God's media mogul

Here's an interesting article from The Economist on Philip Anschutz, the billionaire who's bankrolling family friendly films. His latest effort is the adaptation of C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

Seems like a good bet to make more family films. Here's a great point:

Of the top 50 moneymaking films of all time, he points out, only five are rated for adults only—but Hollywood has made only 389 films open to all the family, out of the 2,146 produced since 2000.

An interesting fact given Hollywood's terrible box-office summer. Perhaps the studio bigwigs will wake up and realize that what they want to see isn't what many Americans want to watch.

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TSA Would Allow Sharp Objects on Airliners

Welcome news from the Washington Post:

A new plan by the Transportation Security Administration would allow airline passengers to bring scissors and other sharp objects in their carry-on bags because the items no longer pose the greatest threat to airline security, according to sources familiar with the plans.

As I (and Congressman John Linder) noted earlier, the idea that some nutjobs with a couple of box cutters could repeat Sept. 11 is ludicrous. The only reason the passengers on the first three planes didn't overtake the hijackers wasn't because of their weaponry, but because they didn't understand what the terrorists were planning. When passengers on Flight 93 got wind of the plan, the plot was quickly foiled. No pair of scissors will ever commandeer a plane full of passengers again.

Kudos to the TSA to admit this foolishness and focus on real dangers.

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JibJab.com

A couple of funny Christmas movies over at jibjab.com. I'm pretty surprised that State Farm Insurance is actively sponsoring the Farting Elves film (particularly considering Mrs. Claus' addition to the music), but I guess they figure if you're on the Web then you must be hip. More likely, the State Farm execs haven't yet seen what the media buyer purchased.

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Osama bin Dead

Interesting speculation that Osama bin Laden is dead -- killed in the recent Pakistan quakes. Normally a rumor like this wouldn't be worth spreading, except that it came from Sen. Harry Reid (video here) who perhaps accidentally revealed some classified information.

(Hattip: Instapundit.)

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Joe who?

Not that it would change anyone's mind about Iraq, but Joe Lieberman's column in the WSJ titled "Our Troops Must Stay" is a pretty definitive piece. Of course, this Democrat forcefully supporting the president's Iraq policy doesn't receive the same coverage that this Democrat recently received when he called for troops to be removed. Why is that?

Because the current media frame is that American support for troops in Iraq is eroding more every day. Sen. Leiberman's comments don't fit this frame; Rep. John Murtha's comments do.

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Investments

I'm taking a couple of MBA classes this semester to finish out my masters degree. (The journalism program requires two classes outside of your field of study.) A few weeks ago, the CEO of Atlanta-based Internap came to speak to my business plans class. He told us all about his fancy company and how it routes all the really important Internet traffic.

He made the future sound pretty bright for Internap, so I talked my wife into allowing us to buy 750 shares of the company. At 48 cents a share, we could just afford it.

Last week, I read this news on the wire. Yep, the board of Internap fired their CEO.

That's a good representation of most of my stock market savvy.

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Bush needs economists

Interesting post from Dan Drezner on the inability of Republicans to attract good economics academics for government positions. I supposed it'd be hard to return to academia with the Bush White House on your curriculum vitae.

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Enough

Here's a $35 computer program that limits the time your kids can spend on the computer.

I guess I limit my kids' computer time the old-fashioned way -- I tell them to get off the computer.

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The other side

Empirical evidence now proves that we're a nation of fatasses.

Standard-sized needles failed to reach the buttock muscle in 23 out of 25 women whose rears were examined after what was supposed to be an intramuscular injection of a drug.

This is a real study, not some satire piece from The Onion. Good grief.

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Cash: In His Own Words

A good friend just emailed me this link to an NPR interview that Johnny Cash conducted in 1997. Great stuff. At the end, Johnny says to the interviewer: "I just want to say that you're very good at what you do. And I appreciate it." That's classic Cash -- always humble and appreciative. He was a good man with a heart of gold.

I saw "Walk the Line" and agree with the critics -- it's incredible. Go see it.

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Gas Prices

These gas prices are ridiculous! You can buy a gallon of gas in Atlanta for $1.69. A couple of months ago, that gallon cost more than $3. Clearly, these gas stations are gouging the big oil companies. I demand an investigation!

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Andy Warhol was right

Welcome to your 16th minute of fame.

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Happy Thanksgiving

No blogging this week as I'm at the beach in North Carolina for the holiday. Here's what I would have said: Liberal media bias, Alito's great, hot chocolate's underrated, Iraqi freedom, blah, blah, blah. Will return Sunday or Monday.

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Econo Lodge Baptism

Just witnessed a baptism in the pool of the Econo Lodge in Florence, South Carolina. Only in the South.

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Moon landing

I never realized the moon landing was censored. Click to hear the real audio (profanity warning.)

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Pepcid AC

Had a dinner guest over last night who made an excellent point about our fat-riddled society. It's pretty ridiculous that pharmaceutical companies sell products like Pepcid AC as relief for eating giant chili dogs. Instead of changing our behavior and eating foods that are healthy for us, let's just take a magic pill that makes our stomach's happy. Yet another example of our civilization's impending demise. See also plastic surgery, Bratz, and electric jar lid removers.

Of course, my guest also has something against delicious powdered chocolate milk. So, take her advice with a grain of salt.

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Johnny Cash

Looking forward to seeing the Johnny Cash movie "Walk the Line." It's getting phenomenal reviews.

A friend of mine just wrote me about his reaction to the film. He grew up in Memphis:

At Christmas in 1968 I was seven years old. I will never forget that Christmas, because it was the year I received a record player from Santa Claus and I received my very first album. It was a Johnny Cash Album. I still have that album and dozens of others I accumulated during my childhood and years growing up. The first music concert I ever went to was Johnny Cash when I was about 10 years old. I saw him in concert twice in my life I think, but I still remember the excitement. I know every word to practically every song he ever recorded. Yes, I can sing you every word of "A boy named Sue" from memory. I have a first rate album collection, but my favorite was always "Live at Folsom Prison." I memorized every song and word years ago and they are still etched in my mind. This concert was the centerpiece of the movie “Walk the Line” and it was a brilliant choice.

I can’t begin to tell you the anticipation I felt as I went to see the movie yesterday. I didn’t know what to expect. All I can say is Wow! It was not a good movie, it was a great movie. First and foremost, "Walk the Line" is a love story. I think it was even better than "Ray." Phoenix nails him. He does a superb job in his portrayal of the man in black, and I was skeptical coming in. Being from Memphis and seeing all the things I have heard and read about all the years, coming to life, sent chills down my spine and tears to my eyes. I felt like I was there and a part of it all. I want to go see the movie again and again. I thought the sound and especially the photography were outstanding. Oscars for Phoenix and Witherspoon. Walk the Line gets my vote for the best movie I have seen this year.

Got babysitting lined up for later in the week to see it. Can't wait.

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Guess-the-google launcher

Here's a fun game. It pulls in 20 images from a Google search and you guess the search word. I just scored 176. Not so great.

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Aluminum Foil Helmets

Finally, an empirical study.

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Porkbusters (small) victory

The Alaska bridge-to-nowhere has been defunded. However, as Brad Warbiany notes, the money will still be spent in Alaska for whatever those Alaskans want. They apparently missed the Hurricane Katrina angle.

I always got the feeling from watching "Northern Exposure" that Alaskans were a fiscally prudent bunch. Misled by the mass media once again.

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Hot Chocolate

I'm drinking some Hot Chocolate right now. I don't drink enough Hot Chocolate. I have the same problem with milkshakes.

I made this beverage with some powdered chocolate -- a store brand, not Nestle Quik*. But, I can't tell the difference. Next, I'll try the chocolate syrup I store in the fridge -- usually reserved for my ice cream. It'll probably taste better. But, since the milk is hot, both will mix up just as well. Cold milk demands chocolate syrup.

I also have some Olvatine in the house, but I'm not in the mood for malt. Come to think of it, I'm rarely in the mood for malt. Except for these.

* Now known as Nesquik.

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Suck-o-sphere

I already had a bad feeling about the Stratosphere casino in Las Vegas. It's a tower with a restaurant at the top, kind of like the Seattle Space Needle. But, the place feels old and rundown. Plus, to get to the top of the tower, you've got to walk a mile past their Dollar-Tree style stores and dodge people trying to sell you toy novelties like that spaceship hover balloon. I swore I'd never return to the Stratosphere.

I'm pretty sure there's a group of tourists who are now making the same promise:

A power outage shut down rides atop the Stratosphere Tuesday night, leaving a group of Japanese tourists dangling more than 800 feet above the ground for about 90 minutes.

Electricity to the tower went out at 5:45 p.m. when a car hit a power transformer in the area, officials said. The tower went dark, and the rides that usually bounce, spin and teeter high above the Strip suddenly stopped.

The six stranded tourists were aboard the X-Scream ride. It's the world's third highest thrill ride at 866 feet, according to the hotel's Web site. The ride "propels riders 27 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere Tower and dangles them over the Strip before pulling its riders back and over again for more!" the site says.

When the power went out, however, the ride didn't pull the riders back, and the tourists were stuck hanging over the ledge of the tower as temperatures dropped into the 50s and winds gusted at about 10 mph. The ride remained stuck until power was restored about 7:15 p.m., said Mike Gilmartin, a Stratosphere spokesman.

He said the ride was designed with a manual override that allows workers to bring the X-Scream back to the observation deck in emergencies, but he could not explain why the tourists weren't returned to safety until power came back on.

I've always looked at that ride and thought people were crazy to get on it. I have no desire to be dangled 800 feet in the air above Las Vegas -- even for a few seconds. I can't even fathom being up there for 90 minutes.

I'm sure those tourists couldn't fathom that either. Three words for the Stratosphere: Big Cash Settlement.

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Top Web Sites Build Up Ad Backlog, Raise Rates

Good article in the WSJ about web advertising sales. Portal ads are in high demand again. But, it appears -- this time -- that the demand is well-founded.

Similar growth -- and advertising backlogs -- occurred during the dot-com boom during the 1990s, with online sales peaking at $8.1 billion in 2000. But advertisers and Web publishers say the resurgence bears fewer markings of a land grab and more evidence and better measurements of usage and what works online.

"In 1999, there was no research and people were chasing fear and greed," says Greg Stuart, president of the Interactive Advertising Bureau. "Now there's good data, plus marketers with their own real experience."

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Seize the Day!

This brochure just arrived in my mailbox. First off, great use of stock photography.

Moreover, an incredibly bold use of the "carpe diem" metaphor to justify cleaning services. If you pay these guys to clean your house, you'll feel like one of Robin Williams' students from "Dead Poet's Society."

Another reason the Muslim world hates us.

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When Democrats Attack

Good analysis of an AP story regarding Bush's response to Democrats on Iraq War intelligence. I thought the same thing when I read the headline: "Bush escalates bitter Iraq War debate." How does one define a response to allegations as an escalation?

(Hattip: Instapundit.)

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Soldiers in Iraq

Another great Iraq piece from Michael Yon. Great quote:

I speculated that the automatic fire suppression system was a final defense that saved the men, but Mark Bush had other ideas. He told me about the angels of Ben Morton and Adam Plumondore, two soldiers who'd recently been killed in combat. Mark said Ben and Plum had become angels, and had raised their hands to block the blast.

Seems like a good theory to me.

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Shuttle Buran

I never realized the Russians had a space shuttle. Too bad they followed our lead on that one.

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Iraq

Here's a video from the GOP that recalls all of the Democrats' assertions regarding Iraq since 1998. It's pretty damning.

I guess all those Democrats who called for Saddam's removal would now say that Bush gave them misleading intelligence. This bi-partisan report said it wasn't misleading for political reasons -- it was just wrong.

Besides, what about Bill Clinton and all of his officials -- were they misled in 1998 by President Bush? Maybe our wily president got his hands on a time machine.

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My personal apologies to Mitchell Hurwitz

I'm guilty as well.

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Good advice

From a Thai policeman: "Don't rush to kiss a stranger on the mouth or you will end up in a deep sleep."

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Where's your messiah now, Moses?

I've been waiting for someone to illustrate the Bible with lego dioramas. Finally, it's here.

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Volokh on Alito, First Amendment

Good column from law scholar Eugene Volokh on Judge Alito and the First Amendment. He sees Alito as a free-speech protector. Volokh notes the conservatives (save Rehnquist) have consistently favored broader First Amendment protections than the liberal members of the court. Just like the Kelo decision, most would assume it's the other way around.

Here his conclusion:

What do we see here in Judge Alito? Not an O'Connor, Scalia or Rehnquist; rather, a judge with his own mix of conservatism, libertarianism and egalitarianism, a cautious jurist who seems likely to move the court toward a slightly more claimant-friendly view of free speech and religious freedom--and a slightly more government-friendly view of the Establishment Clause.

Sounds good to me.

(My internet is working again.)

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Light blogging

Sorry for the light blogging of late. My Internet service has been spotty. Called Comcast, and they were very apologetic -- offered to refund a month's service ($48.) I'd say the fact that BellSouth is offering DSL for $25 a month may have something to do with their generosity. I'd switch over, but I don't have a landline at all -- just cell phones. I'm sure BellSouth will react to this rapidly rising demographic soon.

Hopefully, I'll be back at full speed tomorrow.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."

Here's who said it.

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Tunnel in Quake Region

This does seem crazy, but I don't know what else a metropolitan area can do.

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - Traffic is so bad along the eastern rim of Los Angeles' suburban ring that regional planners are considering the once unthinkable — an 11-mile tunnel through a mountain range in earthquake country.

I guess they could stop building houses, but that's seems rather unlikely. I'd hate to drive into that 11-mile tunnel.

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Bad Designs

Wow! I just wasted 12 minutes at this site.

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Muslim protest

This is welcome news:

AMMAN, Jordan - Hundreds of angry Jordanians rallied Thursday outside one of three U.S.-based hotels attacked by suicide bombers, shouting, "Burn in hell, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi!" after the terrorist's group claimed responsibility for the blasts that killed at least 56 people.

Glad to hear the Muslim street is also appalled by these terrorist bombings. Of course, I'd rather see rallies in the thousands, but it's a start.

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Bad Scientific Theory or a Non-Scientific Theory?

Great column from Uriah Kriegel on scientific theories and the Intelligent Design debate. Here's the point:

Popper concluded that the mark of true science was falsifiability: a theory is genuinely scientific only if it's possible in principle to refute it. This may sound paradoxical, since science is about seeking truth, not falsehood. But Popper showed that it was precisely the willingness to be proven false, the critical mindset of being open to the possibility that you're wrong, that makes for progress toward truth.

Sounds like a good line of demarcation. If you have a theory that could never be proven false (e.g., Intelligent Design) then what's the point in debating it.

(Hattip: Instapundit.)

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Cabbage Cannon

While in my class tonight, I recalled an episode of the A-Team in which the team made a weapon that shot cabbages at the bad guys. It's rather hard to believe that a weapon involving cabbage actually appeared on broadcast television, so I decided to Google it. Yep, not my imagination. The A-Team created a cabbage cannon.

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Liberty versus security equals controversy

The Economist has a nice piece on the defeat of anti-terror legislation that British lawmakers clearly felt encroached too greatly upon civil liberties. It ties in some of the larger arguments in the U.S. and Australia.

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Azerbaijan, baby

Check out these great photos of a huge freedom rally in Azerbaijan. President Bush appears to still be popular in that country.

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Washington Post editorial

Here's a great critique of a Washington Post editorial concerning the recent troubles in France. They suggest additional government programs to solve the France's problems. It illustrates just how differently some of us look at the world.

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Krugman

Here's New York Times colunist Paul Krugman's recent column lauding the French economic model, juxtaposed with even more recent pictures from that blessed country. I suppose this is a violation of the "fair use" copyright doctrine, but it's pretty hilarious.

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The Senate

Michael Yon's dispatches from Iraq will be featured on the floor of the U.S. Senate this week.

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Battleground States

Here's a neat interactive graphic from the WSJ on the outlook for the Senate.

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Hard-hitting journalism

So the media's camped out at the house of former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens. He got dismissed from the team for acting like a complete jerk.

Now, here's some good reporting from the scene:

Later, two pizzas were delivered to Owens' home. Someone answered the door -- not Owens -- and gave deliveryman James McDevitt a $5 tip. McDevitt said he left the tip on the door step.

As my old news editor at the Jackson Clarion-Ledger used to say: "We'd better call the Pulitzer committee."

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Pirates!

Perhaps it's my alma mater, but I find that I enjoy reading any articles about pirates. Especially if they involve sonic ray beams.

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Free Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal online will be free all week. If you don't regularly read the best newspaper in the country, you should check it out this week.

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Flash mobs, literally

In this Newsweek story, the author says the rioters in France were using text messaging to organize their rampage. Much like the flash mobs movement, that was all the rage a couple of years ago. Although the present version is a tad more violent.

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Tenure

Dan Drezner just accepted a tenured position with Tufts University. Congrats. I say it's the University of Chicago's loss.

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Wal-Mart

Here's another reason to love Wal-Mart. A study shows that Wal-Mart's obsession with low prices has helped keep the lid on inflation for the last two decades. Makes sense. Hard for inflation to ramp up when you're paying $6 for a new iron.

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Pork is dead. Long live bacon.

Just received my weekly email update from one of my Georgia Senators, Saxby Chambliss. The first two announcements detail the Senator's efforts to cut federal spending:

Chambliss proposal to cut $3 billion in federal spending wins Senate approval

Chambliss cosponsors measure to cut federal spending

Fantastic, eh? Clearly, these lawmakers are really serious about cutting pork. Nice to see the Porkbuster movement has finally got these guys thinking about fiscal restraint.

But then, I see this announcement tucked away at the bottom of the email:

Agriculture funds to help Georgia

What's this? Very little information in the email, so I go to Saxby's Web site. After a little digging I find this press release. It reads:

Chambliss-Isakson Announce Agriculture Funds for Operation Oak Program

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today announced final Congressional approval of the fiscal year 2006 funding bill for the U.S. Department of Agriculture including more than $400,000 in funding for the Operation Oak Program.

The Operation Oak Program is a federal partnership to supply oak and other mast producing hardwood species seedlings to meet the needs of timber production and wildlife management and to reverse the decline of hardwood regeneration.

Porkbusters, we hardly knew ye. If this isn't pork, I don't know what is.

Taxpayers should not buy oak seeds for timber producers. Especially $400,000 of oak seeds. If there's money to be made in growing hardwood, I'm sure a lumber company will be more than happy to invest in seeds. That's called the free market, Senators; here's a book on it.

What's next? Does McDonald's need help buying hamburger meat? Can Home Depot use some help purchasing ceiling fans? How about the Dollar Tree? Perhaps we could help them buy those tiny screwdriver sets.

Good grief.

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All about Prussia

Prussia was officially abolished in 1947. Until that time, it was still a region, you know, like Bavaria. Thank you, Wikipedia.

We, of course, have the Prussians to thank for our freedom. This Prussian had a lot to do with us winning the American Revolution. I guess that explains King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

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Vive la France

Very good roundup by Instapundit on the riots in France. They appear to be getting considerably less global coverage than recent problems in New Orleans. Note the New York Sun article that points out that former French PM Mitterand said the Rodney King riots would never happen in France because they aren't racist and take better care of their citizens.

I should stop blogging on this subject because I'm beginning to display signs of schadenfreude.

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Pizza Making is Fun!

The boys at the Chef Boyardee marketing department have been working overtime. Check out this incredibly happy family making pizzas with their all-inclusive kit. Apart from the fact that there's a guy in the kitchen, this artwork could have been pulled out of a 1950s Life Magazine advertisement. Suddenly, I feel that I don't have enough aprons around the house.

By the way, make sure you buy real cheese for the topping.

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The continued decline of our civilization

Look, you can earn $25,000 by agreeing to display your dysfunctional family on reality television.

Here's what they are looking for:

A) Daughters that are torn between their Boyfriend and their Mom/Dad.

B) Boyfriends that dislike or feel rejected by their Girlfriend's Mother/Father.

C) Mothers/Fathers that disapprove of their Daughter's Boyfriend.

OR

D)Are you a girlfriend trying to gain the approval of your boyfriend's mom?

Isn't $25,000 pretty cheap considering all the hassles of filming a reality TV series? Of course, think of how many of these you can buy with $25,000.

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The UN, France Syria, and Freedom Toast

Interesting read from the Christian Science Monitor about the recent unanimity displayed by the United Nations Security Council. The council (including Algeria, France, China and Russia) issued a warning to Syria to cooperate in the probe of the murder of the former Lebanese Prime Minister. I didn't realize that Jacques Chirac was friends with former PM Hariri -- apparently one of the reasons the French are on board with us on this one.

Too bad Saddam Hussein didn't kill any of Chirac's friends. If so, maybe we wouldn't be eating Freedom Fries right now.

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French riots

Interesting email from a journalist in France to Instapundit. About the ongoing Muslim riots there, he says don't blame Islam:

There's just no damn jobs. White college grads can't get jobs, what hope do immigrants from regions with bad schools have? I think this is more like the LA Rodney King riots -- there's people there who want the French dream, just as in LA people wanted the American dream, but they just don't see it when they look around, and they resent the fact enormously. They can't change schools to get a better education because the government says you have to go to the school where you live, and they live where they do because of the zoning laws... which I'm no expert about, but I do know that the government owns 30 percent of all housing in France, and poor immigrants basically live where they're told. The government tries to give them everything and does it extremely badly, there's no upward mobility, and it doesn't breed a happy community. Religion exacerbates the feeling of exclusion, I'm sure, but the rioting seems mostly driven by economics and bad social policy.

France's unemployment rate currently sits at 9.7 percent.

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'Scooter' Libby Wishes He'd Ditched Nickname Before Media Coverage

Good point. This is funny:

If implicated in the Plame leak, Libby could face up to 30 years in a facility where he would almost certainly be given a new nickname.

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Watts

From J.C. Watts: "Republicans in just 10 years have developed the arrogance it took the Democrats 30 years to develop."

Watts, you remember, is the former Oklahoma quarterback who stormed the House of Representatives back in 1994. I remember he retired a few years ago; perhaps he saw what was becoming of the Republicans.

(Hattip: Instapundit.)

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Dracula

It's taking me a long time to get through Dracula because I'm not commuting that much this semester. Here's a great quote as Van Helsing and Jonathan Harker explore the tomb in which Lucy has been laid to rest:

The tomb in the daytime, and when wreathed with fresh flowers, had looked grim and gruesome enough, but now, some days afterwards, when the flowers hung lank and dead, their whites turning to rust and their greens to browns, when the spider and the beetle had resumed their accustomed dominance, when the time-discolored stone, and dust-encrusted mortar, and rusty, dank iron, and tarnished brass, and clouded silver-plating gave back the feeble glimmer of a candle, the effect was more miserable and sordid than could have been imagined. It conveyed irresistibly the idea that life, animal life, was not the only thing which could pass away.

That Bram Stoker can write.

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"OTHERS HAVE DIED FOR MY FREEDOM. NOW THIS IS MY MARK."

Interesting give and take between critics and the New York Times regarding Cpl. Jeffrey Starr. Kudos to the NY Times for at least engaging the debate.

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Primer

Just saw this independent film, "Primer." It's refreshingly original in both content and structure. The acting is very good and the dialogue is incredibly realistic. So realistic that it makes you realize how fake normal dialog sounds. You'll enjoy it.

Here's Ebert's review which is on target.

(Hattip: Greg)

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Emergency session

Brilliant move from Harry Reid to invoke an emergency session of the Senate. With yesterday's Alito nomination, Bush finally found his sea legs. Then with today's flu message, he was looking like Clinton -- you know, rising above all the rabble and just doing the work of the American people. Definitely on a roll.

Reid's tactic is quite politically ingenious. It will throw everyone off their game. Let's see how long it takes the White House to devise an answer.

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Say it ain't so, Theo!

An absolutely fantastic Red Sox post from Dan Drezner. His take on the economy is interesting, but his Red Sox insights are astute.

The departure of wunderkid GM Theo Epstein is surely a bad sign for the Red Sox. But, maybe that's good. We need another eight-decade slump to makes things right in the world.

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Alito

Of course, I'm a fan of this Alito nomination. I like his adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law. Read this paragraph from the Wall Street Journal masthead editorial:

Judge Alito has also struck down a school policy that allowed secular groups to distribute informational literature but banned religious organizations from doing so, and he ruled against the Newark police department for preventing Sunni Muslim officers from wearing beards. This sympathy for religious liberty would be a useful addition to the Court and would help counter the hostility to religion in the public square that dominates liberal legal circles.

Who could disagree with these two decisions? Religious freedom for all. That's what this country is all about.

Read the rest of the editorial; there's a lot to like about Alito. Particuarly the commercial speech and interstate commerce stuff.

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Scott Ritter

Tim Blair has a nice roundup of quotes from Scott Ritter, the former UN Weapons inspector who was once virulently anti-Saddam and then turned on a dime. There's definitely something fishy about this guy. He's changed his story so completely that I suspect he's being blackmailed by someone. And then, of course, there are these reports.

It will be interesting to hear what answers Blair gets from him when he visits Sydney.

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Google Will Return to Scanning Copyrighted Library Books

Good read in the Wall Street Journal on the Google Print controversy. They're scanning in copyrighted books so you can search them. Google says you won't be able to read them, just search them -- thereby skirting copyright issues. Sounds good to me as long as you still have to buy the book.

If you haven't examined the service, check it out. A lot of books are already up because Google worked out deals with individual publishers. I used it last week because some of the page numbers in my thesis got erased. I went to Google Print, pasted in a whole sentence from a book, and it popped up the book and the page number. Pretty freakin' incredible.

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