CLARIFICATION: The previous post insinuated that I might by Andy Kaufman (i.e., the Taxi thing) . This is not true. I am, though, Stanley Kauffman, cinema critic for the New Republic. Nor am I New York Times book reviewer Michio Kakutani.

Just a quick note...We have a new addition to the blog. His name is Tom Koch. Some of you might know him from his cameo appearance on Taxi. He's like a real-life celebrity. Or maybe I'm making this up.

After this, I think we can expect Tenet to have a check-up with a "Soviet cardiologist" sometime soon. Then again, if America's favorite sansgendered former Att. General survived such a check-up, then perhaps "George the Other" can as well.

As my first post, I solemnly present the following:

Chart the dong. (For those of you familiar with communist nations and their currency policies, perhaps you were, like me, surprised that Vietnam had decided to float the dong. We can all rest assured that they chose not to peg the dong.)

Coming soon: chart the Afro.

Hallelujah.

Iraq



From Andy Borowitz via Newsweek, Thousands of Saddams Surrender.

But Saddam Hussein, 74, of Mosul, offered a slightly different assessment: "It’s time for the Iraqi people to move on, and I’m here to help them do that," said Mr. Hussein, moments before getting into a shouting match with Saddam Hussein, 43, of Kirkuk, who snapped, "I’m the real Saddam Hussein, grandpa!" "I was Saddam Hussein when you were still in diapers, punk!" the elder Mr. Hussein shot back.

"Quite frankly, some of these guys look more like Tom Selleck after a rough night," Mr. Bremer said.

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Qat befriends Scrabble players worldwide, just ask Amnuay Ploysangngam (value: 32), president of the Thailand Crossword (Scrabble) Club.

Blogger is being a crackhead. This is a test.

It's hard gettin' along without ole' Biggie.

Secret Mongolian names

The names were banished along with many other aspects of Mongolian culture by the Soviet-backed Communist government that came to power in 1924. The suppression of names was intended to crush allegiances that might supersede loyalty to the state.

Democracy and Republicanism

Madison, the father of the Constitution, could not have been more explicit in his fear and concern for democracies. Democracies, he said, have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their death.

Blogger is retaining its love for K-Dawg. Blogged by proxy:



Eric Hoffer said:

"To some, freedom means the opportunity to do what they want to do; to most it means not to do what they do not want to do. It is perhaps true that those who can grow will feel free under any condition."

"We run fastest and farthest when we run from ourselves."

"The less satisfaction we derive from being ourselves, the greater is our desire to be like others."

"The ability to get along without an exceptional leader is the mark of social vigor."

"The compulsion to take ourselves seriously is in inverse proportion to our creative capacity. When the creative flow dries up, all we have left is our importance."

"Self-righteousness is a loud din raised to drown the voice of guilt within us."