the weirdest beach boy....

yeah, everyone knows that brian wilson went crazy about 30 years ago, but i can't help but enjoy this interview in the NY Times magazine. it's a quickie.

john kerry, teen outcast....

here's some interesting stuff about john kerry's stint at St. Paul, an elite boarding school.

soccer is more american than baseball...

well, in a way it IS. here's an article about how the business of soccer (football) is actually more capitalistic than the major sports leagues we have here.

the world's toughest interviewer...

no, it's not tim russert. here's jon stewart absolutely ripping apart stephen hayes, a right-wing "journalist" who was on the daily show to promote his book about all those extensive "links" between saddam and al qaeda.

know your punts from your kick-ups...

the punt is actually the concave dimple on the bottom of a bottle of wine. ever wonder why it exists?

the view from the inside...

read what a top CIA official really thinks about al qaeda and the iraq war.

hate mail...

here's a good example of compassionate conservatism. makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, huh?

the first trillionaire...

this site is chock-a-block with tasty factoids on the net worth of bill gates.

beer is the new wine...

here's a great new york times article from today's food section. it features brooklyn brewery's head brewmaster talking about pairing beer with food. made me hungry.

the reagan legacy...

beyond all the hype and hagiography, i think Juan Cole's perspective is pretty complete. no whitewashing here.

let's go to manland...

i know the name sounds kind of gay, but this guy's basement just kicks ass.

political ads that say what you really feel...

this one is short on ambiguity. eat up.

the cliff clavins of the world...

there are a lot of urban legends floating around out there about beer. here's some good old fashioned debunking.

where's wallonia?....

here's a tour of the legendary region of belgium.

do you hate your neighbor...

remember, kids, it could always be worse.

blow up the church...

if you're feeling dirty after that last one, at least you can feel good about where di and i are having our wedding.

if kerry is president....

this would be the commander-in-chief's daughter.....

the ultimate travel phrasebook....

here's what you really need to know how to say while travelling in a foreign country.

domination for the good of the dominated...

i actually have to confess to liking this george will column in the washington post. here's the meat:



"Americans must not flinch from absorbing the photographs of what some Americans did in that prison. And they should not flinch from this fact: That pornography is, almost inevitably, part of what empire looks like. It does not always look like that, and does not only look like that. But empire is always about domination. Domination for self-defense, perhaps. Domination for the good of the dominated, arguably. But domination.

And some people will be corrupted by dominating. That is why the leaders of empires must be watchful. Very watchful. "

indecision 2004...

that's how the daily show is tagging the kerry v. bush slug-fest. you gotta dig bill maher's take on it. here's an exerpt.



"The true axis of evil in America is the brilliance of our marketing combined with the stupidity of our people. George Bush has $180 million to spend. With that kind of money, he could convince Americans to drink paint, and he probably will.

With enough money, you can convince people of anything. And that is what George Bush does. He is one of the most cynical presidents we?ve ever had, I believe, because with that kind of money, he plays on people?s fears, he plays on people?s ignorance, and he plays on people?s shortsightedness. "