"A Senator’s Gift to the Jews, Nonreturnable"

First this is a most excellent headline, and the Mander wishes to salute the copy desk at The New York Times. If that doesn't convince you to read this story, maybe this will:

The canon of Hanukkah songs written by Mormon senators from Utah just got a little bigger.

You can view the the holiday magic here. The Mander wishes to thank the Wiz for the find.

December 10

Today in 1817, Mississippi became our 20th state.

December 8

Today, we break out the Blessed Mother Blue because it's ... the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, also celebrated as Mother's Day in Panama and the Festival of Lights in France.

December 7

Today in 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

Excellent

Recent New York mayoral results show Mr. Burns receiving 27 write-in votes, the most of any candidate. Just imagine how many more he could have had if only he released the hounds.

December 6

As our regular reader knows, Sundays are for the Saints. Options for celebration include watching the Saints play the Redskins OR celebrating St. Nicholas Day.

N.O. mayoral candidate is NOT ...

Well, you just have to watch James Perry's commercial:


(Note: The Mander has not made an official endorsement in the Mayor's race due to what some might call "lack of knowledge," but this was too good not to share.)

December 5

Happy Repeal Day! Break out the booze. Today we celebrate Utah being the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment, which gave us the 3/4 majority to repeal prohibition.

The best correction in the history of corrections

can be found here.

December 4

Today is the birthday of 8th U.S. President Martin Abramhamse Van Buren, who loved him some Andrew Jackson.

December 3

If your name is Rick, Kay, Kinky, Felix, Hank, Farouk, or Bill, you probably are filing to run for Texas governor today. Happy first day of filing one and all!

An interesting perspective on the mammogram issue

Barbara Ehrenreich takes on the "Pink Ribbon Culture." A sample:

In the post-feminist United States, issues such as rape, domestic violence and unwanted pregnancy seem to be too edgy for much public discussion, but breast cancer is pure apple pie.

What was Bart writing on the chalkboard?

This is exactly why the Mander loves the Inter Webs. Everything's coming up Millhouse!

20 things worth knowing about beer

The Mander imagines there are many more, but the Oatmeal provides an excellent start.

So you're a hipster having a baby...

Consider these fine names.

The Christmas Price Index

According to PNC Wealth Management, it will only cost you $87,403 to purchase all the items listed in the 12 Days of Christmas, which amounts to a less-than-one-percent increase from 2008. The Mander recommends focusing your earnings on a partridge in a pear tree, which costs 27.3 percent this year.

December 2

Today in 1823, President James Monroe gave the Monroe doctrine speech establishing the United States view that European nations should stay out of American affairs and in turn, America was not going to meddle in European affairs:

It is still the true policy of the United States to leave the parties to themselves, in the hope that other powers will pursue the same course.

An Open Letter to the 11-0 Saints

Dear Saints,
Thank you for being awesome. Watching you defeat Tom Brady was magical. He may get Supermodels, but Drew Brees gets the win.
Bless You Boys,
The Mander
P.S. Please enjoy this excellent Times Picayune graphic, Feelin' the Brees, which statistically shows why the Saints rule. It takes a village, friends.

December 1

Today we commemorate World AIDS Day, as 33 million folks world-wide are HIV positive. Find a local event here. Austinites can attend a free all-day conference in the Texas Union.

November 30

It may be Monday, but that's no reason to prevent your entire office from dancing like zombies for the duration of the workday. After all, today we celebrate the 27th anniversary of Thriller's release. When you're done, get ready for Monday Night Football, where the 10-0 Saints play the "Patriots" in the Dome.

Choice in South Korea

An interesting examination by the L.A. Times of the country's attitudes and practices.

November 29

Join the New Kids in singing Happy Birthday to Jon Knight, who turns 41 today. (Big birthday week for dudes named Jon...)

November 28

Happy Panama Independence Day. Today, in 1821, Panama separated from Spain and soon after joined Gran Colombia. Mander favorite Jon Stewart turns 44, and New Orleanians are celebrating both with season opening of Celebration in the Oaks.

November 27

Today we remember Harvey Milk and George Moscone, both of whom were assassinated on this day in 1978.

But we celebrate the birth of the Real Janet Esquire!

Novermber 26

Happy Thanksgiving. The Mander's thankful for anyone who reads this blog.

On yams and sweet potatoes and

history.

Updated: November 25

Today the Mander commemorates the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. On a related note, Slate looks at a study connecting football losses to intimate partner violence.

An (The?) alert reader asked me to note that today is the busiest travel day of the year. Well, the Wall Street Journal would beg to differ. So we're going with The State Journal (West Virginia) on this...

The Fake AP Stylebook

With such entries as

To make "pants" singular, use a pair of scissors,

or

Commas are probably the most misunderstood of all punctuation. They frequently dress in black, listen to sad music, and cut themselves.

or

"Et al" is Latin for "those who know Al." You can shorten long lists of names by leaving out friends of Al.

or (personal favorite)

Do not refer to a JD as "Dr." unless followed by a pregnant pause and an emphatic "...of JUSTICE!"

it's a must-read.

Future Lawyer Watch

This kid's defense of stapling his own head should be taught in law schools around the country.

Best Headline of the Month

"Insurer Must Defend 'Douche' Defamation Suit, Judge Says"

November 24

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species.

Iraqi detainees taunt guards about Farve

Seriously, this is the kind of thing sitcoms were made for.

Reuniting Galileo's Fingers

For the first time in years, all three fingers will be back together again in Florence.

November 23

This morning, we awake with 10-0 Saints, and the age-old question of 'Who Dat' still pleasantly unanswered. So it only seems appropriate to wish Miley Cryus a happy 17th.

Raw Oyster Cult

After a lifetime of loving oddly shaped districts and raw oysters, the Mander had to share this feeling of emptiness about a national market for processed oysters. Due to the issue, the new labels "existential crisis" and "oysters" have been created.

As a side note, the Mander is deeply saddened to hear that the good people of California have been forbidden from eating what can only described as nature's candy.

Chicken soup for the Mander's soul

sometimes comes in the format of an L.A. Times story about school pictures. It features the perfect mix of time-honored tradition, rich parent pathos, and kids being kids.

"No matter how mischievous they are, when I take their picture I try to make them look like angels."

November 22

Things to do on November 22 that show proper respect to the Saints:
1) Watch the Saints at Tampa Bay.
2) Commemorate St. Cecilia Day. (Did you note the Chronicle did?)

It's time for LWL to meet Martha Stewart...

So you bought a book at the airport of which you're not particularly proud. (You know which one I am talking about.) Or the campus bookstore refuses to take back the 2004 supplement to the Con Law casebook for reasons that continue not to be explained to your satisfaction. Mander favorite & amiga Living With Lindsay has created a nifty project that will clear the clutter and pretty up your home. Equally excellent, we can help send Lindsay the show of Mander Icon Martha Stewart. Michael's is having a contest, and higher ranked projects have a better shot. You know what you have to do -- click here.

Overweight in college?

You either have to take a special class at Lincoln University OR not graduate.

November 21

Bjork turns 45. Celebrate our favorite resident of Iceland by watching the critically acclaimed (by the Mander, anyway) Dancer in the Dark. We dare you not to cry.

November 20

Today, folks will begin a vigil to shut down the School of the Americas, the institution responsible for the training of those responsible for numerous atrocities in Latin America.

French hotels are awesome

"For 99 euros ($148.10) a night, you can eat hamster grain, run in a giant wheel and sleep in hay stacks in what is called the "Hamster Villa.""

Q.E.D.

Thankfully, there's finally a day to celebrate men

The Mander had been worried. Thousands of years of history did not seem adequate enough to celebrate the male gender. So here you go, dude readers: Today the Mander will officially celebrate International Men's Day. All the Mander asks is for comments on how to celebrate...

November 18

Another shout-out to our RC readers: Today, in 326, old St. Peter's Basilica was consecrated. On a semi-related note, Owen Wilson turns 41.

Let's do something different with your hair

How about this?

November 16

First a shout-out to November 15, where the New Orleans Saints went 9-0. Once again, the Mander asks the age-old question, "Who Dat?"

Onward to today -- Due to our Doc Ellis posting, we note the 71st anniversary of the synthesis of LSD.

Making more sense our of juvenile justice

"Indeed, in our opinion, life without parole is never a fair sentence for a juvenile, even in a murder case."

Elizabeth S. Scott, a professor of law at Columbia, and Laurence Steinberg, a professor of psychology at Temple

Let's Bring Back the REAL Filibuster

No more of this "threatening is enough" business. Make that angry Senator read me recipes. Check out this compelling argument by Renee Loth for kicking it old school and ditching the filibluster.

Well worth four minutes and thirty-two seconds

Check out the true story of Dock Ellis's LSD no-hitter.

November 14

Today Yanni turns 55.

As it turns out...

your parents were much cooler (and more attractive) before YOU existed. Thanks to The Real Janet, Esq. for finding.

November 13

In addition to it being Friday the 13th, we celebrate the Supreme Court's decision, Browder v. Gayle, striking down a local ordinance in Montgomery, Alabama, mandating segregated seating on municipal buses.

This kid rules

Why?

1. He really cares about other people.
2. He wants to be a lawyer because “I've always tried to analyze things because I want to be lawyer. I really don't feel that there's currently liberty and justice for all.”

Tattoo Thursday

And we're back again with this little number.

UPDATED: November 12

Third-waver Naomi Wolf turns 47 today.

What the Mander wants for Christmas

is Supreme Court baseball cards.

Do Not Say "Meep" in Denver. Seriously.

You will be suspended. Worth the read for the concept as well as the writing. At least it wasn't a food fight. You could go to jail for that!

Employment Corner

With the economy in the tank, it's good to know there are still some folks hiring. Options include assistant manage of the Gitmo McDonald's and Archivist for the Grateful Dead Archive at UC Santa Cruz.

Reality + MLB = Not a Good Match

Umps can still only use instant replays to determine whether potential home runs were fair or foul or cleared fences. Don't get the Mander started.

Of college mascots and race relations

A fascinating situation in North Dakota over the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname. And you might be surprised who thinks the name should stay.

November 11

Today marks Veterans Day. Also, in 1889, Washington was admitted as our 42nd state.

If you're going to lay off copy editors...

you better make sure you have one.

November 10

With forty years of Sesame Street under our collective American belts, it seems pretty clear why cookies are a constant craving.



Note: We had no idea that November 9 was a real day. Our apologies.

November 8

Mander favorite Parker Posey turns 41 today.

November 7

Today you can purchase tickets to Olympic curling events OR celebrate FDR's election to a record fourth term as President of the United States. Bonus points if you can guess which one of these events inspired the picture to the left.