mideast vs. midwest...

this just cracked me up.

compassionate conservatism in action...

read what right-wingers really think about american muslims. feel the love.

what donald rumsfeld doesn't want you to see...

that's not just hyperbole. the pentagon actually banned soldiers from viewing this site. i particularly like the news ticker on the left. there's a lot of good iraq news on there that you won't see in your friendly local paper.

the war ain't even close to over....

unfortunately, it's looking more and more like the iraq war is turning into the classic guerilla war. this article has experts predicting at least 10 years of u.s. occupation of iraq. the worse news is that the iraqi guerillas/insurgents/terrorists/criminals/etc. really don't have to win. they just have to not lose and wait until we leave.

the myths of swing voters...

if you never read another article about voting and politics, make this your last. wow, i can't remember another story that affected the way i look at politics the way that this one did. basically, democracy is fucked.

changes comin' every day...

i finally got around to spiffying this place up a bit. the old look was, admittedly, just awful awful. hopefully the pub is now a bit easier on the eyes.

i got rid of the tagboard that had been on the right-hand column. you can now post a reply to each blog posting. peace out.

more and more good good news...

my fiancee dionne has had a good september already. she has been appointed as an adjunct professor at Bristol Community College in Massachusetts. She's teaching a course in basic writing, and I'm sure she'll find a way to incorporate david sedaris into the curriculum.

another recent development is that she will be presenting her writing at the writing by degrees conference at suny-binghamton next month. here's the low-down on that whole shindig.

22 greatest MCs....

i caught the MTV special a few days ago devoted to the countdown of their viewer-selected greatest 22 MCs. what a travesty! i won't even link to it, but i will hit you with my own list of the greatest of all time.



22. lauryn hill

21. big pun

20. common

19. slick rick

18. rza

17. method man

16. mc lyte

15. ras kass

14. beanie siegel

13. eminem

12. pharoah monch

11. canibus

10. biggie

9. kool g. rap

8. big L

7. guru

6. redman

5. inspectah deck

4. gza

3. mos def

2. rakim

1. krs-one





you can disagree......but you'd be wrong.

the big dick...

that would be dick cheney, of course. read this blistering profile of the guy. wow is he unlikable.

who's a hero, and who isn't....

make sure you read this from will saletan, who nicely sums up why 9/11 doesn't tell you anything about bush's supposed "heroism."

"George W. Bush allowed 9/11 to happen so that SUV owners could kill welfare recipients".....

that's my own personal George W. Bush Conspiracy. go ahead and make your own. you never know, it might be true.

welcome to n.y....

the republicans are coming to nyc next weekend. i think this pretty much sums up why most natives might not exactly see things the dubya way.

is dubay stoopid...

well, yes. but it turns out that having an intellectually-handicapped president is actually a big problem.

sex, drugs and cocoa puffs....

that's the title of a book by esquire columnist chuck klosterman. his columns go from insanely funny and intelligent to insanely stupid, but i like him. the sports guy, espn columnist bill simmons, is another rare generation-x genius. you gotta check out this rambling conversation that touches on everything from the usa olympic basketball team to the greatest "real world" season and the scientologist compound in LA.

revenge of the small-car nerds....

it turns out that the heaviest suvs are actually illegal on many residential streets. but, shocker, no one bothers to enforce the weight limits. time for revenge.

born in the u.s.a....

here's what bruce springsteen has to say about what's going on in the world right now. rawk on.

the good news....

for the U.S. for the planet. for the universe, possibly.

here's a breakdown of who would win if the election was today. keep fingers firmly crossed.

drugs are bad.....

here's the epic journey of a stoned college student who ate a bag of hallucinogenic mushrooms ("probably wasnt'a good idea," he said). he later ended up in jail after trying to climb magic mountain "to see what's on the other side."

gas prices up, price of a gallon of milk is up, paychecks aren't up...

here's a story from the ny times about how average people's wages are actually lower than they were three years ago when compared to inflation. it's more the usual: it doesn't matter if the middle class and working class are being screwed over -- the economy will keep on chugging because the rich are the ones who are spending. great.



here it is in a nutshell...

'There's a bit of a dichotomy,' said Ethan S. Harris, chief economist at Lehman Brothers. 'Joe Six-Pack is under a lot of pressure. He got a lousy raise; he's paying more for gasoline and milk. He's not doing that great. But proprietors' income is up. Profits are up. Home values are up. Middle-income and upper-income people are looking pretty good.'"

that's one hot box turtle...

in case you didn't know, an idiotic texas congressman compared gay marriage to potentially allowing one's neighbor to marry a box turtle. charles pierce now recounts his own tale of terrapin romance.