FOR THE MAN WHO HAS EVERYTHING: The hang-up human skeleton! Adds atmosphere to any room! Of course, so does a glove box!

I have to say, though, that the hydrogen-powered model rocket is more my speed.

THE MUFTIS OF CASCADIA: “The whining of the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) contrasts unfavorably not only with Rushdie’s integrity and Steyn’s characteristically bracing retorts, but also with the work turned in by the CIC’s co-religionists twenty years ago.”

BLOOD FOR OIL: 2 Dead As Fuel Protests Spread Across Europe.

MEGAN MCARDLE: “With so many people in my generation off the land line network, what happens to us in a big emergency?” The other bad news is that the landline system isn’t as robust as it used to be either.

THOUGHTS ON derivatives regulation.

HE’LL BE BACK ONCE THE HEAT’S OFF: Jim Johnson forced to quit Obama campaign.

BREAKING A LOGJAM on free trade? “Is the outlook improving on passing Colombia free trade? Apparently, yes.” Let’s hope.

UH OH: “McCain is exactly wrong on energy.”

PORKBUSTERS UPDATE: Another earmark moratorium fight?

House conservatives are renewing their fight to unilaterally ban earmarks for a year within the Republican Party. House GOP leadership has also renewed their own version of an earmark ban, but it’s woefully diluted — it is contingent on Democrats playing along. Frankly, that’s too little, too late.

But thanks to Jeb Hensarling, Jeff Flake, and the other RSC members who are pushing for an earmark ban now, I’m confident that we’ll see a moratorium before the election. I’ve been told that they have the votes needed (50) to receive a conference-wide vote. This will force leadership to make a decision they would rather avoid. But pragmatically, rank-and-file members shouldn’t sweat. Earmarking is a wonderful election issue. Voters of all stripes hate pork-barrel spending. And since the FY09 budget, which is the vehicle that contains most earmarks, will probably be pushed into next year, very little will be lost (I know, I know, this is an awful argument, but it works).

Not all Republicans are committed to rebuilding their brand of less government and more economic liberty, but a unilateral ban on earmarks would dramatically accelerate their path to redemption. They need to make the hard decision.

Indeed they do.

HMM: “Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is attracting elite Jewish Democratic donors who backed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and are concerned about Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) stance toward Israel, say McCain backers who are organizing the effort to court Democrats.”

FROM GM, INCENTIVES TO BUY HYBRID SUVs: “Current owners of a General Motors vehicle will get the largest savings, with as much as $6,000 off the price of non-hybrid Cadillac Escalades, Chevy Tahoes and GMC Yukons. Hybrid versions get a bit less off the top, coming in with $4,000 in total savings. Full-size pickups get in on the incentive game too with combined savings of up to $5,000.”

ANOTHER SPACE TOURIST: “Google co-founder Sergey Brin has put down $5 million toward a flight to the international space station with the company that has sent millionaires and even a billionaire into orbit.” And now, a gazillionaire! [You know that “Gazillion” isn’t a real number, right? –ed. Sez you.]

OUCH: “If the Obama campaign was really committed to debating substantive issues of war and peace in good faith and in a civil tone, they’d repudiate the comments being pushed by their surrogates. And if Obama thinks that McCain is indifferent to the sacrifices being made by U.S. soldiers in Iraq, let him say it himself. (After all, just a few months ago the Obama campaign showed such a deep appreciation for context and the danger of exploiting soundbytes for political hits.)”

UPDATE: More from Marc Ambinder:

The context makes it clear that McCain is reiterating his position that the presence of troops isn’t the issue; instead, it’s the casualties they receive. The differences between McCain and Obama are clear enough; Obama wants a bare-bones U.S. presence in Iraq, and McCain is willing to tolerate a much larger one; Obama believes that the presence of U.S. troops exacerbates the tension and gives Iraqis a crutch to delay political reconcilliation. McCain does not. One would think that those differences are a sufficient basis upon which to launch a political attack. Instead, though, in a conference call with reporters, in remarks by Democrats like Joe Biden, in a blistering statement by Rep. Rahm Emanuel, McCain is being portrayed as, inter alia, not caring one whit about casualties and deaths and chaos and certainly not about the families of troops who dealt with deployment after deployment.

Obama’s been busted for this lie by Factcheck.org before, but his campaign keeps repeating it.

A new kind of politics? Yep. One even more shamelessly dishonest than the old.

CANADIAN KANGAROO COURT UPDATE: CHRC employee sends private investigator to harass my parents at their home. Ah, “human rights.”

AN UNUSUAL TRAVEL WARNING: “American tourists who bring personal technology – like cell phones and laptops – with them to China for the Summer Olympics are at risk of having their devices bugged by the Chinese government.” Boy, that fills me with the Olympic spirit. On the other hand, intercepting my email is a self-punishing crime . . . .

A HOLLYWOOD-GRADE HD CAMERA that’s priced for the backyard. Cool.

IN THE MAIL: Fred Burton’s Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent.

UPDATING THE CLINTONS’ enemies list.

CANADIAN KANGAROO COURT UPDATE: The Kafkaesque Show Trial of Mark Steyn.

GETTING IT FROM BOTH SIDES: “Barack Obama spent the last couple of days fending off the firestorm over James Johnson. Now Obama is getting flak for hiring mainstream advisor (‘Wall Street economist,’ in liberal-speak) Jason Furman to provide economic expertise. The left wing crowd is upset because they were under the impression Obama was a protectionist, pro-labor, populist. Where did they get that impression? Probably from listening to Obama on the campaign trail.” Yeah, but that was just politics. Remember?

THE (RELATIVE) DECLINE OF POLITICAL BLOGS? I’m not surprised to hear this — based on email, etc., people are a lot more interested in my tech- and lifestyle-related posts than the political ones. And if you look in the larger world, the most popular TV shows, magazines, etc., are not the ones about politics.

NEWT GINGRICH IS PUSHING A PETITION to drill more oil in America.

FINALLY, A REAL CAMPAIGN SCANDAL: Obama Admits Smoking Cigarettes in Last Few Months. The horror!

GET THIS REPORTER a breathalyzer!