One morning, as Greg Samsa awoke from an anxious sleep, he discovered he’d been changed into a giant Wendy’s Fried Chicken Strip Salad™. He lay on his leafy green back and saw, after nosing aside a recalcitrant crouton, his golden brown abdomen—oil-soaked and glistening, ridged in that bumpy way deep-fry batter bubbles then settles crust-like on a stretch of succulent all-white chicken meat. From this strange position he noticed his

* (h/t Jack)

Kerouac:  “Sure, it’s beautiful and everything.  But you can’t really smoke sugar cane, y’know? Now imagine these same lush island fields filled with a tobacco-cannabis hybrid.  Can you see it?  Because there‘s a bumper crop Jack can move, baby.”

Yeah.  Screw all this. **** update:  Okay. So maybe not a final final moment of unabashed pragmatism…

From the BBC: President George W Bush’s controversial candidate for the post of US ambassador to the UN has pledged to “work with all” if his candidacy is confirmed. John Bolton told a Senate confirmation hearing he wanted to help build a stronger and more effective UN. He is an outspoken critic of the UN, and his choice has been denounced by Democrats as divisive. Democrat Sen Joseph Biden told

Thank God for Bill!  Because without him, how would I know the joys of boycotting France, or agitating for a militarized border, or watching good, wholesome family entertainment in a continuous, wholesome no-spin loop? In between trying to coax young women into pleasuring themselves with fried chickpea patties, of course.* Tune it tonight at 8 EST!

A small man, possibly Asian, is standing and facing the Capitol with his arms folded and two small bags on rollers behind him.  He has threatened to blow himself up.  The west side of the Capitol is being evacuated.  Sharpshooters have their weapons trained on him. Developing…. (via FOXNews’ Brian Wilson, reporting live) **** update:  Four armed police officers rushed the man from behind and took him down.  They have

A very interesting—and telling—Olivier Guitta piece in the April 4 Weekly Standard updates us on how our friends the Saudis are helping us fight the terror war (subscriber’s only, so I’ll quote at length): The most important political event in Saudi Arabia in the last year may have been the appointment on February 9 of Abdullah bin Saleh al-Obaid, a hard-core Wahhabi, to the prestigious post of education minister. Al-Obaid

Sideways (2004) Directed by Alexander Payne.  Stars Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Sandra Oh, and Virginia Madsen. Five words or less review: Days of whine and neurosis.* *highly recommended, nevertheless