here is southern california we had a colder than normal winter, and less than normal rainfall. i put off planting, but suddenly we had some record hot days, which dried everything out, followed by a return to the cooler trend temperatures. i suppose other parts of the country have these extremes as well, but it plays havoc on deciding what to plant and when. think I'll just go ride my bicycle, (but only on the warm days).

These things are not a large part of the Japanese diet anyway. Now if they ran out of butter in Wisconsin that would be news.

I could counterpoint everything you mention, based on (3) tours in the South China Sea, CVA, during Vietnam. Let me just ask one question, what is the most number of sorties these people fly in one day?

Not all of Bush has been bad. Politically none of the dirt seems to have rubbed off on McCain, who enjoys decent support in the polls. It could be that Americans confuse Republicanism with Conservatism. Perhaps a list of the Democrats failings would help. Their greatest failure is clinging to the last generations blue collar voting bloc, and fiscal solutions to the healthcare. Rather than trying to make the system affordable, they prefer to underwrite the costs. (Iraq redux?) Instead of addressing taxes and regulations for the self employed they court labor unions. The Republicans are winning on these issues because the other side doesn't recognize these issues exist.

On the point of Iraq Bush can rest on promise to do it with an all volunteer army, and a compliant Congress who pays the bills.

The Republicans have been running away from Conservatism since Goldwater, Reagan was held in the same disregard as John McCain is now, by core Conservatives. For a long time the Democrats had the market in self-loathing, but the Republicans have passed them by. Bush the globalist, advocate of big government, and fiscal spendthrift, is the object of their love hate relationship.

Reagan proved its all a game. (Schwarzeneggar is his most visible accomplishment). Bush has learned the lesson of Reagan, though possessing none of the emotional range. I look forward to his post White House years, when he reveals how very little he cared about any of the issues he mounted the bully pulpit to assault, including Iraq.

Bush faces a long and difficult rest of his life. The people he offended will file civil actions, and some groups will possibly attempt to prosecute him as a war criminal in another country. How well all that goes, and whether it breaks through the MSM's three monkeys, who neither see, hear or speak evil, about the President, is a question that is left open for the time being. For the moment give the devil his due.

You have to wonder how much China loses maintaining the semblence of a central government. Being widely diverse racially and culturally, what keeps the whole thing from breaking apart? Would China benefit by allowing a bit more independence? Since the Chinese adopted Capitalism they are no longer Communist, so what gives? What is the real China?

never cared one way or the other. ersatz beatnik lyrics. some of if is cute. most of it is not. i do regret that the broad works of dylan are boiled down to few hits. same as many, like donovan who is far more interesting. the whole scene was so vibrant, dylan was just a footnote really.

Like it or not the problems facing us are a manifestation of the class struggle. This should be required reading for every high school child. The idea that someone can make money by exploiting their workers, is anethema, or why is that everytime IBM announces a layoff, their stock goes up?

Science has made it possible for us to believe anything, even the literal interpretation of Genesis. The invisibile hand of science supports us, nurtures us, protects us. We no longer hold the tools in our own hands which are needed to extract a living from the soil, it is all done for us. This is the first benefit of the age of luxury, meaning relief from the everyday struggle for existence.

I am surprised your state of awareness of this problem exists. On the same day COngress was grilling Gen Petraeus, the White House chose to hold a Medal of Honor ceremony. In the ceremony, President Bush cried real tears, and the camera went into CLOSE UP.

Now my first question as a media student was, who arranged this footage, did the White House set up the cameras? Who decided to edit this piece. If NBC was a truly liberal rag, the camera could have been fifty feet away, and those real tears would have never been evident, as they should not have been. This was hot and steamy propaganda, and dovetails just about right with Noonan's piece. She is leftovers from the Reagan days.

I occasionally fire off these media outrages to your 5things email address, but I notice no one pays attention to these things. You just talk about the media evidently, you don't do anything about it, like just a smidge of forensic work.

Ulitmately it all started for NBC at the FAMOUS Red Sea interview with Colin Powell. I would sure like to know what really happened there, and who is Elizabeth. Meanwhile you all crywhine about the Media, after the fact, but you wouldn't know a real act of propaganda if it hit you in the face.