MICKEY KAUS: “On CNN, Tom Maguire looks perfectly normal. How bizarre.”

I’ve found that bloggers seldom match the mental image one has — but that once they start talking, they usually sound just like their blogs. Somehow, for example, I had the idea that Karol Sheinen was older than me — but actually, she’s young and cute. Thor Halvorssen was also a lot younger than I expected (and, I suppose, cuter), while some other bloggers, who I will leave unnamed, were older than I expected. But, as I say, once they started talking, they sounded like themselves. And yes, most bloggers would rather talk than eat.

THIS WEEK’S CARNIVAL OF THE RECIPES is an exercise in translation. And Haveil Havalim is up. And don’t miss the Carnival of the Insanities.

Plus a Carnival of Digital Cameras? Why didn’t I think of this?

And check out the burgeoning Indian blogosphere at Blog Mela.

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN: A report on Muslim alienation in France:

This chance meeting was not unique. I’ve had it many times in France and Germany: a conversation with an enthusiastic Muslim or African who is surprised that someone will pay attention. Listening to them, I find that they are enthusiastic about their European homeland (adopted or natal.) They are culturally aware, exhibiting (what I consider) good social practices for their milieu. Yet they remain outsiders. I have also asked Frenchmen and Germans about Muslims and Africans: “Why are people who seem assimilated not accepted?” The question can turn a conversation on its end, turning transnational discourse into national defense.

Read the whole thing.

UPDATE: Blogging from France, Joel Shepherd responds:

I agree that’s true, but I think the malaise goes deeper. The trouble with the kind of cultural separatism mentioned here is that it manifests itself in economics too.

It’s all a function of French insecurity. Of course, not all Muslims want to integrate.

THIS WEEK’S CARNIVAL OF THE CAPITALISTS is up!

YOU COULD SEE THIS COMING: “Online daters sue matchmaking Web sites for fraud.”

One of my Internet Law students was going to write a paper on this, but changed her mind. But she saw it coming — I hope not from personal experience . . .

TOM MAGUIRE: People are pointing to Armitage.

I’M BEGINNING TO THINK that Andrew’s pursuing a strategy of brand differentiation where I’m concerned. Well, it’s working!

PEJMAN YOUSEFZADEH: “You would think the myth that General Shinseki was fired because of his comments on troop deployment in Iraq wouldn’t get any traction anymore.”

UPDATE: Tom Maguire looks deeper.

AVIAN FLU UPDATE: The good news is that China and other nations are working to develop an avian flu early warning system. The bad news is that the United States is still unprepared for a major outbreak. So if we’re warned, we won’t be able to do much . . . .

UPDATE: Reader Al Kaplan blames lobbyists for the trial lawyers.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Japan is taking steps.

PORKBUSTERS UPDATE: Mark Tapscott says it’s time for a constitutional amendment.

GAS PRICES KEEP FALLING: “Retail gas prices continue to plunge across the country, dropping 18 cents in the past two weeks, according to a survey released Sunday.”

You’re welcome, America. . . .

REPORTS THAT ZARQAWI IS DEAD: I certainly hope so, but I wouldn’t pop the champagne just yet.

UPDATE: More here.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Zarqawi’s family has disowned him.

MARK KILMER watches the Sunday talk shows so you don’t have to.

Meanwhile, David Adesnik is irritated by the rather unfactual portrayal of Murtha as a pro-war guy who’s suddenly had a change of heart: “Forgive me for beating a dead horse, but I am extraordinarily frustrated by the way that almost every major media outlet is spinning Murtha’s ‘conversion’ as a major blow to the war effort.”

This is what angers people — they decide on a story line, and they stick to it. And the agreed story line is pretty much always anti-war. Read this, too.

KITCHEN-O-RAMA: Following up on Megan McArdle’s lead, I have to say that my favorite kitchen gadgets are an immersion blender (I actually have an older model, but they look the same) and, of course, the much-beloved slow-cooker, about which I’ve written before.

Reader Mike Daley writes that the All-Clad model that I got from my sister-in-law is no longer available anywhere. (This notably cheaper one is probably just as good, though.)

UPDATE: If you must have the All-Clad, reader Paul Bash reports that it’s available from Williams-Sonoma.

Daley loves his, and sends this recipe (click “more” to see it):

(more…)

THE INSTA-WIFE’S T-SHIRT MODELING CAREER seems to be taking off. But she’s facing competition from Michelle Malkin.

I DON’T LIKE THIS REPORT:

President Robert Mugabe has said Zimbabwe will process recently discovered uranium deposits in order to resolve its chronic electrical power shortage, state radio said Sunday.

Mugabe, who has close ties with two countries with controversial nuclear programs, Iran and North Korea, made the announcement Saturday, the radio station reported.

It was not clear how Mugabe intended to use any uranium deposits since the country does not have a nuclear power plant.

I’m not sure what to make of it, but I don’t like it.

THE CARNIVAL OF CORDITE is up! So is the Carnival of the Dogs. And don’t miss the Carnival of the Trackbacks over at Wizbang. There’s also a Carnival of the Walkers, and although nobody’s sent me a link in a while, I note that the New Blog Showcase is still going on.

UPDATE: Canadian blog carnival The Red Ensign Standard is up, too!

INTELLIGENT DESIGN: Being hammered by Charles Krauthammer and the Vatican.

AUSTIN BAY looks at the disconnect between troops’ experience of Iraq, and what news reports say:

After my return from Iraq I received phone calls and emails from military friends as they either came back to the US on leave or finished their tours and re-deployed “Stateside.” The typical phone call went like this: “I’m back. It’s great to be home. What’s up? How are you doing?” Then, the conversation quickly moved on to: “What’s with the press and Iraq?” The press usually meant television. On tv Iraq looked like it was going to Hell in a handbasket of flame and brutality; however, the images of carnage didn’t square with the troops’ experience.

He also references this essay by Jim Dunnigan.

UPDATE: Riding Sun says that Newsweek’s latest story on Iraq buries the lede, which should have been found in this paragraph of the story that was relegated to the end:

On the ground, the shrewder analysts say, it’s not entirely clear that U.S. policy has “failed.” The TV news, not to mention Al-Jazeera, doesn’t regularly summarize the stunning changes in Iraq, many of them morally and politically worthy. Saddam Hussein is gone and awaiting trial. Schools, hospitals and other institutions are operating in most parts of the country. Voters have adopted a constitution. And even many Sunnis are gathering in political parties that are maneuvering in advance of the Dec. 15 national elections. After the elections, the plan is that Coalition forces will use the growing number of capable Iraqi units to “clear, hold and build” a peaceful Iraq.

Riding Sun asks: “If that’s what ‘the shrewder analysts say’, shouldn’t it be the main focus of the article?”

You’d think. Read this letter from Iraq, too.

BUSH CALLS FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN CHINA: Gateway Pundit has more.

TOM SMITH offers advice to a lady.

DAVID ADESNIK:

Two things to notice. First, Matthews’ introduction of Murtha perpetuates the myth that a renowned hawk has suddenly turned against the war. A renowned hawk is what Murtha is, but as many, many bloggers pointed out immediately after Murtha made headlines, he’s been saying exactly the same thing about Iraq for more than a year now. This is a manufactured story.

Second of all, it is remarkably disingenuous for Murtha to talk about how his recent visit to Iraq changed his mind about the war. If you listen to the full interview, he also lists a number of other recent data points as contributing factors. In other words, Murtha himself is now peddling the myth of his sudden conversion from hawk to dove.

That’s quite misleading, and Chris Matthews is embarrassing himself by lapping it up.

I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SAY “I’M IN COMPLETE AGREEMENT WITH DAVID CORN” SO MANY TIMES in just a couple of days. But that’s been my experience on the Pajamas/OSM editorial board so far. As David writes:

Before the launch, left-of-center bloggers and some visitors to this site were fretting it would be the HQ for neocon shock-troops on the Web. Vanity Fair’s James Wolcott and I had a back-and-forth on the subject, with Wolcott comparing the OSM gang to Dr. Josef Mengele. But OSM’s startup problems have not been ideological; they’ve been editorial. The content and presentation have not been sufficiently compelling.

But I have discovered the fun–so to speak–of being on an editorial board. I get to bitch and moan and point out what I see as serious shortfalls and then say to the put-upon folks doing the actual work, “Gotta go; it’s up to you to fix this.” They’ve listened to me and to other board members, and we shall see what they do with all that advice.

And in the discussions of what needed fixing, and how, we’ve agreed on pretty much everything. Stay tuned to see how it works out.

SAMUEL ALITO: Too religious? Or religioso, ma non troppo?

MARCHING FOR FREEDOM in Azerbaijan.