Take surrealism. Mix in Hemingway, John Dos Passos, Orson Welles, Rita Hayworth, The Lady from Shanghai, the "Big Blow" of 1935, the Spanish Civil War, the Black Dahlia, and Castro's conquest of Cuba and you have the sweep of this book. Now, mix in noir prose (a hard-bitten style that seems to thriv...

The Ethic of Control: Margaret Sanger, Eugenics, and Planned Parenthood by Angela Franz2/25/09 The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), despite coming under frequent attacks by pro-lifers, remains one of the most respected and well-funded organizations in the country. Add the Internation...

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers Q:  I came across your post “The Ad Man Answers #4â€� and found it very informative for someone who doesn't know much about advertising.  I'm hoping you can help me decide what to charge for advertising space in a print medium that...

Item the first: Charles Freeman is critical of Israel, and then blames the Israel lobby for his decision to withdraw himself for consideration as the Chairman of the National Intelligence Council. This quote blaming Al Qaeda for the US invasion and occupation of Iraq does not encourage me on his cla...

Long time readers know what "Good Karma" is and have contributed generously over the years. For those new to the site, here is an overview of "Good Karma": I freely share my knowledge and materials, and enjoy communicating with all of you through the blog. There are no strings attached, but I do ask...

guest post by Chicken John Noah’s Ark no longer a myth… In 2005 a Dutch contractor made a replica of Noah’s Ark. To scale. The creationist fanatic built a roadside attraction 8,000 miles from Route 66… and it’s kinda epic…. biblical even… This thing is the s...

telegraph.co.uk Happy 50th, Barbie. The Telegraph reports that a 2.1 meter tall cake, the biggest Barbie cake in history, was displayed on the First Fleet Steps of the Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia. That should feed all her friends and coworkers, as she's been a pediatrician, Air Force jet pi...

The Reds face off against the Astros for the first time this spring.  The Astros aren't exactly having the success that one would hope for in the Grapefruit League as they are just 1-10 so far.  None of that means much today though or during the regular season. Aaron Harang will be the sta...

• 'No going back' to Troubles, placards declare at vigils• Police in republic increase border security Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Northern Ireland today for silent vigils to protest against the murders of two soldiers and a policeman by dissident republicans. Carrying placard...

newVideoPlayer("/lambert_perf.flv", 506, 423,""); And so the final 13 begins. With both bangs and whimpers. There were some pleasant surprises (go Kris Allen!) and some predictable disappointments (fail, Danny Gokey). Let's discuss further after the jump. For the uninitiated, if you're out there, we...