In other news....

While everyone is focused on the tragic complication of Car Bombs in Iraq and the thrilling compilation of Gay Marriages in Massachusetts, a few other interesting things happened recently.

Syd Hoff, author of Danny and the Dinosaurdied. I'd mostly forgotten about Syd Hoff, until my son reached the age of being interested in slightly longer stories, though his gently drawn New Yorker cartoons have always been among my favorites. My wife insists that there's a special circle in heaven for those who bring joy to children.

The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the right of individuals to sue states under the ADA. It's particularly noteworthy that this ruling came almost on the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, as I noted the connection between them earlier.

And a tip from my father led to this revival of antique law: Greenpeace is on trial for"sailor mongering" a crime originally designed to prevent the shanghaiing of sailors by prostitutes armed with alcohol, etc. What's interesting about this is not just that the crime is being resurrected, but that it's being applied to the organization. Once the organization is branded criminal, will the administration brand it an international terrorist organization, with all the attendant criminal implications for its supporters? As I wrote to my father,"International organization, violent felons, interference with trade for political purposes..... Yup, sounds like Hamas to me!" Maybe the administration will just hold that threat over the organization as a way to stifle their activities and speech.

Finally, a mixed blessing. World Press Review, one-fourth of my monthly magazine reading, has ceased operation. The Stanley Foundation, its 30-year sponsor, has withdrawn support to focus on other ways of improving multilateral understanding. I can't imagine what would work better than a magazine that drew together a mind-bogglingly wide variety of world opinion on crucial world issues, with good writing and minimal editorializing. But that's their prerogative. However, the Editor, Teri Schure, has acquired the rights to the website: http://www.worldpress.org. She is going to keep it going, and is looking for universities or other sponsors to partner with. You can get e-mail updates daily or weekly, or just follow the link in our blogroll. The bad news is that I liked reading it as a magazine (yes, I read in the bathroom), and don't really want to add another computer-based reading item to my list. The good news is that it'll be easier to direct students (and Cliopatria patrons) to interesting articles.