasure Island and Green Eggs and Ham -- they haven't caught on yet, but give them time..."
The 'blog' revolution sweeps across China, from New Scientist.
No Question About It: The Winner Loses: 'Jeopardy!' King Finally Meets His Match, from the Washington Post, courtesy of Mark A.
Voting errors tallied nationwide, from Boston.com.
America's New Political Capital: President Bush infects Washington with his favorite buzzword, from Slate.com.
How Buddhism Got to Russia: Despite the best efforts of Stalin and Catherine the Great, from Slate.com.