Internal Monologue

I recommend both these books. Agent Zigzag is a true WWII story of an English crook who is captured by the the Germans, volunteers to spy for them, is trained in sabotage and parachuted into England, betrays the Germans to the British, is sent back as a double agent, and then ends up in Norway where he falls in love...it just goes on and on like that. If you liked the WWII parts of Cryptonomicon , you'll love this book. The characters seem like they're right out of the movies. (Indeed, many of the people involved in were spy novelists, including the creator of James Bond.) I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced is what it proclaims to be: the story of a young Yemeni girl married off in a cruel and horrible way. She manages to get to a courthouse and ask for a divorce and gets it. A truly harrowing depiction of the awful reality behind the phrase "child bride." It's the sort of tale that makes me want to impose my culture on other people. As always with these stories,

Ah, the joys of unintended parsing : Five of the funniest web URLs Experts Exchange – a site where programmers can trade advice – is found at www.expertsexchange.com La Drape – a British company selling high-end quilted bedspreads – is listed at www.ladrape.co.uk American Scrap Metal – a scrap metal recycling firm – has its website at www.angelfire.com/alt/americanscrapmetal Speed of Art – a collective or art designers – are online at www.speedofart.com Therapist Finder – a directory for therapy services – can be located at www.therapistfinder.com

Acererak , that is, my favorite D&D villain of all time. A new Tomb of Horrors is coming out in July. The image above is not of Acererak, but rather of The Devourer, an idol associated with him. The Devourer is one of the deadliest traps in all of Dungeons & Dragons, probably responsible for more characters destroyed than any other single thing in the entire history of Dungeons & Dragons.

Some random thoughts and questions on the IDF attack on the flotilla attempting to run the Gaza blockade: "Hey, I have a great idea! Let's send our commandos aboard the ship one at a time, so that they can be jumped and easily separated from each other!" Seriously, who planned that boarding operation? I am not a professional military tactician, but sending your soldiers into a potentially violent situation one at a time strikes me as the height of bone-headedness. (UPDATE: I'm not the only one who thought this .) Is this blockade legal, according to international law? Israel thinks it's legal, but what do other nations think? The UN? The US? If it wasn't legal, then wasn't this attack an act of piracy? If the blockade is legal, then doesn't Israel have a responsibility to maintain the well-being of civilians under that blockade? Why does Egypt help Israel enforce the blockade on Gaza? What does Egypt get out of this? Are they trying to cozy up to the U

"Not Dark Yet," from Time Out of Mind (1997) is one of my favorite examples of latter day Dylan. It's sad, morose, majestic, weary and dark. If you've shied away from late Dylan (and much of his post glory days work is bafflingly bad) I invite you to give this song a listen.

She: You said you worshiped me! He: I do. But I'm a polytheist. I picture this as a New Yorker cartoon.

An interesting if somewhat morbid chart . Make that very morbid. What I didn't know is what a big killer suicide is among the young.