articles 11/20 p.m.

Ohio State Bucks Trend, Defeats Michigan 37-21
Bid for Perfect Big Ten Season Spoiled
Michigan Wins Big 10, Heads to Rose Bowl

Prospect Magazine
Interview: Paul Wolfowitz
The US deputy secretary of defence challenges Europe to back the spread of democracy and explains why America is not an empire

Iran’s paradoxical views of America
By Nicholas Schmidle

Porter's House
CIA Director Porter Goss takes charge.
by Stephen F. Hayes

Reining in the CIA
by Joseph Jenkins

NY Times
Negotiators Add Abortion Clause to Spending Bill
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg & Carl Hulse

Excuses, excuses from Kerry
by Noah Lehigh

Pacers vs. Pistons Fight
Throw Down in Motown

No More Sham Elections
By Nicholas D. Kristof

Rolling Stone
Why Bush Won
A look at the numbers, what they really mean and what happens next

The Man, In Full
By Ed Driscoll

Clarence for Chief
by Robert Novak

H-hour has arrived
by Caroline B. Glick

Ticking
by David Warren

W. Times
Al Qaeda ties to Zarqawi stronger

Rolling Stone
The 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time
Rolling Stone asked musicians, critics, historians and key industry figures to rank their 50 favorites. The 273 participants included Beck, U2's The Edge, Jackson Browne, Art Garfunkel, Missy Elliott and members of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Linkin Park and The Doors. The Ernst & Young accounting firm devised a point system to weight votes for 1,600 submitted titles. Voters were invited to identify favorites from any period or genre, allowing a smattering of country (Johnny Cash), jazz (Miles Davis) and seminal blues (Howlin' Wolf). The list also accommodates greatest hits collections and live recordings; four James Brown picks include two sets of hits and Live at the Apollo (1963). Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Hank Williams, The Drifters and Loretta Lynn, who flourished during the era of 45s, are represented only by hits compilations.

Artists with the most entries in Rolling Stone's 500 best albums:
Beatles: 11
Bob Dylan: 10
Rolling Stones: 10
Bruce Springsteen: 8
The Who: 7
David Bowie: 6
Elton John: 6
5 each: The Byrds, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Otis Redding, U2

4 each: Madonna, Bob Marley, Elvis Costello, Grateful Dead, James Brown, Police, The Smiths, Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, Prince, Roxy Music, Simon & Garfunkel, Sly & the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Talking Heads.

1950's or before: 29
1960's: 126 (55% of the top 20)
1970's: 183
1980's: 88
1990's: 61
2000+: 13

Albums by men or male-led groups: 439 (87.8%)
Women or female-led groups: 47 (9.4%)
Mixed groups (with more or less equal female and male lead singers): 14 (2.8%)



Rolling Stone
500 Greatest Songs Of All-Time

Acts With The Most Entries
Beatles: 23
Rolling Stones: 12
Elvis: 11
Beach Boys: 7
Jimi Hendrix: 7
U2: 7
Chuck Berry: 6
Prince: 6
Led Zeppelin: 6
Sly & The Family Stone: 6

Scoring the Decades
1940's: 1
1950's: 71
1960's: 202
1970's: 144
1980's: 55
1990's: 23
2000+: 3


ALL BECAUSE OF YOU
I was born a child of grace
Nothing else about the place
Everything was ugly but your beautiful face
And it left me no illusion
I saw you in the curve of the moon
In the shadow cast across my room
You heard me in my tune
When I just heard confusion

All because of you
All because of you
All because of you
I am...I am
I like the sound of my own voice
I didn't give anyone else a choice
An intellectual tortoise
Racing with your bullet train
Some people get squashed crossing the tracks
Some people got high rises on their backs
I'm not broke but you can see the cracks

You can make me perfect again
All because of you
All because of you
All because of you
I am... I am

I'm alive
I'm being born
I just arrived, I'm at the door
Of the place I started out from
And I want back inside

All because of you
All because of you
All because of you
I am

articles 11/20

Weekly Standard
"Anonymous" Names Names
Former CIA counterterrorism expert Michael Scheuer reveals who it was at the agency who gave him "carte blanche" to criticize President Bush.
by Matthew Continetti

NRO.com
Two Great Dissidents
Read What Bush & Condi Are Reading
Natan Sharansky’s vision, and President Bush’s.

Are Democrats Painted Into a Corner?
Not Yet The National Endowment for the Arts is a perfect target in the culture wars.
By Jonathan Chait

Our Oldest Enemy, The French
reviewed by Andrew M. Alexander

NRO.com
A Forward-Looking Restoration
Political thinkers and doers came together to talk about what’s next.

Toward a moral foreign policy
The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror is a powerful argument for spreading freedom around the world as the ultimate weapon against totalitarian societies and fundamentalist movements.
by Cal Thomas

NY Sun
A Staunch Believer, Dispelling Doubt

The Real Humanists
Revolution from Afghanistan to Iraq.
by Victor Davis Hanson

AP
U.N. Staff: 'No Confidence' in Top Leaders

The Deadly Price of Embedding
by Douglas MacKinnon

It's Bill's Library, but Hill's Campaign
by Dick Morris

WSJ
Nuclear Shell Game
Fix the nonproliferation regime--with Iran first.
By Henry Sokolski

WSJ
What Was Old Is New Again
The icons, fashions and attitudes of the '80s are back.
By Noah Oppenheim

WSJ
We Won't Have a Draft
Troops in Fallujah are the best since World War II.
By Daniel Henninger

ABC News
Former President Clinton Reflects
As His Presidential Library Opens, the 42nd President Chats With Peter Jennings

Rolling Stone
500 Greatest Songs Of All-Time
Welcome to the ultimate jukebox: the second edition of the ROLLING STONE 500, a celebration of the greatest rock & roll songs of all time, chosen by a five-star jury of singers, musicians, producers, industry figures, critics and, of course, songwriters. As with last year's inaugural RS 500 honoring the greatest albums ever made, the editors of ROLLING STONE called on rock stars and leading authorities to list their fifty favorite songs, in order of preference. The 172 voters, who included Brian Wilson, Joni Mitchell and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, were asked to select songs from the rock & roll era. They nominated 2,103 songs in virtually every pop-music genre of the past half-century and beyond, from Hank Williams to OutKast. The results were tabulated according to a weighted point system. For this RS 500, the word song refers to both a composition and its definitive recorded performance, as a single or an album track. Bob Dylan, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones accounted for a combined total of 117 nominated songs, a measure of their unbroken reign as rock's most influential, beloved artists. Nirvana and the Clash crashed the top twenty, rubbing guitars with Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix.

#7 Michigan (9-1; 7-0) vs. Ohio State (6-4; 3-4)

2004 Big Ten Standings

2004 Poll Rankings

ESPN
Greatest Rivalries of All-Time: #1 U-M vs. OSU

Michigan Daily
Problems abound for Ohio State against Michigan

Where Did the Winged Helmet; Gold Pants Award; Buckeye Leaves; Script Ohio Come From?

Woody vs. Bo

Detroit News
Does the Michigan-Ohio State game mean more to Ohioans?
It certainly feels different in Columbus versus Ann Arbor during the week of the game. A lot of it is because Ohio State has one main rival -- Michigan. U-M, of course, has three -- Michigan State, Notre Dame and OSU. This is not to suggest that the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry means less to Wolverine fans. But what is absent in Ann Arbor are things like "Countdown to Ohio State" clocks in the lower right corner of the local network television affiliates, and "Days Until Ohio State" charts on the local newspaper Web sites, and TV anchors wearing maize and blue clothing all week. Because Ann Arbor is so close to Detroit, a city with four pro sports franchises, and a city with TV affiliates that have a lot more to cover each day other than U-M football, the focus is not all U-M all the time. Ohio State is very much the focus of those living in Columbus and, for that matter, throughout the state.

Game Notes
Michigan; Ohio State

• #5 Michigan defeated #4 Ohio State 35-21 last year at the Big House.
• 84% of Yahoo! College Pick'em users predict Michigan will defeat Ohio State.
• Michigan is a 5 1/2 point favorite according to Sheridan.
• Michigan is ranked #7 in the BCS Standing, AP Poll and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. Michigan is #18 in the Sagarin ratings, while Ohio State is #36.
• The Wolverines have compiled a 21-9-1 record against OSU at Ohio Stadium and are 27-20-2 in Columbus. Michigan is 30-17-4 against OSU in Ann Arbor and is 22-15-3 against OSU at the Big House.
• Michigan is looking to claim their sixth 10-win season under Coach Carr.
• Michigan is 12-9 in games against OSU when OSU is unranked.
• With a win against OSU, Michigan would be undefeated in the Big 10. It would also be their 14th straight Big 10 win.

Michigan vs. Ohio State Series Stats

• Games decided by three points or less: Tied 5-5-6; Games decided by seven points or less: U-M leads 16-15-6.
• Longest Michigan winning streak vs. OSU, nine games (1901-09); longest losing streak vs. OSU, four games (1960-63)
• Michigan leads the series against OSU 57-37-6. OSU would need to win 20 straight years to even catch up with Michigan.
• Michigan has score 1,672 points vs. OSU, while OSU has only scored 1,202 points against Michigan
• Michigan is 14-6-1 against OSU since 1983 including a streak from 1988-93 where they went 5-0-1 against OSU and another streak from 1995-2000 where they went 5-1-0. Michigan has won 6 of the last 10 games
• Michigan has appeared in more Rose Bowls (18) than any other Big Ten Conference school.
• Michigan has 42 (including their current shared title in 2004) Big 10 titles (OSU -29) which is the most of any college football program in ANY conference.
• Michigan has 11 national championships (5th all-time) to OSU's 7.

Michigan Stats

• Michigan has more wins that any football program in NCAA history, 842-273-36 (.7471763).
• Michigan has the highest winning percentage of any team in the NCAA history (.7471763).
• Michigan has a run of 104 straight AP polls (20 polls longer than Miami) in which it has been ranked in the Top 25, the longest streak in the nation. It spans 78 games and began Oct. 24, 1998.
• Michigan is 262-81-10 (.756) all-time when listed in the AP Top 10, including a 38-16 mark during Lloyd Carr's coaching tenure.
• Michigan has a 35-18 overall record against AP nationally ranked teams under Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines have compiled a 125-104-8 (.542) all-time record against AP nationally ranked teams.
• Head coach Lloyd Carr has a career winning percentage of .779 (95-27), ranking him fifth among active Division I coaches. He now leads active Big Ten coaches with 63 conference wins (63-16) and his teams are an amazing 14-4 against Top 10 opponents. He grabbed the active career lead in Big Ten wins during the 2003 season.
• Michigan has had 342 football games televised, which leads the NCAA.
• Michigan has appeared in 29 straight bowls (including the Rose Bowl in 2003), the second longest current streak in NCAA history.
• The Wolverines set an NCAA record in 2004 by averaging 111,025 fans per game at Michigan Stadium.
• The Michigan football program is the only Big Ten team in any sport to win a conference title in each decade. It is the winningest overall athletic program in Big Ten Conference history.
• Michigan ranks #1 all-time in composite AP final football polls (1936-2003), passing Notre Dame for the top spot after last season's #6 final ranking.

articles 11/19

AFP
UN staff to make historic vote of no confidence in Annan

When he wins he loses
by Jonah Goldberg

W. Post
Nuclear Disclosures On Iran Unverified
U.S. Officials Checking Evidence Cited by Powell

For Bush, Confidence Can Cut Two Ways
By David Ignatius

War crimes?
by Oliver North

What the Marine Did
The shooting of an unarmed Iraqi was a tragedy. But was it a war crime?
By Owen West and Phillip Carter

NY Times
Bush Confronts New Challenge on Issue of Iran
By Steven R. Weisman

Belmont Club
War In the Darkness

Belmont Club
Pro and Contra

NY Times
Republicans Outnumbered in Academia, Studies Find

NY Post Editorial
Saddam 'Banked' On Fraud

USA Today
U2 sees iPod TV spots as synergy, not sellout

USA Today
Alive and ticking With new album ‘Atomic Bomb' poised to blow up the charts next week, the Irish rockers are back to their passionate core

Boston Herald
The New U2 Album

The Guardian
You're not laughing any more
U2 have returned to their early, embarrassing style. But Alexis Petridis can't help punching the air

Rocky Mountain News
U2 drops a 'Bomb'
New CD packs the force of a classic

Sidney Morning Herald
U2, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

After-Abortion Trauma Common New Study Shows

A new study of American and Russian women in the Medical Science Monitor shows that post-traumatic reactions to abortion may be far more common than previously thought. Among the findings:

American and Russian women reported fewer positive reactions to abortion than negative ones. The most commonly reported positive reaction was relief, but only 7 percent of Russian women and 14 percent of American women attributed this feeling to their abortions. American women were more likely to attribute to their abortion subsequent thoughts of suicide (36 percent), increased use of drugs or alcohol (27 percent), sexual problems (24 percent), relationship problems (27 percent), guilt (78 percent), and an inability to forgive themselves (62 percent). Approximately two percent of the American women studied attributed a subsequent psychiatric hospitalization to their abortion.

articles 11/18

Rules for Cops vs. Rules for War
By Brandon Del Pozo

Creating Loafing Atlanta
Parallel universes
Darwinism favors evangelicals' survival over secular neighbors

NPR
Red vs. Blue: Demography and Politics

Real Clear Politics
What Motivates Friends & Enemies

Weekly Standard
The New Order of Battle
What the cabinet shake-up means for Bush's continuing war efforts.
by Tom Donnelly

W. Post Editorial
Mr. Clinton's Library Lesson

NRO.com
Marine in Fallujah

Memo to Spies and Diplomats
Stop Whining and Do the Jobs You're Paid To Do
By Clifford May

Your Tax Dollars at Work
The U.N. discovers the cause of anti-Semitism: Jews.
By Anne Bayefsky

'Ssssshhhhhhhh'
Condi Rice! Porter Goss! Arlen Specter! Settle down and take a breath.
by Peggy Noonan

WSJ Editorial
Semper Fi
The story of Fallujah isn't on that NBC videotape.

WSJ
Nortel Ex-Worker Says He Told Company of Revenue Problems
By Mark Heinzl

Thoughts on a second term
by Dick Morris

Disgusting, Racist Treatment of Dr. Rice
by Rush Limbaugh

The Nation
The Peter Principle and the Neocon Coup
by Robert Scheer

W. Post
Powell Says Iran Is Pursuing Bomb
Evidence Cited of Effort to Adapt Missile

Yahoo! Sports
Rare obsession
by Dan Wetzel

AP
Buckeyes coach has sleepless night

AP
#7 Michigan vs. Ohio State

Detroit News
Rivalry game means most to Ohio State
The Wolverines have three bitter foes while the Buckeyes focus on only one.

Ohio State's problems a far cry from when focus was on the game
By Bob Wojnowski

Detroit Free-Press
Ground game key to victory say U-M, OSU

USA Today
No matter how difficulties pan out, Ohio State has PR disaster on hands

Kicker missed mark on field but made mark on rivalry
by Christine Brennan

AP
Michigan's Hart chooses jeers over cheers

articles 11/17

Reuters
Iran Is Secretly Enriching Uranium, Group Says
Work Reportedly Continues Despite Promise to Halt Weapons Program

De-Jihadification
by David Warren

W. Times
U.N. deserted leads in oil-for-food investigation

A bad election for old media
by Michael Barone

Arafat the monster
by Jeff Jacoby (hat-tip to Adam Steinberg)

AP
Probe: Oil funds paid for bombers

Come Clean, Kofi
The U.N. secretary-general ducks responsibilty for the Oil for Food scam.
by Claudia Rosett

Don't Look Back
Why do Democrats keep losing? Because they have nothing to offer by way of reform.
by Brendan Miniter

The New Jonestown
People flock to the all-decent-persons-are-revolted-by-Bush cult.
By Mark Steyn

Export a Liberal!
If they’re so eager to flee to Canada, by all means, let’s help them.
by Stephen Moore

Political Cartoon
by Pat Oliphant

W, by ignoring race, makes racial history
by Michael Goodwin

Questions for Rice's confirmation hearing
by George Will

With Rice at the helm
By Joel Mowbray

Blood in the Potomac
By Tony Blankley

Kofi Annan and the insanity of international law
by Ben Shapiro

Real Clear Politics
The Good Guys vs. The Bad Guys
Schumer Stays/Lay of Powell's Legacy

Reuters
Catholic Bishops Launch Marriage Initiative

Chicago Tribune
Ohio State takes away ESPN welcome mat

Marion Star
Super Buckeyes vs. Super Wolverines Who would win?

WISN-TV, Milwaukee
Michigan vs. Ohio State preview
By Frank Haynes, College Football Senior Editor

ESPN
Wolverines Grew Up After Loss To Irish

Ann Arbor News
Big plays a concern? Carr, players praise opposing offenses

Chicago Tribune
Michigan not afraid of Ohio State noisemakers

Interference
U2 Fans Love Early Taste of ‘Atomic Bomb’

Rolling Stone
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, 4 out of 5 stars
Halfway through the excellent new U2 album, Bono announces, "I like the sound of my own voice." Well-said, lad; well-said. Ever since U2 started making noise in Dublin several hundred bloody Sundays ago, Bono has grooved to the sound of his own gargantuan rockness. Ego, shmego -- this is one rock-star madman.

YAHWEH
Take these shoes
Click clacking down some dead end street
Take these shoes And make them fit

Take this shirt
Polyester white trash made in nowhere
Take this shirt
And make it clean, clean
Take this soul
Stranded in some skin and bones
Take this soul
And make it sing

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I'm waiting for the dawn

Take these hands
Teach them what to carry
Take these hands
Don't make a fist
Take this mouth
So quick to criticize
Take this mouth
Give it a kiss

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh

Still I'm waiting for the dawn
Still waiting for the dawn, the sun is coming up
The sun is coming upon the ocean
This love is like a drop in the ocean
This love is like a drop in the ocean

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, tell me now
Why the dark before the dawn?

Take this city
A city should be shining on a hill
Take this city
If it be your will
What no man can own, no man can take

Take this heart
Take this heart
Take this heart
And make it break

articles 11/16

NY Sun
Saddam's Pilfering Via the U.N. Estimated at $21 Billion

Saddam oil-food gains doubled
By Bill Gertz

Washington Blade
Gays explain why they voted for Bush
‘National security more important than marriage’

Liberal Agenda A Tonic For State
by Dan Haar

WSJ
The Powell Lesson
Will the State Department now support American foreign policy?

AP
Military Bases Are Told Not To Sponsor Boy Scout Troops

WSJ
And the Nominees Are . . .
Here's a short list of who might be on deck for the Supreme Court.
By Melanie Kirkpatrick

'The Last Mission'
The Swift Boat Veterans gather to assess their impact on the campaign.
by John Fund

OpinionJournal.com
The Spark of Democracy
A roundup of the past month's good news from Afghanistan.

Weekly Standard
The CIA Fights Back
The Agency fights back as Porter Goss and the Bush administration push for institutional reform.

Right Wrong To Gloat As Mr. Caution Exits, Stage Left
By John Podhoretz

NRO.com
Going Nuclear
Will the GOP change the filibuster rule for judicial nominees?

WSJ
AmEx Sues Its Credit-Card Rivals
Visa, MasterCard, 8 BanksNamed in Legal ChallengeClaiming Unfair Alliances

A New Team
by David Frum

'Moral Suicide,' à la Wolfe
By David Brooks

Validation By Defeat
Belief in the infantilism of the American public has been an expanding facet of 'progressive' thinking for 50 years and is especially intense now
By George Will

The Senate vs. the U.N.
by Robert Novak

Porter’s Purge
What spymasters?
by Michael Ledeen

NRO.com
Shut Up and Paint
Bush-hatred colors Manhattan’s art scene.

NY Times
Fired Flight Attendant Finds Blogs Can Backfire
By Christine Negroni

Belmont Club
The C.I.A. Shake-up

#7 Michigan at Ohio State
Saturday, Nov. 20 • 1:00 p.m. EST
Ohio Stadium • Columbus, Ohio
ABC Television

USA Today
Michigan has Ohio State's attention

AP
Ohio State has little to lose against Michigan

Detroit Free-Press
Wolverines, beware: Rival Buckeyes won't roll over

AP
Wolverines determined not to let Buckeyes spoil their season

Detroit News
Feud is heated, but forget hate
The Wolverines still respect the Buckeyes, and vice versa, despite the game's importance

VH-1
Listen to the How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

Time
Mysterious Ways
Making records has always been misery for U2. But on 'How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,' they rediscovered the secret: fusion

Inner Focus Drives Bonds
by Jayson Stark

USA Today
Pennies pay off when Ohio collector cashes in

A color that suits us all, by William R. Mattox, Jr

The Fight: Raw Video Captures Battle Of Fallujah...

articles 11/14

Boston Globe
On the trail of Kerry's failed dream
Pair of wars dominated strategy before election

LA Times
These Unseen Wounds Cut Deep
A mental health crisis is emerging, with one in six returning soldiers afflicted, experts say.

What Brown Teaches Us About Constitutional Theory
By Yale law professor Jack Balkin

NY Times
U2: The Catharsis in the Cathedral
By Jon Pareles

Newsweek
Don't Push Me 'Cause I'm Close to the Edge
The iPod-ification of U2 on their new album, 'How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'

NY Times
Anchors Away
Tom Brokaw makes his steady-voiced, flag-waving, NBC-rattling, Rather-and Jennings-beating exit.

NY Times
The Terrorist as Auteur
Videos have become a cinematic tool for kidnappers and assassins in Iraq. How did we enter the era of the political snuff film?

Wilmington News-Journal
Plastic may save you at the pump
Gas-rebate credit cards can help with high prices - if you're careful

Newsweek
It's Over, But Can We Forgive and Forget?
My pre-election plan to move to Canada is out, but I'm not sure how to heal the rifts with loved ones

U.S. News & World Report
The Iran Connection
The Baghdad files: A trove of secret Intelligence reports spells out in chilling detail how Iraq's dangerous next-door neighbor is aiding the anti-U.S. insurgency
By Edward T. Pound

U.S. News & World Report
Iran and the bomb
What will it take to thwart Tehran's nuclear aims?
By Thomas Omestad


U-M vs. OSU Coverage

Detroit News
Freshman Hart is key for U-M's resurgence, ride to the top of Big Ten
By Bob Wojnowski

ESPN
NCAA To Make Campus Visit To OSU Monday

Detroit Free-Press
U-M third most popular; Notre Dame No. 1

AP
Report: Free cars among perks for Ohio State coaches, wives

It's a sad [Ohio] State of affairs
by Mike Lupica

NCAA allows cheaters to win
by Ted Miller

Michigan vs. OSU Saturday

With MSU's 49-14 victory over #4 Wisconsin, OSU has a chance to keep Michigan from winning outright their 42nd Big Ten Championship, the most of any college football program in ANY conference. They could also keep them from appearing in their Big Ten leading 19th Rose Bowl at 5 p.m. Jan. 1, 2005.

Michigan (#9) defeated Northwestern 42-20 to move to 9-1 overall and 7-0 in the Big Ten. Purdue defeated OSU 24-17. Michigan should move up in the latest polls thanks to losses by Wisconsin (#4) and Georgia (#8). Unranked OSU moved to 6-4 overall and fell a game below .500 (3-4) in the Big Ten.

The meeting between the two teams will be the 101st. Michigan leads the series against OSU 57-37-6. Look for more info about the game, the rivalry and the OSU scandal throughout the week.

U-M is ready for OSU
Wolverines pummel Northwestern, can claim Big Ten title Saturday at Columbus.
By Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News

Scandal update
Clarett accusations find new support
Another ex-Buckeye backs up Clarett's story

Confessions Of A Cultural Elitist

By Ted Rall

'How can 59,054,087 people be so DUMB?' asked the headline of the Daily Mirror in Great Britain, and the underlying assumption is undeniable. By any objective standard, you had to be spectacularly stupid to support Bush...

..."These oases of liberal thinking--New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Boston--are homes to our best-educated people, most vibrant popular culture and most innovative and productive businesses. There are exceptions--some smart people move from cities to the countryside--but the best and brightest gravitate to places where liberalism rules."

"Still, it bears noting that Democrats are better educated than Republicans. You are 25 percent more likely to hold a college degree if you live in the Democratic northeast than in the red state south. Blue state voters are 25 percent more likely, therefore, to understand the historical and cultural ramifications of Bush's brand of bull-in-a-china-shop foreign policy.

"Inland Americans face a bigger challenge than coastal 'cultural elitists' when it comes to finding high-quality news coverage. The best newspapers, which routinely win prizes for their in-depth local and national reporting and staffers overseas, line the coasts. So do the cable TV networks with the broadest offerings and most independent radio stations. Bush Country makes do with Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity syndicated on one cookie-cutter AM outlet after another. Citizens of the blue states read lackluster dailies stuffed with generic stories cut and pasted from wire services. Given their dismal access to high-quality media, it's a minor miracle that 40 percent of Mississippians turned out for Kerry.

"So our guy lost the election. Why shouldn't those of us on the coasts feel superior? We eat better, travel more, dress better, watch cooler movies, earn better salaries, meet more interesting people, listen to better music and know more about what's going on in the world. If you voted for Bush, we accept that we have to share the country with you. We're adjusting to the possibility that there may be more of you than there are of us. But don't demand our respect. You lost it on November 2."

Another ex-Buckeye backs up Clarett's story

B.J. Barre, a former Ohio State cornerback who was host to Maurice Clarett during the ex-tailback's recruiting trip, says that during his two years as a scholarship-athlete he was paid for doing little work, had tutors write papers for him and was enrolled -- without his knowledge -- into Ohio State's Office of Disability Services so that he could take tests with help and under no time limit.

articles 11/13

I Spent $27 Million & All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

Forbes
The Business Of Hockey
The NHL suffered less than half the losses it has claimed the past two years, according to a report in Forbes. The business magazine -- which did not have access to all of the 30 teams' financial records -- estimates the NHL lost a combined $96 million last season, not $224 million as reported by the league.

Roe v. Wade
Why the Supreme Court doesn't matter
by David Bayly @ World Magazine Blog

Spirited away: Why the end is nigh for religion
by Carol Midgley
Christianity will be eclipsed by spirituality in 30 years, startling new research predicts. Our correspondent reports on the collapse of traditional religion and the rise of mysticism

Media bias megaphone
AP stories once were known for their objectivity. Not always, anymore
by Gene Edward Veith

Seismic Shifts
The election results were another chapter in a 40-year slide for the Democrats
By Eleanor Clift

Speakout: Tumor growing in Democratic Party
By Francis X. Maier

The Ironies Ahead
What George W. Bush faces
by Victor Davis Hanson

The C.I.A. Versus Bush
By David Brooks

Slate
James Dobson: The religious right's new kingmaker.
By Michael Crowley

NY Post
Kofi's Stonewall

An Alliance of Two
Bush, Blair, and the problem of Europe.
by Irwin M. Stelzer

On 'Moral Values,' It's Blue in a Landslide
by Frank Rich

Enough Brinksmanship
Rethink nuclear nonproliferation, before it's too late.
by Henry Sokolski

Inflation Worriers, Dollar Pessimists
For too many on Wall Street the glass is always half empty.
by Larry Kudlow

NY Sun
Cheney Protects Rumsfeld's Job Until the Spring

NY Sun
Gingrich Now Seeking a New Contract

NY Times
Pentagon Envisioning a Costly Internet for War

NY Times
For the First Time Since Vietnam, the Army Prints a Guide to Fighting Insurgents

W. Post Sunday Magazine
Boots on the Ground
A photographer puts herself in harm's way to get a soldier's-eye view of Iraq.

Belmont Club
The Communism of the 21st Century

A Middle East Opening
By Brent Scowcroft

“Polarizing” Patriot
John Ashcroft was among the best attorneys general in American history.
by Jonah Goldberg

Newsmax
Kerry Strategists: Clintonistas Torpedoed Our Campaign

Wired
Longing for a Blogging Candidate

The Nation
Progressives: Get Ready to Fight

Billboard: U2 Tour To Kick Off March 1

"We'll play approximately 35 shows in the arenas in the spring in the U.S., McGuinness says. U2 will then play 30 stadium shows across Europe, return to North America for another 35-date arena swing and the proceed to Japan and Australia.

Popularity Contest

All the talk from Democrats about how the 51% of the vote won by President Bush isn't a mandate raises an interesting question. Could any Democratic presidents be said to have won a mandate? After all, the only ones who ever got 51% were Andrew Jackson, FDR, and Lyndon Johnson.
A total of 31 people have run for president under the Democratic banner, and yet only seven have won a majority of the popular vote. One of them, Sam Tilden, managed to lose the presidency anyway in a disputed election. Seven Democrats nonetheless were able to become president and govern effectively with less than a majority. That includes heavyweights such as Wilson, Truman and Kennedy. It also includes Bill Clinton, who won twice with a minority of the vote. In 1996, Mr. Clinton had the double distinction of being elected with only a plurality of the vote in an election in which fewer than 50% of eligible voters turned out.
By way of contrast, Republicans have a better record in securing electoral majorities. Besides George W. Bush, all of the modern Republican presidents won a popular vote majority at some point. --John Fund

Northwestern @ #9 Michigan

Saturday, Nov. 13 • 12:10 p.m. EST
Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, Mich.
ABC Television (Regional)

Michigan has a 48-14-2 advantage in the all-time series against Northwestern and are 26-5-2 against them at The Big House. U-M has won seven of the last 10 games.

Michigan is seeking its 13th straight Big 10 victory. Their last loss in the Big 10 was a 30-27 setback at #23 Iowa Oct. 3, 2003

Michigan Stats
Michigan has more wins that any football program in NCAA history, 841-273-36 (.7469565).

Michigan has the highest winning percentage of any team in the NCAA history (.7469565).

Michigan has a run of 103 straight AP polls (20 polls longer than Miami) in which it has been ranked in the Top 25, the longest streak in the nation. It spans 77 games and began Oct. 24, 1998.

Michigan is 261-18-10 (.766) all-time when listed in the AP Top 10, including a 37-16 mark during Lloyd Carr's coaching tenure.

Michigan has a 35-18 overall record against AP nationally ranked teams under Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines have compiled a 125-104-8 (.542) all-time record against AP nationally ranked teams.

Head coach Lloyd Carr has a career winning percentage of .777 (94-27), ranking him fifth among active Division I coaches. He now leads active Big Ten coaches with 62 conference wins (62-16) and his teams are an amazing 14-4 against Top 10 opponents. He grabbed the active career lead in Big Ten wins during the 2003 season.

Michigan has had 341 football games televised, which leads the NCAA.

Michigan has appeared in 29 straight bowls (including the Rose Bowl in 2003), the second longest current streak in NCAA history.

The Michigan football program is the only Big Ten team in any sport to win a conference title in each decade. It is the winningest overall athletic program in Big Ten Conference history.

Michigan ranks #1 all-time in composite AP final football polls (1936-2003), passing Notre Dame for the top spot after last season's #6 final ranking.

Preview of next week's game: Michigan @ OSU
Michigan leads the series against OSU 57-37-6. OSU would need to win 20 straight years to even catch up with Michigan.

Michigan is 14-6-1 against OSU since 1983 including a streak from 1988-93 where they went 5-0-1 against OSU and another streak from 1995-2000 where they went 5-1-0.

Michigan has appeared in more Rose Bowls (18) than any other Big Ten Conference school.

Michigan has 41 Big 10 titles (OSU -29) which is the most of any college football program in ANY conference.

Michigan has 11 national championships (5th all-time) to OSU's 7.

Ohio State's Clarett Saga

ESPN The Magazine
"Sound Familiar? Maurice Clarett's accusation that he received money and cars may sound all too familiar to Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes. There was pay-for-play under Tressel's watch at Youngstown State, reports ESPN.com's Tom Farrey, and a former Buckeye star says "$100 handshakes" happened at OSU."
Souls of the Departed Haunt Youngstown
Booster Money-train at Ohio State
Clarett's Side
Extra Credit
Other Buckeye's Chime In
A Championship is Worth It

articles 11/12

The New Republic
Bad Message
by Ryan Lizza

Weekly Standard
Saving John Kerry
The long knives are out for the failed Democratic presidential candidate. He deserves better.
by Jonathan V. Last

2004's Biggest Losers
How Dan Rather and the media's kings lost their crowns.
BY Daniel Henninger

WSJ Editorial
Appeasing Iran
Europe seeks a deal even worse than Clinton's with North Korea.

In the Realm of the Reel
A film festival that likes religiously themed movies?
By William R. Mattox, Jr.

What It's All About
Hollywood now handles abortion with breezy self-righteousness. It didn't use to.
By Meghan Cox Gurdon

The Plots Thicken
"The most trusted man in America" becomes a conspiracy theorist.

Weekly Standard
A Second Chance to Unite
Four ways George W. Bush could reach out to Democrats.
by Peter Berkowitz

Real Clear Politics
It's Never Too Soon

W. Post
U.S. Tries To Corner Fallujah Insurgents
Evidence of Guerrilla Atrocities Is Found
By Jackie Spinner, Karl Vick and Omar Fekeiki

AP
Investigators probe apparent theft at Democratic campaign committee