“20 PERCENT OF AREA MAN’S INCOME SPENT IRONICALLY.” Do you like feeling stupid? Then click here to see a “recommended reading” list for the GRE (grad school entrance exams) for English. The Rat is preparing to be whomped upside the head by this test. Personally, I like journalism because it means I never have to take another $#@!ing standardized test ever again. Saudi censorship of the Internet. Mmmmm… coffee at midnight. Reminds me of my days with the Yale Free... Read more

AYN RAND AND ENRON: I saw this interesting USA Today article on the newsstand, and then found a link via the ever-helpful Agitator. I’ll be posting this at Questions for Objectivists also. I find this article interesting because it shows both Rand’s admirers and her detractors creating a fantasy-Rand that isn’t really in tune with what she wrote–even though the article is about a subject where Rand is relatively straightforward, her defense of capitalism. The article is about executives turning... Read more

ARGH, gotta run, but work is kicking me around today so I will definitely be back after dinner + movie (“The Searchers”). Eventually, tonight, I hope to post on people who think satire is for reals; the Church and incarnation; “High Noon”; and re-envisioning liberalism. And on “The Searchers,” perhaps. Read more

IF YOU WANT MORE BLOGS FROM FUNKY PLACES (including Antarctica!), go here. If you know of other Iraqi blogs, email me stat and receive much gratitude. Read more

A BLOG FROM BAGHDAD. Only one I’ve found so far. Read more

“UP THE SOVIET SILK ROAD: Backpacking with the Al-Qaeda, March-June 2002.” As far as I can tell, this means “in regions penetrated by Al Qaeda,” not “me hanging out with Al Qaeda.” Interesting snapshots from a post-Soviet road trip. Read more

I AM A ZORILLA. Which obscure animal are you? Via this random blog which I visited, believe it or not, as part of my freelancing gig. Read more

“SMACK THE NOMINALIST.” I have no idea what this is. But I thought you might get a kick out of it nonetheless. For Eve-tested, Eve-approved nominalist humor, this can’t be beat. UPDATE: Did I mention that I hadn’t actually read that site? I just thought nominalist-smacking sounded like tons of fun. But Thomas Joseph writes: In your latest blog entry, you post a link to “Smack the Nominalist” and state that you have “no idea what it is”. Knowing personally... Read more

CATCH-22: “You can’t criticize X, because you’ve never experienced it!” “You can’t criticize X because your experience makes you too emotional about it!” Obviously, there are some cases where this is true (esp. #2), but under what circumstances are these types of argument really helpful, persuasive, rational, or compassionate? Too often they’re just ways to make your opponents feel like idiots. Just saw a particularly egregious example of #2 (not on a blog) which almost succeeded in getting a woman... Read more

Tell Automatic Slim , tell Razor Totin’ Jim Tell Butcher Knife Totin’ Annie, tell Fast Talking Fanny We gonna pitch a ball, down to that union hall We gonna romp and tromp till midnight We gonna blog and watch till daylight … On the agenda today: Ayn Rand and Surfin’ Safari; “High Noon”; liberalism: what and why?; and grabbing ahold of the Church. For now, a blogwatch. David Klinghoffer on religion in Seattle. I wrote about that here. Now, Klinghoffer... Read more