Category: The Dish

A fascinating map of Europe, detailing the prevalence of light hair, courtesy of Strange Maps, via Eupedia:

From an alleged child-molester to an alleged drug-runner. Well: it’s an improvement.

In San Francisco, they cancel the straw-poll if Paul’s supporters show up. Video here. Grrrr.

More stupid than desperate, perhaps:

It’s one thing for her to be perceived as the battle-tested fighter who can fight off the Republicans. It is another thing altogether if she is perceived to be trying to destroy the candidate of the party’s future.

Kristol changes his tune, as well:

This steely determination, the unnerving refusal to acknowledge the possibility of defeat or failure, the unwillingness to show vulnerability, is in a way impressive. But it hasn’t been characteristic of most successful modern presidential candidates, who have tended toward the empathetic and (at least seemingly) the regular guy.

Meanwhile, Obama makes gains in the South.

Advice for sleepy twenty-somethings and teens. Sometimes a kip is better than a cap.

And a NYT internecine war breaks out.

On abortion. He seems pretty hip parmi les femmes.

Dave Weigel shrewdly observes:

The fact is that reporters really, really like Huckabee. One reason is his general affability but another is something the other GOP candidates can’t steal: His liberalism. Much as reporters want Barack Obama to succeed to diminish the power of more radical black politicians (something I noodled three years ago), I think most (less me) like the idea of a Beliefnet/Michael Gerson big government conservative taking the religious right over from the Bill Bennetts and Pat Robertsons.

A reader writes:

Today’s Washington Post crossword puzzle: Eleven down. Four letters. Clue: many a blog post.

Answer: rant.

Mainstream media bias strikes again. :-)

From an essay in Christianity Today:

The Jewish Hanukkah story is one of triumph over a culture that wanted to force the Jews to assimilate against their will. The Christian Hanukkah story is one that starts with Jesus asking provocative questions, but retreating rather than forcing the issue.

To insist that non-Christians say "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" runs against the lessons of both Hanukkah stories.