I'm off for a working vacation/study trip. Blogging resumes November 1.Arrivederci, gentle reader!

Check it out, Hogwarts fans!The Wall Street Journal just published a little article about it today too. Here's a blurb:In one sense, the mere act of translating Harry Potter into dead languages helps to breathe some life into them. The translation is

Barcepundit's got a link to Fidel Castro taking a tumble right after he gave a speech.An omen of things to come? How about a real fall of Castro?

I haven't blogged much on my leaf-shaped island lately. In some ways, no news is good news -- folks are pretty much going about their normal lives. Look, we can't be looking over our shoulders at Beijing 24/7!But just to keep the Big Picture fresh, h

Good morning, gentle reader! Right on the heels of yesterday's great Chickenfest, I found this as a follow-up . . . Crank up your speakers!"I Love You, Egg!"PS: Did you know -- you can also check out the Many Moods of Egg! You'll never look

In case you've missed this, here's the short version: a British paper named the Guardian has encouraged its readers to write letters to the residents of Clark County, Ohio. Ohio is an important swing state this year, and these interloping Brits are w

Usually the news from my Ivies is that the ivory towers have gone loopy. But every once in a while, there are signs that some people on campus dare to think for themselves and not parrot the everything's-cool-except-disagreeing-with-us liberal party

Had too much politics and/or school? For your ongoing entertainment, a most eggs-cellent bit of humor  from the Sibling:"Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?"GEORGE W BUSHWe don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want t

Add Australian Prime Minister John Howard's support for Bush to Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi's and Russian President Putin's. Here's the latest from the Aussie news:The re-election of US President George W Bush would help in the war on terror, Pr

It's a cold, wet, dreary Wednesday morning. I'm dragging myself around after yesterday's 12-hour-long nerd slog at grad school -- a 3-hour grad seminar, scrounging for lunch, then a meeting, then research, then two interminable lectures back to back

No, I'm not making this up!The former president was doing an interview with Chris Matthews on "Hardball" when the Georgian said this most incredible thing, and I quote from the transcript here:MATTHEWS:  Let me ask you the question about

Far too good to keep to myself as I plod off to yet another 3-hour seminar at grad school. In the cold. And the rain. Yay! (Not!)Check out the latest -- complete with full panoply of photos -- from the guys at No Pasaran, who have faithfully been rep

Well, I guess Putin wasn't among those "foreign leaders" whom Kerry says are on his side.Nope, the Russian leader went on and said that if Bush isn't re-elected, there could be more terrorism. Check out this headline from CNN:"Putin Ur

Goodness knows, you can't make this stuff up!Even Kerry's beloved United Nations is proving no help. This just in from BBC News:The commander of the UN peacekeepers in Haiti has linked a recent upsurge in violence there to comments made by the US pre

Mondays aren't much fun. It's kind of cold today and I'm huddled over a cup of joe.But this crazy headline made me forget all about dissertations and cold fronts. I was laughing like a loon. Get a load of THIS!"Kerry 'More Likely to Get Taiwan a

What's next? Seminars on Mothra? How about Godzilla VERSUS Mothra?The University of Kansas is celebrating the beastie's 50th birthday by hosting a 3-day academic conference on Godzilla:The University of Kansas plans to pay homage to the giant lizard

Hey, looky there! Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi isn't the only Japanese leader to diss Kerry. (Koizumi's on the record wanting Bush to be re-elected.)The latest world leader to speak up is Tsutomu Takebe, Secretary General of the Liberal

Sci-fi fans rejoice! After being written ignominiously out of existence, John Crichton, Aeryn Sun, Dargo, Scorpy, and all the gang will be back on TV tonight!"Farscape" Is Back!

Gentle readers, I went to go see "Team America: World Police" yesterday, and I have to admit, it was very naughty indeed, but I laughed myself silly. Yes, it was a *very* pottymouthed flick (so let the easily offended stay well away!), bu

It's finally FRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDDAY! And I'm thinking of ditching the diss early to go to the movies with some of my equally evil co-conspirators.Hey, the BBC -- yes, that Blair-hating, America-bashing, far-left outfit of British "news" -- ju

Today it's Romania's turn to be singled out for a little appreciation.(The impromptu, informal "Unsung Ally of the Coalition" series now has Italy, the Czech Republic,  Japan (twice), South Korea, Poland, and Australia.) Romania has over 7

Talk about unsung heroes! Today's spotlight is for the Iraqi translators.I was glad to see a news story that gives credit to the brave folks who are the Iraqi translators. They've got lots of guts, lots of brains, and, alas, almost no recognition. An

My recent amateur dabbling in Polish history has proven very interesting indeed. I've been fascinated -- a whole new world to learn about! See, blogging is an education, after all.And now comes this fantastic writeup on Polish history. Lots of links

It's the latest fad! Go Korean! Check out this headline:Taiwanese going crazy over all things KoreanThe country is going gaga over Korean cellphones, stars, historical TV dramas and formal wear. It even played a role in reopening air links.Bring on t

I'm still waiting for those mysterious foreign leaders to speak up -- you know, whom Kerry once boasted were in his corner.Because today one foreign leader has actually spoken up, but he wasn't backing Senator John "I'll Get the World To Love Us