Contributor Ryan Little takes on Matthew Yglesias' contention that D.C. is lacking cool because...the murder rate is too damn high (among other things):
Speaking as a proud local resident, musician, and arts journalist, Yglesias–while he's not totally off base–sold our fair city short.
First, there are bizarre references to the murder rate, which is both irrelevant and inconsistent; [...]
By now, we all know the Washington Post pushed out David Weigel late last week. Weigel had worked at the paper as a blogger covering conservatives. He took the job seriously. He never took cheap shots at the Tea Party, the Birthers, or John McCain's latest lapse into un-mavericky GOP dogma. He worked damn hard explaining [...]
Morning everyone. Today’s Tuesday, I believe it’s cold, and there’s a chance of rain.
In case you missed it, the Hirshhorn Museum received a new art installation last night–a patch of realism. Guess nakedness was already taken.
Prom dates are always such a fuss. Should you ask him? Should you wait for him to ask you? Will [...]
Commercials running all day on Dan Snyder's sportstalk station, WTEM, are pushing the pep rally that Snyder is sponsoring tonight at Dave & Buster's in Rockville.
Listeners are urged, "Bring your best 'Beat Dallas!' sign and you can win a six pack of club seats!"
I can't wait to see how high the "Worst Owner Ever!" banner [...]
As Jack Shafer observes in yesterday's column, the Annie Le murder has received the sort of national coverage usually reserved for celebrity deaths and award-show gaffes. To wit, Shafer's incomplete but telling catalog:
The New York Times...has already published five articles about Le's disappearance and murder and the apprehension of suspect Raymond Clark III. The Boston [...]
Anybody who doesn't think the line between college and pro sports is thin or gone ignores Greivis Vasquez, who is both the Maryland Terps best basketball player, and the most hated by the team's followers.
I don't think I'd ever heard a college player booed by home fans like Vasquez was last year. It was like [...]
Good morning, City Desk readers, and welcome to another edition of Freedom Friday. We're wrapping up our Summer Music Guide as I type, and I can assure you that it's going to be a doozie–the kind of doozie you'll likely keep on your coffee table from May 15 through September 1 as a quick reference [...]
Slate magazine is one of the founding fathers of Web aggregation. Long before the term started getting passed around at publishing conferences and dissed in editorial meetings, Slate was producing "Today's Papers" along with magazine roundups and so on.
But the smart-aleck online publication isn't going to stand pat with its aggregational offerings. It's [...]
I understand that every publication on the interwebs is trying to crack the whole 'monetizing' nut, but these scrollovers really take things too far.
Take Slate. This a.m., I stole three minutes from actual work to read up on the essentials—you know, my daily dose of counterintuitive rhetorical questions and columns on the best way to [...]
I'm not one for fellating fellow journalists, but I'd make a knee-bruising exception for Slate's Ron Rosenbaum, the first big-name journalist (who's not a card-carrying libertarian) to stick up for President-elect Barack Obama's nicotine addiction.
Hope you all had pleasant Thanksgivings, readers. Here are some tasty tidbits from today's news:
-Mumbai (India) is a disaster. Daniel Politi at Slate writes a smart synopsis.
-Ever been Rick-Rolled? (It's terrible–google it with caution). Andrew Sullivan has a way for you to enjoy the Rick without the Roll.
-The Washington Post has the latest on [...]
A month ago I suggested that Slate was growing old. I based my opinion on a rather untimely article about the word "FAIL." The argument still stands. My evidence? A new article by Farhad Manjoo on how to use Skype.
* Wonkette live-blogged Barack Obama's television infomercial last night on "poverty and murder." All you need to know:
8:22 — Nevermind, the mother wasn’t the fourth Poor in his story. It’s Joe Biden.
8:22 — No — it’s Claire McCaskill.
8:22 — No — It’s Barack Obama. He is the fourth Poor in his own story.
8:23 — [...]
* In case you missed her: Washington Post's Howard Kurtz on Palin's Katie Couric interview. "Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, in her third interview since joining the Republican presidential ticket, licked her finger and stuck it in the air, saying that Sen. Barack Obama might wait and "see what way the political wind's blowing" on the [...]
- As Obama clinches the nomination, Slate catches up on the Biden ring tones. They've got "articulate and bright and clean" as well as the old favorite, "You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent."
- Sick of the 'ol convention twitter feed? Brightest Young Things is [...]
