• The Full MOA - City Pages (Minneapolis/St. Paul) - Very funny account of an epic feat of endurance: the author spent a full week at the Mall of America, from open to close each day (and even through one night), visiting every store, being threatened by vendors with claimed ties to the Israeli mafia, and generally just undergoing hell.
• Semi Pro Movie - Will Ferrell - I’m sold.
• MySpace.com - The Long Goodbye - Los Angeles, California - Indie - www.myspace.com/thelonggoodbyeband - Michael Cera has a band! (Insert George Michael joke here.) Hat tip to the Seattle Weekly for the link.
• THE EXILE - Two Cities, Two Protests, One Arrest - By Yasha Levine - Russia - What’s it like being a protester in Russia? Get to know your fellow dissidents within a 5′ x 5′ soundproof, pitch black, steel holding box. Link found at The Stranger.
• Bicycles That Carry Powerful Beats, and Even a Rider or Two - New York Times - Two-wheel sound systems in Queens–an interesting new trend. Thanks to Doug for the link.
• Serving Life for Providing Car to Killers - New York Times - Another instance of America’s Saudi-lite criminal justice laws. That this kid is locked up for life is absurd. I’m bothered by the unquestioned deference given to the policy positions of victims’ groups. Of course no one wants to trivialize what are undoubtedly horrific experiences, but, shit, who among us makes our best decisions when we feel we’ve been wronged? I understand the theories that a vengeful code of justice prevents the sort of mob rule that would otherwise occur (though I think they’re fairly specious). And I definitely understand the desire to inflict punishment on a person who’s wronged me. I mean, I’ve wanted (on a very base level, of course–I don’t act on it) to beat people’s asses for all sorts of misdeeds. Is that the place we want our criminal justice system to come from? Wouldn’t it make more sense to base our decisions on the net costs and benefits to society, rather than on the emotional gratification of the wronged? We should listen to victims’ groups, not kowtow to them.
• Opinions: Tom Toles Cartoons - (washingtonpost.com) - Funny cartoon mocking the Washington Post’s recent decision to publish an article parroting “rumors” (beyond baseless) that Barack Obama is a “muslim plant” who will take his oath of office using the Koran. The Post failed to point out themselves that there was no evidence to support the rumors and didn’t explain Obama’s refutation of them until the 12th paragraph. (For a rundown of all the problems with the Post article, click here.)
• Ending Famine, Simply by Ignoring the Experts - New York Times - Kudos to Malawi for telling the West to shove its Spencerian, Washington Consensus austerity measures. I hope more developing countries follow suit.
• The Dirt on Clean, cleanliness, dirt, filth, bathing, bacteria | Salon Life - Interesting interview with woman who wrote a book on the history of human cleanliness.
• ESPN.com - E-ticket: Bo Knows Best - From the where-are-they-now category.
• Matt Taibbi on Mike Huckabee, Our Favorite Right-Wing Nut Job : Rolling Stone - A well-written and fairly comprehensive profile of Mike Huckabee.
• Rolling Stone : Year of the Rat: A 2008 Campaign Diary By Matt Taibbi - Another Taibbi piece. He’s a favorite of my friend Nirav’s. I’m not sure I’m quite as enthralled, but his coverage of the campaign has been really funny. Be sure to read to the end, where he finds a way to get his money quote.

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