tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37963772011-07-14T17:50:17.052-07:00This is the official blog of PUNCH, written and published by students and alumni of <a href=http://www.spu.edu>Seattle Pacific University</a>. It features separate content from the <a href=http://punchonline.org>print edition</a>, and is written spontaneously, with no editing, by PUNCH staff. PUNCH operates independently of this school, receives no school funding and is loathed by the administration.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comBlogger8031100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074331687918634682004-01-17T01:28:00.000-08:002004-01-17T01:39:34.746-08:00

End of an eraWell, at the risk of making baby Jesus cry, I've decided to end The PUNCH Bowl. See the reasons here.As I explained before, this isn't so much the end of this blog as its incorporation into my new personal site. With your advice, I'll be doing my best to make the new blend of serious and shallow news and commentary as interesting as I can. It will help more if I get regular

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074330960914657612004-01-17T01:16:00.000-08:002004-01-17T01:41:06.763-08:00

Let's indict Saddam!The Dem candidates for president are trying to differentiate themselves from each other, usually just choosing to emphasize different themes: bring foreign troops to Iraq (Dean), repair fractured alliances (Gephardt), replace the American administrator with an Arab one (Lieberman). But Wesley Clark - remember, the one with the word "General" in front of his name - thinks that

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074320849966909872004-01-16T22:27:00.000-08:002004-01-16T22:29:23.466-08:00

Death of an Anti-SalesmanThe rumors that Castro is near death might finally be true. The mayor of Bogota, Colombia, said Castro looked really sick when he went to see the cigar aficionado in Cuba. His legendary motormouth is even in the shop, according to the mayor.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074311303415726712004-01-16T19:48:00.000-08:002004-01-16T19:54:44.263-08:00

Press give Bush a free ride?This isn't a terribly original thought, but I think the author of this new book might be mistaking giving a pass to a Republican president to giving a pass to the government in general after 9/11. He actually mentions the 9/11 factor, but doesn't give it enough weight. I can think of at least a few instances off the top of my head where the media gave the Bush

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074261148857513052004-01-16T05:52:00.000-08:002004-01-16T05:54:21.076-08:00

Next debate, Jerry SpringerYou can't vote for a presidential candidate if he fights like a girl. Or if he does an "end-zone boogie." Eeesh.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074255538068983212004-01-16T04:18:00.000-08:002004-01-16T04:20:50.686-08:00

Deanisms!National Review Online has a new feature called "Deanisms" that reprint graceless or otherwise odd statements from the infamous hothead Democrat. It doesn't give any inspiration here, but NRO almost certainly got the idea, and the title of the column, from Jake Weisberg's "Bushisms" column on Slate, which was funny until 9/11 and Bush became more serious. Now the Bushisms column seems

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074207848225327052004-01-15T15:04:00.000-08:002004-01-15T15:06:58.623-08:00

His little blue friend has gone to his headBob Dole supporting universal health care? Well, "some form" of it anyway. He's responding to a report by the Institute of Medicine, an independent nonprofit which "advises Congress and the federal government on health matters," and which is one of the National Academies of Sciences. Hmm. They say that taxpayers are paying for the uninsured anyway,

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074205570922321162004-01-15T14:26:00.000-08:002004-01-15T14:28:02.796-08:00

Everybody hurtsSteve has deep thoughts on death from a book he just read about a father losing a son. I have to admit that I'm afraid of death for many reasons, I suppose one of which is that I think mine will come from out of nowhere, and my life won't have amounted to much. That's for another post.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074204311047739062004-01-15T14:05:00.000-08:002004-01-15T14:07:03.093-08:00

Do your multilateral exercisesAndrew (who's last name is Rothgaber, by the way) has a mini-review of a book he just finished, Robert Kagan's Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order. One good point: much-beloved multilateralism is rarely for its own sake, but for the sake of restraining another. If America and Britain had been the only countries to want to defeat Nazi

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074196158860501652004-01-15T11:49:00.000-08:002004-01-15T12:08:35.170-08:00

Moon thisI knew the Rev. Sun Myung Moon was "out" there, but it sounds like the owner of the conservative Washington Times has been talking about "eliminating gays," not simply condemning their orientation or activities, and how it will be "greater than the communist purge." Here's the link to an alt-newsgroup board where he made the comment. Trying to figure out their theospeak is confusing,

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074160280135602132004-01-15T01:51:00.000-08:002004-01-15T01:53:10.890-08:00

Dennis Miller, CNBC's Great White HopeThe comedian-turned-quasi-conservative-pundit has a new show on CNBC in two weeks. He's been great on the talk shows over the past few months, but it will be a different story how he fares as the host, not the guest. But he did the host thing pretty well on HBO for most of the 1990s, as shown in this thorough New York Times profile, and before that as the

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074151526497776322004-01-14T23:25:00.000-08:002004-01-15T11:57:11.623-08:00

Carol Moseley Braun drops out of raceWho? Yeah, she has no name recognition. But the only candidate to never criticize Howard Dean publicly is out of the race for the Dem nomination, and is reportedly backing Dean. Hey, she lasted longer that Bob Graham! (Again: who?)UPDATE: I got her first name wrong initially. She had so little name recognition that I got her name wrong!

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074147111967060152004-01-14T22:11:00.000-08:002004-01-14T22:13:43.043-08:00

I need YOUR inputHere's the deal: I would like to know from all the readers of The PUNCH Bowl what they think about this blog being incorporated into my new site, GregPiper.com. I didn't intend to start a separate site, but the hosting deal I got was too good to pass up and I was interested in using a different blog interface. Most of the non-political, non-media, non-foreign stuff is on

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074146459207208302004-01-14T22:00:00.000-08:002004-01-15T01:07:21.746-08:00

Promote marriage, avoid an amendmentAnother good move by the Bush administration in proposing a $1.5 billion initiative to promote marriage this year. Is it political? I don't think the proposal itself is, but the timing is pretty obvious. Bush is facing pressure from a lot of family groups to support an amendment preventing any state or judicial enactment of gay marriage, and he's been wise

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-107414517017309392004-01-14T21:39:00.000-08:002004-01-14T21:41:20.856-08:00

Schizophrenic unilateralismI think I would've liked Howard Dean a lot more 8 years ago, when he urged President Clinton to take "unilateral" action in Bosnia because the UN and NATO were skeptical of getting involved (NATO eventually approved) and the cost in lives was too great. Here's the letter from Dean to Clinton. Dean's policy director says the Iraq war was different because the Bush

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074117291856012512004-01-14T13:54:00.000-08:002004-01-14T13:56:41.903-08:00

Here's your reparation, sirHoward Dean's supporters are also avid songwriters, at least songs about the doctor/politician. Unfortunately, most of them are awful and plainly whitebread:While I'm hardly the first to state that the Dean campaign is remarkably free of people of color, I am, after spending a day on songsfordean.com, the person who has suffered through the most painful reminders of it

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074115216529368212004-01-14T13:20:00.000-08:002004-01-14T13:24:15.263-08:00

This country's too damn attractiveFred Barnes of the Weekly Standard applauds the Bush administration for being proactive on immigration reform, but says there's not a chance it will work as intended:Consider how the proposed plan would be seen by a poor but ambitious young man in Mexico. He knows that getting in line for legal immigration would probably never get him to America and that staying

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-10741126684920672004-01-14T12:37:00.000-08:002004-01-14T12:39:38.686-08:00

Some people don't understand bloggingThere's an antagonistic profile of blogger and Minnesota Star-Tribune columnist James Lileks in the Minneapolis alt-weekly. I've mentioned Lileks before on this blog - he's a wonderful cataloguer of daily life, raising kids and making weird pop culture references. He makes me laugh harder than other web writer, except maybe for Andy Borowitz. He also

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074110037998394012004-01-14T11:53:00.000-08:002004-01-14T11:55:48.716-08:00

Stylish feministsFeminists for Life, likely the most innovative pro-life group in America, has a totally redesigned website. They dropped the green and purple theme, which was long overdue, although the pic of their honorary chairwoman, Emmy-winning actress Patricia Heaton, looks almost like a ghoul in this new scheme. They have a background pic of an early suffragette march, connecting the

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1074054378280940772004-01-13T20:26:00.000-08:002004-01-13T20:28:07.733-08:00

Ugh! Eww! Why?I've been a fan of Jack Black since I saw him in "Shallow Hal," but this Slate story says he was on "celebrity" judge panel to decide the winner of far-left antiwar site Moveon.org's anti-Bush ad contest. He joined the likes of James Carville, Al Franken, and Janeane Garofalo, the latter two shoring up their comatose comedy acts with a lot of anti-Bush political activism in the

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073984418062290552004-01-13T01:00:00.000-08:002004-01-13T01:02:06.826-08:00

Franco-American relations in trouble againForget Iraq - here's the real contention between the two countries.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073957298169417192004-01-12T17:28:00.000-08:002004-01-12T17:30:06.140-08:00

Civil unions now recognized in New JerseyActually, not for another 6 months, when the registration procedures will be done. The new law sounds fairly limited, intended to not spur public outrage: proof of joint financial status and residence, partner designation as beneficiary, and insurance companies but not businesses will be required to offer health coverage to same-sex partners of employees.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073954139201776682004-01-12T16:35:00.000-08:002004-01-12T16:37:27.013-08:00

Sign a waiver for that dessertWe had fashion police in the '80s, the Karma Police courtesy of a Brit rock group a few years ago, and now the food police in the form of politicians. I didn't know about this deal at the 5 Spot on Queen Anne where you have to sign a waiver before you can eat their Bulge dessert. And give the tobacco industry credit for seeing where sin taxes would eventually end

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073951702521577922004-01-12T15:55:00.000-08:002004-01-12T15:56:50.043-08:00

Interview with Sabine Herold, the Hope of FranceRemember the young woman who made international waves last summer by leading giant protests against the striking public sector unions in France? Gorgeous, intelligent and French - I don't get to say that very often! Anyway, there's an interview with her on an Objectivist site. It has a few pictures of her that I haven't seen anywhere else, even

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073883997101526772004-01-11T21:06:00.000-08:002004-01-11T21:08:24.280-08:00

Saddam has lymph gland cancer?That's what "an Iraqi official" says, according to a Kuwaiti newspaper. If it's true, he has probably has another couple years to live, they say. (Via Hit & Run.)

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073811397745199012004-01-11T00:56:00.000-08:002004-01-11T00:58:23.123-08:00

Younger people getting into swingingWhat a bunch of pervs! And it sounds like, unlike nudist colonies and sexually explicit personal ads, these underground Manhattan parties are dominated by women and permission. Like this:Downstairs in the midst of a crowd of around 200, half a dozen women were packed tightly together in a sort of group rub, undulating in time with the techno soundtrack.But

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073785366043617592004-01-10T17:42:00.000-08:002004-01-10T17:44:31.200-08:00

SPU website has new commuter sectionThey should have done this years ago, considering how much of the campus doesn't live there. It looks decent for a start, but they should replace the long scroll of links with something horizontal and more hierarchical. I talked to a former administrator a year ago about things that SPU needed to improve on, and after frustration about SPU's small and limited

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073657528841445002004-01-09T06:12:00.000-08:002004-01-09T06:13:52.466-08:00

John Edward couldn't have foreseen thisNice parody of Howard Dean's PR campaign in religion.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073656912065503272004-01-09T06:01:00.000-08:002004-01-09T06:04:37.653-08:00

What a touching momentA new photo has surfaced of Saddam within seconds of his capture:It showed up on a site frequented by military folks, Military.com, although the official military refuses to confirm if the photo is genuine. It's a bit too small to see much detail, so it could be Photoshopped. But I think the real treat will be all the Photoshopping that enthusiasts will do with this pic to

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073643990391172862004-01-09T02:26:00.000-08:002004-01-09T02:47:34.076-08:00

Dean is not a "radical" in foreign policy? Bullsh**Maybe if you mean "radical" as someone who looks at 9/11 and sees a need to thoroughly re-examine foreign policy. Who the hell at the Times wrote this editorial? The Times has a pretty balanced editorial page, but I don't think they have done much reading on Dean, as they claim they have. How you can support the first Gulf War and not the

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073639416747111792004-01-09T01:10:00.000-08:002004-01-09T05:28:24.296-08:00

Immigration reform is more confusing than women's basketballDespite the casual title, this is a serious post, pointing to a good analysis of the president's new proposal for granting temporary legal status to illegal immigrants who already work here, by a director at the Council on Foreign Relations.UPDATE: The executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies says there is no need for

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073619087140919262004-01-08T19:31:00.000-08:002004-01-08T19:34:39.810-08:00

Iranian journalist/blogger freed from prisonHe credits the overwhelming attention and support he received from bloggers worldwide for the release. Blogging is big in Iran, and it's finding unusual supporters:The reformists who have some power in government actually appear to be embracing bloggers, as President Mohammad Khatami recently bragged at a United Nations summit that "of the Weblogs that

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073610641869385822004-01-08T17:10:00.000-08:002004-01-08T17:13:37.746-08:00

What about my Ph.D.?Blogger and New Republic editor Gregg Easterbrook, a dyed-in-the-wool environmentalist, says the recent Nature study about species extinction due to climate change is bunk. For one thing, the entire study is based on a computer model, and even more problematic is that computer models grow wildly inaccurate over a long period of modeling, in this case 50 years. Previous rises

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073609097691843602004-01-08T16:44:00.000-08:002004-01-08T16:46:40.293-08:00

A New Democrat among the retro hatersThe New Republic endorses Joe Lieberman for the Democratic presidential nomination. Read their editorial and you begin to wonder how any Democrat could think that it's Howard Dean, not Lieberman, who challenges the party's transgressions. I can't quote it with justice so take a read. (Via Sullivan.)

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073553930671049272004-01-08T01:25:00.000-08:002004-01-08T01:27:12.513-08:00

God, sometimes you just don't write treatisesA regional director for the Center for Inquiry, which sounds like a secularism advocacy group, tells both political parties that they shouldn't fear diminishing the role of religion in the founding, or in their governing. The advice is especially targeted at Howard Dean, who is awkwardly trying to show his spiritual side now that his electability is

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073548331444526122004-01-07T23:52:00.000-08:002004-01-07T23:53:52.840-08:00

Fags, becoming illegal againThe smokes, not the orientation! Do you think I'm that tactless? Andrew has been blogging up a storm recently, and he has posts about how people should smoke in the office rather than wear chinos, literary maven George Plimpton, Wesley Clark as a loser and unintelligible cartoons. Plus you can win $5! (or is that $5 CAN? The Vancouverite doesn't say).

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073521630476622362004-01-07T16:27:00.000-08:002004-01-07T16:29:03.186-08:00

Update belowOn the latest presidential polls.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073509575218253002004-01-07T13:06:00.000-08:002004-01-07T13:15:12.670-08:00

Your patriarchal literature oppresses meIt's not often I defend something questionable at the New York Times, but this claim that the Times Book Review favors books and book reviews by men seems lacking. The study's authors, a clinical psychologist/women's studies author and psychotherapist, analyzed a year's worth (53 consecutive issues) of the Book Review between 2002 and 2003. That seems a

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073503021534972872004-01-07T11:17:00.000-08:002004-01-07T11:18:42.716-08:00

God bless that crazy Australian"Wes: Monicagate Was Overblown," New York Post, Jan. 5. Yes, I know Rupert Murdoch doesn't micromanage editorial content, but he's fostered this smart-ass environment in so many of his publications and brought out the Brit in American publications. It's just so wonderful! (Via Best of the Web Today.)

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073467045857368122004-01-07T01:17:00.000-08:002004-01-07T01:22:16.140-08:00

Let me put my gay cooties on your caucusSeattle's own Dan Savage, sex columnist and editor of The Stranger, has an op-ed in today's NYT about almost getting sent to prison in Iowa because he registered to vote there while covering the 2000 presidential campaign for Salon. He says it's unnervingly easy to participate in Iowa's caucuses - you don't need a valid voter registration card or any proof

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073466295169212582004-01-07T01:04:00.000-08:002004-01-07T01:06:35.966-08:00

Ground Zero memorial design pickedUm...isn't this a bit depressing, even for a memorial? But then look at the photo at the bottom of the page and it looks like something on the Vegas strip. Once again, I'm pretty disappointed in the entire direction the memorial and rebuilding has gone. The thoughts from SPU Ground-Zero blog critic Prince will be linked here when he gets around to it.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073465702561375682004-01-07T00:55:00.000-08:002004-01-07T16:27:16.873-08:00

Someone's in for a thrashingIt's really early, but the new poll from Democratic pollster Peter Hart shows Bush steamrolling over Howard Dean in almost every category: men, women, independents, young 'uns and old 'uns. Same for the other Dem candidates. Hart recommends less antiwar talk and more "vision." Guess that's why Bush Senior got drubbed.UPDATE: USA Today has very similar poll results.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073459059533251802004-01-06T23:04:00.000-08:002004-01-06T23:09:40.043-08:00

"Not just another democracy"Former Democratic Senator Bob Kerrey, now president of New School University in New York, is happy with the progress in Iraq:It breaks my heart whenever anybody dies, but we liberated 25 million people who were living under a dictator. It puts us on the side of democracy in the Arab world. Twenty years from now, we'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who says it wasn't

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073445536084461352004-01-06T19:18:00.000-08:002004-01-06T19:20:36.356-08:00

At least you're not a pillar of saltDeep theological debate about why athletes never blame God when they lose games at a blog known better for legal stuff. Did you know it's ALL ST. AUGUSTINE'S FAULT?

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073443605730393422004-01-06T18:46:00.000-08:002004-01-06T18:58:26.966-08:00

Stay Puff Marsh-PunditIf you know who Paul Krugman is - OK, he's a NYT economics columnist known mainly as the opposition to the Bush admin - and you've heard of his prime antagonists (National Review Online's Krugman Truth Squad), this merchandise might interest you. I'm tempted to get a mug to join my Blogger mug just because the illustration is so hilarious.This is the blog of the guy who

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073435474398488632004-01-06T16:31:00.000-08:002004-01-06T16:32:54.326-08:00

Kick the bums outOr at least marginalize the dictatorships in the UN by creating a caucus of democracies inside the organization.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073433629805787082004-01-06T16:00:00.000-08:002004-01-06T16:02:44.390-08:00

Forget Batman - here is Gotham's new heroColumnist Christopher Hitchens, defender of Iraqi freedom, is now protesting New York City's "bureaucratic bullying" by going on an "orgy of lawlessness": smoking in a bar, sitting on a milk crate and a subway step, taking up more than a single subway seat, feeding pigeons and such. Yes, those are real laws that people have been fined for breaking in New

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073432582189892082004-01-06T15:43:00.000-08:002004-01-06T15:45:31.513-08:00

I can rant again!Newspapers are flourishing in Iraq. One editor's chastising of the Bush administration's failure to help control cooking oil prices in Baghdad was followed two days later in affordable cooking oil, the editor beamed. The coalition is even helping train Iraqi journalists in basic reporting through a Jordanian program. There's only a single criticism of the coalition authorities

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073301423384377822004-01-05T03:17:00.000-08:002004-01-05T03:37:30.546-08:00

My common sense is better than yoursMuch-heralded "centrist" columnist Matthew Miller, who wrote the lauded book on a bipartisan fix for our problems, defends Howard Dean's domestic agenda as nothing but "common sense," except for those smooth-talking conservatives who tricked us all:What "radical" goals would Dr. Dean urge the party to pursue, in what he now calls a "New Social Contract for

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073295456495791942004-01-05T01:37:00.000-08:002004-01-05T01:42:23.356-08:00

New Afghan constitution approvedIt sounds pretty good: democracy, federalism, women and minority rights, even a quota for female representation in the lower house of Parliament (although I'm curious to know if they can fill it - SPU can't even fill its Free Methodist quotas). No separation of church and state, from the sound of it, but it does have "a system of civil law." So how about some

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073292563328264932004-01-05T00:49:00.000-08:002004-01-05T00:51:01.013-08:00

Ghana little too far?Oh, the humanity of my puns! But on a more serious subject: Is the US impeding the economic development of a poor but peaceful African country because its cash crop is wacky tobacky? Their pot is "good quality, plentiful and relatively inexpensive" - about $6 an ounce. Ghana relies on few exports and brings in many imports, but from the facts listed here, it sounds like

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073279583257116242004-01-04T21:13:00.000-08:002004-01-04T21:15:50.530-08:00

Lives saved by toppling SaddamSome blogger did research on Iraq under Saddam at the State Department and created an automated counter that estimates how many Iraqi lives have been saved since the fall of the Baathist regime, owing to the coalition intervention. It's about 40,000 now, or about 140 people a day. He also includes the pertinent sections from the State Department describing the

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073268429624894312004-01-04T18:07:00.000-08:002004-01-04T18:08:47.326-08:00

Tempting...F*** "Draft Clark" - I'll take the esteemed Englishman over any Democrat running for president.Speaking of f***ing the Dems, check out this analysis of the Dems' troubles with foreign policy. It's a faster read than the New York Times Magazine piece that it's distilling and adding to. Nice finish:I'm wrestling with the issue of internationalism a lot these days. My core issues,

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073261641105074892004-01-04T16:14:00.000-08:002004-01-04T16:16:14.296-08:00

"My life as a blog widow"The wife of a popular blogger, Dan Drezner of the University of Chicago (who is guest-blogging on Sullivan's site), describes how their life has changed since he started blogging. For one thing, she gets dirty looks from folks in their neighborhood because her hubby is a Republican (libertarian-leaning, to be exact). Good thing I'm too difficult for any woman to handle

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073259976577157572004-01-04T15:46:00.000-08:002004-01-04T15:47:53.623-08:00

The 800-pound guerillaConflicting reports are coming out about attacks from Iraqi insurgents and other terrorists operating in Iraq. The discrepancy might be the time period used for comparison - the Washington Times said that American troop deaths in December were less than half the number in November, but the Knight Ridder wire service said that there were more American deaths in the two weeks

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073215111971206502004-01-04T03:18:00.000-08:002004-01-04T03:23:59.293-08:00

Where are the right-wing parodies?I know they're out there, but not a single one appears in this list for the 2003 Political Dot-Comedy Awards - unless you count the Borowitz Report, which lacks the left-wing edge of the others (and is, surprise, a lot funnier to your average person because of entries like this). Or if you count the throwaway category of "Most Entertaining Right-Wing News &

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073213236358983252004-01-04T02:47:00.000-08:002004-01-04T02:58:54.996-08:00

Frasier dies, reincarnated as US SenatorHere's the transcript of Kelsey Grammer's appearance on "Hannity and Colmes" where he talks about possible political ambitions (mentioned in this post.) Actually it's an interview from September that was used in their year-in-review show, which kinda sucks, because I think I already saw the September transcript. You can tell that Grammer doesn't want to

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073174030516936472004-01-03T15:53:00.000-08:002004-01-03T15:55:26.920-08:00

Hanukkah in BaghdadI forgot to link this when it was fresh about a week ago, but blogger/coalition media helper Rich Galen - who has been keeping an excellent online journal about his experiences on the ground - describes celebrating the holidays in a war zone. He got to see the Saddam hole, hang out with David Letterman (who spent Christmas away from his newborn son to be with the troops - wow)

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073172292366702272004-01-03T15:24:00.000-08:002004-01-03T15:26:28.450-08:00

Pray for grenadesTake a look at the weapons found in that Sunni mosque that US forces raided. If the NRA tried to pass this off as "self protection," they'd be laughed out of the press conference. The blogger here notes that weapons in a place of worship violates the Geneva Convention, and asks why "much of the media" practices this sort of paternalism that excuses the illegal behavior of

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073125811339218462004-01-03T02:30:00.000-08:002004-01-03T02:31:46.560-08:00

David Brooks fires the first shotI'll make a prediction for the new year: this column by the New York Times' David Brooks will be the pivot on which Republicans, conservatives, business, and a helluva lotta interest groups argue about what direction to take the party in the 21st century. For the most part I think Brooks is right when he says that "reducing the size of government can no longer be

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073124414888600382004-01-03T02:06:00.000-08:002004-01-03T02:08:30.403-08:00

Texas Dem representative switches to GOPHe was one of the most conservative Dems in the House for almost a quarter century, so this isn't a big surprise. Reminds me of when Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords became an independent after the Dems promised him a key committee chairmanship - education, I think - in return for leaving the GOP, which would give control to the Dems. This guy, Rep. Ralph Hall,

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073104626965101152004-01-02T20:37:00.000-08:002004-01-02T20:40:05.936-08:00

Separation of intelligence and law enforcementThe former general counsel of the National Security Administration says that the best chance to prevent 9/11 was never allowed to work - lifting the unnecessarily high wall between intelligence and law enforcement.For two and a half weeks before the attacks, the U.S. government knew the names of two hijackers. It knew they were al-Qaida killers and

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1073082677887331592004-01-02T14:31:00.000-08:002004-01-02T14:32:52.436-08:00

Kelsey Grammer to talk about political ambitions tonightHe came out a few months ago as a Republican and Bush supporter, which intrigued me. "Frasier" was one of my favorite shows (up until Niles and Daphne got married, and there's no surprise anymore) and he was hilarious on "Cheers," so it was nice to know that his portrayal of a pompous, insecure psychiatrist was probably influenced by his

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072994131157015792004-01-01T13:55:00.000-08:002004-01-01T13:58:09.076-08:00

Huge protests for democracy in Hong KongThe organizer, a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, estimates 100,000 protestors, much more than the 20,000 they expected. It's nice to see a protest like this without violent government crackdown on the protestors, or the threat from terrorists. Some democratic revolutions are violent, and some are more procedural and behind the curtain.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072935958419719322003-12-31T21:45:00.000-08:002003-12-31T21:47:30.716-08:00

The stupidest news you've heard all dayCourtesy of the French version of the AP. (Again via FARK.)

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072934526018814632003-12-31T21:22:00.000-08:002003-12-31T21:23:38.530-08:00

Halliburton loses oil contracts in IraqI don't know whether to consider this a PR move by the Pentagon, or whether Halliburton - even with the "extremely dangerous conditions" they worked under in Iraq - really did overcharge the government over $60 million. I suspect the former, seeing how President Bush is suddenly making a rash of decisions that are not characteristic of his initial

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072924647133265122003-12-31T18:37:00.000-08:002003-12-31T18:39:57.653-08:00

Books are so "second millennium"That's what Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol cleverly opines, but the other writers at the Standard have compiled a refreshingly nonpolitical list of the best books of 2003, focusing on sports, pop culture, history and various novels.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072913815036669912003-12-31T15:36:00.000-08:002003-12-31T15:40:01.623-08:00

Willie Nelson to debut new protest song at Kucinich fundraiserHe genuinely likes that angry little socialist elf, although he hasn't played it for Toby Keith yet. Michael McDonald - remember the guy who did the riff that was sampled by Warren G in "Regulators"? - is also playing at the fundraiser. You can read the lyrics, which include tired references to oil and liars, at the link above. (Via

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072909286189128062003-12-31T14:21:00.000-08:002003-12-31T14:22:58.233-08:00

Take a pill or somethingInstapundit does an unusually heated post about Palestinians as "our enemies." He's referring to this translation of Palestinian sermons over the past three years at MEMRI, a research group that translates media in the Middle East. (Link to report originally found here.) The Khatibs (preachers) are all paid by the Palestinian Authority, and it's hard to miss their

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072870494549806422003-12-31T03:34:00.000-08:002003-12-31T03:42:50.170-08:00

Get off my golf course, yuppieMore ammunition to use against your quasi-socialist friends: income inequality has practically disappeared in America if you subtract immigration, mainly because of "the rising affluence of African Americans." And the non-rich are getting so affluent that they're irritating the old-money types that used to have the marinas, golf clubs and ski slopes all to

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072868504019202712003-12-31T03:01:00.000-08:002003-12-31T03:03:15.716-08:00

Dean gone wildHe just wants to have fun, as long as it's coming from and not at him (see this post). I used to think that Dean was pretty Clintonian - he didn't have much substance if you listened carefully, just an ability to energize a crowd with his style. But he seems to really disdain Clinton's ability to unite the party. Am I complaining? Of course not. Maybe his fanaticism will teach

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072859110896121052003-12-31T00:25:00.000-08:002003-12-31T00:26:42.140-08:00

Raise a small part of the roofAnother late reference - J. Charles (aka Prince) has what I'd consider his best post ever, about the word games that are hiding the reality of the Freedom Tower to be built at Ground Zero. Seattle's Columbia Tower comes in even better than the Freedom Tower in one crucial regard. He also has a good description of the different measures of height for skyscrapers

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072858686760143442003-12-31T00:18:00.000-08:002003-12-31T00:19:38.093-08:00

Yarmulkes uniteRemember that French proposal to ban religious apparel in public schools? It's also a problem in America - except with businesses and courts as the culprits. As you might expect, a lot of the discrimination is against Jews who wear their yarmulkes to court, or a job interview. But other religious minorities, such as Muslims and Sikhs, face discrimination as well. The linked

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072847466189784012003-12-30T21:11:00.000-08:002003-12-30T21:12:37.483-08:00

There are Thai troops in Iraq?Keep this in mind when your anti-war friends, relatives and co-workers tell you that the action taken in Iraq is unilateral. Remind them that GERMANY AND FRANCE DO NOT EQUAL THE FRICKIN' WORLD!

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072846589053136522003-12-30T20:56:00.000-08:002003-12-30T20:58:00.483-08:00

Al Qaeda lit and vids found in Sunni TriangleA connection between Al Qaeda and the Baathist regime - preposterous, you say? Looks more likely now.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072833842959865342003-12-30T17:24:00.000-08:002003-12-30T17:27:29.186-08:00

Even better than the California recallMSNBC has decided to pull Jesse Ventura's talk show. The funny thing is his ratings were better than other MSNBC talk shows, at least among "adults." Who else watches MSNBC? And how are they making their programming decisions if not by ratings? This poor network needs a different mission than throwing together a bunch of screeching hosts with polarized

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072832062365469172003-12-30T16:54:00.000-08:002003-12-30T16:55:53.560-08:00

Getting on Al Pacino's bad sideThis is three weeks old by now, but I was searching for an older article in Time by their columnist Joel Stein - who you might've seen dispensing commentary on VH1's "I Love the '80s" series - and he talks about how he got tagged a liberal by conservatives simply because he sees gradations in some places, especially drug legality. It's an interesting and funny

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072829199482519962003-12-30T16:06:00.000-08:002003-12-30T21:03:42.233-08:00

Spheres are colliding!A good analysis of firebrand New York Times columnist Paul Krugman - the one who has come to be identified as almost an opposition party in himself against the Bush administration - and his relationship to the mainstream press. The writer, media critic and NYU journalism prof Jay Rosen, sees the relationship - where Krugman takes the press to task for not seeing the "

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072822031622518312003-12-30T14:07:00.000-08:002003-12-30T14:08:42.560-08:00

Eyman average guyHorrible pun! But your reaction to that headline won't be as sharp as the reaction to Tim Eyman's latest initiative proposal, which would roll back local property taxes by 25 percent. Voter-approved property taxes, including school levies, would be exempt. It sounds a bit steep for me, and even King County Councilman Rob McKenna, no big-spender, thinks it's a "drastic cut for

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072821153625374782003-12-30T13:52:00.000-08:002003-12-30T13:54:04.686-08:00

Student threatened for starting "conservative club"He doesn't sound like the most balanced guy - in one club newsletter he wrote ""Liberals welcome every Muhammad, Jamul and Jose who wishes to leave his Third World state and come to America" - but there should be no excuse for the school refusing to protect him from threats from other students. The faculty haven't exactly enshrined themselves as

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072784736250463342003-12-30T03:45:00.000-08:002003-12-30T03:47:06.060-08:00

Stop criticizing me, you cockroachesSo Howard Dean can't take the heat in the kitchen? He slung the first mud against his challengers for the Democratic nomination and now he's whining that the chairman of the Democratic National Committee hasn't told the others to play nice. Look at what he's called everybody else in the party:Lieberman said he was surprised by Dean's sensitivity, noting that

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072762651225423742003-12-29T21:37:00.000-08:002003-12-29T21:41:16.890-08:00

Church of England senior officials savage Bush and BlairAnything substantive? No, just the usual hyperbole coming from a variety of church officials that prefer Arab dictators to Anglophile democratic leaders. The Bishop of Durham called President Bush and Prime Minister Blair "white vigilantes" who were "not credible leaders to deal with" the former Iraqi regime. The Archbishop of York made a

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072755920790068772003-12-29T19:45:00.000-08:002003-12-29T19:46:50.153-08:00

Go buy yourself something, um, educationalPresident Bush has received almost as much campaign money from "education interests" as Howard Dean this year. The giving is said to come mostly from college and university professors, although there's no breakdown. Reason's Hit & Run blog speculates that the No Child Left Behind Act is going the distance to leave no educator behind, and they're

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072741513196045742003-12-29T15:45:00.000-08:002003-12-29T15:46:42.530-08:00

Forget everything you've heard from our overhyped coverageUniversity of Chicago professor and blogger Dan Drezner is guest-blogging at Andrew Sullivan's site - I wish someone would ask me if they could guest-blog here - and he notes that the New York Times has basically withdrawn its earlier sensationalistic coverage of Halliburton in Iraq that insinuated Halliburton was ripping off the

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072666713409427192003-12-28T18:58:00.000-08:002003-12-28T19:00:12.623-08:00

"I don't like any of them"Put this in the useless-but-nice-to-know category: Jack Nicholson, a longtime Democrat, doesn't like any of the Democratic presidential candidates. He says, "None of them are individuals," Bush is still popular, and he'll support whoever the nominee is. More juicy gossip at the New York Daily News site linked, including Maria-as-Hillary in Sacramento and gay New York

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072665677691950132003-12-28T18:41:00.000-08:002003-12-28T18:42:45.903-08:00

Now can you work on a lite beer that tastes good?Denver's new mayor, a Democrat who made a fortune with his downtown pubs, is making waves with the creative outsiders he's brought on his team, with the goal of cutting the city budget and making Denver more efficient. Many of the appointees come from outside Denver and have experience in making government work better for less, and the mayor has

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072602989293549532003-12-28T01:16:00.000-08:002003-12-28T01:17:56.793-08:00

Poland loves America more than AmericansYou would too if you were always stuck between Germany and Russia. But though Poland is the antidote to anti-Americanism in Western Europe, as the New York Times' Tom Friedman writes, America is not doing enough to reward this crucial ally (they have more than 2,400 troops in Iraq) and the younger generation of Poles are more familiar with their European

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072581017388778762003-12-27T19:10:00.000-08:002003-12-27T19:11:44.560-08:00

Christianity is really cool in ChinaThey love Christmas even more than Americans! At least if you count church attendance in China, even on days other than Christmas. It's making the Commie party leadership uneasy, these estimated 90 million Christians under their jurisdiction. It's seen as "fashionable" and a statement of dissent for the youth to wear a cross. Retro!

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072413307058736512003-12-25T20:35:00.000-08:002003-12-25T20:36:31.466-08:00

Spicy chocolate ballsYes, that's an allusion to Chef's culinary anthem from "South Park." But I'm referring to some cayenne- and insanity-sauce-infused chocolate truffles that Bob says are surprisingly good. If you go for spiced chocolate in your coffee, I recommend El Diablo Coffee on Queen Anne in Seattle. (If you look in the November 2002 issue of PUNCH - the print edition, not online -

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072411202500726042003-12-25T20:00:00.000-08:002003-12-25T20:13:15.340-08:00

The circle of life...er, bloggingI just realized browsing former editor Steve Barnett's blog that PUNCH contributor and fellow blogger Ryan McMaster - aka Bob - has also been reading, and commenting, on Steve's blog. As far as I know Steve didn't know Ryan at SPU, so the only way Ryan knew about Steve's blog was because it was linked and occasionally referenced on The PUNCH Bowl. You can't

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072377231414898662003-12-25T10:33:00.000-08:002003-12-25T10:41:01.606-08:00

Circumvent your college administrators!So you've got some extra income you need to toss for a tax deduction: how about a donation to your alma mater? But won't they spend it on something ridiculous, like an endowed chair in Marxist Feminist Studies? If you're picking your brain for a way to help some specific programs without leaving it to the discretion of college administrators - which I've

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072339856044211352003-12-25T00:10:00.000-08:002003-12-25T00:12:19.543-08:00

Not all boomers are badInteresting letter from a Vietnam veteran on Andrew Sullivan's site, which often publishes insightful letters from soldiers, hard-to-place non-liberals and such. This guy describes coming back from Vietnam, where he did medical work, and his "friends" throwing him a welcome party and ganging up to accuse him of killing babies and other idiotic statements. Now he says he

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072331995518417002003-12-24T21:59:00.000-08:002003-12-24T22:01:19.043-08:00

Like we need an excuse to read itAndrew reminds us that Playboy turns 50 this month, and that it used to actually have good writers, which gave men an excuse to read it. Hey Andrew, how about citing the American press occasionally? Just for kicks?

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072331688363261402003-12-24T21:54:00.000-08:002003-12-24T21:56:11.920-08:00

'Tis the season for boozeA blogger notes that the holiday rush wasn't so bad at Wal-Mart, but "the liquor store was busier than I have ever seen it." Instapundit calls the holiday hankering for hooch "Churchillian." Tonight with the parents was fine, but I'm guessing after tomorrow with the full clan in Portland and two dogs who do nothing but bark, I think I'll need a double.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072304917013351542003-12-24T14:28:00.000-08:002003-12-24T14:29:59.750-08:00

Condescension WatchIn this story about the details of Al Franken's coming liberal radio network, we hear an executive at an involved network partner talk with clueless condescension about his various minority audiences, and how you can reduce them to their athletic and musical preferences.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072139194440147412003-12-22T16:26:00.000-08:002003-12-22T16:35:25.496-08:00

PUNCH editor has new blogTook you long enough! Senior Editor Andrew Rothgaber joins the ranks of Steve Barnett and me with his own personal blog. It looks pretty good - he has an interesting post on a new competitor for ecstasy that isn't so much better chemically but is seen as more trendy, I guess (although his mockery of techno fills me with rage). So give him a read. I'll probably link

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072125508777212952003-12-22T12:38:00.000-08:002003-12-22T12:40:39.716-08:00

Proof that you're a threat to societyYou have one of these. (Thanks for the tip, Dave.)

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072122410079744682003-12-22T11:46:00.000-08:002003-12-22T12:43:09.780-08:00

Jon Stewart, the coolest anchor in newsSays something about the news business these days, huh? Great Newsweek profile of Jon Stewart, the host of "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central - which won two Emmys this year over Leno and Letterman - and the growing popularity of these hip outlets with politicians looking to become less uptight in the eyes of younger voters. Bob Dole gets a few quotes in

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072119515939237832003-12-22T10:58:00.000-08:002003-12-22T11:03:45.983-08:00

Good news for those of us still getting beaten upIt's becoming socially acceptable, even expected, that you'll live with your parents for a while in your 20s and maybe 30s, according to a good NY Times feature. Social scientists call it "transitional adulthood," similar to how adolescence as a recognized period in life was added a century ago. I know quite a few people who will feel better

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796377.post-1072059106191230342003-12-21T18:11:00.000-08:002003-12-21T18:13:05.436-08:00

We're all hypocritesRamesh Ponnuru of National Review analyzes the various interpretations and reasons for supporting "federalism", the disloyalty to which has been a regular accusation leveled especially by libertarians against conservatives, for proposed action such as a federal ban on partial-birth abortion and a constitutional amendment against gay marriage. Ponnuru shows how different

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123988663826408749noreply@blogger.com