Hitchcock Reimagined
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The Who2 Blog February 2008
Prince Harry in Afghanistan
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Fascinating news about Prince Harry's secret posting to the front lines in Afghanistan. The BBC has full coverage.
Julius Makes the Leap (Year)
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Happy leap day! Wired magazine has a nifty piece on how Julius Caesar added the bonus day to February every four years.
And how Pope Gregory XIII took back one leap day every hundred years or so.
Obituary First Lines: William F. Buckley
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William F. Buckley died on Monday at age 82. Here's how obituary writers are summing up his life:
"William F. Buckley Jr., the erudite Ivy Leaguer and conservative herald who showered huge and scornful words on liberalism as he observed, abetted and cheered on the right's post-World War II rise from the fringes to the White House..." -The Associated Press
Read More »Grunting News from Australia
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"They told me to guarantee she won't grunt or she can't play."
The sad words of Duncan Edwards, father of nine-year-old Lauryn Edwards, who's been banned from her local tennis club for grunting. Lauryn says she's just emulating her favorite player, "notorious grunter" Maria Sharapova.
Read More »William F. Buckley Dies
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Conservative commentator William F. Buckley has died at age 82.
Reports The Washington Post: "His assistant Linda Bridges said Buckley was found dead by his cook at his home in Stamford, Conn. The cause of death was unknown, but he had been ill with emphysema, she said."
Mister Rogers +5
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Fred Rogers, the star of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, died five years ago today.
He'd still be only 79 now. He was born the same year as poet Maya Angelou, artist Andy Warhol, and revolutionary Che Guevara.
Happy 8th Birthday, Ja Rule!
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An exciting week for rapper Ja Rule.
He's a leap year baby, born 29 February 1976, so he'll be celebrating his 8th natal day on Friday.
He's part of our fascinating quartet of February 29th babies -- along with Shaker founder Mother Ann Lee, killer Aileen Wuornos (of Monster fame), and nutty prankster/painter Balthus.
Read More »'Silent Clare'?
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"Two years and 142 cases have passed since Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas last spoke up at oral arguments," reports the Associated Press (via CNN). "The last time Thomas asked a question in court was Feb. 22, 2006, in a death penalty case out of South Carolina."
Read More »Nader is Running
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Ralph Nader announced today that he is running for president as an independent in 2008.
Nader collected nearly 2.9 million votes as a Green Party candidate in 2000, and those mostly-liberal votes are generally considered to have cost Democrat Al Gore the election.
Perhaps Democrats can take heart in 2008: Nader ran again in 2004 and collected only 465,000 votes.