If these are Muslims for Peace, one wonders what Muslims for War would look like. Anyway, Prime Minster Anders Fogh Rasmussen (and any Dane, for that matter) is always welcome at the funHouse.

Everybody’s linking to David Mamet’s essay Why I Am No Longer a ‘Brain-Dead Liberal’ for good reason. Did you ever think you would read:

I began reading not only the economics of Thomas Sowell (our greatest contemporary philosopher) but Milton Friedman, Paul Johnson, and Shelby Steele, and a host of conservative writers, and found that I agreed with them: a free-market understanding of the world meshes more perfectly with my experience than that idealistic vision I called liberalism.

in the Village Voice. No doubt liberals and conservatives are having heart attacks.

Eamonn Fitzgerald writes about his visit to an exhibit in Venice:

Overall, it is well worth seeing, especially if you think history repeats itself and particularly if the weather is bad.

When I finally get around to writing about my visit to Venice, the prose will be much worse but the pictures far superior.

Do the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? According to Carpe Diem, the Brookings Institute’s research says the college educated are getting richer. Good news to my mind as the wife and daughter are about to imbark on a weeklong trip to visit colleges over spring break.

Tom Maguire is a master at both the long and the short form blog post; this time I’m linking to a masterful short post. Bonus, it’s shooting Krugman in a barrel. Not much sport, but plenty of enjoyment.

Steve Boriss reports on differing standards in journalism between the US and the mother country: “Are you really that acquiescent in the United States?” I guess we’ll have to recall all those “Don’t Tread On Me” flags and replace them with “Go Ahead and Tread on Me” flags.

What were the 6 imams in Minneapolis really up to? McQ investigates and decides it wasn’t anything good.

Does a new Swift write a blog? Eammon Fitzgerald thinks so, and his candidate Mahmood Al-Yousef has had his blog banned in his native Bahrain(always a leg up in the Swift competition).

How come I never get any payola? It’s not like I’d have to change my position on Global Warming. (Please don’t mention my traffic stats, it HAS to be some other reason).

Tim at Random Overservations really liked The Nativity Story. I’m waiting for when I have a couple of moments to rub together to go see it.

Jeff at Think Sink has the newest version of Frosty the Snowman.

Fjordman at Brussels Journal looks at how the West was Lost. It has a modern Hollywood Happy ending – the west loses.

And now for something you’ll really like:

WWII Squadron Patches. H/T Tom McMahon

Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges gringo.

Order of the Science Scouts of Examplary Repute and Above Average Physique. The title says it all. H/T Mark Ciocco

Sadly, not once did he mention “Kevin”.

The searchable Calvin and Hobbes. Remember when the comics used to be funny and smart? H/T Joe Carter

It’s only a movie.

Brian reviews Joe’s review. I stopped paying attention to Joe Williams when he thought JFK was a documentary. At least, that’s the way he reviewed it.

Why can’t we all just get along?

Blog To America: A dialogue between America and the rest of the world. H/T David Weinberger

Don Surber covers Tennis. AJ Strata covers hardball.

Mark puts girl scout cookies to the taste test.

McQ runs with a great idea: benchmark government.
My addition: benchmark foreign aid (althought I now that answer to that one – it makes things worse).
My outside the box: benchmark pundits. Include both accuracy of claimed facts, how often they leave out info that conflicts with their claim, and how often their prognostications are correct.

David Adesnik at Oxblog looks at an exchange between Mike Huckabee and Tim Russert to examine the intersection of politics and religion, and then asks a great question:
“In contrast, advocates of separation faith from policy have to answer the question that conservatives love to ask: Was it wrong for Martin Luther King Jr. to draw on his Christian faith to inspire the civil rights movement?”

Caroline Glick notices that the Palestinian state already exists, and it “is a terror state and an economic basket case fully funded by the international community.” See that note above about how foreign aid leaves recipient worse off. Speaking of thinking outside the box, maybe we should focus on actually improving one of the existing states of the two state solution and lay off trying to force the other state to cough up more territory. Just a thought.

Eamonn Fitzgerald reports on John Naisbitt’s views on, among other things, global warming and newspapers. Naturally, we like them because they coincide with ours.

Patterico looks at evidence that prison doesn’t deter crime and discovers that by careful design of a study to select just the right sample group you can prove anything you want.

I missed the State of the Union Address. I missed National Sanctity of Life Day. I missed the Scooter Libby Trial (I think I can join in progress, though) – although I’ve read enough in the morning paper to wonder what planet the press reports on. I even missed two Beauty and the Geek‘s in a row. But I did manage to catch some paint and fabric for the dining room though.

Other things I missed: The F-Word Controversy.

Any positive news reports on Iraq.

China’s latest (and most absurd) censorship.

Somebody I wish I could miss: Jimmy Carter.

Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits.

I never thought the Episcopalians had this much fire in the belly until I met Chris.

Coming to a Hospital Near You Soon. Or not.

Charles has resurfaced. Welcome back.

Reading time, just one minute.

Why he’s worth reading.

Dreamers.

It’s amazing what a big bubble will do for your self esteem I thought I was Mr. Super Investor (bet you did too).

Culture of Death?

Timing is everything.

Now that’s a mandate.

Are you a fan of Fantasy & Science Fiction? Me too. You should check out the Great Science Fiction and Fantasy Works site.

My father’s family was big into railroads, so here is the Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum. The Central Pacific was the western part of the transcontinental railroad.

I admit it, I like castles. Guess what, there is a Castle of the Day site.

I’m proud to be from Missouri. So you should visit Jo Schaper’s Missouri World.

Interested in Christian charity? How about Compassion International, or World Vision, or you could try The Assyrian Christians, and let’s not forget The Salvation Army. Those are just a few.