20 August 2003 By The Morning News — 20 Aug 2003 New York's currently: ready for the Nets in Brooklyn 18 killed in Jerusalem suicide bombing; 17 dead in Baghdad U.N. headquarters attack. Lucky number sold for $280,000 in China. Bacon-and-egg economics: America's pork, egg, and beef producers prefer to think the Atkins Diet is not a fad. Related: Christopher Hitchens does not diet. Like Berlusconi, Italy garners more attention than respect in Western politics. Renee Zellweger to receive $225,000 for every kilo she gains to star in the Bridget Jones sequel. How Purdue Pharma spent more than $500 million to make OxyContin the nation's top-selling narcotic. Nocturnal urban darkness has been the norm in history (ask the International Dark-Sky Association). [ via wl ] Pirates are very scurvy and very mean and they also drink lots of rum. Things We Have Learned (About Pirates). When a man lives in your backyard, it's reassuring to remember how much you liked The Afghan Whigs. Library of Ragtime sheet music. The Lie: You are dumb and weird. The Truth: You are weird and dyslexic. Lies perpetuated by public education. Portraits by Jason Tlush. Though short fiction is American literature's bloated tyrant, in the U.K. the short story needs saving. Interview with music video directors Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, and the great Chris Cunningham. Wonderful essay on Coleridge by Barbara Everett.
