The Last Ephor

Overflow on the Highway WOW!

A map for foreign visitors Gotta love a Pope who can drink a beer that big If supporting the troops but not the war is possible, then so is this. At least she's honest. Good tip Democrats reveal new roadmap for Iraq Sad but true

Evar! Again it seems the Losties will never learn....

In the Desert In the desert I saw a creature, naked, bestial, Who, squatting upon the ground, Held his heart in his hands, And ate of it. I said, "Is it good, friend?" "It is bitter – bitter", he answered, "But I like it Because it is bitter, And because it is my heart." -Stephen Crane

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. -R. Frost 1923

Al-Qaida group claims Algerian bomb Why did Al-Qaeda attack Algeria? A. Their support for the Neocon Imperialist Crusader Oppressors in Iraq B. Billions given to Israel C. They are Eagle Fans D. The country is not run by Al-Qaeda. (Even DonViti should be able to get this one.)

Ice forces sea otters to tundra's dangers . "An unbudging sheath of sea ice has blocked off the waters where the Alaska Peninsula's sea otters forage, forcing the starving animals inland on a search for food and making them easy prey for wolves and humans." Guess I'll have to drive more to save the seals.

Keith Olberman hoisted by his own petard. Shameless. Partisan. Hack.

As my reader(s) may know, my eldest son has autism. He was diagnosed when he was 2 1/2. Autism is a neurological disorder with no known cause or cure. The only known treatment is applied behavior analysis. Essentially, repetitive learning to accomplish tasks. My son does not speak. He vocalizes extensively and has an occasional word but nothing approximating speech. He thrives on routine. Removing routine is world shattering for him. Weeks off from school (like this one) are very very disruptive to him (and the rest of the family.) How so? Since he thrives on routine, if he wakes up and I'm not home he assumes its a school day and gathers his things (shoes, backpack, jacket) and tries to get out the door. If I am home (day off, working from home) he has an absolute meltdown if we try to put him on the bus to school. Imagine a 6 year old having the worst temper tantrum you've ever seen. Imagine again it lasting for an hour or more. People with autism frequently hav...

Last year was record warm, this year record cold! April is currently tracking as the coldest April in 113 years

Don Imus suspended. Nobody notices.

I am loathe to link to jihadi videos but I'm breaking my rule here. War supporters continually stress that this war will not end if we go home. It is not our foreign policy that drives them to seek to kill us. It is our lack of submission to them. To wit: "We will fight them and kill them even if they leave Iraq or Palestine. We will follow them and end all their evil actions." In WWI we had a quote; "We'll be over, we're coming over, And we won't come back till it's over, over there." Otherwise, it will just end up here.

I took this quiz : My result was: Upper Tax Bracket Nice House in the 'burbs, country club membership, private schools, two-car garage. Enjoy! I'll take it! Where do I sign up?

Up first: Things Computers Can Do in Movies Next: Fred Kaplan takes cues from two leftist sources and makes a persuasive case that a new tact is necessary in Iraq. I'm not completely convinced. The caveats he cites are, in my view, the gracenotes of failure. Iran has zero interest in a stable Iraq. Rather, they'd like to replicate Syrian domination of Lebannon. Giving Iran control (real or virtual) over Iraq's oil is perilous. Setting up a Shia run theocratic client state gives me an ulcer. Kaplan et al. are firmly in the right that we need regional partners to broker some stability and quell the insurgency. As much as I loathe the idea of creating a Sinn Fein type front for the dead enders and regime elements it is probably an unavoidable political reality. The House of Saud has strong Arab street cred and we need it. Likewise King Abdullah of Jordan is good for back channel communications with Syria and Iran. The Pelosi pile on continues . I swear if she were...

Article here We weren’t greeted as liberators…right? it looked and felt like an entire country's drawing of a deep breath after years of suffocation. Like every woman there, I was swathed in black from head to toe. Throughout the day, I could feel myself being sized up by people, and this, I'll admit, made me a little nervous. No need: when they were sure of the foreignness of my face, people did not insult or attack me. They smiled and said: "Thank you Bush, thank you Blair." None of this was really surprising. In the months prior to the war, I had spent almost all my time in neighboring, not-so-democratic countries. Among average people, the biggest sentiment expressed about the ever-more-likely prospect of American action in Iraq wasn't "how dare you come to our region and topple a sovereign government!" It was, "jeez - why don't you come here too?" Once in Iraq, when I would get e-mails from concerned friends and family as to whether ...

Andrew Sullivan and Harry Chotiner are declaring “300” a gay movie. That is, that it’s subtext is one of gay male relationships. The draw links between the modern buddy-movie and 300 by saying; "300" celebrates the male bonding that is found in most war and sports movies. What gives those films their homosexual subtext is less the sweating, shirtless males working together for victory. Rather it's the unstated assumption that unlike the men, none of the women in these men's lives will ever really grasp this singularly important, defining experience. Whatever these men and their future wives share, the women will just never "get it." However, in war and sports films, the men still hunger for a life of normalcy- settling down and raising a family with their female soulmate. But that fantasy of living happily ever after with your true love has little emotional resonance in contemporary buddy films and romances: think The Break Up, Failure to L...

Me: I was thinking we should put Super Soakers in their Easter Baskets Her: Super Soakers? Me: Yeah, you know, water guns. Her: No! They'll shoot each other with them Me: Well, that's the general idea. Didn't you have them when you were a kid? Her: Well yes but with these the water is too....(starts gesturing vaguely with hands) Me: Too....? Her: Too sharp. Me: The water is too sharp. Her: yes. Me: I give up.