Alex's blog

According to the Washington Post it didn't take Sharon but five days from the election of Abu Mazin before he's cut off all ties with him (until the terror ends, of course). Now that's what you call a small window of opportunity. To all those thinking the election was going to radically change the dynamic: I'm sorry.

From the Guardian:

European scientists are contemplating a "robot village" on the lunar surface: a collection of shelters, instruments and exploration vehicles, perhaps on a ridge at the lunar south pole which is in sunlight all year round.

"It's a place with a very compatible environment," said Bernard Foing, chief scientist for the European Space Agency. "If you go to the equator, you have a temperature from day to night going from 120C to minus 170C. On the pole you have a very comfortable minu

i've often thought about the assassination of yitzhak rabin and what kind of event it was in terms of israeli society. i remember that one of the things that struck me when i was in israel was the prevalence of bumper stickers emblazoned only with the date of rabin's assassination: 11-4-95. obviously its an indescribably significant event in israeli history, and i think mostly because it made clear that there was also a threat from within the jewish world. i think israeli identity is very much infused with the idea of an outside threat, the need for israel to exist as a sort of safe haven for jews.

yknow, i used to watch crossfire quite often (you'll do that when you don't have a real job, sadly) and i wish that jon stewart had been on when i was watching. i mean, seriously, check out these choice quotes:

STEWART: See, the thing is, we need your help. Right now, you're helping the politicians and the corporations. And we're left out there to mow our lawns.

BEGALA: By beating up on them? You just said we're too rough on them when they make mistakes.

STEWART: No, no, no, you're not too rough on them. You're part of their strategies. You are partisan, what do you call it, hacks.

amanda said that yesterday when she was home sick watching cable news that the following appeared on the crawl:

"nation split on whether bush is divisive"

you gotta love it.