Vasectomy delays London commuters, from Boston.com. Alison says, "I hate to say this, but they probably think he's a weenie."
Gollum comments on the Plame affair. More on this from Democratic Underground Forums.
Novak Responds: 'Nobody in the Bush Administration Called Me To Leak This,' from the Drudge Report. Robin says, "Today, this item seems to indicate why it was highly unlikely it came from the WH. Course, if she was, and the WH did out her, somebody ought to be shot at max or sent to Gitmo at min." (NB: people in the military refer to Guantanamo Bay as "Gitmo.")
From Robin: Newspaper protests state police stop, from the Republican (Springfield, Mass.).
I feel a bit behind, as I just now read about the Valerie Plame affair. Did Rove Blow a Spook's Cover? The White House won't say, from Slate. See also: Bush Administration Is Focus of Inquiry: CIA Agent's Identity Was Leaked to Media, from the Washington Post. And also: What Would Cause Me to Switch Parties, by Daniel Drezner, who describes himself as "an unpaid advisor for the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign."
Wonderful article about the California recall. All Politics Are Loco!!!, from The New York Times.
Dammit... somehow I missed Talk Like Bill O'Reilly Day (start here and scroll up).
Gender Games, from Boston.com. "Women athletes are challenging stereotypes by competing against men -- and winning. So are males and females really so different?"
The wages of luck, from Boston.com. "Republican icons Milton Friedman and William J. Bennett acknowledge the link between the birth lottery and poverty. Can their conservative brethren learn from them?"
Lonely Campus Voices, from The New York Times, courtesy of Rachel. (This is about discrimination against conservatives in academia. Reminds me of a professor and former dean I knew in graduate school who tried to deny my Latin professer tenure because "we already have enough white male professors at Tufts.")
On the Final Journey, One Size Doesn't Fit All, from The New York Times, courtesy of Rachel. (This is about caskets for obese people.)
Confessions of a Spam King, from The New York Times, courtesy of Rachel.
From Ed: French card deck names 'most dangerous' U.S. leaders and Russian paper parodies most-wanted cards, both from CNN.com.
The Presidential Bubble, from the New York Times, courtesy of Rachel. "Four progressive political groups sued the Bush administration this week, charging that the Secret Service is systematically keeping protesters away from the president's public appearances... Mr. Bush and his aides also seem to go to great lengths to underline the degree to which the president closes himself off from the news media. In an interview with Fox News this week, the president said he learned most of what he needs to know from morning briefings by his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, and his chief of staff, Andrew Card... As for newspapers, Mr. Bush said, 'I glance at the headline' but 'rarely read the stories.' The people who brief him on current events encounter many of the newsmakers personally, he said, and in any case 'probably read the news themselves.' "
In James Bond style, new British sports car zooms over water, from Boston.com.
Geek Eye for the Luddite Guys, from Fortune. "The experiment: Let loose three tech experts in an average family's home. The result: gizmo nirvana (well, almost)."
Sure, the dictionary got 'phat,' but it also trimmed the fat. Let's shed a tear for forgotten pieces of our language. And there goes your last hope of learning what 'snollygoster' means. Pity., from SFGate.com. "Thanks to Google, somebody named Michael Quinion at Quinion.com would have us all know that a snollygoster is 'a shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician.' Now there's a word that's outlived its usefulness, you bet."
WHOA!! Smooth Operators, from NewYorkMetro.com. "From the NBA to the WB, straight men are shaving their body hair -- even their pits! -- at a time when gay men (and Kate Moss) are letting it all grow out."
Clinton 'History' Doesn't Repeat Itself in China, from The New York Times, courtesy of Rachel.
Mayor publishes comic book starring himself, from Boston.com.
For the World of Letters, It's a Horror, from the LA Times, by Harold Bloom (known by some as The Human Pig). "Giving a National Book Foundation award to Stephen King is only the latest chapter in the dumbing down of our culture."
Going to Harvard for $7.50 an Hour, from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The ever-expanding Patriot Act, from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Says Rachel: "whoa." Cheeseburger and Fries, Wrapped Up In One, from The New York Times.
Ford Halts Production of New Sports Utility Vehicle; No Good "E" Names Left, from thebluebrick.com, courtesy of Rachel.
Drunk driving convicts must use 'How's my driving' stickers, from Boston.com, courtesy of Mark A.
From Ilana, who says, "Here's one for the stupid people out there." Hurricane Research Division FAQ: Subject: C5) Why don't we try to destroy tropical cyclones by nuking them?
Cyclingnews says: "This is how a true bikie wedding should be."
Librarians dispute Justice's claim on use of Patriot Act, from the Washington Times. Yes, the Times.
Courtesy of Mark A: Eatery Joins Battle With 'The Bulge': Obesity Lawsuits Spur Dessert Protest, from the Washington Post.
Whoa. Dede's diary: Jet setting, the Giro Toscana and riding with Miss Elegance, from VeloNews.com. "T-Mobile did not have a top three finisher in the stage today, but Dotsie Cowden was invited to the podium to receive the 'Miss Elegance' award. She won a jersey, which she will wear in the race tomorrow and if she continues to lead this competition on Sunday, the final day of the tour, she will win some big bucks, so her race warm-ups will include make-up preparation and she will be carrying lipstick in her pocket along with her power gels and Clif Bars."
Should you ever need a cycling backpack, I could not be more in favor of this one.
Quentin Tarantino: He brought back Travolta. He revived Pam Grier. Can he resuscitate himself?, from Slate.
You'll Lose Sleep Over This Pill: Cephalon's anti-drowsiness drug is entering the mainstream, from Fortune.
D.C. Blows Itself Away: High wind, blowhards, and public safety in the capital, from Reason.
John Burns: 'There Is Corruption in Our Business': 'NY Times' Writer on the Terror of Baghdad, from Editor & Publisher.
Bush Questions U.S. Foreign Policy after Affleck-Lopez Break-up, from The Blue Brick. In a similar vein: J. Lo's Posse Returns: National unemployment figures plunge as Lopez rehires her entourage, from Newsweek. I wonder if the return of the entourage means the return of the nipple-tweaker?
Gillette vs. Schick: Firefighter shave-off chalks one up for the hometown blade, from Boston.com. Check out all the mustaches!!
Yo-ho-ho! Do you know your pirate lingo? from Boston.com. This quiz is offered in honor of Talk Like A Pirate Day (which is today).
Wish Kid From Hawaii Creates Her Own Salad Dressing, from the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Salt Lake City Cafe Has No Menus, Prices, from AP. Says Rachel: "does this restore your faith in capitalism? ed will assume that she is losing money, she probably is."
The Singapore Kindess site, from Rachel.
Yoko Ono Repeats Legendary "Cut Piece," from AP. From Rachel: "sorry, couldn't resist. questions: does it seem weird now that she is ancient? could she have done it with boxcutters instead?"
Big lie on Iraq comes full circle, from the Chicago Sun-Times. Says Mark A: "The reference to Goebbels is a little over the top."
Is it a bird, or plane? No, it's Angle Grinder Man, from Reuters, courtesy of Alison. Here he is, cape and all!
Lance surfs? "I'm truly a haole when I stand up on that surfboard," he said in this cyclingnews.com interview.
Special K Street, from Slate. "The fantasy world of Washington meets the reality-based culture of Hollywood."
A Rodent of Unusual Size: A Guinea Pig No Cage Would Hold, from Reuters. Courtesy of Alison.
A Flashy Teen Trend Capital, and Its Dark Side, from The New York Times. Courtesy of Rachel.
FDA Approves Sale of Prescription Placebo, from The Onion.
Revised Patriot Act Will Make It Illegal To Read Patriot Act, from The Onion (scroll down to News In Brief).
From Mark A: U.S. putting 'French' back in fries?, from CNN.
But Where's the Monica Protein Shake Recipe? from Reason's Hit & Run. "Attention foodies who miss the '90s: The Clinton Presidential Center Cookbook is now on sale, with proceeds funding Slick Willie's presidential library."
Biniki. Launching a rear-guard attack on a new product, from the Miami Herald, by Dave Barry.
Whoa!! Cheney link of Iraq, 9/11 challenged, from Boston.com. "Vice President Dick Cheney, anxious to defend the White House foreign policy amid ongoing violence in Iraq, stunned intelligence analysts and even members of his own administration this week by failing to dismiss a widely discredited claim: that Saddam Hussein might have played a role in the Sept. 11 attacks."
Tall Tales, Taller Mountains, and Statistics -or- The day I beat Miguel Indurain, from cyclingnews.com.
Bad customers exposed on market's marquee, from Boston.com.
Only three days left until Talk Like a Pirate Day!!
This from Rachel: George Bush, misLeader.
Coffee capital eyes tax on 'designer drinks,' from the Christian Science Monitor. " 'It should be the other way around,' snaps Ms. Lippmann, who drinks a double short breve daily. 'People should be penalized for drinking bad coffee, not espresso.' "
City razes building by mistake -- again, from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Gordon Fraser used a triple at the T-Mobile International.
Music Firms, DJ Offer to Pay 12-Year-Old's Fine, from Reuters, courtesy of Mark A.
N.B. couple put border farm on market to escape Sept. 11 fallout, from Canadian Press. From Mark A and Craig.
This morning, I was in traffic on 128, behind a man in a Jeep Cherokee adorned with a Bush/Cheney '04 sticker. Coincidentally, he was reading the newspaper while he was driving.
Mark Fiore remembers Sept. 11.
Man Buys Groceries With Fake $200 Bill: Bill Bears President Bush's Image On Front, from nbc17.com.
Just in case you need a place to put your hot dogs... From Alison.
My sister sent this hilarious photo.
We're Not Happy Campers, from The New York Times. "The Saudi religious police are harrassing Barbie."
Relations Break Down Between U.S. and Them, from The Onion.
MORE LOUNGE! Check out "Baby Got Back," by Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine.
More Human than Human: A field guide for testing if the San Francisco mayoral candidates are human or not, from The Wave.
'Reflectoporn' is new craze on eBay, from Ananova.com.
Mark A wants you to know all about the USA PATRIOT Act. He describes it as: "lifeandliberty.gov -- brought to you by John Orwell... I mean Ashcroft."
How Teachers Can Stop Cheaters, from The New York Times, courtesy of Rachel.
The RIAA sees the face of evil, and it's a 12-year-old girl, from The Register, courtesy of Alison.
The Futile Pursuit of Happiness, from The New York Times, courtesy of Rachel.
Need something fun to listen to on your computer? Prozac for Lovers.
The Illegal Dam. "The following is a genuine hoot. This was an actual letter sent to Ryan DeVries from The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, State of Michigan. The letter is standard government babble, but the humourous part is the response given after the letter."
US Republican Party outsources fund raising to India, from the Inquirer. "We do hope and trust here at the INQUIRER that the irony of underpaid people in Harayana helping robots to call possibly out of work Americans because of a widespread policy of corporate outsourcing is not lost on our readers. "
John Ashcroft's Patriot Act Summer Tour, by Mark Fiore.
Beloit College Releases Mindset List for the Class of 2007. This makes me feel old.
You must watch this. Reason calls it "Clash of the Euro-Americans." This hilarious (perhaps unintentionally so) cartoon is on Arianna Huffington's Web site.
The Onion interviews P.J. O'Rourke. For real.
BowlingForTruth.com. Interesting site that seeks to debunk "Bowling for Columbine."
Politicians keep striking pretty poses, from the Charlotte Observer. "Massachusetts Democrats don't stop in South Carolina unless the car runs out of gas on the way to Disney World."
Sodium phosphate loading, from cyclecoach.com. Does sodium phosphate loading make you faster in a TT? Dosage. Discussion.
Franken Retorts, You Decide, from The New York Times.
Volunteer Donors Step In When Disease Robs Children of Their Hair, from The New York Times. My sister donated her hair to this organization.
A witch's guide to safe computing, from ZDNet, courtesy of Cam.
Reading, Writing and Body Waxing, from The New York Times, courtesy of Rachel. Her favorite phrase: "affluent suburbs... where reputations and cliques solidify faster than cold gravy..."
Check out this awesome photo of my teammate Brenda.