If you think I’m obsessed with oddities today, you need to check this guy out, who links to a toilet seat museum and an MIT report on the effectiveness of tin foil hats. Indeed.

I’m just getting around to reading some of my regular blogs, so if these posts are bit old, think of them as timeless classics:

Craig at Lead and Gold examines how Hollywood’s cultural blinder hurt their bottom line. Hmm, I wonder if Larry the Cable Guy will ever be asked to host the Oscars?

Rand Simberg points out this Mark Styn article about just how warlike primitive man’s life was. Think mass slaughter, all the time.

Tom Maguire still manages to get blood out of the turnip, I mean great posts out of the ongoing Plame-Wilson fiasco. And just for the record, I do applaud the Wilson civil suit, and hope the televise it just like the OJ trial. I comfort myself at taking pleasure in such a spectacle with the thought that nobody got hurt (unlike OJ’s trial).

Jeff at Think Sink clearly has been smitten, or he-man that he is he would never write a post like this one.

Michael Spencer has a thought provoking essay claiming that American Evangelicals have set up success as an idol.”

Cori at Ranting Profs discovers, as is her wont, an underreported story.

Steve at Hog On Ice solves the mystery of why people want outside funding for their blog — they aren’t making money and they want to get paid. No word, however, on why anyone would give (or loan) them money.

I’m glad my ancestors left the old country – Cronaca reports on anti-sword feeling in Scotland. What is the matter with people over there – if you kill a criminal invading your castle, you don’t drag him back inside yours, you take him to his and pretend to be a criminal.

Gateway Pundit reports on a genocide you don’t hear much about.

 Don Surber has a story of a female narcissist who instead of pining away while staring at her own reflection was fired for staring at her own reflection — or reflections in this case.

In honor of the Listless Lawyer who needs some special superglue, I offer this joke:
A man doesn’t know what true happiness is until he gets married – and then it’s too late. It’s a joke people! Or how about this one: A married man should forget his mistakes – his wife will remind him whenever he needs it. OK, I’ll end this with a quote from Mignon McLaughlin before I get in trouble: “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. ”

I went backwards up the blogroll, so I read Chris Johnson’s excerpt of Lileks first:

The alternative worldview postulated in “The Da Vinci Code” does not exactly give us anything transcendent and wonderful, friend; the most “sacred ritual” described consists of some old French grandfather, nagoy and panhandled, moaning under some grindy-hipped fleshy woman “with long silver hair,” while observers – yes, observers! – stand around in masks holding orbs, chanting. I met her in the grotto and she sheathed my sword, da doo ron ron, da doo ron ron. This may be why the interminable Latin mass became popular: absolutely zero chance of seeing Granny get it on in front of the bridge club.

And then I found this at J Bowen’s:

Doctors said sexually transmitted diseases among senior citizens are running rampant at a popular Central Florida retirement community, according to a Local 6 News report.
A gynecologist at The Villages community near Orlando, Fla., said she treats more cases of herpes and the human papilloma virus in the retirement community than she did in the city of Miami.

Looks like they picked a bad day to stop going to Mass at the Villages.

Will New Orleans go the way of Atlantis?

Speaking of New Orleans, the Army Corps of Engineers has a mammoth report out on Katrina and surprise, surprise, surprise, concludes that “The hurricane protection in New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana was a system in name only.” Oh really, I hadn’t noticed.

Iran continues to be off in cloud cuckoo land, and I mean more than their negotiating style, I mean their claims of fusion research. Maybe they got their hands on Stanley Pons.

Speaking of disfunctional countries, Brad and Angelina got to seal off a resort in Namibia for the birth of their child. No word from Amnesty International yet on this flagrant offense against human rights.

And speaking of flagrant offenses against human rights, which I would be against except that it’s too funny, you can view the winners of Fark’s photoshop Al Gore’s inconvenient truths contest.

I’m scanning Google News just in case the left’s dream comes true. Nothing on the Fitz Front, but plenty of other interesting stuff:

The UN Comittee Against Torture called on the US to close its detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And while we’re at it, “The state party should take immediate measures to eradicate all forms of torture and ill-treatment of detainees by its military or civilian personnel, in any territory under its jurisdiction”. The U.S delegation noted that there have been about 800 investigations into allegations of mistreatment in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the Defense Department found misconduct and took action against more than 250 service personnel; there have been 103 courts martial and 89 service members were convicted, of whom 19 received sentences of one year or more. No word on any calls for Cuba to stop torturing its own people or how many Cuban prison guards have been disciplined.

Symantec is suing Microsoft to stop the release of Vista over licensing issues. I wonder which will move faster – the courts in ruling, or Microsoft in releasing Vista. Both move at a glacial creep.

Lawsuits are all the rage, so Apple is countersuing Creative Labs claiming that Creative has infringed on Apple patents — Creative sued Apple for the very same thing (different patents, of course). I should have become a lawyer, because no matter the outcome of any suit, the lawyers always win. Always.

And I was shocked, shocked to read that Gen. Hayden thinks that the NSA’s programs to eavesdrop on international calls or collecting phone call records is legal. I think they are, but what did the headline writer think the Gen. was going to say, lock me up now before I break the law at the CIA?

I wonder at this headline at Reuters: Tensions rise after Hamas aide caught with cash. Um, weren’t they already shooting at each other?. And some guy smuggling money is the culprit for “rising tensions”. Maybe we ought to let go all the headline writers so we can get some new cliches.

Congress is upset that the Oil companies are taking American’s hard earned money — that’s their job. So they’ve decided to put the oil companies to work for them to the tune of 10 billion dollars.

And once again Congress has decided that their are more important things than energy for America. Take it away, Gateway Pundit.

Scientists have no idea if multivitamins do any good. I say they’re a lot easier to take than cod liver oil (yes, I’ve was forced to take cod liver oil briefly as a child).

The reviews of the Da Vinci Code movie aren’t good. I read the book and enjoyed it as a mystery, although despite the authors claims that it is based on fact, it is fantasy start to finish. A note to Hollywood – exciting trash sells, dull trash languishes. Real scholars are happy that at least people are interested in their arcane fields, even if the facts are wrong.

And finally, here’s a headline I never thought I’d read in Forbes: Britney Spears Stumbles, Nearly Drops Baby. Now there’s an important news story. Just think of the coverage if she acutally had dropped the little nipper.

 Steyn on Europe:

It’s true that no other G8 member runs its democracy according to a document from the quill pen era. On the Continent, you’re hard pressed to find anything pre-Day-Glo Hi-Liter. The US Constitution is not only older than the French, German, Italian, Belgian and Spanish constitutions, it’s older than all of them put together. In political terms, the “Old World” and “New World” labels are misapplied. Americans are brash noisy novelty junkies when it comes to going into Starbucks and ordering a decaf hazelnut-pepperoni-Eurasian-milfoil macchiato, but not when it comes to the organizing principles of the state. Europeans have some fetching oil cathedrals and cobbled streets, but when it comes to political order they’re the novelty junkies with ADD.Will Hutton insists that “all western democracies subscribe to a broad family of ideas that are liberal or leftist”. Given that New Hampshire, for example, has been a continuous democracy for two centuries longer than Germany, this seems a doubtful proposition. It would be more accurate to say that almost all European nations subscribe to a broad family of ideas that are statist. Or, as Hutton has it, “the European tradition is much more mindful that men and women are social animals and that individual liberty is only one of a spectrum of values that generate a good society.” Precisely. And it’s the willingness to subordinate individual liberty to what Hutton calls “the primacy of society” that’s blighted the Continent for over a century: Statism – or “the primacy of society” – is what Fascism, Nazism, Communism and European Union all have in common. The curse of the Continent is big ideas, each wacky notion a response to the last flop: the pre-war German middle classes put their hopes in Hitler as a bulwark against the Bolsheviks; likewise, the post-war German middle classes put their faith in European integration as a bulwark against a resurgence of Nazism.

McQ on drilling for oil:

The fact that Cuba has leased 59 areas within the Florida straits should finally drive home the fact that the policies we have followed since the 1980s are self-defeating. It is possible, given advances in technology, to safely drill offshore. If Katrina taught us nothing else, it should taught us that. And with Cuba planning on drilling in the Florida straits it should become equally clear that if we don’t safely exploit those resources, someone will (and perhaps in not as environmentally friendly way as we might).

Jim Kouri on Patrick Kennedy:

This particular scandal has more to do with whom a story involving drug abuse is about. If the “perp” is a conservative — such as Rush Limbaugh — the ladies and gentlemen of the press have a million questions about Limbaugh’s drug use and exposure to arrest and prosecution. If the “perp” is a liberal, then the story becomes the effects of Ambian, the types of drugs not to mix with Ambian, and should Americans beware of using prescription sleep medications such as Ambian.

Dirty Harry of Libertas on Hollywood’s Politics — It’s Only Courageous When It’s Liberal:

Again, that may well be true, but when other stars make fools of themselves and make divisive statements, I don’t recall this being blamed on any subsequent box office woes. They trash America, conservatives, and Christians with zeal and no one calls them heartless. So, why is Cruise being singled out? Simple: his religion.

Jeff Goldstein on Patrick Fitzgerald:

Personally, I’m not following along as closely as I should be – and I’ve been derelict in my reading of Tom Maguire’s recent posts on the subject – but then, I have trouble with the indictment of a man for charges stemming from an alleged lie (some insist it is but a failure of memory) that is meant to cover for the failure of a prolonged investigation to find evidence of the original accusations: that Ms Plame was “outed” by the White House to punish Joe Wilson for, uh, lying about what he told reporters (a fact that would soon be exposed, and one that falls under the category of inevitable discovery, as far as I’m concerned). Call it an avoidance response brought about by despair.

Finally, Al Qaida on Iraq:

At the same time, the Americans and the Government were able to absorb our painful blows, sustain them, compensate their losses with new replacements, and follow strategic plans which allowed them in the past few years to take control of Baghdad as well as other areas one after the other. That is why every year is worse than the previous year as far as the Mujahidin’s control and influence over Baghdad.

Geitner Simmons has a series of fascinating maps of religions in America. The Bible belt really isn’t a belt as much as a tie – running north-south through the midsection of the country instead of east west, and cuts across most major denominations.

Reason 1 to hate the press: they lie.

I think the average American citizen should be able to carry a concealed weapon as part of our right to self defense. And when such laws are passed (as Missouri did a few years ago), the streets don’t run with blood from shootouts over nothing. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think there is something wrong with John Lott or his research.

Reason 2 to hate the press: they slant.

Maybe the Duke lacross team isn’t the most important rape story out there.

Reason 3 to hate the press: good reporters have bad motives.

Autism is a real problem. Fortunately, autism may not be a growing problem, let alone brought on by mercury in vaccines.

Reason 4 to hate the press: Their focus is one the wrong people, places, and things.

Tom McMahon is having fun with hats (don’t forget to check out his own picture). Maybe Tom will help me out with this photo, which was my winning entry in the Studmuffins of Conservatism at the Evangelical Outpost. And yes, that is an old photo of me, but I’ve only grown more handsome in the interval.

Reason 5 to hate the press: they want to set the agenda.

How can you go wrong with a post entitled “The Prehistory of Python? You can’t, especially since the python is of the Monty variety.

Reason 6 to hate the press: they are in denial about their problems.

I’m number 10 when searching for “I love Wal-Mart”. I’m still waiting for the HDTV.

Reason 7 to hate the press: they fall for anything if it fits in with their agenda.

Have you read your Michael Totten today? You should.

How about your Michael Yon? He’s in Afganistan now.

And to wrap up, something quick of my own. The problem isn’t a nuclear Iran, the problem is a nuclear power run be Islamofascist nutjobs – like the one’s ruling Iran at the moment.

Shelley has a beautiful photo essay about spring. Enjoy.

Today’s Post-Dispatch had an article about a St. Louis man walking across the country to lose weight — you can read his online journal. Good luck, Gary and Cheryl, I hope all goes well.

Jeff Harrell makes a great pitch for a great charity. Yes, I know, the shortage isn’t in the worthwile charities.

Mark Kleiman is dazzled that somebody has invented a pocket sized device that can tell when other people bored or annoyed with you. It was invented for autistic people; I don’t need one because I have a wife to tell me when I’m boring or annoying.

It’s with much guilt that I present the following link to the Politburo Diktat: THE PUBLICITY HOUND DIVA PUNCH-OUT!!! Yes, tasteless can be funny.

Shelly at Burningbird has a great post about the pitfalls of passion:

But I find that every time I get passionate about something, my ability to work with my team and my effectiveness to the team decreases as the passion increases. I have a hypothesis as to why: the rushing of blood to my head drowns out what other people are trying to say. The only thing I can hear, then, are the folks who are echoing my words.

The funWife and I saw Failure to Launch (a romantic comedy of middling quality) while on vacation, so I was mildly surprised there is a real basis to the film. Thankfully, Cassandra explains why more young men are living with their parents.

Scott Ott reminds us that there is no such thing as a double blind study for God.

Joshua Claybourn tackles gambling from a Christian perspective.

Jason points out a significant development in Iraqi Army capabilities.

Danger Will Robinson! Exploading Mammary Enhancers!

And I leave you with: Bing Crosby singing Yellow Submarine. Why you ask? Because I can.

First off, congratulations to Heather and Brian Noggle on the their good news. Your lives are about to change, but in a good way.

Tim at Random Observations continues to splain a few things to clueless – this time it’s Adam Gopnik on C.S. Lewis. The dead are easy to pick on because they can’t fight back – unless, of course, you bother to read them.

Tom McMahon looks at gays, the Catholic Church, and the Boy Scouts – one of which is near and dear to my heart. I have to admit I laughed out loud at a letter in the Post the other day:

I find it surprising that there is a lot of consternation about the Catholic Church not wanting practicing homosexuals in the clergy. The church also has not wanted practicing heterosexuals in the clergy for centuries. Seems like equality to me.A.J. Greenbank
Quincy, Ill.

A.J., the truth may set you free, but it won’t make you popular with a lot of people (me not included).

Yes, I’ve sworn off the Wilson Plame embroglio, but Tom Maguire sure hasn’t. So if you’re still interested, he has the latest twists and turns. OK, I link only because he beats up the NYTs (again).

Michael Totten’s doing reporting as serious as a heart attack in Lebanon, and he has lots of pictures to go with the text in this one making it well worth a look as well as a read.

Jeff Harrell looks at the National Strategy to win in Iraq and concludes (in the introduction no less):

“The subtext is pretty clear, and infinitely amusing to your humble narrator: “We did tell you our strategy three years ago; 48 percent of y’all were just too stupid to wrap your ‘American Idol’-softened noodles around it. So we’re gonna tell you all again, and again, and if necessary again until you get what we’ve been saying all along.”Hee hee. That’s bad ass.”

Cori Dauber looks at the Washington Post and doesn’t like what she sees. Who should the Post believe, murdering thugs or the US military? You know that answer, but the Post gets the answer wrong.

Maybe Busymom has the explanation for why there are so many divurging views of what should be the same reality. We can’t even agree on the meaning of “Get in the car, it’s time to go.”

Bill in DC has the best take on the latest non-story in the press.

Tim Blair has joined the defeatests and proclaimers of quagmire. I never thought I’d write that, but , well, it’s the truth.

If you thought I couldn’t top the last link, there’s this sign of utter crazyness: Two women were fired for their refusal to satisfy a gorillas’ nipple fetish by displaying theirs. I never though I’d write that either, but, hey, if it’s in the paper, it must be true.

I better stop now before I even try to top the last link.