Stalking the Bean, from the Washington Post.
Wandering Jews, But on Harleys, from the New York Times. From Rachelita.
If end is near, do you want to know?, from CNN.com. From Rachelita.
Adopt-a-dictator, from the LA Times. "Hussein the homeless? If forced into exile, Saddam should consider his next gig."
Why can't they just lose the ring in the sink?, from the Miami Herald. A piece by Dave Barry about the Lord of the Rings II.
Sophomore Senator Eager To Move Out Of Congressional Housing, from The Onion.
Breakup Hints Misinterpreted As Marriage-Proposal Hints, from The Onion.
How Democracy Could Clear Our Snowy Streets, from the Washington Post. "In Alexandria, where I now reside, snow removal is called spring."
How to be a bad girl: Author of 'Bad Girl's Guides' having sassy fun, from CNN.com. From Ed.
Taliban who fought British troops is granted asylum here (in the UK), from the Daily Telegraph.
Bells Dialed Out, from the New York Post, about VoIP phone service.
Old Arab Friends Turn Away From U.S.: Policies Toward Iraq and Palestinians Alienate Pro-American Generation, from the Washington Post.
Bull's Eyeful: The sordid legal saga of Katica Crippen, Second Amendment pinup girl, from Westword.
Can a Dog Be Racist? The case of the prejudiced pit bull, from Slate.com.
URGENT BULLETIN FROM THE DUCTSTAR GROUP, from the New Yorker.
Bones of Contention: Free Kennewick Man!, from Reason.com.
Explosive Regulations Threaten to Kill Model Rocketry, from Space.com.
Voting for Frankenstein, from the BBC.
Read any good books lately?, from the Evening Standard, about reviewers who (gasp!) don't read the books they review.
Very sad. Fred Rogers, host of 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood', dies of cancer at 74, from Boston.com.
How much is inside? Amazing site.
Pooh's Pendulum: Eleven scholars deconstruct the billion-dollar bear, from Seattle Weekly.
Whoa. Women bare it all in peace protest, from Boston.com.
Clever Octopus Caught with Tentacle in Shrimp Jar, from Reuters.
Man becomes professional pooper-scooper, from Boston.com.
One man's trash.... Artists create works from old toilets, from Boston.com.
From Mark A. Come fly the "friendly" skies.
From Rachelita. We were Soldiers Once? The Bush War Record, from Mother Jones.
Cross-Dresser, Partner Try To Abduct Amish Girls, from Yahoo News. "Police said a man dressed up like an Amish woman and tried to lure young Amish girls into his [red-and-black older-model van]." Hmmm. What's wrong with this sentence?
From Craig. Suggested use of duct tape for increasing Homeland Security.
Exhibitors Draw Fire on Pre-Movie Blurbs, from Reuters. "In a class-action lawsuit filed in Illinois state court on behalf of all Loews patrons, [a] Chicago-area English teacher claims the theater circuit's policy of playing pre-film product commercials amounts to a deceptive business practice because the ads begin at the time advertised as the start of a feature movie."
I used to think men with cats were sort of strange. But then I married one. I kind of like the cat, too. Yes, this is really love: A cat isn't man's best friend, but two writers find they can't resist feline relationships, from the LA Times.
Maybe they'll start reading before they vote... 'McCain-Feingold School' Finds Many Bewildered, from the New York Times.
Doctors in trouble for not giving man cervical smear, from the Daily Telegraph.
Women Now Empowered By Everything A Woman Does, from The Onion.
Iraq, Kentucky Vie For World Shooting-Into-The-Air Supremacy, from The Onion.
Dirty thoughts could lead to cleaner clothes, by Dave Barry, from the Miami Herald. Lysistrata would be proud.
Observations from a Reluctant Anti-Warrior, a cartoon from Reason.com.
Anti-Bush T-shirt banned at Michigan school with high concentration of Arab-Americans, from Boston.com.
Another whoa. Plow driver attacked by shovel-wielding man, from Boston.com.
French fries no more - ask for 'freedom' fries, from Boston.com.
Whoa! Gulf War 2, courtesy of Josh. Brilliant.
When Libertarians Gather..., a cartoon from Reason.com. Fun for statists too.
Consciousness Raising 101: Inside the gender studies classroom, from Reason.com.
More U.S. Women Edging Closer to Combat Positions, from the Salt Lake Tribune.
N. Korea Wondering What It Has To Do To Attract U.S. Military Attention, from The Onion.
Kids Excited Mom Learning to Swear, from The Onion.
The Nose Knows, a review of The Emperor of Scent: A Story of Perfume, Obsession, and the Last Mystery of the Senses by Chandler Burr, from washingtonpost.com. How does smell work?
Coal fires are 'global catastrophe,' from BBC News. "Hundreds of coal fires are burning out of control around the world, pumping huge quantities of carbon dioxide and pollutants into the atmosphere."
Back to the Basement: Ping-Pong: It's a whole new ball game, from the New Yorker.
Whisper it: the arts are not for the toe-picking masses, from the Times Online.
Pray your weight away with Bible diet, from Boston.com.
Cards give 52 Card Pick Up new meaning, from Boston.com.
It's not too late for Valentine's!! Buy your sweetie a Total Information Awareness thong.
Government Asphyxiation, from LewRockwell.com. It's the carbon dioxide, stupid.
Exclusive: U.S. Military Document Outlines War Coverage: Promises Wide Access, But Strict Limits, from Editor & Publisher.
Interview with Allen Lim: Researching optimization of cycling performance, from bike.com.
Corky mocks the new Honolulu Airport exit fee, from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
Anti-war protesters plan march at Pearl Harbor, from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. "There 25 mock 'weapons inspectors' will 'demand' to inspect 'U.S. weapons of mass destruction,' organizers say."
Hot peppers, dark chocolate discounted as aphrodisiacs, from Boston.com.
'Firing up the snowmachines' takes new meaning: Burning sleds provide heat, rescue beacon for riders stuck in wilderness, from the Anchorage Daily News.
From Rachelita. 300th Episode of 'The Simpsons', from NPR.
Dept. of Self-Promotion: somehow my team's press release ended up in dailypeloton.com. ??
Katherine Harris Goes to Washington And writes a book on "principled leadership." Oh, the chutzpah!, from The American Prospect. This photo was on the SpinsterHaus dart board for awhile...
Name Game: John Kerry's wife recently took his last name -- a change that doesn't bode well for women in politics, from The American Prospect.
Cape Cod Terrapins Active in Sub-Freezing February Temperatures, a dispatch from my favorite turtle researcher, Don Lewis, who's attempting the solve the mystery of terrapin activity in Henson's Cove. "While turtles are magical, we suspect they aren't breaking the laws of nature."
Is Health Care A Commodity?, from Reason.com.
Plastic-wrapped house, from wfsb.com. "Warnings from the Department of Homeland Security have sent homeowners off to get duct tape and plastic, batteries and portable radios. A Winsted man has decided to wrap his entire house in plastic."
Ready to fight: La Salle student's family upset school expelled him for using gunlike pointer, from the Greeley Tribune.
How I Joined Teach for America--and Got Sued for $20 Million, from City Journal.
Beula Mae and Buster just got preempted, from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. It's getting difficult to write satire around here...
Man seeks a wife by Valentine's Day, from Boston.com. The woman who marries him gets a free sports car! She just needs to learn how to drive a stick.
Animals' amorous antics subject of lecture, from Boston.com.
Send-off showers honoree with tools to face job search, from Boston.com, about an unemployment shower.
Man constructs his dream (tree) house, from Boston.com.
Popular SUVs getting second look in their service to the state, from Boston.com.
Sorenstam accepts invitation to play Colonial, from Boston.com.
Poor English May Cost Teachers' Jobs, from the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune.
For those of you who have a toddler and $1K burning a hole in your pocket... the Litespeed tricycle.
Mark A's team. Essex County Velo chooses to stick with the US, from cyclingnews.com. The Aussies describe ECV's press release as "wry."
"Dude--You're Getting a Cell!" from Reason.com. My favorite smart-ass comment from this page: "Dell gives money to the Dell Dude. He gives money to his pot dealer. His pot dealer gives money to Osama bin Laden. Thus Michael Dell is funding terrorism." Also see the Smoking Gun article.
Porn Publisher Detained At Airport After Alleged Sex Comments, from wnbc.com.
Turntable U? In D.J.'s Hands Professor Sees an Instrument, from the New York Times.
Man requests Jesus Christ as his lawyer, from Boston.com.
From Mark A: Booze Overflows into City Sewer System, from WATE.com in Knoxville.
Parody of the Nigerian banking scam spam featuring Dubya.
Future Clouded for 'Painter of Light's' Galleries, from the LA Times.
Tangled Up in Spam, from the New York Times.
Axis of evil names bedevil the New World Disorder, from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. "For instance, Sweden, Belgium and Greenland appear to have forged an alliance that security analysts refer to as a 'yoke of yawn.' "
It's almost Valentine's... perhaps a little sappiness is not completely out of order. Trekking the trails of love, from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
Airport gives out socks in security check, from Boston.com.
British government admits error in not crediting U.S. academic's work in Iraq dossier, from Boston.com.
Jury Rigging: Ed Rosenthal never had a chance, from Reason.com. Discusses the case of Ed Rosenthal, recently convicted of growing marijuana, and the principle of jury nullfication of law, definitely the most interesting thing I've learned about today.
Coffee: The New Gateway Drug, from Reason.com.
The worst lead ever? Radford wins battle of unbeatens, from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. (Radford was Brad's high school.) Don't bother reading the story; just read this: "After Radford's 55-41 victory over Pearl City last night, the rest of the OIA won't need the assistance of Secretary of State Colin Powell to figure out if the Rams are hiding any weapons. The Rams had them all on display as they remained undefeated and sent Pearl City to the loss column for the first time this season." Whoa!!
Reasons for Being Nice and Having Sex, from the London Review of Books. A review of "Narrow Roads of Gene Lane: The Collected Papers of W.D. Hamilton Vol. II: The Evolution of Sex," by W.D. Hamilton.
Bi For Now, from the New York Metro. "Call them hasbians. Women who came out of the closet only to end up in heterosexual relationships. Switching teams is never easy -- no matter which side you're on."
Did Politically Correct Science Cause Shuttle Disaster?, from Foxnews.com.
Somebody oughta tell Dubya about this. Cheeto-muncher named 'deputy of cheese,' from Boston.com.
Primo Donnas: Once known mainly for its rock-chick swagger, the foursome has grown into a bona fide band, from Boston.com.
Very cool photo of the Schroeder Iron team.
Catholics Flock to Fence-Post Virgin Mary, from Reuters. Make sure you look at photo 3 in the slide show.
Coble, Myrick face heat for comments, from the Charlotte Observer. "In remarks about domestic security threats, Rep. Sue Myrick of Charlotte said, 'Look at who runs all the convenience stores across the country.' And Rep. Howard Coble of Greensboro defended World War II internment camps, saying some Japanese Americans 'probably were intent on doing harm to us, just as some of these Arab Americans are probably intent on doing harm to us.' "
Bull-catching hotline launched in Istanbul, from CNN.com.
S.F. man's astounding photo: Mysterious purple streak is shown hitting Columbia 7 minutes before it disintegrated, from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Facing Up to Michael Jackson, from the Washington Post. "Just when I think television is a 'vast wasteland,"' the networks announce a program that blows whatever mind I have left. Recently, NBC announced as part of the February sweeps it will present a one-hour prime-time special titled 'Michael Jackson, Unmasked.' It will be devoted to a study of the pop star's career through studying his face."
Student receives A, sues for A+, from Boston.com.
2003: Space Anxiety, from Slate. "Lebanon's Al-Mustaqbal, which is owned by Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, declared: 'Anxiety from space surprises America.' The piece appeared over a cartoon that unintentionally pandered to anti-Arab stereotypes, showing a fierce-looking Arab on a flying carpet aiming his slingshot at Uncle Sam who was fleeing in a space ship."
Who was that guy? Some truly bizarre dialogue from Lance Armstrong's recent press conference, from VeloNews.com.
Phone book lists wrong governor, from Boston.com.
Runners race up Empire State Building steps, from Boston.com. Ouch.
From NPR: "Telemarketing agencies often invoke free speech in defending their right to call you just as you're picking up the dinner fork -- though earlier this year, at least one company promised to change its "cold calling" tactics. Commenator Tom Mabe makes a living turning the tables on telemarketers -- at least that's how he sees it. He waits for companies to call his number, then plays pranks on them. He then records his jokes and sells them on CD. Now that cold-calling is being phased out, he's worried." Hilarious! Real Audio. More audio samples of Mabe's work.
Hope for Gizmo? 'It's amazing': Cat missing for seven years comes back, from The Kingston Whig-Standard of Ontario. The cat's name is Toonces!!
I was an intern at Cato with this guy. Check out Operation Free State, from Reason.com. Jason wants to get 20,000 people together through the Free State Project, move en masse to Delaware, New Hampshire, Wyoming, or Alaska, and found a Libertarian paradise. For those of you who remember my story about the Wharton student who wanted to plagiarize a John Locke paper -- Jason is the guy who wrote that paper.
Imitation Hemingway Winner: The Old Man and the Flea. "It was at times like this that he feared life had no meaning. What was life anyway, but lying around on one's blankie, waiting for the next bowl of kibble. Life was nothing. Nada. Nada y nada y pues nada. Woof nada. Then she came along and gave him a treat and for a brief time life was good. Then he puked the treat on the rug and life was bad again."
From Scotland: Knickers to the Law: Cops want line-up of racy undies so they can tell a sex shop from a lingerie store, from the Daily Record.
Daily Brickbat, from Reason.com. "Absurd news bites, served fresh every day."
Washington strikes back at Hollywood, from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. "In a scathing ad placed in the entertainment industry magazine Variety and in a series of TV commercials, a group calling itself Citizens Against Schlock -- made up of high-level military, government and intelligence officials -- asked Hollywood to stop bombarding American citizens with crummy movies... "
Lard sculpture oversees Canadian cafeteria, from Boston.com.
Long-lost dad calls son as telemarketer, from Boston.com.
Please, help Kent SAVE HIS HAIR!!
Justice Department probes Texas Tech professor's policy, from the Houston Chronicle. "The U.S. Department of Justice is looking into the policy of a Texas Tech University biology professor who refuses to write letters of recommendation to students who don't believe in the theory of human evolution, school officials said Wednesday."
Biking champ Armstrong gets $12M to peddle Subarus, from USA Today.
Worm Hits Microsoft, Which Ignored Own Advice, from the New York Times.
Hunting for Babe Ruth's keys to success, by Dave Barry, from the Miami Herald. It's about the Restoration Project (which runs programs for the recovery and reintegration of adults with mental illness), and its search for Babe Ruth's piano in a Sudbury pond. This is a genuine quote from the Restoration Project's Web site: "We hope to raise and conserve [the piano] to draw attention to the recovery of people with mental illness and the stigma that undermines their success - just as the Curse of the Bambino haunts the Red Sox. "
From Rachelita. U.N. Orders Wonka To Submit To Chocolate Factory Inspections, from the Onion. Pure genius.
The Great Tattling Scare on Campuses, from the Chronicle Review. "It turns out [the campus defenders of free speech are] busy agitating against some recently created Web sites that allow academic heretics to engage in... criticism of faculty members who politicize their classrooms."
A Nation of Voyeurs, from Boston.com. "Amanda created an alternate digital identity for her former boyfriend - a personal Web page that would, in all likelihood, be accessed only by those people Googling him by name. On this over-the-top Web page, the guy makes a series of mock confessions that, if taken seriously, would be toxic in any future dating situation. He 'admits' to being untrustworthy, jobless, sneaky, a lousy lover, and, finally, a carrier of venereal disease."
Flying with a cello? Forget it, from the Daily Telegraph.
Noticed: Name Game, from the Globe and Mail, about strange names given to babies.
Gummi Army Guys. Whoa!!!
Porch furniture banned from southern town, from Boston.com.
Remodeling a Kansas Missile Site, from HGTV.com.