Priya Raman,"Professor's Car Hits Student," Yale Daily News, 6 February; and Raman,"Kennedy Charged with DUI," Yale Daily News, 7 February, tell the sad story. Yale's distinguished historian, Paul Kennedy, is innocent until proven guilty, of course. He stands accused, however, of operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, illegal operation of a vehicle while his driver's licence was suspended, illegal operation of a motor vehicle without insurance, following too closely, and operating an unregistered motor vehicle. A spokesperson for the University denied half of the first and the second of the allegations. Kennedy could not be reached for comment. He is scheduled to appear in court on 16 February. Thanks to Margaret Soltan at University Diaries for the tip.

Sharon Howard and Nathanael Robinson discuss the relationship between local history and national history.

J. Peder Zane,"Bluff Ran Like a River Through His Schemes," Triangle.com, 5 February, and Warren St. John,"Figure in JT Leroy Case Says Partner is Culprit," NY Times, 7 February, have more on Nasdijj/Barrus and Leroy.

Duke's Brendan Nyhan and Political Animal's Kevin Drum point out a fascinating paper by Columbia's Andrew Gelman and others. It argues that there's a high correlation between wealth and Republican voting in impoverished states like Mississippi, Arkansas, and West Virginia, but the correlation fades dramatically in wealthy states like Connecticut, New York, and California. See also: Gelman's reservations at his site.

Don't sing it to the children, but RedTed recommends"Internet is for Porn." It's fun. Mostly Work Safe.