Month: February 2007

More wrenching photographs here.

A Wiggum YouTube for Valentine’s Day:

I think some are massively over-reacting. But launching his campaign at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn may not have been the smartest move on Romney’s part.

Kate O’Beirne sums up the views of many women on the right and left:

I can see how some conclude that he is the right tough guy for the times. But a great guy? Or a man of character? Our mothers would have accurately nailed him – he’s a cad. Many voters might be willing to overlook how he has treated the women in his life and Judi can smother him in Valentine kisses. I still doubt that they will get him, but I know that she can have him.

An elderly woman checked before taking part in a traditional dance competition at a gala celebrating the upcoming Chinese New Year on February 13, 2007 in Beijing, China. More than 400 elderly participants bought their own cosmetics, some wearing makeup for the first time. They were banned from putting on makeup during the Cultural Revolution when cosmetics, hair curling, wearing high-heel shoes and fashion were all a punishable offence, as this behavior was considered bourgeois and evil. Photo by Guang Niu/Getty.

A handy primer to the absurd.

Some solidarity from a mass murderer:

Here’s a new opinion-round-up blog from the Washington Post’s Rob Anderson.

Just a slice of life from over the pond:

I am away filming in Liverpool – a great city, but with expensive camera equipment in the back streets, there is, how shall I put this delicately, a security issue. One colleague recalls regular payoffs to "Keith the Thief". On another occasion a crew was approached by a youth wanting £10 to "mind your car".

No, the producer said firmly, he didn’t need that, there was a big aggressive dog sitting on the back seat. Short pause. "Oh aye," says the youth. "Puts out fires, does he?" He collected the tenner.

A fascinating, nuanced, and largely persuasive critique.