Around The Blogosphere

West Coast power blogger and inspiration to many (including yours truly) Tony Pierce says he's a big fan of Ray Garraud. I'm an even bigger fan of the Busblog, and I highly recommend Tony's upcoming book as a nice addition to your Christmas list.

Speaking of Christmas , have you you made your list and checked it twice? ... There's one list at Buzzmachine called The Blogger's Christmas Shopping Catalogue that you should take a look at. I've already placed my order for this .


John Hiler has started Cityblogs.com which I think is an excellent addition to the NYC blogging community, more details here.

Go Knicks!

The Knicks are 5-10 overall, but 4-3 with Sprewell back in the lineup after his suspension and rehabilitation for his injured hand.

The Knicks are starting to look more cohesive and potent. Allan Houston, Kurt Thomas and Latrell Sprewell all scored 20 or more points on Monday, as the Knicks crushed the Cavs 125-93 at home.

Houston led the offense with 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting, and Sprewell added 11 assists to his 20-point night. The knicks will go for another win tonight against Orlando.

Iran-Contra Reunion?

Scandals and convictions couldn't hold these men back from high-paying, influential positions in government and the media.

While we're still debating Poindexter's latest brain child ... Now this:

In the latest installment, The Washington Post reports that yet another member of the Iran-Contra gang returns to a prominent post in the Bush administration.

Iran-contra figure Elliott Abrams, who has served in the White House for more than a year, has been promoted to a key post among President Bush's national security aides.

Abrams was appointed to lead the National Security Council's office for Near East and North African affairs. The senior director job oversees Arab-Israeli relations and U.S. efforts to promote peace in the troubled region.

His appointment, which does not require Senate confirmation, was announced yesterday by Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice.

Abrams pleaded guilty in 1991 to two misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress. Abrams received a Christmas Eve pardon from President George H.W. Bush in 1992.

(A Summary of what the Iran-Contra affair was all about is here)

It's all a big game and you're not going to win unless you know all the rules.

New Study Reveals . . . Cheating Makes Your Marriage Stronger

Dr. Lucielle Ostertag from the Italian Institute of Social Sciences conducted the controversial research.

"I started the analysis project to discover how damaging infidelity was to marriages," says Dr. Ostertag. "I was as surprised as everyone when the numbers proved that cheating on your spouse is actually good for your marriage."

I don't make the news, um, I just observe and report .

Take a Cyber Cigarette Break, why don't you?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...

Christmas trees are lighting up throughout NYC this week.

After the closing bell on Monday, the switch was flipped on a 65-foot Norway spruce outside the New York Stock Exchange. Nearly 100,000 holiday lights are also shining Downtown at the World Financial Center's Winter Garden, as part of the Festival of Light and Sound.

Across the street, a 32-foor Balsam fire was installed on the World Trade Center site, and it will be lit in a ceremony next week.

The annual Lincoln Center tree-lighting also went off without a hitch Monday.

Yesterday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg presided over the lighting of the Christmas tree in City Hall Park.

The most famous tree-lighting, in Rockefeller Center, is set for 7 p.m. today. More than 30,000 lights strung on the 76-foot Norway spruce there will be switched on, with a slate of musical performances as well.

If you can't make it to the ceremony, the tree will be lit from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. every day through January 5.

Dems: Clark for V.P. in '04

The Democrats don't appear to have an outstanding presidential candidate for 2004 — but they may have an excellent choice for veep: Retired General Wesley Clark. The 57-year-old former Supreme Allied Commander in Europe has tried to downplay his partisan loyalties, but the facts suggest he harbors Democratic political ambitions. [more]

A military man to take on a wartime president? That's a thought. Without risks, there are no rewards.

Fatal Attraction

Rolf Eden, a Berlin property tycoon, former nightclub owner, and all-purpose celebrity, says he is offering $125,000 to any woman, from anywhere in the world, who can kill him with sex.

"My real desire is to die on a lady, while making love," Eden said. "A lawyer has my will, and in my will I have $125,000 for this lady."

Eden says that even at age 72 he is fit as a fiddle, and ready for love. He claims he will pay for an unspecified number of women to fly to Berlin from various parts of the world, for a couple of days of sexual activity, providing they fit his criteria.

Read the story Here (Via ABC News)

Can't blame the man for wanting to come and go at the same time.

Supreme Court Watch

The Supreme Court re-entered the debate over affirmative action yesterday, agreeing to decide if minorities can be given a boost to get into public universities.The court will decide by next June if race can be used in college admissions, an issue that the justices have dealt with only once before, in a cloudy 1978 ruling that led to more confusion.

"It is hardly an exaggeration to say that the court's decision in these cases will directly affect the lives not only of this generation of students but of generations of students to follow," Theodore Shaw, counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, told justices in a filing on behalf of black and Hispanic students.

I think it's appropriate for The Supreme Court to take on this issue if for no other reason than to begin sorting out the current confusion of legal opinions on affirmative action. If the justices rule that there is a compelling societal interest in pursuing diversity for the educational benefits it confers, I'm certain that Americans will benefit as a result.

Love, Sweet Love

A separatist group operating in north-eastern India has decided to no longer accept women into their ranks. The organization gives a very simple explanation: there have been too many instances when male terrorists fell in love with female members and gave up the armed struggle. [more]

Give me a break.