The Invisible Hand

2010-09-10T01:17:00.002+09:00

Isaiah Berlin and Negative Liberty Still highly relevant today. Actually, most universal truths are highly relevant today.

2010-08-26T00:59:00.002+09:00

Diversityandinclusion I work with large companies attempting to express their innermost desires to customers, employees, mutants and regular Joes all around the world. This usually begins with a mission statement and some articulation of their corporate values. Inevitably, one of those values is “A Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion.” Frankly, they should really just compress it into one

2010-03-22T23:35:00.003+09:00

Great Books and First Paragraphs Paul Johnson’s slim volume on Winston Churchill combines two of my favorite things about reading: Paul Johnson and Winston Churchill. You can tell a lot about a book by its first paragraph. Johnson’s is great: “Of all the towering figures of the twentieth century, both good and evil, Winston Churchill was the most valuable to humanity, and also the most likable.

Jack Webb Schools Roman Polanski

2009-10-03T00:59:00.001+09:00

Why Negotiating with Our Enemies Is Overrated

2009-09-25T01:58:00.001+09:00

Moammar Gaddafi, who has as much right to speak before the United Nations as any leader of a sovereign member nation, demonstrates why membership in the U.N. confers no more legitimacy to one's thoughts and opinions than does a megaphone made of rolled up newspaper.

How Not to Support the Brand

2009-09-16T00:30:00.001+09:00

The Marketing team at TAP have come up with a sure-fire way of discouraging me from ever flying to Lisbon on one of their planes.Nice job.

President Heckled in Congress

2009-09-10T21:21:00.001+09:00

An outrage!

Inexplicable Political Video

2009-09-07T03:03:00.001+09:00

Just the facts.

2009-08-14T23:44:00.006+09:00

Kennedy and VietnamDuring the great Walter Cronkite (Peace Be Upon Him) retrospective we endured last month following the secular saint's untimely death, one clip from an interview with President Kennedy was given lots of airtime. Vietnam revisionists love this clip because it seems to show JFK wavering in his commitment to South Vietnam and the war

2009-06-25T00:51:00.003+09:00

Unintentionally Funny Video #1In this utterly absurd ad for a craptacular Rover 800 Fastback, the Cadillac Cimarron of the UK, cool German engineers not only forsake better made compatriot vehicles but then go on to admire British architecture without giggling.

2009-06-24T04:42:00.004+09:00

Who Stands with the Supreme Leader? George Galloway, of course.Click here to check it out and resist the gag reflex. And guess what? Galloway approves of Obama's calm and reasoned acquiescence. Shocka!(source: Stroppyblog)

2009-06-22T22:30:00.003+09:00

What Fascism Looks Like. And the Importance of Numbers. A remarkable sequence of events. In the first video (from Persian BBC), black-clad secret police on motorcycles disperse a crowd of unarmed protesters. In the second video, (below) the crowd seems to recognize its overwhelming strength and slowly turns the tables on the police.Battle w/ Police - Tehran, Iran - June 20th 2009Uploaded by

2009-06-21T06:51:00.003+09:00

Five Minutes on the Streets of Tehran(Source: Little Green Footballs)

2009-06-21T06:35:00.004+09:00

On Board Green DragonExtreme sailing onboard Green Dragon Part 1 - Leg 7 from Green Dragon on Vimeo.Volvo Ocean Race. Coming soon to a port nowhere near you. Amazing. These guys are in heavy weather in open ocean and going flat out fast. It's even more dangerous than it looks.

2009-06-20T00:39:00.004+09:00

What Do Ham Radio and Twitter Have in Common?I was among the last generation of kids to be excited about ham radio just before CB killed it off. Back then I looked forward to getting my QST magazine and the most desirable and unattainable thing in my world was a Collins SSB transceiver.Looking at it now still gives me a shivver.As I recall, no one I actually knew shared the slightest interest in

2009-06-14T11:51:00.004+09:00

Hope in Iran? Hope so.

2009-05-06T09:46:00.003+09:00

There Goes a Good ManJust after Bill Clinton became President Clinton, I had the enormous good fortune to meet and work with Jack Kemp. At that time, Kemp was by far the most popular Republican presidential candidate for the next election in 1996. He was at the very top of his game. Back then, he was in the private sector for the first time in many years and my job was to help him produce a

2009-04-24T06:22:00.009+09:00

I Like Ike, Not GehrySuppose you were on a commission to build a memorial to President Dwight D. Eisenhower and you had to select an architect to design it. What sort of qualities would you look for? You might start with Eisenhower himself. Ike was a pretty normal guy considering he commanded the biggest amphibious invasion in history, was president of an Ivy League

2009-03-22T10:47:00.001+09:00

Norman Foster May or May Not Vandalize The New York Public LibraryAmong the few clearly positive consequences of The Great Rebalancing going on now in financial markets is the extinguishment of Norman Foster’s plans to deface The New York Public Library first announced just as the economic avalanche was beginning in October. The timing suggests a divine consciousness at work.It’s the greatest

2009-03-22T01:25:00.003+09:00

Mob MentalityDoes anyone doubt that after 8 years of stoking blind hatred of George W. Bush that that indiscriminate hatred is now seeking new outlets? The mob will soon tire of hating Rush, and the Mormons, and AIG executives and will eventually turn against anyone it deems un-American or privileged or just different. This, of course, is the flip side of "progressive" politics. Because

2009-02-12T11:13:00.005+09:00

Rush vs the MSMThe Pew Research Center released a survey that has been reported as showing Rush Limbaugh’s audience limited to a narrow overwhelmingly male wingnut cohort. As is often the case, the survey offers up some interesting findings that don’t quite conform to the conventional wisdom it was meant to support.In this case it appears to show that Dittoheads are among the most informed of

2009-01-21T11:06:00.006+09:00

Everyone Hates CarterI never knew just how much the Clintons can't stand Jimmy Carter until I saw the full clip from the inauguration coverage (in the original Italian). Watch how Bubba and GHWB hug and kiss each other like true friends . . . then Carter shows up like a foul smelling crazy uncle to ruin the party around minute 1:25. The Bushes are civil but look at Bill and Hill. They hate him

2008-12-12T12:13:00.000+09:00

Gingerbread McMansionI was going to tear down my modest old split level gingerbread house and build this monstrosity in its place but I couldn’t get the financing.Williams-Sonoma is striking just the wrong chord this holiday season by offering an eatable metaphor for the financial crisis. I’m going to let mine sit vacant for a few months then I’ll burn it down.The gingerbread McMansion retails

2008-04-02T22:47:00.000+09:00

The Art of Speech(via hugh atkin)

2008-03-27T06:59:00.002+09:00

If I Ran the RailroadI’ve been riding a commuter train into New York City for more than a decade and have had plenty of time to consider the draconian improvements I would make if I had the dictatorial power necessary to change anything on MetroNorth.First of all, the rolling stock is not just old, it’s huge. The carriages ride about six feet off the ground atop enormous steel wheels and the

2008-03-27T00:25:00.000+09:00

The Door to HellWhile drilling for natural gas in Uzbekistan, geologists discovered an enormous cavern. The cavern was filled with poisonous gas and someone had the great idea to throw a match in there to burn off some of the fumes.That was in 1973. It’s still burning.(Via English Russia, your one source for all things miasmal)

2008-03-24T06:04:00.005+09:00

Things to Like About Europe Aside from an unreasonable fear of wind, Europeans are generally indifferent to the litigious possibilities of minor accidents and are not afraid of singing while walking on dangerous rain-slick mansard roofs high above the city. See here as Francoise Hardy violates what would be dozens of American construction, public safety, and child labor codes as she

2008-03-19T06:49:00.001+09:00

Hunting Japanese For Research Purposes OnlyA couple of Antediluvian television comedians recently tried to provoke a diplomatic incident with the Japanese ambassador to Australia regarding some obscure fishing dispute.Fortunately, these days the Japanese are more interested in slaughtering whales than disrespectful foreign barbarians such as the mocking Aussies shown here.A bit over the line, no?

2008-03-18T00:26:00.009+09:00

David Cameron Shows Why He Is the Master of small tvHere is yet another update from WebCameron. Yes it's a formula but it's remarkably hard to do convincingly unless you recognize who your audience is and what they want to hear.Cameron is masterful at this. He gives you the context, a sense of place, a behind the scenes look, and he reiterates his main points all in about four minutes. There's a

2008-03-13T07:32:00.002+09:00

It's Not Easy Being GallowayGeorge Galloway who was a paid apologist for the Saddam Hussein thugocracy in Iraq is now a paid apologist for the medieval misogynist theocracy in Iran.Trouble is, defending the mullahs requires a kind of ideological gymnastics that even a progressive anti-imperialist like Galloway is incapable of pulling off convincingly.Watch now as Galloway appears to be calling

2008-03-13T06:49:00.000+09:00

Hillary in the HouseThis may be the most powerful political video I've ever seen. Unfortunately for Clinton, it's provocative and convincing in exactly the opposite way as it was intended."We need a woman to clean it up." Are you sure that's want you want to say?

2008-03-12T23:41:00.000+09:00

Hulu Is HereI like the ability to find obscure clips. The commercials, not so much.

2008-03-10T22:30:00.000+09:00

Things You Might Not Think Are SafeClient 9: “I’d like you to handcuff me to the bed and tie a plastic bag over my head. Then just as I’m about to climax I want you to sell naked puts against the spot price of oil.”Kristen: “Listen, dude, you really want the sex?”

2008-03-06T00:58:00.003+09:00

Where’s the Beef?The most notable thing about Hillary Clinton’s appearance last night? Bill Clinton’s disappearance. Bubba was no where to be found at Hillary’s moment of victory. And that got me thinking. Who else is conspicuously absent from HillaryWorld 2008?Haven’t seen a lot of Al Gore, that’s for sure. And whatever happened to James Carville? Not here. But certainly the biggest absences

2008-03-04T01:44:00.003+09:00

Not Over YetHillary is not going to give up. Anything less than an Obama landslide in Texas and Ohio will once again be presented as proof of a Clinton miracle. No matter what happens on Tuesday, Hillary will spin it as a win.Why? Because the Clintons didn’t come this far to cash in their chips. The Clinton legacy is riding in this.Plus, they know that Obamamania is made of the same ephemera as

2008-02-28T05:13:00.006+09:00

It's the Authenticity, StupidThe Obama story has been fascinating to watch unfold. Remember, Hillary Clinton was supposed to be the unstoppable force, the inevitable candidate of the Democrats. Obama was the alternative, anyone-but-Hillary candidate. He was the candidate you supported if you didn’t like Hillary and although the party leaders were for her, lots of ordinary people don’t like

2008-02-26T05:53:00.004+09:00

Baby It's Still Cold OutsideIn case you're worried about melting ice caps, torrid tenperatures and dire global warming forecasts.Relax.The Canadian Ice Service (where i get all my Canadian ice data) says that the feared ice melt has reversed. In fact, the ice is 10cm thicker this year than last.For those who prefer more tangible evidence, here's what Newfoundland looked like last week from an

2008-02-13T11:53:00.002+09:00

Everyone On Earth Lied -- People DiedAn "unholy axis"? That sounds familiar. Saddam's weapons of mass destruction? That rings a bell too.Let me get this straight. At around minute 5:20, Bubba says Saddam declared specific quantities of WMD and then failed to prove to UNSCOM that he destroyed them. So that means Saddam's WMD actually did exist and that Bush didn't just make all that stuff up.Big

2008-02-08T01:47:00.000+09:00

Inexplicable Friday VideoI've always thought Brewer & Shipley were underappreaciated 1960s artifacts. But this video makes me think they were both more popular than I thought and more deeply misunderstood than I could ever imagine.From the irreplacible 2 Blowhards via Boing Boing

2008-02-07T06:09:00.000+09:00

From the Jaws of Victory?If General Petraeus is doing such a great job in Iraq, why does the Pentagon what to rotate him out? Who’s running our strategic national defense anyway, military strategists or the DoD human resources department?That’s the question asked in a terrific article today in The Wall Street Journal by Dr. Nadia Schadlow, one of the sharpest observers of the military and one day

2008-02-01T06:07:00.000+09:00

Obamarama Funny, when I tell my Democrat friends that I can see myself voting for Barack Obama they assume I’m trying to trick them into supporting the weaker of the two Democratic candidates for President.Actually, my sense is that registered Republicans, neo-conservatives, paleo-conservatives, extreme-radical-ultra-conservatives, and true patriots everywhere would sooner vote for Obama than

2008-01-28T06:43:00.000+09:00

Monday Inexplicable VideoIt's not just the Orgs.

2008-01-26T07:08:00.000+09:00

The New York Times Endorses Rudy

2008-01-17T04:57:00.000+09:00

Religious Freedom DayOK, going to Saudi Arabia and sucking up to our medieval overlords is one thing but declaring today Religious Freedom Day . . . from Riyadh . . . is a bit too much to take.Here is President Bush sampling a local delicacy, "Testicles al Juif."Well, the least we can do is get to know our friendly allies in the picturesque Gulf. What sort of things do they like? What are their

2008-01-10T06:12:00.000+09:00

Norman Foster Has No ClothesRobert Campbell, the Boston Globe’s longtime architecture critic, takes another look at the much hullaballoed Hearst Tower by Sir Norman Foster on West 57th Street in Manhattan, and he’s still unimpressed.In an article in Architectural Record, Campbell calmly disrobes the king: the tower is self-important, it’s rude to its neighbors, it’s inhumane, it could have been

2008-01-03T01:03:00.000+09:00

Shocking New Video From IraqBrutal occupiers terrorize suspected insurgents. This must be one of those interrogation tapes that didn't get destroyed. WARNING: Unspeakable barbaric cruelty ahead.via Bill Whittle who has an awful lot of time on his hands.

2007-12-26T00:35:00.000+09:00

Oscar Peterson (1925 -2007)Unimaginably skilled. Emotionally intelligent. Effortlessly cool. This is what music for adults sounded like before the sixties ruined it all.

2007-12-22T04:47:00.000+09:00

Bill's Got Friends A New York Times profile of second tier Democratic presidential candidate, Bill Richardson, reveals two interesting things. The first is a snarky little swipe at Madeline Albright, the tough-talking, miniature Secretary of State under President Clinton. During a negotiation in Tokyo, Albright practiced nanny diplomacy on our Japanese allies.“Dr. Albright’s Japanese counterpart

2007-12-19T05:14:00.000+09:00

Inexplicable Wednesday Videos

2007-12-18T05:22:00.000+09:00

"Bloody Assasin of the Workers, I presume."In the midst of an interview with Francis Ford Coppola comparing Communism with fascism (in this case Romanian fascism), the New York Times let’s slip one of the great lies of the 20th century:“Communism was rooted in a utopian vision, the Iron Guard (fascism) was rooted in hatred.”Actually, both totalitarian movements were based on hatred and both acted

2007-12-15T06:49:00.000+09:00

David Cameron and the Wonders of small tvHierarchical organizations have difficulty speaking to individuals. That’s because most individuals prefer to exchange information face-to-face and organizations are essentially faceless.Human beings, one the other hand, do have faces and we’ve evolved over millions of years to recognize facial cues that tell us if the person we’re communicating with is

2007-12-12T15:32:00.000+09:00

Your Wish Is My CommandSo Lileks wonders what Dave Brubeck's house looks like today. Well, here's what it looks like, today. Actually, as of about 15 minutes ago. The great man himself was there being interviewed for a magazine article on of all things, his house! The correspondant guy didn't seem too pleased that he was being scooped by the blogosphere.

2007-12-07T03:18:00.000+09:00

A Victory Made of MierdaChubby tyrant wannabe, Hugo Chavez, reacts with characteristic restraint and humility to the news that the Venezuelan people don't want to relinquish all their rights in order to achieve some discredited 19th century utopian ideal.Take a gander at what a thugocracy looks like.

2007-11-27T04:05:00.000+09:00

FranceVive La France!Good God, just when I think my nascent Francophilia is running out of steam, the Frenchies give me new reasons to admire them.Of course, most of this has to do with Sarkozy and the way he seems determined to obliterate any ancien regime passivity that stands between him and modernizing French polity. But in his wake come all the charming things about France that I was

2007-11-27T03:29:00.000+09:00

Did Bush Mislead Clinton Too?January 27, 1998

2007-10-31T23:52:00.000+09:00

Fuel CityNext time you’re speeding through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas headed for the Stemmons Freeway underpass, don’t hightail it to Parkland Hospital. Instead, hang a left on Industrial Blvd and head on over to Fuel City.Technically, Fuel City is a gas station. But it’s a big one right in the middle of a tangle of elevated highways. And it sells every possible brand of mainstream domestic

2007-10-26T23:44:00.000+09:00

This Makes Me DizzyI want to build something like this in my backyard. Probably easier than it looks, right?

2007-10-24T01:25:00.000+09:00

Bad News. We're WinningI'm confused. According to Reuters, violence of all kinds in Iraq is down 70% since the so-called "surge." Shiites and Sunnis are reconciling in Anbar, Diyala, Basra and attacking their mutual enemy, foreign al Qaeda jihadists. Moqtadr al Sadr's Mahdi Army is splintered and in his last radio address, Osama bin Laden pleads with followers to stop killing each other.So what's

2007-10-06T00:11:00.000+09:00

Born to SellAccording to this CBS News Buzzwatch, Bruce Springsteen is putting his entire career at risk by taking a bold public stand on the Iraq war. He’s against it.What kind of balls does it take to stand up in Hollywood and oppose the Bush Administration’s Iraq policy? Itsy bitsy teeny weeny ones.It’s another case of dissent without consequences. The average Burmese monk is putting it all on

2007-10-04T23:29:00.000+09:00

Herbert Muschamp (1947-2007)Shocking and sad. Herb Muschamp, the quintessential New York Times architecture critic, has died at a relatively young age. I found fault with nearly everything the man wrote but I certainly expected he'd go on and on for decades to come. He was articulate and boldly opinionated, a combination I respect in anyone regardless of their substance of their opinions. I hope

2007-09-29T03:05:00.000+09:00

The Alan Jackson of IslamA familiar story: young dude lives the high life and encounters enormous obstacles (a flat tire on his Porsche) that puts in jeopardy his job and love life. Allah intervenes and the next thing you know he's kicking butt at work and marrying the woman who loves him.The big fat Rolex is a celestial bonus."Malak Ghair Allah” (You Only Have God to Count On) sung by Mohammed

2007-09-27T05:27:00.000+09:00

A Touch of the Old Shrum MagicBritish PM Gordon Brown has made a big splash at the Labour Party Conference. The dour rumpled technocrat came out swinging with a new hairstyle and a new passionate speaking style.He’s certainly saying many of the right things regarding terrorism in the clip below (except for the absence of the verboten word “Islam.”) Note the special guest cameo appearance by

2007-09-26T23:09:00.000+09:00

Inexplicable Japanese Commercial #365Perhaps after obliterating the fascist religio-military regime in Tehran with two nuclear weapons they’ll end up turning out intriguing pop culture like this.One can only hope.

2007-09-25T02:58:00.000+09:00

Mahmoud's Comin'. Hide Your Love, Babe.Just stopped by Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza to register my displeasure with the unshaven, cheaply-suited Iranian President Mahmoud Armoredinnerjacket across the street from the United Nations. A fair turnout on a beautiful day.UN special forces (actually NYPD) posted on the roof of the roof of the General Assembly building were taking no chances.They’re clearly

2007-09-19T23:50:00.000+09:00

Don’t Ever Beat Your Wife (Unless I Say So)Man, I guess I totally misunderstood The Prophet™.I thought he said a man can beat his wife. But what he really said was that a wife can be beaten by her husband.It’s a nuance that Islamophobes exploit to put Salafist Islam in an unattractive light.Well, at least that’s all cleared up now.

2007-09-18T01:52:00.000+09:00

MoveOn Protests of the PastAll politics aside, the MoveOn.org people were extremely lucky to have a prominent general whose name lent itself to very targeted mockery."General Petraeus Or General Betray Us?" Now that's clever.Of course, other advocates of America’s humiliating defeat have throughout history failed to make such a fortuitous connection.But it wasn’t for lack of trying.

2007-09-14T03:53:00.000+09:00

What to Make of BushHere's my thinking, and beware, it's longwinded.There are really two wars taking place. One war is a global conflict being fought with diplomacy, covert operations and good old fashioned violence. This is the misnamed "War on Terror" and it’s being fought in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Horn of Africa, Kashmir, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Germany, France, the U.K.,

2007-09-11T12:02:00.001+09:00

First Impressions

2007-09-11T04:15:00.001+09:00

Who to Trust?I just can’t tell which side to believe: the calm and reasonable military hero with the Ph.D delivering long awaited testimony to Congress or the shrill lesbians with pink foam rubber tiaras on their heads shouting obscenities from the back the room?If I were a Democrat – and I once was – I’d be more than a little embarrassed by my Code Pink comrades today.

2007-09-11T02:16:00.000+09:00

Cry If You Want ToIn case you can't bear to hear anymore hopeful news about progress in the Iraqi theatre of the Long War, here is a lovely clip of Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry on the Cilla Black show from 1974. The subject matter of this song is in no way a suggestion that the Democrats in Congress are chagrined at the testimony of General Petraeus.

2007-09-08T02:40:00.000+09:00

One Giant Leap for Steve HoldenHave you ever noticed how the Baby Boomers distort the history of the 1960s so that it conforms to their sylvan utopia stereotype? For example, we heard a lot this year about the anniversary of the totally inconsequential “Summer of Love” and very little about the Newark riots that happened at the same time yet whose consequences are palpably evident to this

2007-09-08T00:07:00.000+09:00

Sitting Here in LimboKnow how hard it is to go to a restaurant with a kid under ten? Imagine campaigning for president with your kids in tow.Sure it would be miserable for you but imagine the living hell it would be for the kiddies. No friends. No attention from Mom or Dad. Nothing but grownups talking to each other on and on all day long.If you still can’t picture it, check out this New York

2007-09-01T00:33:00.000+09:00

Mad MenMy old friend Mark nails the reason why Mad Men is one of the best things on TV these days. It’s not just the attention to details of 1960 design but also the amusing reminders of how effortlessly these “conformists” flirted with real danger.The constant smoking, drinking, and driving . . . and often all three . . . while pregnant . . . either shows how foolish people were back then or how

2007-08-31T05:56:00.000+09:00

That’s One Small Step for AllahI’m sort of fascinated by contemporaryArab culture. On the one hand you have state-of-the-art electronic broadcasting equipment and competent direction from the control room . . . yet the content of the broadcast is bizarre medieval superstition.How can it be that complex technology can so effortlessly coexist with such irrational rubbish? “The radiation from Mecca

2007-08-31T04:25:00.000+09:00

More Money For the Big Sleazy?While we’re all remembering Katrina for a moment let’s think briefly about New Orleans’ real tragedy. It’s a dysfunctional city. It was before the hurricane and it still is.Remember the famous video of the looting in New Orleans? Remember also, this was before the levees breached and the city flooded. Here we see New Orleans’ finest taking part in the fun.A few hours

2007-08-10T23:41:00.000+09:00

Soumi-Mania!People who complain about America being a racist society have a point. We’re far too race conscious in this country, in my opinion (which is the only one that counts on this website).But you have to go to Europe to know what a really blanco-centric society feels like. And there’s no place more Caucasian (outside of the Caucasuses) than Finland.I give to you, the whitest people on

2007-08-02T00:46:00.000+09:00

Hope in Iraq?Stand by for the vigorous smearing of Pollack and O’Hanlon and The Brookings Institute and CNN and anyone who wears a lavender necktie.

2007-08-01T06:08:00.000+09:00

Changing Opinions . . . HmmmA New York Times poll finds that more Americans support the war in Iraq today than they did two months ago. The Times was so alarmed by this development that they redid their poll just to make sure. The results were the same. About 10% more people think, in retrospect, that military action in Iraq was a good idea and about 10% fewer think it was a bad idea compared to

2007-07-27T06:05:00.000+09:00

Looking at Buildings Yesterday evening was a lovely time to walk through Manhattan. The air was fresh and the breeze cool and the ratio of beautiful to grizzled New Yorkers was favorable. On an evening like that you notice splendor on almost every block.One of my favorite street views on such evenings is 42nd St. looking east. There you see the iconic Chrysler tower in all its exuberant Jazz Age

2007-07-25T06:12:00.001+09:00

The Oxford Union it Ain’t.Is the combining of amateurish YouTube videos with presidential debates an advancement for our national dialogue or the equivalent of a Jimmy Carter cameo appearance on Joanie Loves Chachi?I had a lot of faith in YouTube as a genuinely new development in communications technology and custom until this. Now I’m beginning to think of CB radio. Once what was underground

2007-07-25T01:18:00.001+09:00

The Phoney WarDamn, Newt Gingrich is talking more sense than anyone out there. What this brain dead presidential campaign needs is fiendishly smart, silver-tongued devil like Newt. How come he's not running ... yet?Love him for the enemies he's made.

2007-07-21T01:17:00.001+09:00

The Conscience of the SenateIt’s good to know that while the Earth may be heating up, the Global War on Islamic Extremism is spreading, and millions of illegal immigrants saturate and overflow our borders, the U.S. Senate is coolly and rationally deliberating on the most pressing of all issues now facing the Republic.Fasten your seatbelts and listen to the 400-year-old Democratic Senator from

2007-07-19T22:47:00.000+09:00

Explosion in MidtownYesterday’s steam pipe explosion sounded like a colossal jet engine operating at maximum thrust and people near the epicenter reacted as you would expect.Confusion . . . Followed by mild panic . . .But the day after all is calm. The streets are crowed with equipment but the pace of work is decidedly unionesque.As for Con Edison . . . don’t worry. They’re On It!

2007-07-19T05:41:00.000+09:00

When No News Is Good NewsLast week, UK military spokesman Major Mike Shearer secured his spot in the media relations Hall of Fame by issuing perhaps the greatest holding statement ever written:"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area.”The beauty of this is that, except for extraordinary situations, any spokesman for any organization can issue the

2007-07-18T06:15:00.001+09:00

Humanity PrevailsIt’s the possibility that life-altering experiences are taking place at any given moment somewhere in the city that gives New York its singular sense of excitement and promise.Here’s an example. I took this photograph of the view from a high floor on the Pan Am Building looking north past the Grand Central Tower. Great vista.Look closer and you can see the parapets and gargoyles

2007-07-18T03:46:00.000+09:00

Stifle Debate. Allah Wills It!I never thought unilateral surrender would be the sort of policy position that attracts voters but I'm not a professional politician.Still, in their zeal to score points against George Bush, the Democrats have reached deeply into the darker recesses of geopolitics to the point where a simple prank e-mail address can make you think some rather uncomfortable thoughts

2007-07-13T05:02:00.000+09:00

Le FreakI’m sure I’m not the only one to recognize that Le Freak is the only disco song you’ll ever need to round out your music collection. It is the perfect example of the genre.Does it have disembodied clapping? Yes.Gratuitous references to Studio 54? YupWhat about absurdly simplistic orchestration and an exaggerated bass solo? Oh yes.Utterly mindless and self absorbed lyrics extolling the

2007-06-29T23:00:00.004+09:00

What Real Fascism Looks LikeImagine for a moment that the American ambassador to France summons the organizer of the Cannes Film Festival to his office and after a meeting the two announce that it would be best for France if Michael Moore’s latest movie is not shown in the country. Unthinkable, right? Yet that’s essentially what happened this week in Thailand. The Iranian government succeeded in

2007-06-28T01:52:00.000+09:00

Tony Blair Departs 10 Downing StreetWith the baying of assorted malcontents in the far background, Tony Blair and family leave the Prime Minister's residence marking another yet dignified (if not entirely peaceful) transition of power in a civilized Western democracy.Compared to France’s recent transition I can conclude that the Brits have nicer cars but the French have prettier women. No

2007-06-22T22:58:00.000+09:00

oDelawhere?Passing through Delaware reminds me once again that I’ve never actually met anyone from Delaware. I’ve never set foot in Delaware. And most disturbingly, when the word "Delaware" is uttered, I can’t picture anything.Try a little state-based word association.What comes to your mind when you think of Idaho? Potatoes of course.Texas? Oil, black gold.Vermont? Cows with unshaven legs.Now

2007-06-21T23:32:00.000+09:00

Islamists and TruthersHere is a rather typical Islamofascist video that seems to find its way onto YouTube all too easily these days.The other genre of video lunacy proliferating on YouTube is the 9/11 Truther rant. This comes up in many forms, the most famous of which is the Loose Change series. I love this clip of two utterly unhinged LC Truthers confronted by dispassionate geeks from Popular

2007-05-24T23:54:00.000+09:00

What a Difference an e MakesI wonder how many voters in 2004 thought they were casting ballots for a Democrat named Kerrey who lost a leg in Vietnam and won the Congressional Medal of Honor before being elected to the U.S. Senate instead of the actual Democratic candidate named Kerry who earned three Purple Hearts for superficial wounds during a three month rotation in Vietnam and then threw

2007-05-24T01:19:00.000+09:00

Green vs ModernismWhat is green? Or more specifically, what makes a “green” building green? The definition is still pretty squishy.Take for example the new Bank of America building going up on Bryant Park near the New York Public Library. According to BusinessWeek, the new BoA building, designed by Cook+Fox, will be, quote, “the most energy efficient, water-saving, healthful office tower ever

2007-05-19T08:48:00.000+09:00

Throwing Stones at The Glass HousePhilip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan is open for small public tours and I went to see the “estate’ for myself last week.The Glass House is a secular shrine for devout Modernists, several of whom joined me on this pilgrimage. We’ve all seen the pictures – a transparent temple sitting on a ledge. We all know the catty criticisms – no privacy, where do you

2007-05-18T23:37:00.000+09:00

Vive la FranceThe past two weeks have restored much of my dormant faith and admiration in the French. It’s a combination of Segolene’s physical appearance, Sarko’s pugnacity, and the elegance and charisma of France itself.The Brits have a reputation for pomp and circumstance. But the French, for my money, put on a better show. They combine the romantic sensibility of southern Europe with the

2007-05-18T03:53:00.000+09:00

Inexplicable Thursday VideoGIRL EN MODE GROOVYUploaded by fabr77

2007-05-17T01:20:00.001+09:00

Culture, CorporateSince most of us spend the better part of our waking hours at work with a bunch of other people we probably wouldn't communicate with unless we were forced to by an employer, corporate culture is vitally important to our feelings of personal growth, achievement and self-worth.As Eliot Noyes said, corporations, like people, give off clues to their characters in the ways they

2007-05-15T22:58:00.001+09:00

GroovyFor a moment I didn’t think this was a joke. I mean, the Baby Boomers really are getting pretty old.And in so many ways they’ve become the insufferable old squares they originally were rebelling against. Their distinctively bizarre music and inscrutable fashion sense are now as permanent and unyielding as that of the folks in Lawrence Welkworld.This is what mainstream looks like. And there’

2007-05-10T22:46:00.000+09:00

Farewell Tony BlairAs well as being enormously more eloquent than our own beloved leader, Tony Blair is a good sport with what seems to be a well grounded ego if this clip is to be believed:Speaking of eloquence, Blair shared some important thoughts on leadership and the burden of making decisions, not simply taking expedient poses.On the Long War: "The terrorists who threaten . . . us will never

2007-05-09T02:29:00.000+09:00

Palestinians Manage to Fall Short of Our Lowest ExpectationsOver the weekend, a U.N.-sponsored elementary school in Gaza held a gymnastics show that included a parade with boys and girls. This was clearly against God’s will so a crowd of Islamists did what any concerned group of parents would do . . . they attacked the school with grenades.In response, Palestinian “security personnel” opened fire