Wednesday, May 31, 2006
“…when they learn to be grateful to work for nothing…” (06:17 PM) - The other day there appeared in the New York Times an editorial about unpaid internships by a person called Anya Kamenetz. I first saw this article late last night on the dingy, sullied, brown floor of a public men’s room…
The Duke Rape Case: She Was Asking For It (03:43 PM) - The fellows at RealClearPolitics note that a Durham Herald-Sun columnist makes the ‘she was asking for it’ argument, referring to the Duke rape case. …except he’s talking about the lacrosse team. Quotable: “The lacrosse boys brought it on themselves, though…
Seal and Linsalata Against the Constitution (08:09 AM) - The editor of Dartmouth’s liberal student publication, the Free Press, and the editor of its conservative publication, the Review, oppose the Alumni Governance Task Force’s proposed constitution in chorus today, demonstrating that there truly is no room for partisan politics…
Quotable Law Students (07:27 AM) - Hofstra law professor Miriam Cherry, who is by the bye the best-named law blogger on the Internet, today writes about her favorite one-liners from this most recent round of exams….
A Curious Question (06:19 AM) - Every morning I listen to National Public Radio news, because NPR is the only radio station that doesn’t compress its audio with an Orban FM-OPTIMOD, a device which makes broadcast audio distinctly unwelcome-sounding in the morning. Unfortunately, NPR also provides…
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
For Those Who Advocate Talks With Ahmadinejad (03:10 PM) - Please read this interview first, then get back to us. Roger L. Simon says: “Ahmadinejad seems the bastard son of Hitler and Caligula. Allowing Iran to have nuclear weapons is the equivalent of giving a loaded gun to a three-year…
Power Line Video: Minuteman Briefing (01:21 PM) - The good folks at Representative Jack Kingston’s office (in the safe Rayburn building) have sent video of the congressman being briefed on the situation at the border by a representative of the Minuteman organization. It’s available at Power Line Video…
The Dartmouth: “Association of Alumni halts imminent elections” (08:10 AM) - Rebekah Rombom at The Dartmouth reports on the unconstitutional power grab of the Association of Alumni’s Executive Committee and leadership, calling it an important factor in the debate on the Alumni Governance Task Force’s anti-petition constitution proposal:In the latest twist…
Time’s winged chariot hurrying near (07:10 AM) - It is the time of the quarter when Internet writing loses sway to academic, and so expect light blogging in the days to come….
Monday, May 29, 2006
Robert Miller Sings the Star-Spangled Banner (07:00 PM) - One more video before night falls on this Memorial Day. Here is baritone Robert (known to audiences as Merrill, and born Moshe) Miller singing, correctly for a change, our wonderful national anthem. This is from a 1944 Fox Movietone film….
The Power Line Literature Poll (07:00 PM) - John Hinderaker makes note here that the official 2006 Power Line American literature stakes has begun. You can vote over at Power Line News. Direct all outrage to the Power Line e-mail account, please. FOR THE RECORD: I agree with…
“The laurelled sons of Dartmouth…” (03:46 PM) - Writing at Dartlog, Dartmouth Review editor Dan Linsalata reminds us of the ‘war verse’ added to the Dartmouth Alma Mater (originally called Men of Dartmouth, by Richard Hovey) in wartime. Such as the present….
Two Soldiers’ Stories (02:55 PM) - This page in recent months has featured the stories of two inspiring members of the Armed Forces at two fronts in the War on Terror. On April 14, in “The Army We Have,” I attempted to relate the incredible story…
“A lesson in living love” (12:52 PM) - On November 11, 1988, President Ronald Reagan gave a ceremonial address at the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Washington, DC. Below, an excerpt. …We remember those who were called upon to give all a person can give, and we remember those…
Memorial Day — Defenders and Liberators (07:25 AM) - This is Memorial Day. I thought I would offer several items throughout the day, but as the sun is quickly descending on this very day in Baghdad, it is only proper to address first what has been weighing relentlessly on…
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Duke Lacrosse Gals Wear ‘Innocent’ Sweatbands (06:30 PM) - The improbable prosecution of three Duke men continues, and the Duke lacrosse girls, who fell to Northwestern last Friday as ours did today, are wearing sweatbands supportive of their beset counterparts on the men’s team, who have been thoroughly villified,…
Sports Sunday (12:05 PM) - Dartmouth’s girls battle Northwestern for the NCAA lacrosse championship this afternoon. If they win, they would win for Dartmouth its first national championship since 1976. I should be watching that game (in fact, I ought to be there) but the…
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Ho capito, signor sì! (07:58 AM) - The officers and Executive Committee of Dartmouth’s Association of Alumni have done to Dartmouth, to her students, and to her former students a massive disservice by canceling the annual election for the very offices they hold. It is cause for…
Friday, May 26, 2006
At Long Last… (04:42 PM) - Posting has been light because of autre obligations, but here is your notice—the very last patina of decency has melted away. According to this letter just electronically distributed by the current leaders of Dartmouth’s Association of Alumni, alumni shall have…
Behind the B.O. Mojo (09:26 AM) - Do box office numbers mean anything at all, or are they a marketing tool for production companies?…
The Top Fifty Conservative Rock Songs (07:56 AM) - National Review’s John J. Miller put together a list of the top fifty rock songs with a conservative message. The New York Times yesterday republished the list, along with John’s explanations. Really, a very fascinating list, with many items which…
Thursday, May 25, 2006
What Would We Do Without the Internet? (05:53 PM) - Britney Spears teaches you about semiconductors….
Posted Without Comment (For Now) (03:53 PM) - AP: “Bush Orders FBI-Congress Documents Sealed”…
Fired for Mockery (02:47 PM) - Compare Putin to Bush and the difference between crushing of dissent and a regular respect for national security secrets becomes too clear….
Congressional Black Caucus Supports William Jefferson (11:45 AM) - Delivering only the latest evidence that race-based politics is poisonous, the CBC has decided to defend Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.), who was found with thousands of dollars in bribes in his freezer. The Hill reports that only by the skin…
Arthur Sulzberger Has Some Words For The Kids (09:21 AM) - When John McCain and Condoleezza Rice gave their respective commencement addresses this graduation season to mostly receptive but occasionally rude and grandstanding audiences, they didn’t try to sell any political messages. They offered hope and encouragement and apolitical counsel. In…
Eminent Domain Exercised in Jefferson Raid (09:19 AM) - Scott Ott reports: “We plan to use those files for what the court calls a ‘public purpose’,” said Mr. Gonzales. “Of course, with Rep. Jefferson in there, we could have made the case that the office was blighted. But the…
“The border, what is happening, is terrible. The way they try to pretend that everybody is a terrorist.” (07:56 AM) - The enlightened musings of the winning director at Cannes. John Hinderaker slays….
American Idolatry (07:13 AM) - It isn’t my habit to watch American Idol. I usually despair for music’s future through the Ann Althouse proxy. But I was able to tune in and out of last evening’s live episode—the final in the fifth season. One thing…
Leveling the Play Field (12:56 AM) - As things stand in alumni electoral politics, non-petition candidates for trustee enjoy a significant advantage. The proposed constiution, in sundry ways detailed several times over on this page, seems likely to expand and resolidify this unfair advantage. Over at the…
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Finally—a House, United, Stands Its Ground (04:40 PM) - There is a broad bi-partisan consensus in the House of Representatives that its ranks ought to be immune from criminal investigations. Especially if the crime occured within the halls of congressional power. The Associated Press reports: House leaders of both…
Duke Rape Case Update (01:50 PM) - LaShawn Barber continues to track the Duke rape case. Defense’s discovery request has been answered with an amazing 1,300 pages of documents. (No doubt including such things as Duke’s soda machine instruction manuals and the mayor’s recipe for chicken con…
George McGovern on Wal-Mart (12:45 PM) - The man had an opposite editorial in the Los Angeles Times two days ago, and he had something very sharp to say about the war on Wal-Mart, as part of his broader point: That unions need to settle for less.The…
Location, Location, Location (11:27 AM) - Dartmouth economics professor David Blanchflower is going to face some grilling, Craig Sterling reports for Bloomberg, from British lawmakers uncertain whether he can at the same time make policy for the Bank of England and teach at Dartmouth. My understanding…
Journal: Net Neutrality Debate (10:23 AM) - The Wall Street Journal, in a free feature, holds a debate on network neutrality. For is Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist. Against is Mike McCurry, the lobbyist whose client is the phone industry. From Mr. McCurry:”A level playing field” still…
AP: Fox, in U.S., Says Walls Won’t Fix Problem (10:01 AM) - Well, Vicente, it won’t fix your problem. But it will help to fix ours….
Hooah. (09:03 AM) - A major Taliban offensive in Afghanistan has been registering halfbleeps on American radars for the past thirty-six hours or so, and the confirmed numbers are finally in: Four Afghan soldiers, one Afghan policeman, and sixty terrorists are dead….
To the Tune of ‘Abstinence-Only’ (08:47 AM) - J.T. at Wizbang tells the fascinating story of a cabal of Massachusetts politicos who got themselves a spot on a task force of some kind and were supposed to make some recommendations regarding the best source of milk for babies….
Hastert tells Bush FBI raid was unconstitutional (08:17 AM) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation raids a congressman’s office—William Jefferson, Democrat of Louisiana—finds copious proof of corruption, law-breaking, and skylarkings innumerable. Can his co-workers condemn the crime? No, no. The FBI raid is the scandal here, not the bribery. And…
John McCain at Columbia University (08:07 AM) - John McCain’s commencement address at the New School in Manhattan was heavily publicized, since the New Schoolers could be counted on to embarrass themselves and their institution by turning their backs on a decent man. I imagine that day was…
Paul Newman Drives Toward Sunset (07:59 AM) - USA Today reporter A.J. Perez has the front page this morning, with an excellent article on actor Paul Newman, 81, his racing team Newman/Haas, and his love for open-wheel racing (with a few attending aspersions on NASCAR). RELATED: Motorsports majors…
One More From Herr Mozart (07:00 AM) - As you presume, the sudden increase in quotations from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s letters on this page is the result of my having academic work on the man this Spring. I’ve already discussed my final essay in “The Original Micromanager”. And…
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
The Gas Insanity Never Ends (07:45 PM) - Today, Barbara Boxer, the Democratic senator from California, said at a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing that a Federal Trade Commission report, which found no evidence of price gouging on the part of American oil firms,…
Vibrancy (07:07 PM) - The United States doesn’t have any problem with a vibrant Muslim state, so long as it isn’t planning vibrant ways to destroy her Jewish neighbor. President Bush today reiterated a pro-Israel, pro-peace policy when he conducted a joint press conference…
Targeted in Antwerp (05:08 PM) - John Griffith, via e-mail, brings to my attention a terrible situation in Belgium—a killing spree in Antwerp, and out of that, a political controversy which has been growing exponentially. The scandal-mongers have congealed around an innocent, unconnected man: Paul Belien,…
Today’s Bushism: An Addendum (01:30 PM) - Jacob Weisberg produces the always-grasping ‘Bushism of the Day’ for the online magazine Slate. And Eugene Volokh makes a habit of reviewing this daily account of the president’s imperfections with the eyes and ears of a regular person instead of…
In the pages of the Washington Post (09:02 AM) - In the Washington Post this morning, Howard Kurtz reports on the wild Internet rumor about Karl Rove’s indictment and kindly quotes this page: “Wrong About Rove?” At least they were kinder than the Guardian….
Just Generally Irked At Mexico (And the Fertility Rate) (08:13 AM) - It is no surprise that the Mexican government encourages and supports emigration from Mexico and illegal immigration into the United States. It does this at least as fervently as it encourages Americans to come with their dollars and vacation in…
Monday, May 22, 2006
Dear President Ahmadinejad… (10:47 PM) - A former Reagan official replies to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s da’wa—his demand that George Bush convert to Islam in exchange for peace—as only a former Reagan official could….
The Official Line, Cut (06:35 PM) - A member of the Dartmouth Alumni Governance Task Force, in response to this post, writes the following in an e-mail to me:I just read your post about the council’s constitutional amendment and am dismayed by the animosity. The amendment to…
Headline of the Day (05:29 PM) - Today’s is a bear-and-a-half, and comes from the New York Post: “Hillary Ipodham Clinton”. The junior senator’s iPod playlist has been leaked and, amazingly, it is actually just a half-dozen mainstream adult contemporary songs from a variety of neutral genres….
Behind Every Man, There is a Much-Better-Liked Woman (05:28 PM) - Where George Bush cannot campaign for Republicans successfully, there is Laura….
Madonna’s Controversial New Show (09:27 AM) - It seems as if Madonna opens her new concert program hung on the Christian Cross followed by some kind of strip tease. Then she shows video of Bush, Blair, and Hitler, followed by a song celebrating New York and then…
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Idea: Install Internet Satellites About China (11:59 AM) - I think, for substantiveness and poetry, the e-mail of the week came from Kent Dahlberg, who ably debunked a politically-motivated abuse of Robert Frost. But a very close runner-up is the below, which comes from a Hanover-based student whom I…
Dartmouth Club Sports Commission Report (11:18 AM) - The Dartmouth Student Assembly commissioned a group to study the current state of club sports and prospects for the future. This was the topic of some discussion at the open session of the Alumni Council, at which I spent some…
“One of the largest diasporas in modern history.” (11:18 AM) - An article in the San Francisco Chronicle reports that fifteen percent of Mexico’s working population is working in the United States, and ten percent of Mexicans are living in the United States. The article does not mention how many are…
‘The Wait-and-See Approach’ (09:48 AM) - When the annals of journalistic forma are compiled, the one today invented by the left-wing outfit ironically called Truthout should be very highly featured. The organization reported weeks ago that Karl Rove had been officially charged with some crime. This…
Because I Could Not Stop to Blog, It Kindly Stopped for me (07:16 AM) - A thousand apologies, O constant reader, for the slow posting of late. Duties—many of them—call. Perhaps some link posts today? Meantime, sample the fine selection of writers featured in the list of links to the right. Ellen Simonetti (or to…
Saturday, May 20, 2006
“Smooth as a Baby’s Butt” (07:13 PM) - That’s how Helio Castroneves just described his teammate Sam Hornish Jr.’s run on this, Pole Day, for the greatest spectacle in racing, the Indianapolis 500. Here is the grid. Hornish has the pole; his qualifying speed 228.985 miles per hour….
Report: Dartmouth Alumni Council Meets and Votes (11:45 AM) - The results are, as yet, unofficial, but the Alumni Council of Dartmouth College has met and a few moments ago voted on two items very important to the passage of the Alumni Governance Task Force’s controversial new constitution. First, the…
Blog It So (05:04 AM) - Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise has a blog….
Friday, May 19, 2006
US fumes as Iraq backs Israel boycott (07:16 AM) - The headline is just a tad misleading, as all Iraq’s sovereign government has done is to send a representative to the anti-Israel summit—one also attended by ostensible allies Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. But a disappointment nonetheless….
Thursday, May 18, 2006
The Original Micromanager (07:00 PM) - What does it look like when a person who has never played an instrument, never sung, and never read a note, tries to do a thorough analysis of a piece of classical music? It looks a lot like Mozart &…
Nature, Data, Man, and the Heavens in Right Rhythm (06:23 PM) - A good friend forwards the following excerpt from today’s Political Diary by John Fund, which names America’s ten most conservative cities:Americans are moving to areas they feel are a good cultural and political fit for their values, which is why…
The Da Vinci Disapointment (02:50 PM) - Peggy Noonan this morning: “I don’t really understand why we live in an age in which we feel compelled to spoof the beliefs of the followers of the great religions. Why are we doing that? Why does Hollywood consider this…
Mexico protests military and new walls on border (02:06 PM) - Reuters reports:MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico will complain to the U.S. government about plans to build security fences and deploy National Guard troops along the border to curb illegal immigration, the foreign minister said on Thursday. Mexico has pushed for…
Mansfield on the Debacle at Harvard (12:02 PM) - Harvard professor Harvey Mansfield comments on Larry Summers’ ouster in the Claremont Review of Books: “It is a debacle at Harvard: a great university getting rid of its most outstanding president since James B. Conant, the only outstanding president at…
Who is Rapanos and Why Should You Care? (09:11 AM) - I see that the good folks at the Pacific Legal Foundation have launched Rapanos Blog, a web site which features running commentary on a very important case called United States v. Rapanos which will come before the Supreme Court in…
A Strange Desire to See an Interestingly-Maligned Film (09:02 AM) - I thought I might let you know that, while I wasn’t planning on seeing the Da Vinci Code film (for the same reason I didn’t read the book—no interest) I will probably now go, now that Ian McKellen has described…
House of Representatives Passes FY 2007 Budget Plan (06:49 AM) - A preliminary vote took place in Congress at one o’clock this morning on President Bush’s lean(ish) budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year. The year itself begins October 1, and a compromise by that time is not certain—making likely a…
Diversity at Princeton Poised to Increase (05:32 AM) - In response to Princeton students who conducted studies to show that diversity levels* at their school are not high enough, the university’s president, Shirley Tilghman, has announced a new invention: the vice provost for institutional equity and diversity. This position…
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
“American nothing?” How about Henry Ford? (08:40 PM) - Over in South America, DaimlerChrysler sells its cars with anti-Americanism—and on Clear Channel billboards, no less….
And Robert Frost Rests Calmly in Bennington (06:49 PM) - Supporting the successful Senate bid to extend the wall along the southerly border, Senator Jeff Sessions invoked Robert Frost: The Senate fence measure was embodied in an amendment offered by Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama, who borrowed from the…
New Apple Laptop Allows Contextual Right-Click (05:44 PM) - The Mac News Blog has all the details. Coming soon: Math coprocessors! NOTE: I am fully aware that Dartblog’s anti-Macintosh bias annoys a whole lot of good folks. I’m trying to rein it in, truly I am….
Moving Ahead on Immigration (04:58 PM) - The Senate today voted 83-16 to build three hundred miles of fencing and to provide five hundred miles of vehicle barriers along the southern border. Also today, the Senate voted 99 to 0 in approval of the Kyl/Cornyn amendment, which…
A Different Kind of Commencement Speaker (11:46 AM) - The graduating cadets at the Virginia Military Institute held their commencement exercises yesterday afternoon, and were fortunate enough to have as their keynote speaker Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. It is a different world down there. From these northerly climes,…
The Present Quagmire in Japan (10:02 AM) - Victor David Hanson reports on Franklin Roosevelt’s hopeless criminal war….
Immigration Reform & Landscaping Grandpas (09:29 AM) - A first, I believe, for Dartblog—my Dad e-mails in:Read several of your posts on immigration. Offer another thought: the aging of the population creates employee deficit conditions (which many think will lead a wage inflation) in USA starting in 2015….
Harper’s Magazine Prints All 12 Mohammed Cartoons (09:16 AM) - ‘Twould be better had they printed them while Islamists were killing and burning everything in sight, that the lesson might land, but I suppose better late than never….
Two Things About This Pravda Article (09:01 AM) - The weirdos over there write, or more accurately, their discount translator writes on the possible Hillary/Condi race in 2008:Billboards posted everywhere about the US now try to persuade Americans to vote actively and honestly at the election in 2008. When…
No Girls Allowed (08:50 AM) - Glenn Reynolds, saying, “Things can’t be that bad for the Republicans,” points me to this absolutely lovely article in Newsweek, on regular, no-frills, men-only barbershops, and the incredible comeback they are making. Having recently suffered the trauma of going to…
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Oh, Michelle (10:50 PM) - I understand the patriotic passions stirred by the immigration debate; truly I do. But it unfortunately appears to be the case that some writers on the right have, in response to the president’s moderate stance, alit from sense and begun…
Headline of the Day (10:38 PM) - This Tuesday’s late honor is given to Associated Press stringer Mary Pemberton, for going all the way to Anchorage, Alaska to get the story: “Elephant Not Interested in Using Treadmill”….
Oh, Communism, You Minx (10:11 PM) - The part I love best about Communism is the coy little way in which it goes about tacitly admitting that, well yes, individual enterprise actually does exist and does count for something—specifically, it matters who got the bright idea to…
Bush Immigration Speech Polls Overwhelmingly Positive (04:14 PM) - 67% of all respondents to an overnight CNN poll thought positively of the president’s immigration plan after the speech, compared to 42% before. [PDF, Report] I agree….
Wal-Mart’s First Quarter Profit: $2.615 Billion (10:55 AM) - Devilry, or an ingenius supply chain? The world may never know….
The Secretary’s Symphonies (08:56 AM) - Ever since the good Secretary of State Rice revealed her exclusive exercise regimen (video at eleven!) on WRC-TV, the District of Columbia’s NBC affiliate, I have had to cast some doubt on the various human interest stories that get released…
The PoliPundit Crack-Up (08:37 AM) - I was not clear on what passion the immigration debate inspired until I saw the great crack-up over at the PoliPundit blog, which has long been one of the most interesting, edifying political websites on the right. The main writer,…
Monday, May 15, 2006
The President’s Speech (08:14 PM) - I am in agreement with the president on the immigration issue, and I think he is giving a very good speech right now. The full speech is in the extended. A part I particularly liked is below.Some in this country…
The Annals of Strange AP Reports on Karl Rove (03:28 PM) - First, the Associated Press brought you an in-depth look at the contents of Karl Rove’s garage, among which there was, disappointingly, not a single gateway to hell. Now there is the pressing issue of the man’s smile. It means something….
“Full diplomatic relations” with Libya (03:15 PM) - Secretary of State Rice has announced the resumption of relations with Libya and plans for a United States embassy in Tripoli. Libya is a state which has not met this administration’s expectations as regards democracy and non-support of terror, but…
The World (Redrawn by Refugee Origin) (02:39 PM) - Invisible: Not a bad thing to be on a map such as this. I suppose the whole move-to-Canada movement never really got off the ground. More fascinating maps here. Via Roger Alford….
Ten-and-a-Half Truths About Immigration Politics (09:52 AM) - From Mark Halperin’s dew-fresh epistle to the ABC News political team. As usual, it is not especially easy to determine whether Halperin & Co. mean what they say, but here are the ten-point-five points anyway:1. The White House 72-hour striptease…
Why the Personal Computer Will Always Win (08:15 AM) - Two old thieves, Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, and Paul Otellini, president of Intel, have a lovely pro-Wintel op-ed in today’s Wall Street Journal. It is pay-only online, but here is the paragraph that struck me most. It explains very…
Sunday, May 14, 2006
A Professor Reviews President Bush (Plus Something About Some Book) (09:51 PM) - Before bed, I wanted to make quick note of the foolish article that University of Maryland professor Ira Berlin turned into this morning’s New York Times Sunday Book Review. One mustn’t expect much from an outfit whose major purpose in…
An Airman, A New Blog, and Why They Fight (12:30 AM) - Craig Sanders, who writes the newest addition to the Dartblog blogroll, The Sandbox, e-mails to note a series that he’s begun:I am currently active duty Air Force, and stories of military personnel truly interest me. I have few stories of…
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Ahmadinejad: Iran will talk to any country but Israel (11:52 PM) - Achmad Sukarsono and Jerry Norton report for Reuters on the latest palaver from Iran’s very unsound president:NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday Iran was ready to talk with any country except Israel but not under…
Cross-Shaped Ruin to Stay at Ground Zero (11:44 PM) - The Associated Press reports that two steel beams which survived the opening attack in the War on Terror in the shape of the cross will remain. I imagine most did not know they were ever in jeopardy. Mercifully, the WTC…
A Letter from Joseph Haydn to Franz Roth (07:48 AM) - It is widely believed, and I choose to, that Mozart stopped both Beethoven and Haydn from writing operas. Stopped Haydn midway down a very mossy path and stopped Beethoven from making much of a start at all. Both men could,…
The New Policy: Say Nothing At All (05:50 AM) - Dartblog has twice reported on the situation at Century College in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, where a professor put the twelve Mohammed cartoons on a bulletin board and was swiftly censored. Now, if a recent e-mail is accurate, that censorship…
Friday, May 12, 2006
Siskel and Ebert and the Outtakes (04:55 PM) - Via Ann Althouse, I discover three hilarious outtake reels from the old “Siskel and Ebert and the Movies” show. Here is the first, here is the second, and here is the third….
A Republican Speaks at Graduation (02:24 PM) - So the professor quits….
“Most put security ahead of privacy” (12:50 PM) - Like most things in this newborn “scandal”, the headline in this Boston Globe article, which reports on one of many polls which show that Americans overwhelmingly approve of the trend analysis program detailed in yesterday’s USA Today piece, is misleading….
One Vote and Moussaoui Lives (08:21 AM) - Drew Cline, on news that a single ‘no’ vote kept the terrorist Moussaoui from being executed:The foreman of the jury said “I felt frustrated because I felt that many of us had been cheated by the anonymity of the ‘no’…
Al Gore’s Movie, Reviewed (07:14 AM) - Jeralyn Merit saw the early screening of “An Inconvenient Truth”, the long-awaited sequel to “The Day After Tomorrow”. She reports: “Movie over, exellent. I highly recommend it. It’s a lot of Gore, he is the movie, but there are excellent…
Why Won’t U.S., Iran Hash Out Differences? (06:49 AM) - Put this outrageous Associated Press article into the ‘suicidally foolhardy’ category. Why will Bush not offer the “obvious follow-up to Ahmadinejad’s letter” and begin bi-lateral negotiations? Perhaps because the letter was an invitation to surrender, not a peace offering….
Is Wright Right? (06:35 AM) - Power Liners John Hinderaker and Scott Johnson had a pow-wow with Dartmouth president Jim Wright earlier this week. Scott reports on the basics of the meeting here and offers his analysis in “Why the Wright Stuff is Wrong.” He writes:The…
Thursday, May 11, 2006
More From The Elders of Hanover (11:23 PM) - Orrin Judd actually attended the fateful meeting of Hanover residents where it was decided to impeach the president and withdraw from Iraq. He reports:A younger fellow, who appeared blissfully unaware that Jerry died several years ago, protested that no one…
The Latest from the Right Brothers: Trickle Down (07:28 PM) - The Right Brothers, last seen on this page singing “Bush Was Right” to wide acclaim, have a capital new album out. Here is a short clip from one of their very funny songs, “Trickle Down”. There’s much more excellent audio…
A da’wa (06:46 PM) - Today, Iran’s president clarified the intent of his epistle. He dismissed the notion that it was all about the nuclear standoff, saying “We act according to laws and our activities are quite clear. We are rather intent on solving more…
Head of WTC Rebuilding Agency Steps Down From Post (06:03 PM) - Oh, a sigh for this woe betide project!…
Gas Price Stupidity (03:20 PM) - Coyote Blog reports on some bills making their ways through Congress that may make charging “grossly excessive” (the House version) and “excessively unconscionable” (the Senate version) prices for gas a crime. What do either of those standards mean? I don’t…
Dispatch from the White House Northern Command (07:29 AM) - The Beltway crowd has been on pins and needles for the past fortnight—ever since the residents of Hanover, New Hampshire jotted on their jotters the 5/10/06 town meeting. The one that will live in infamy. Republican leaders were dreading the…
The Fake Outrage Machine Cries for Oil (07:07 AM) - USA Today scurries, ragged and worse for the wear, to inform you of the latest outrage:The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and…
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
AP: Joe Malchow Coy on Chicken Sandwich Rumors (09:47 PM) - HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE (AP) - Joe Malchow is laughing off rumors that he plans to order a chicken sandwich — but he’s not denying it either. Recent photos splashed across the Internet and in tabloids suggest the workaday undergraduate has…
Unfolding the Mysteries of the Universe: FCC Edition (09:30 PM) - Courtesy of Wikipedia, it is revealed why there is no TV channel 1: “This article is about the non-existent United States TV channel.”…
Eh, Maybe We Shouldn’t Fight Terror After All (06:41 PM) - We find a way to continue to funnel money to the Hamas-led Palestinians. I cannot but share Paul Mirengoff’s bleak interpretation….
So Ronery (10:14 AM) - Due to lack of interest, the Harvard Alumni Association has cancelled its planned vacation to North Korea….
Headline of the Day (09:13 AM) - The Harvard Crimson reports: “Marine to Direct Women’s Center”…
Back to Regular Old Dill (09:04 AM) - The blogosphere was humming at a warm rouge a few days ago when Reuters deployed onto its wire a lovely little yarn about a crew of Budapest workmen who, drinking an off-tasting barrel of rum, were surprised to find a…
U.S. Leads World In Imprisonment Rates (06:57 AM) - Kings College in London ran the numbers, and it seems that the United States has the highest imprisonment rate. Putting criminals in lockup on such a consistent and fair basis is probably cause for pride, but Andrew Sullivan is a…
Dow Poised to Hit Record (06:48 AM) - Remember when the Dow nearing an all-time historic high was first-paragraph news? Here is how it’s spun now, in perfect concordance with efforts to convince people that the economy has not, for the last several years, been going like gangbusters…
The Regressive Academy (06:28 AM) - Welcome to 2002! Serious movements are underway at British universities to boycott Israeli scholars and scholarship. Patrick Porter comments here….
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Dinner with the Ambassador (11:31 PM) - Last night I was privileged enough to have a fine meal with Dan Kurtzer, who was the American ambassador to Israel from 2001 to 2005 and the ambassador to Egypt during the Clinton administration. Mr. Kurtzer is currently a visiting…
The Failure of Packaging, Cont. (09:08 PM) - I wrote several weeks ago in “The Harvard Novelist and Her Dutiful Fakirs” on the underreported fact that Kaavya Viswanathan, the Harvard sophomore who used the chick lit subnet of the Borg Collective to write a piece of lipstick-stained fiction,…
Welcome to Election Season (09:00 PM) - CBS NEWS/NEW YORK TIMES POLL: Americans have bleaker view of direction the country is heading than at any time in 23 years. Well, of course they do….
Coolidge’s Wordman (11:25 AM) - Judson Welliver was indeed, from what I understand, the first man whose proper job was to draft the official speeches of the President of the United States. Over at the Volokh Conspiracy, Jim Lindgren muses on Welliver and the work…
Monday, May 08, 2006
Yale Gets an ‘A’ from Hu Jintao (10:23 AM) - Exalting cruel Communist leaders has its benefits….
“Primary” — Gregory Pence (09:57 AM) - Famed Dartmouth cartoonist Gregory Pence e-mails in his latest piece, which appears in this morning’s Union Leader. It is on the topic of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, which some Democrats—and a few rival states—are attempting to kill.See more of Greg’s…
Jimmy Carter: America Must Fund Terror (08:57 AM) - In an extraordinary opposite-editorial in the International Herald Tribune, former United States president Jimmy Carter provides the exact opposite of truth and sense on every single aspect of the Israel/Palestine issue. Jim Lindgren comments here and commends this Jay Nordlinger…
“What was the most wonderful moment of your presidency?” (08:22 AM) - During one of those rare Oval Office interviews, a reporter for the German newspaper Bild asked our President to name the “most wonderful” moment of his six years or so in office. His response is being widely criticized. In the…
To Be Taken Seriously, Threaten (07:46 AM) - J.T. has some sound advice for Catholics if they want to be taken seriously in their effort to silence the movie “The Da Vinci Code”:1) Issue a death sentence against Dan Brown, the book’s author. 2) Hold massive riots against…
Universal Acclaim (07:42 AM) - If you’ve seen Metacritic, then you already know that the movie “United 93” is one of the few in our time that has actually, truly, received “universal acclaim”. And you’ve no doubt read many of the reviews which have contributed…
Violent Front Pages, Violent Movies (07:01 AM) - On the radio this morning, two talkers were gabbing about the New York Post’s cover photo. It is gruesome, and would have stretched the limits of decency for an inside shot (and the Post did re-print it on the inside)….
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Keep On, Keep On, Mara (10:39 PM) - Over at the Daily Kos, yet another writer who refuses to attach his name to his words says that National Public Radio’s Mara Liasson was lying when she said on this morning’s Fox News Sunday that Jack Abramoff did business…
The Nuanced Approach to Iran (07:43 PM) - The document reprinted in the extended is going around. It is nothing more than a collection of seriously uttered, earnestly asserted declaratory statements from the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran: Khamenei, Ahmadinejad, Larijani, Najjar, and others. What they…
Ahmadinejad’s Iago (11:22 AM) - In a photo that moved along with this Reuters report on Bush’s statement on Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (“When he says that he wants to destroy Israel, the world needs to take it seriously.”) we catch a glimpse of Iranian…
“Suffering Mishaps” (10:01 AM) - SoxBlog reports on the Boston Globe’s reporting of the Kennedy story….
“I can make you look like a master in 5 minutes as long as no one films where the bullets are going.” (08:48 AM) - There was a lot of e-mail in response to “Take a Seat, Take a Breath, Take a Look”, in which the New York Times’ penchant for trumping up the enemy was revealed quite colorfully as it defended the terrorist Zarqawi,…
Headline of the Day (07:48 AM) - The Associated Press dutifully takes a nonsensical left-wing talking point and factualizes it: “Democrats Urge Action on Gas Price-Gouging.” By “price gouging”, the AP stringer presumably means this, which shows that at 10:53 on Friday morning, someone was able to…
Saturday, May 06, 2006
See Something, Say Something (08:12 PM) - Via TigerHawk, I see that a bunch of passengers saw some suspicious men on a flight out of Dallas and into Newark and reported them. The plane was delayed on the tarmac; the men detained. They were released after it…
Take a Seat, Take a Breath, Take a Look (11:51 AM) - Reporter C.J. Chivers writes a news article in this morning’s New York Times defending the abilities of terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi:…clips of Mr. Zarqawi’s supposed martial incompetence were unconvincing. The weapon in question is complicated to master, and American soldiers…
Speaking Truth to Hecklers (10:48 AM) - I had read various headlines to the effect that a man “spoke truth to power” when he heckled Donald Rumsfeld at a town hall meeting some time in the last forty-eight hours. I’ve now read the transcript, courtesy of the…
Dial Nine To Get Out (10:27 AM) - Skype, the VoIP program that an eBay subsidiary offers free of charge, is being widely used in China to escape the communist government’s repressive policies. Although SkypeOut, the version of Skype which allows one to ring a regular telephone from…
Too Soon for the Journalist Types (09:12 AM) - ‘Callimachus’ this morning writes:So has anyone in my newsroom been to see “United 93”? You’ve got to be kidding. The people who lined up two and three times for “Fahrenheit 9/11” are made visibly uncomfortable by this film. They seem…
Greatness in an Iron Lung (08:23 AM) - An Associated Press report on Patrick Kennedy begins: “Rep. Patrick Kennedy likes to say he’s blessed to have a great family name. That name also can be a curse…” Great, eh? How many informed Americans actually have a positive opinion…
Friday, May 05, 2006
‘08 Potentials Speak at College Commencements (05:55 PM) - I posted earlier this week on Dartmouth’s commencement speaker (Elie Wiesel) and the other announced speakers at peer schools. Dartmouth probably has got itself the best in this group. But the real winners in the graduation speakerstakes are the ones…
Escape from the D.C. Seraglio (03:33 PM) - It was a close one but, no, Pat Kennedy didn’t do anything wrong, see: He’s being checked into rehab for addiction to painkillers, his father praises his honesty, and the spotlight is searing Ambien….
Ahmadinejad Mounts the Hussein Media Strategy (01:12 PM) - The familiar old dance—that between a dishonest, unstable, extremist Muslim land and the sane part of the world, and danced over the question of the former’s weapons systems—continues with Iran. And she’s only getting better at the game. Iranian President…
Old Console Ops Don’t Die, They Write Tell-All Books (11:45 AM) - Recording guys are some of the swellest you’ll meet. They love music, they know music—they suffuse the musician’s heart with the engineer’s brain—and though they contribute as much artistic effort to a release as the players themselves, engineers don’t get…
The Note’s Prognosis (10:01 AM) - Mark Halperin and friends, writing in their daily e-mail briefing to ABC News’ political unit:Cable and then the broadcast evening shows will be all over the Kennedy story today, but, in the end (within 72 hours, we mean), it will…
“The Only Man in the Courtroom” (09:30 AM) - The circus-like Moussaoui trial provides John Derbyshire cause to claim again that we are all doomed. Except the part about Moussaoui being locked in a cage for the next 95.83% of his hours on Earth with no way to communicate…
New is Better (08:24 AM) - In just a handful of days Dartmouth will be host to something called “The Festival of New Musics”. Evidently the thing has been running for twenty-seven years. I can’t imagine any of it will be any good. How do I…
Perhaps If We Just Stop Making Electricity and Unbuild the Cities and Slay for Apollo a lamb… (08:07 AM) - A funny thing about liberals, especially when they stray off the Big Government pathway and into the tall, tall grass of left-wing energy policy, is that at their core they are conservative. Very, very conservative. Nuclear power? Too newfangled. Coal,…
Hallelujah (07:56 AM) - The New Hampshire state senate has, according to the Dartmouth, passed a bill that will require college students and other transients to actually change their domicile in order to vote as a New Hampshire resident. Previously, college students could—and did—vote…
A Tragedy in One Act (07:05 AM) - At 2:45 in the morning, at the intersection of 1st and C streets in the District of Columbia, there sat a crashed green Ford Mustang driven by a member of the House of Representatives. When a police officer, who had…
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Why did the turtle cross the road? (10:57 PM) - To have his photo taken by Rick Lee, of course….
The Question of the Day (09:27 PM) - Nat Ward, at Dartlog, responds to The Dartmouth’s coverage of Dean Larimore’s resignation, and writes “And what does ‘the diversity of the student body increased by 50 percent’ even mean?” No one knows….
Power Line Reports: The May Day Protests (06:46 AM) - Filmmaker Andrew Marcus reports for Power Line, with the assistance of Evan Maloney and Power Line readers, on the “May Day” pro-illegal immigration protests around the nation that took place on Monday. It was produced by Power Line, Pajamas…
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
William J. Clinton: Still Fighting Choice (08:28 PM) - Today, the William J. Clinton Foundation proudly announced that its young crusade against the carbonated beverage industry—soda is killing our children, don’t you know?—has been successful: Almost all major soda makers will stop selling to schools, even though it remains…
Telling the Truth on Gas Taxes (07:58 PM) - Tom Friedman, writing in that secret midtown arcadia of sweet gospel that you, too, can access for one easy installment of $7.95 (a month):…Like someone who will tell the truth: The only way Americans are ever going to enjoy relatively…
Jury: Life in Prison for Moussaoui (04:39 PM) - This is a bit of a shock. Court documents are here. As he was being escorted from court, Zacarias Moussaoui shouted for the cameras, “America you lost, I won!” Roger Alford: “America you lost, I won!” What an odd declaration….
Dean of the College Jim Larimore Resigns; To Swarthmore as Dean of Students (01:21 PM) - The news is not yet officially released here or here, but e-mails say Dean Larimore is moving on to Swarthmore. Missive from Swarthmore’s president to his Board of Managers follows in the extended. UPDATE: Dan Nelson, ‘75, currently Senior Associate…
Americans Support House Bill over Senate Bill (11:03 AM) - A press release just arrived from the Center for Immigration Studies:WASHINGTON (May 3, 2006) — A new Zogby poll of likely voters, using neutral language (i.e., avoiding the words ”amnesty” or ”illegal alien”), finds that Americans prefer the House of…
The Michigan Professor’s Sorry Defense (09:20 AM) - TigerHawk: “Iranian threats, ‘wiping Israel off the map,’ and the Hitchens v. Cole cage match” Right-leaning bloggers who also happen to be academics are constantly worried about being thought less of because they express quick opinions online. Some even started…
“Richard II’s minions will not be made to wear pink.” (07:30 AM) - Over at this LiveJournal blog, there’s a pretty enjoyable list of “things I will not do when I direct a Shakespeare production, on stage or film”. HEH: This gal also has a lovely series of limericks. Better than Cliff Notes!…
The Disparity Between Men’s and Women’s Income (07:27 AM) - Scott Adams and a reader have an interesting post on the subject. Has anyone actually determined how much of the difference must be a result of anti-woman animosity?…
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
If America Attacks Iran, Iran Will Respond by Attacking Israel (01:11 PM) - The wonderful folks at MEMRI TV, who track and translate broadcast news out of the Middle East, have e-mailed me footage of former Iranian Member of Parliament Reza Yusefian responding to Seymour Hersh’s New Yorker article. It isn’t necessarily official…
No, You Think About It (08:35 AM) - David Adesnik reprints a heavenly little exchange between Tim Russert and Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman from Meet the Press this past Sunday. ALSO: Senator Durbin explains that profit is evil….
“Why the hell haven’t the quarrelsome, dingbat New York and New Jersey politicians rebuilt those towers?” (04:53 AM) - Larry Kudlow saw “United 93” also. It did for him what it, as an uncolored documentation of a series of recent events, does inevitably to those who see it: It made him very, very mad at the terrorists. The value…
Monday, May 01, 2006
“I think the Star Spangled Banner ought to be sung in English. Period.” (11:53 PM) - That’s Teddy Kennedy talking….
No Speech He Ghosted (10:29 PM) - Bill Safire, in the New York Times: “I interviewed Ava Gardner a half-century ago, when she was filming ‘The Barefoot Contessa’ in Portofino and I was a corporal with the Armed Forces Network. After our talk, I reminded her that…
Dartmouth Graduation Speaker: Elie Wiesel (08:28 PM) - The esteemed Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, Auschwitz and Buchenwald survivor and author of Night, will speak at Dartmouth’s 2006 Commencement. Among those receiving honorary degrees are Jim Lehrer and Senator Judd Gregg. MORE: A few more notables. Stanford will have…
…And Cambridge, Today, Swift on the Uptake (05:26 PM) - The demands are higher there: For Harvardians, the order of the day is open borders, not just amnesty. UPDATE: And here is a report from Vassar….
The March of Conquest Through Wild Provinces (03:47 PM) - Today, Dartmouth College experienced A Day Without Immigrants. It is late afternoon now—time for busy collegians to nap—so the festivities have nigh on ceased. Or rather, what existed of them has ceased. The beginning was not auspicious, as merely a…
Inside the Afterparty and Outside the Beforeparty (01:02 PM) - The Wonkette men, courtesy of their lovely and talented photographer Elizabeth Gorman, have a Bloombergian yarn to spin for you, of what is evidently the hottest invitation in the Washington, D.C. area. Which is to say, a really, incredibly, super…
The Review Redone (08:53 AM) - The National Review gets a redesign….
Operating System Agitprop (08:40 AM) - The San Francisco Chronicle reports, drop-jawed, that the Macintosh Operating system is vulnerable to attacks:While Apple’s Mac operating system is considered more secure than Microsoft’s Windows, the Cupertino company’s software recently has become more vulnerable to attacks, according to a…
A Note from Central Command (06:40 AM) - SPC C. Flowers with CENTCOM Public Affairs sends this note:I just wanted to thank you for mentioning the US Central Command website on your blog. Your interest is appreciated. I don’t know if you’ve had the opportunity to visit the…