THE UNDERAPPRECIATED ART of firecracker labels is given the appreciation it deserves!

ANN ALTHOUSE: “Okay, it didn’t take long, looking at news articles and listening to Sunday TV newstalk to see the theme each party has got going on the O’Connor replacement.”

MICHAEL SILENCE OFFERS a touching story for Independence Day, from Jigsha Desai.

LINDA SEEBACH SURVEYS some problems with education.

TAXPROF REPORTS: “Law School Lets Conservative Prof Teach Con Law After Outside Panel Attests to His Competence.”

UPDATE: More here.

RICK LEE offers a photo-produceblogging roundup.

And, for a very different flavor, Tim Worstall’s weekly BritBlog roundup is up, too.

SOME AMUSING HISTORY on litmus tests and judicial confirmations.

Meanwhile, here’s a piece I wrote a while back on reforming the confirmation process, though I think stronger medicine may be called for today.

UPDATE: Brian Tamanaha wonders if we’re reaching mutual assured destruction in the legal system.

THOSE VAUNTED LAYERS OF EDITORS at the L.A. Times have dropped the ball again.

TRADESPORTS has bids on the Supreme Court nomination. Garza is way out front at the moment.

A STANDING OVATION FOR RUMSFELD? At a NASCAR race.

ETHIOPIANS AROUND AMERICA are protesting election fraud and dictatorship in Ethiopia. Gateway Pundit has the story. Meanwhile, Bob Geldof seems to be taking a pro-democracy stance.

GRANDMOTHERBLOGGINGONLINEMAGAZINEING: My grandmother turns 91 in a little over a week; we had a get-together today with her, my mother, my sister, and assorted family kids (plus one neighbor kid who showed up). She got out of the nursing home skilled nursing facility a couple of weeks ago, and is living with my mom now. She can get up and down, and walk some, on her own, though she’s mostly mobile via wheelchair and walker. The physical therapy is continuing to help, though her balance isn’t what it used to be.

Still, she’s in good spirits, generally, and had fun hanging out with all the great-grandchildren. That’s not bad, when you’re 91.

BIG ANTI-CHAVEZ MARCHES IN VENEZUELA inspired by police shootings.

IS RUSSIA PLAYING THE CHINA CARD, or is China playing the Russia card?

RANDY BARNETT offers three lessons for the forthcoming judicial debate.

REBECCA MACKINNON HAS MORE on what Cisco is doing in China and how it impacts speech there. And here are some comments from Chinese bloggers.

I DON’T KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE OR NOT, but I predict that if it is, the very people who have been saying there was no crime committed will change their tune again:

Now that Time Inc. has turned over documents to federal court, presumably revealing who its reporter, Matt Cooper, identified as his source in the Valerie Plame/CIA case, speculation runs rampant on the name of that source, and what might happen to him or her. Tonight, on the syndicated McLaughlin Group political talk show, Lawrence O’Donnell, senior MSNBC political analyst, claimed to know that name–and it is, according to him, top White House mastermind Karl Rove.

Stay tuned. Perhaps those who charged that all these subpoenas were actually part of a cover-up effort may change their tune, too . . . .

UPDATE: Many people have doubts about the reliability of Lawrence O’Donnell as a source. We’ll find out, I suppose. Meanwhile, Rand Simberg emails:

Of course, the people who change their minds about a crime being committed in the Plame case will be perfectly consistent. They are simply changing their position in the light of new information, since everything Karl Rove does is, almost by definition, a crime.

Excellent point.

MORE: Kaus on O’Donnell: “[H]e’s almost always wrong.”

BILL QUICK is continuing his pattern of weekend cooking threads. This weekend’s is about cookware, something I’ve blogged about a time or two myself. (Okay, maybe three.) My big problem is that the Insta-Wife will put anything in the dishwasher, even if it’s not dishwasher safe. So, basically, everything I have has to be able to tolerate at least occasional exposure to the dishwasher. Judging by the comments, I’m not the only one with that problem.

HEH: Thanks to the miracle of Amazon recommendations, I discovered James Lileks’ forthcoming book: Mommy Knows Worst: Highlights from the Golden Age of Bad Parenting Advice. I’ve pre-ordered a copy, of course.

UPDATE: So have a lot of people, it seems — its Amazon ranking is up to #198, not bad for a book that won’t be out until the Fall!

ANOTHER UPDATE: It’s up to #142. Go, James, go! And buyers for big chain bookstores, take note . . ..

I WILL BLOG NO MORE FOREVER: Bill Hobbs joins the online magazine craze.

HERE’S A ROUNDUP of the Supreme Court Nomination Blog’s copious coverage. I notice that they’re paying a lot of attention to Alberto Gonzales, but I don’t know if that means they have inside information. Also Larry Solum has loads of interesting posts — just keep scrolling.

Of course, some people are even farther ahead of the curve on this process!

IT’S A SPECIAL FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND Carnival of Cordite!

And don’t miss this week’s Carnival of the Recipes.

ROOSEVELT LIED, MARTIANS DIED: IowaHawk offers a contemporary-flavored version of The War of the Worlds.

ADVICE FOR BUSH: Nominate Ann Coulter to replace Sandra Day O’Connor.

Either they confirm her, or they raise hell. Assuming they raise hell enough to block the nomination, anyone else Bush puts up as a replacement looks moderate by comparison.

Well, it’s hard to argue with that.

I’M SURPRISED THAT THIS POLL didn’t get more attention:

Gallup announced yesterday that it had taken a snap poll after the speech given by George Bush on the war in Iraq from Fort Bragg. The poll showed some movement bolstering support for the war. In fact, it showed Bush picking up ten points on whether we are winning in Iraq (up to 54%), twelve points on keeping troops in Iraq until the situation improves as opposed to setting an exit date for their evacuation (now at 70%/25%), and seven points on whether Bush has a clear plan for handling the war in Iraq (up to 63%/35%).

This would seem pretty newsworthy to me. (Emph. added).