Jim Rittenhouse's semidaily journal of news, commentary and reports
“Two Gentlemen of Lebowski” – a Shakespearian version of THE BIG LEBOWSKI, just as odd. It talks about Johnsons and marmots, so it can’t be all bad. [Alarums. Enter OLIVER and the two NIHILISTS, bearing a marmot] Forsooth! This be a place Of residence, and much a private place.— O excellent marmot! WALTER Nihilists! I [...]
AH thought experiment: Someone sets off a powerful nerve gas container at North Korean Army HQ during a Big Meeting, managing to decapitate the North Korean government. What happens next, if the country collapses without a shot, as per Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union? Think of the big OMG situation when the Germans reunified. [...]
From Dick Meyer at NPR on Blago and Made-off: As audacious as Blagojevich’s political gluttony is, it is easy to find far worse political corruption, much of it perfectly legal: Distorting intelligence to invade Iraq, torturing prisoners, failure to regulate Wall Street, and systematic pork-barrel boondoggling come quickly to mind. If you’re feeling expansive, how [...]
Going through my pile of clippings, I ran into a Tribune article about the creation of an eruv in the Lakefront area of Chicago. Never knew what the durn things were, but it’s a fascinating part of Orthodox Jewish practice. Of course, that may be my law school education talking or something.
Last night, a friend who is somewhere as far to the left of me as Rich Rostrom is to the right of me send me the following link to an article that sniffed at the Amercians as a bunch of booshwah idiots. Here’s my reply: At 12:49 PM 11/17/2003, XXX wrote: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/EK18Aa01.html Geeze. Those grotty, [...]