Beltmann

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.

Only the first half? And that's the good half... it only gets worse, much worse.

It was a dumb thing to say, and it's not the first time, either: Remember his ill-judged crack about Nancy Reagan's astrology? Still, as far as "scandals" go, this is fairly trivial.

And, when batting, to lay off the splitters!

Two controllers are a must. We also have nunchucks, which are used enough to be worth the additional expense. My daughter is four and loves the sports games--especially tennis and bowling.

I think Beautiful Freak is a great place to begin. Everett's style is, for the most part, consistent across the records, so if you like the first one, you'll like the rest. Besides, the opening track, "Novocaine for the Soul," might be the perfect introduction to the Eels. Everett released several earlier solo albums that are in a similar vein. I like them, but I would not recommend starting with those.

Exactly. Telling your opponent that they are moronic and selfish, and that their point-of-view is on its face ridiculous, is no way to win the argument. If anything, it makes your opponent defensive and more willing to dig in their heels. I like Bill Maher and agree with many of his points. Still, I don't think any devout believer will be persuaded by Bill Maher; rather, they will come away thinking Bill Maher is a condescending prick with an astonishingly simplistic understanding of how faith works--and it's always easy to dismiss condescending pricks rather than take them seriously.

I'm a U2 fan, but every time I read an interview with Bono, I'm always amused that he sounds like a music critic rather than an artist.

Never been to a concert alone, but I go to the movies solo all the time. (I go to a lot of movies, and often the uncommercial kind, and I can't be bothered to try to convince others why the movie is worth seeing. Plus, coordinating social outings can be a headache; usually I just like to hop in the car and go catch a film with no side hassles.)

I enjoyed these posts.

Wilco Happens

Well, for a party that has steadily veered from William F. Buckley to George W. Bush to Sarah Palin to Joe the Plumber, I guess it was only a matter of time before they rallied behind a child!

I don't see how any of what you said counters anything that I said. I also don't see where we disagree, except that I'm choosing to focus on how he's more politically engaged than the average 14-year-old, while you are choosing to focus on how he's not as sophisticated as a 50-year-old policy wonk. But of course his politics aren't nuanced--he's fourteen! This kid is no different than any other kid regurgitating what he's heard--from his parents, from the pundits, from his youth pastor--except that he seems more articulate and comprehending than most. What, exactly, is so terribly awful a

I'm alright with a kid of 14 being politically interested. Do I wish he was on my (our) side instead? Sure. But at least he's involved, and he seems genuinely intelligent. Hopefully, as he ages, he'll see through the talking points and find a more sophisticated voice.

I watched that kid on Huckabee last night. He seems exceptionally bright and articulate. And even though he mostly just regurgitated the usual talking points, at least he did so with more flair and personality than, say, Bobby Jindal.

Agreed. The new one is strong, but All This Time is better. I was thrilled to discover that Heartless Bastards is opening for Gaslight Anthem when I see them next month. That's a great bill.

I don't care which direction the new album takes, I just want to love it as much as I love YHF.

Excellent, can't wait. Everett's in my top five; it's rare that a week passes without me listening to one of his albums.

Woman on the Beach / dir. Hong Sang-Soo / South Korea

Updike's death inspired me to finally buy his In the Beauty of the Lilies, which I always meant to read because his twin subjects--religion and movies--sounded intriguing. I started reading on Friday and so far it's fantastic. It opens in the early 1900s with Mary Pickford fainting on set while elsewhere, at the same moment, a beloved minister is shaken to realize that he no longer believes in God. I'm also reading Edith Hamilton's Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes because this semester, for the first time, I'm teaching ancient mythology. Fun stuff every day.

1. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart 2. You Are My Face 3. Spiders (Kidsmoke) 4. Muzzle of Bees 5. Jesus, Etc. 6. Handshake Drugs 7. Heavy Metal Drummer 8. I

Although I lean left, I happen to believe that classical conservatism is a perfectly valid philosophy with a long, serious, and honorable intellectual tradition. But isn't it clear that modern American conservatism has become, to a large extent, an anti-intellectual movement linked to a party comprised of unserious people? After all, when you watch CPAC, it seems that these people are more concerned about Obama's birth certificate than the economy. As Paul Krugman said, "the political philosophy of the GOP right now seems to consist of snickering at stuff that they think sounds funny. The

I was teaching during the sales, so I begged my sister to go online for me. I wanted two tickets for each night, and today she actually managed to get them--but they are not together. I'm thrilled to have tickets, but a little bummed that my wife has to sit in a different section.

I realize this is a long, long shot, but here goes: Right now I have 2 tix for 4-14 and 2 for 4-15, but they are all singletons. I'd love to be able to sit next to my wife, and I'm hoping that someone might be willing to do some kind of swap to make that possible. These are the ones I have: (4-14) Third level, Row G Seat 5 (4-14) First level, Row S Seat 1 ov (4-15) Second level, Row L Seat 14 ov (4-15) Third level, Row A Seat 6 Anybody willing to trade 2 together for 2 not together? (I can't think of any reason why you would, but still...) Eric ebeltmann@charter.net