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Sunday, Dec 30, 2001

no exit

wall cam

magilla guerrilla

"It is a well-known and widely accepted fact that, during wartime, news companies and governmental representatives fuse their voices together into one univocal beam of support for the national military objective. And, while, for many, this is a vital aspect of institutional patriotism, it is also a very dangerous and troubling reality. For, if the news media have abandoned their responsibility to objectively inform the population, then our concept of a democracy (which is founded on the ability for all citizens to choose their nation's destiny based on a full spectrum of information) is in desperate peril."

man bites dog

this story made me think of two things. first, slow news week. second, reminds me of bin laden. you train a dog to attack and then let it loose who knows whats going to happen.

Thursday, Dec 27, 2001

shopportunities

When the Berlin Wall fell, it was supposed to have buried this epic narrative in its rubble. This was capitalism�s decisive victory. Ideology is dead�let�s go shopping. The end-of-history theory was understandably infuriating to those whose sweeping ideas lost the gladiatorial battles, whether it was global communism, or, in bin Laden�s case, an imperialist version of Islam. What is becoming clear post-September 11, however, is that history�s end also turned out to be a hollow victory for the U.S. cold warriors. Since 1989, many of them have missed their epic narrative as if it were a lost limb. Without ideology, shopping was just shopping.

stacked deck

the mets are reportedly on the verge of another series of player moves which on paper gives them their most potent lineup ever. this is not to say that it will instantly be their best team. historically the mets have won with pitching which suits their ballpark and their wallet. but i would like to think the mets ownership (which is a 50-50 tug of war between two wealthy old men) would want to field an exceptional lineup when they convince us of the need for a new stadium. at least it would make it seem like they might be completely committed to winning rather than just finding a way to fleece the taxpayers.
rf) roger cedeno
3b) edgardo alfonzo
2b) roberto alomar
C) mike piazza
lf) juan gonzalez
1b) mo vaughn
cf) jay payton
ss) rey ordonez
(actually an unlikely lineup)
i started this post before the vaughn deal was finished. but now thats completed and all eyes turn to acquiring gonzalez and working on the starting pitching. if everything came to pass, then they would have three future hall of fame players still in their prime in the middle of the batting order along with two all-star quality players and the best fielding shortstop in baseball and the best basestealer at the top of the lineup. enough to make any mets fan drool and enough to make steinbrenner worry about who will dominate the backpages of the tabloids. it is true, however, that the texas rangers and cleveland indians have had powerhouse lineups in recent years but have floundered because of weaker pitching staffs. whatever the outcome, i hope the season is half as exciting (it never is) as this offseason has been.

Monday, Dec 24, 2001

the crux

Arthur Miller, America's greatest living playwright, will speak out against the Bush administration for abusing civil rights, in a BBC interview to be broadcast on Christmas Day

hiding in plains sites

Inside Al Qaeda's Secret World

songs for the season

The Hotline Carols are presented without attribution of any kind. We claim absolutely no credit for them whatsoever, except for those you like. The Hotline is an equal-opportunity publisher, providing holiday sneer regardles of party. This is an unusual year, and some of this year's carols will include a more serious tone than in past years. But even amid our grieving, we firmly believe there should be room for levity as well as reverence.

merry xmess

one thing we can all wish for during this and every other season is for peace and understanding. but like so many other gifts that come up short i will settle for the ineptitude of terrorists who light fuses on planes with matches. apparently the idea of using a lighter while in the privacy of the bathroom never occured to him and we are all the better for it. but i can only wonder what kind of "malfunction" this plane would have encounter had it been blown up. theres a merry dose of cynicism for you to ring in the holidays.

...and a soccer game broke out

British and German soldiers made history in 1914 when they stopped shooting and started to sing carols and play football together. Malcolm Brown on one of the most heartening Christmas stories of modern times.

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