Wanna control pork spending? France, of all places, has the solution. Although thanks to the slippery nature of interpreting cross-cultural idiom, they seem to have the premise a might confused… **** (h/t )
January 25, 2006
The Specter of coming Congressional grandstanding? (UPDATED – 1/26/06)
Here’s a facsimile [pdf] of the letter delivered by Arlen Specter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales concerning the upcoming Congressional “wiretapping”/”domestic spying” show trial hearings. The complete text follows:
January 25, 2006
“A Barometer of Republican Confidence”
For those of you interested in the ongoing competition for House leader, Rich Lowry notes this interesing observation from FOXNews’ Major Garrett (who, incidentally, was one of the few FOX Reporters whose work on covering Katrina was rigorous and, in the traditional sense, “journalistic”): It didn’t start this way, but the race to replace DeLay has become a barometer of Republican confidence in an election year. Those who believe the
January 25, 2006
a very brief conversation with my alarm clock
me: “Dude. It’s 2:25 in the afternoon! The hell…?” alarm clock: “Sorry. But I’ve decided I’m no longer comfortable being your bitch.”
January 25, 2006
The Prude’s Haiku
As spring arrives, the need to touch myself grows. But instead, I have tea!
January 25, 2006
The NSA spy scandal, cont.: AG Gonzales’ prepared remarks to the Georgetown Law Center (Jan 24)
Rather than launch into another long post detailing my position on the NSA “domestic spying” scandal—a position that at this point must certainly be clear to all but the most doggedly committed contrarians (or else those who have concluded that I am unnaturally dedicated to arguing my position bad faith)—I’ve decided simply to post the bulk of the remarks made by AG Gonzales yesterday as he addressed Georgetown University’s Law
January 24, 2006
“The forty acres and a mule follow-up to the follow-up to the follow-up post” (from the protein wisdom conceptual series)
I hate to say it, but all things considered—and had I to do it all over again—I think I’d have backed that ‘forty acres and an unlimited supply of lemon Italian Ice” initiative, instead. update: You know, it being so freakin’ hot out here and all.
January 24, 2006
regrettable moments in English language usage, 2
Dragged to a hip hop club by a few of my gal pals, I overreached on what turned out to be a bit of dated slang and called one of the women grinding up against me “phat.” Which, it turns out, is not a compliment—particularly when said sister is four biscuits shy of a Hyundai, and when the typical urban bass riff is simply too overpowering to allow for any
January 24, 2006
Courting Jesters
On the party-line Alito Senate Judiciary Committee vote, here’s John Podhoretz, writing at the Corner: Though it’s certainly true that there’s too much partisanship now and that it’s terrible we can’t come to agreement on judges blah blah blah, there’s something nicely austere about Samuel Alito winning approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee without a single Democratic vote. I mean, who would want a grubby yea vote from Ted Kennedy?
January 24, 2006
Odds, Ends (UPDATED)
1. Thanks so much to Jeff Paxson for the My Name is Nobody and Midnight Run DVDs. Midnight Run is one of my favorite comedies—and I’m ecstatic to finally have it on Region 1 DVD (I had the British version). And any film with Terrence Hill and Henry Fonda is bound to be superb. 2. The Jewish Israeli Awards, sponsered by The Jerusalem Post and Israellycool.com begin in earnest today