With the Hatter and the Hare

The most interesting, least frenzied account of a Tea Party event I've read to date.

New York Review of Books: At the Tea Party

Despot Trivia: Dmitry Medvedev

Medvedev keeps an aquarium in his office and cares for his fish himself.^[76] Medvedev owns a Neva Masquerade male cat named Dorofey. Dorofey used to fight with a cat belonging to Mikhail Gorbachev—who was Medvedev's neighbor—so the Medvedevs had to have Dorofey neutered.^[77]


Wikipedia: Dmitry Medvedev

Dictator Cooties

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is making the face I think most people would make if they got stuck holding the hand of Myanmar's leader Gen. Thein Sein.

LA Times: Now What do the Copenhagen Climate Talks Mean?

To the mat in Lithuania

"Midway through my lunch with Dalia Grybauskaite, I feel a strange urge to launch myself at her. It is not that I am attracted to the president of Lithuania. It is just that she is the only head of state that I know of who is also a karate black belt."

Ahhhh but does she have a video?

Lunch with the FT: Dalia Grybauskaite

Poor woman

I don't presume to know what is going through the First Lady's head; but as a fellow tall woman I can say in her shoes I'd be thinking "ohhhhh I could snap you like a twig!"

The Awl: Silvio Berlusconi Wants Warmer American Relations

Advice to the President

In addition to suggesting that Obama win the everlasting loyalty of Medvedev's staff by asking for cigarette breaks during long meetings comes this tidbit from the Moscow Times:

"You could also visit the Gazprom PR department, not to discuss gas disputes with Ukraine but to seek an explanation of how the company came up with the name Nigaz for a new Russian-Nigerian joint venture. We hear that Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov is especially good at the correct pronunciation of the word."

Moscow Times: An Insider’s Guide to Moscow for Mr. Obama

John Hodgman at Correspondents' Dinner

Most people know John Hodgman from the Mac commercials, a bunch of people know him from the Daily Show, nerdy people know him from NPR. He refers to Obama as "the first nerd president of the modern era", but I think Woodrow Wilson probably had him beat.

I try to resist...

...posting every picture I see of an Obama doing something cute but this one overpowered me.

Reader drawings of governors

Since I was raised by politicians, Mario Cuomo was as familiar a name to me as Mr. Rogers.  Mr. Cuomo has refused an official portrait, so the Times asked readers to submit their own drawings not only of him but of any New York governor.  I like number 5.

NYT City Room: A Readers’ Drawing Board of Governors

Another election graphic

The Steel Closet: No More "Peach" Crayolas

Election Recap

How long did that election go on? I got a pair of shoes a few months after Obama entered the race that have already worn out, that's how long. This summary of the election in a single, visually appealing list brought back memories of events of varying levels of inanity that already seem like ancient history.

More Intelligent Life: THE WHOLE ELECTION IN A SINGLE GRAPHIC

Everyone wins

Photo by Callie Shell

Get Out the Vote

This ad made me go from giggling to verklempt in less than two minutes.



Wonkette: Cancel Out The Vote Of Your Paint-Huffing Neighbor!

NYT: David Brooks got into Dennis Kucinich's meth

"As a child, I was abandoned by my parents and lived with a colony of ants. We didn’t have much in the way of material possession, but we did have each other and the ability to carry far more than our own body weights. When I was young, I was temporarily paralyzed in a horrible anteater accident, but I never gave up my dream: the dream of speaking at a national political convention so my speech could be talked over by Wolf Blitzer and a gang of pundits."

NYT: David Brooks: A Speech to the Delegates

Maybe that's how he won over his smokin' hot wife

The Atlantic: "Clinton didn't need to match the intensity of Dennis Kucinich, who, earlier in the evening, hopped and screamed like a meth-addled Smurf."

The New York Times: But you’re a vegan. Do you think America is ready to elect a non-beef-eating president? I think America is ready for a president with a blood pressure of 90 over 60 who could beat most people half his age in a sprint.

There's video of the former (see link), I'd give a kidney to see proof of the latter.

The Atlantic: Hillary Goes Out With a Whimper
The New York Times: Questions for Dennis Kucinich

Only the Economist can pull this off

"THERE are 15,000 reporters at the Democratic convention and finally someone has broken down what each of us is doing here—for example, 1,026 of our lot are currently drunk. Justin Peters reports. (I consider myself one of the 2,294, by the way.) "

The Economist: Democracy in America: What we're doing here