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“ In recent months, rumors began to circulate of after-hours visitors slipping past a semi-unmarked entrance, through the freight elevator, and into the White Street offices of the Paris Review. Curiosities were kindled; suspicions raised. Was Lorin Stein, the newly-appointed, enviously youthful editor, pulling a Plimpton and learning lion-taming in his off-hours? Or perhaps, as has been whispered in some circles since the days when Peter Matthiessen and George Plimpton founded the quarterly, the publication did indeed have secretive ties to the C.I.A.?

The Book Bench: In the Parlor of the Paris Review : The New Yorker
1 month ago

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Mayor Richard Daley today rejected the idea that the Supreme Court is likely to overturn the city’s gun ban, but said that he will be ready to act quickly to put in place restrictions on gun ownership if it does.

It’s defeatist to prepare new gun laws ahead of the court’s ruling, which should come before the body recesses at the end of June, Daley said.

“You have to have confidence in the Supreme Court, Maybe they’ll see the light of day,” Daley said at a City Hall news conference. “Maybe one of them will have an incident and they’ll change their mind overnight, going to and from work.”

Clout St: Daley: City ready to act if Supreme Court overturns gun ban

That’s a nice Supreme Court Justice you have there. Pity if something happened to him.

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The Center for American Progress seemed to have blockbuster news on Tuesday: an expose titled “Telecoms’ Secret Plan To Attack Net Neutrality.”

On its Think Progress blog, the liberal advocacy group announced it had “obtained” a PowerPoint document “which reveals how the telecom industry is orchestrating the latest campaign against Net neutrality” through a pseudo-grassroots effort. The story was echoed on Slashdot, Boing Boing, and innumerable pro-regulation blogs.

There’s just one problem with Think Progress’ claim: It’s not, well, accurate.

In a case of truth being stranger than astroturf, it turns out that the PowerPoint document was prepared as a class project for a competition in Florida last month. It cost the six students a grand total of $173.95, including $18 for clip art.

‘Secret’ telecom anti-Net neutrality plan isn’t | Politics and Law - CNET News
2 months ago

“ Clocking in at 133,000 miles with a few dings to prove it, Liz Murphy’s 2000 Jeep Cherokee is valued at about $3,500, according to Kelley Blue Book. But last week, someone paid $26,437.50 for it. The reason: Its previous owner was Barack Obama.

The Title Tells All: Obama’s Jeep Wasn’t Cheap - Washington Wire - WSJ
2 months ago

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Thursday was shaping up to be just another school day for 13-year-old Erik Martin, but then something extraordinary happened: Spider-Man called.

Spider-Man happens to be one of the few people who knows that Erik, too, has a secret identity — he’s Electron Boy, a superhero who fights the powers of evil with light.

And Spider-Man needed Erik’s help.

Living | Local boy with cancer turns into a superhero for a day | Seattle Times Newspaper
2 months ago