Prometheus regrets his actions?
Why is Greece aflame? Mr Eugenides explains it all.
Alex Massie
Tuesday
Private Idaho
World Gone Mad: the Senate Ethics Committee is going to investigate Senator Larry Craig’s “incident” in a Minneapolis airport bathroom. For crying out loud, what earthly business is it of theirs? I find it mystifying that poor Senator Craig was even arrested. So what if he propositioned someone? What’s that to you or me? And
Declare victory and just go home?
According to a new Zogby poll, 11% of Americans think the US has already won in Iraq. This confirms my long-held view that a non-trivial percentage of the population can be persuaded of absolutely anything. Other findings include: Asked which of the 2008 presidential candidates would best handle the war in Iraq, Rudy Giuliani topped
Monday
How to be a pundit
Memo to New York Times/Guardian* columnists: it would be a public service were you to follow the great Myles na Gopaleen’s example: Not the least of my duties is keeping an eye on the Editor of this newspaper and rebutting, for the benefit of our simpler readers, the various heresies propounded in his leading articles.
Sunday
World peace might be too complicated…
This is just fantastic. [Hat-tip: Ross]
Friday
You watchin’ me?
In the spirit of Not Reading Books, it’s time to move on to Not Watching Movies. Megan kicks matters off by confessing that, despite loving Marlon Brando, she’s never actually seen On the Waterfront. Not a bad contender. For my part, I’ve never actually seen Gone With the Wind. Or, even more oddly, Taxi Driver.
How Sarko seduced France
I’m rather looking forward to reading Yasmina Reza’s account of her year on the campaign trail with Nicolas Sarkozy, Dawn, Evening or Night. It looks as though it could be the political book of the year. If Elaine Sciolino’s article is at all accurate, Sarko comes across as a man who, above all, is alive
Of course it’s our fault…
Oh please. Marty Peretz thinks Labour MPs should spend less time talking about Palestine and more time contemplating Zimbabwe: The Brits bear responsibility. Zimbabwe was once Rhodesia, a crown colony, and it still a member if the Commonwealth. At the first elections after independence, London tilted towards Robert Mugabe against Bishop Muzorewa, tilted heavily. And
Wednesday
Department of Modern Life
Clive Davis returns from holiday: As we came in to land, we put our watches back to March to take account of the weather. Then we faced the interminable midnight wait at passport control as members of the secret service sifted the terrorists and arms smugglers from among the long line of tired families clutching
Monday
I will roll my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help…
Jesus Wept Department. A viewer’s question during this morning’s ABC Democratic candidates’ forum: My question is to understand each candidate’s view of a personal God. Do they believe that through the power of prayer disasters like Hurricane Katrina or the Minnesota bridge collapse could have been prevented or lessened? Gotta love that “lessened” don’t you,
Today’s menace to society: smoking in cars
Will Saletan has a reasonable column today pointing out just how absurd the War on Smoking has become. Saletan hits some of the right notes, observing, for instance, that alcohol has greater social costs than tobacco etc etc. Fair enough. But this is a lost – or at least doomed – battle. You want to
Secretary of State for Scotland delivers message to Scotland: sod off
Interesting, though unsurprising, interview in today’s Scotsman. Des Browne, the Secretary of State for Scotland, tells the paper’s political editor Hamish Macdonell that there’s no need for any talk about new powers for Holyrood. Move along now, please. Nothing to see here. Mr Browne delivers the standard Labour ministerial line: we’ll have a consultation and
The herring question: fishing for Britain’s future
Following on from this post on Des Browne’s interview with The Scotsman today, the Secretary of State for Scotland (who is also the Secretary of State for Defence, though you might think that ought to be a full-time job) also had this to say: Mr Browne also dealt a blow to the aspirations of the
Monday Trivia!
Yeah, so it’s been a long time since I posted any trivia questions. Rather than wait for the weekend, here’s something to distract your attention on a Monday afternoon. As always, no googling, no prizes – it’s just for fun. Email me your answers or leave them in the comments: 1. Can you connect a
The Atlantic blogosphere expands
Y’all read her anyway (you do, don’t you?), but just in case you’re still searching for her here you could perhaps use a gentle reminder that the wondrous Megan McArdle is the latest member of The Atlantic’s all-star blogging line-up and her new blog is up and running today. Shorter Megan: things not so great
Sunday
Quote for the day
Via Samizdata, this from Barry Goldwater: I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate
Tattoos would be cheaper…
Hmmm. Just how would this work, Rudy? EVERY foreigner in America, including British visitors, would be required to carry an ID card bearing photograph and fingerprints under plans drawn up by Rudolph Giuliani, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. Giuliani is hoping to cement his status as the Republican favourite by promising to enforce
Dept of What a Country!
Via Tyler Cowen, your fun fact for the day: Where do most tigers live? In the United States it turns out. There are 4,000 tigers residing in captivity in Texas alone, where private ownership of tigers is legal. The number of tigers left in the wild is perhaps no more than 5,100-7,500. [Emphasis added]
Friday
BASEBALL/POLITICS: You Must Not Read the Sports Pages Too Often
Via Kevin Drum, I see that, in one of his regular plangent calls for a better press corps, Brad DeLong has highlighted an extraordinary suggestion from one of his readers. Namely that: I repeat my previous suggestion for the “baseball test.” A reporter should not be assigned to cover subject X unless he has as
Beckham begins earning his salary (on the pitch)
If you thought David Beckham would be a one day story and then quickly ignored in the US you might want to consider that notice of his first goal for the Los Angeles Galaxy was considered the most important “Breaking News” for a full hour on ESPN last night. Then again, it was a trademark