If you had a time machine, and you travelled way back in time to kill your grandfather, John McCain would be there watching you!

McCain knows all about paradoxical contraptions and the what not. Here’s a quote from a recent interview he did with Time magazine:

I can only imagine what Saddam Hussein would be doing with the wealth he would acquire with oil at $110 and $120 a barrel.

Whoa, my head, it’s like I’m skiing on a Möbius strip! I can’t only imagine what Saddam would be doing with oil that would be very dear because the Middle East would be destabilised because he would be both dead AND a crazy dictator, presumably depending on when you opened the box.

Interesting article in The Irish Times about cycling in Dublin compared to Copenhagen.

If they love bicycles so much in Denmark, why don’t they MARRY a bicycle.

Oh, they can, you say…

Here are more photos from the Cushman collection of mid 20th century colour photography, which I wrote about a while back. This time what strikes me is the regular grandiosity of American civic architecture, and not just in the biggest cities. This is the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines:

Cushman found these neoclassical behemoths are found everywhere: Austin, Atlanta, Indianapolis, St. Louis, New Orleans, Cleveland, and most incongruously of all plomped between the barren mountains motels in Salt Lake City:

Barack Obama has a new book coming out, just bursting with goodness and many a regrettable hostage to fortune (hopefully). But that’s nothing compared with what’s to come.

The new release was assembled over the past few weeks and is not part of the senator’s current deal with Crown, which calls for him to write two more books, including a children’s book.

Barack Obama is contractually obliged to write a children’s book in the near future.