Trish is my Hero

That's right. I'm back to Bachelor commentary, and I'm pulling for Trish - the evil, dishonest, slut. At least she's honest about her manipulation. I mean, all of those women are playing all kinds of games. Given the choice, I'll take honest dishonesty over self-deluded dishonesty any day. And those are the kind of choices you're faced with when you try use a TV show to pick your wife. Jesse, you moron.
- posted by Tom Sawyer @ 10:07 PM 0 comments

 
Kerry: All Vietnam, all the time

As this Post story reports, John Kerry's perceived aloofness could hurt him this year. Of course, as documented everywhere, he was in Vietnam, a fact on which his campaign seems constantly to rely. But could the two be connected? Here's Ted Kennedy, in the aforementioned article:

[Kennedy] guesses that Kerry's reserve stems from his experiences in Vietnam. There lingers in Kerry "a lot of deep angst in his soul from that conflict," Kennedy says, adding that Kerry is at his most relaxed and expansive when he's around Vietnam veterans. He is earthier, quicker to laugh, tell stories, indulge a goofier version of himself.

Vietnam: Kerry's answer to everything.
- posted by Anonymous @ 4:11 PM 0 comments

 
When good things happen to good peopl

Arsenal won the title with a ties at Spurs. This is like the Red Sox winning the pennant at Yankee Stadium (in the historical sense, at least; the analogy breaks down a bit because Spurs really suck).
- posted by Anonymous @ 4:09 PM 0 comments

 
Always trust Travis

Supreme Court won’t intervene in Maurice Clarett case.
- posted by Anonymous @ 3:27 PM 0 comments

 
NERD ALERT

On a topic you'll be hearing a lot more about from me in the years to come (that's right, years. I've got that kind of confidence in RAD), law school hiring, Lawrence Solum has posted a great list of entry level hires at law schools on his very interesting legal theory blog. I'll note that Yale continues its dominance of the teaching market, leading the way with 9 hires, which is amazing considering the small size of their classes, and than Virginia (go Hoos!) did pretty well with 4.
- posted by Tom Sawyer @ 6:25 PM 0 comments

 
I just work here

I've just added Cavalry Charge to the blogroll. No excuse now for not visitng often. Seriously. Go. Now.
- posted by Tom Sawyer @ 9:30 AM 0 comments

 
HOT NEWS

Michael Moore is an asshole who says stupid things. See a good artistic fisking here. Here's a whole site devoted to fisking him. Via Instapundit.
- posted by Anonymous @ 5:48 PM 0 comments

 
The world will be safe


Tom is always telling me and Mrs. MSR how dangerous and nasty seemingly peaceful doves actually are (his claw-handed impression of an attacking dove is really quite frightening). He'll be glad to know that the Minnesota legislature and the Wisconsin Supreme Court have both recently affirmed the ability to hunt mourning doves. I am glad at least some states understand the threats these evil creatures pose.
- posted by Anonymous @ 8:30 AM 0 comments

 
And now for the NBA

Since we're doing sports posts tonight, let me heartily endorse this sports suggestion from Volokh:

At the end of the last game of a given round of the playoffs (or, for the first round, the last game of the regular season), the first seed would choose which team in the bottom half of the seedings it wanted to play. The second seed would then choose among the remaining teams, and so on.

This is a great idea, and similar to one I have previously endorsed (not on RAD) for suspensions. If the goal of suspending players for fighting is to encourage them to stop, a more effective punishment would be targeted suspensions, such as banning a player from his team's next playoff game, whenever that is and whatever team he's on. For serious infractions, a player could be banned from his team's next elimination game, whenever that is. Or, in the most accurate parallel to the post above, what about giving opposition coaches a chance to vote on a player's suspension? I hate fighting in sports, and this would be a more effective way to stop it.

Clearly, RAD should be running professional sports.
- posted by Anonymous @ 10:30 PM 0 comments

 
JR Smith and the Equities

As a college basketball fan, I'm not all that bothered by Maurice Clarett's situation, in part because the NBA has been doing it to my Tar Heels for years - to the tune of more early entrants than any other school (Jordan, James Worthy, JR Reid, Rasheed Wallace, Jeff McGinnis, Jerry Stackhouse, Vince Carter, Antwan Jamison, Joe Forte, and others). Stay, go, whatever. Now, this year all of the current Tar Heels are staying, but we may lose one of our high school recruits, a 6' 6" small forward named JR Smith, which makes me want to pull all my hair out an hit the nearest Duke fan on the back of the head with a two by four. It also makes me doubt that Travis's labor law analysis is completely right. People have been trying to find a way to stop the flood of high school kids to the NBA as it is, and those NBA players want to protect their jobs just as much as the NFL guys do. If you could avoid the anti-trust complications with a labor agreement, I suspect the NBA would have tried it by now. Having said that, I will also admit I don't know a thing about labor law and generally find Travis's legal analysis to be dead on balls accurate (it's an industry term).
- posted by Tom Sawyer @ 6:21 PM 0 comments

 
A REALLY good idea

Check out Opinionduel.com, a site that will present debates between writers from The New Republic and the National Review. They're currently discussing pre-9/11 intelligence failures. With the internet, and now blogs, it's easy to just listen to the voices you want to hear. A serious debate between both liberals and conservatives is hard to find. Now it's easier. Kudos to both sides.
- posted by Tom Sawyer @ 6:00 PM 0 comments

 
According to the Post, people plan to eat the cicadas that will hatch in May. Lots of people, apparently. You can read all about them, as well as ways to prepare the little things, in this charming piece: Cicada: The Other, Other White Meat: Epicures Ready to Make a Meal of High-Pitched Pests.

Although I do love cooking, eating, and talking about food, I am not sure I qualify as an epicure (despite my reliance on Epicurious). Either way, I think I'll pass on the bugs.
- posted by Anonymous @ 9:00 AM 0 comments

 
Deeper waters

The Economist this week has an interesting piece on Jewish-Christian relations. It is a quick and fairly short treatment of the subject, if judged by the standards of theological publications, but does a better job on the issue than many in the secular press. And it ends with this wonderfully evocative passage:

In the mystical traditions of Christianity and Judaism (and indeed Islam) there is much reflection on the principle of “broken-heartedness”. This is not meant in the ordinary sense of sadness or despair. It is a spiritual state in which the hard shell of arrogance and self-centredness that encases the human heart somehow melts away in order for the light of divine love to come flooding in.

Through much of Christian history, Christians and Jews have encountered one another through the prism of arrogant, worldly power. If Christians can approach Jews with broken hearts—which is not the same as abandoning their own beliefs—the tragedies of history may, at some level, be transcended.

This is a wonderful point, and one to which I am especially sympathetic. And (I mean this as a compliment) it seems out of line - tragically out of line - with so much religion reporting in the mainstream secular press.
- posted by Anonymous @ 9:16 PM 0 comments

 
Cricket – England’s National Pastime

I know, I know, far more Englishmen are football fans than cricket fans, but only cricket represents the maddeningly confusing, reserved, joyful charm that I love so much about England. Here’s a perfect example – Brian Lara, Captain of the West Indies Cricket team, set the all time record for runs in an international match yesterday, breaking the record previously held by Matthew Haden. Here’s the report:

Lara equalled Hayden's score by lofting Batty over long-on for six and then topped the mark with a swept four past fine leg.

I mean, only the English could create a sport where you could say that and not be joking. Then, to top it all off, they have a pitcher named Batty. But, like England, this story isn’t just about quaint customs. Imagine the FUN it must have been to score 400. Lara was batting, representing his country, with the best of England trying to get him out, and he stayed there for 2 and ½ days, scored 400 runs, then just stopped without them ever getting out to make sure that the West Indies had enough time to get all the English batters out for less than 400 runs. Now THAT’s a good way to spend 3 days. Take me out the ball game, sure, but take me out to the pitch as well, mate.
- posted by Tom Sawyer @ 11:29 AM 0 comments

 
Simpsons movie in development.

But presumably it won’t come out unless this strike gets resolved.
- posted by Anonymous @ 5:43 PM 0 comments

 
I hate Chelsea.
- posted by Anonymous @ 4:38 PM 0 comments

 
What's in a name? Lots.

In July, the RAD family will be one larger, as Mrs. MSR gives birth to Baby MSR. We have names picked out already (though were keeping them secret). But for those of you less certain of baby names, I recommend the snarkiest web site in the universe: the baby names section at Not Without My Handbag. The author has collected real messages from various baby naming message boards, and she provides her own teriffic commentary. Some of my favorites:

*if i had a little girl i would name her Catatonia Calliope. catatonia meaning catatonic or in a coma and calliope meaning beautiful voice. i know its a tad odd but i like it!

See it means she has a beautiful voice. With no brain activity. And drools and needs a catheter. And is played at circuses!

* I love the name Meloncholia Francessca Antouinette for a girl and Zakeri Atruellu for a boy, but my family and spouse ablosute hate it.

I don't know what his problem is. How can he be made sad by a perky name like Meloncholia?

Check it out - it's worth the time.
- posted by Anonymous @ 5:40 PM 0 comments

 
Yet another reason to like the President

Hollywood doesn't.
- posted by Anonymous @ 1:54 PM 0 comments

 
Ominous

Unknown group claims responsibility for Fallujah killings:

"This is a gift from the people of Fallujah to the people of Palestine and the family of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin who was assassinated by the criminal Zionists," said in the statement from the "Brigades of Martyr Ahmed Yassin."

"We advise the US forces to withdraw from Iraq and we advise the families of the American soldiers and the contractors not to come to Iraq," said the statement obtained by AFP.

- posted by Anonymous @ 8:07 PM 0 comments

 
Bad news

Simpsons actors threatining strike. But as Homer once said, "If you don't like your job, you don't strike. You just go in everyday and do it really half-assed. That's the American way."
- posted by Anonymous @ 5:31 PM 0 comments