American Madness

Intelligent Criticism in the Service of a Better Nation

Gang of Four Play

China’s Xinhua is reporting the last of China’s “Gang of Four,” Yao Wenyuan, died on Dec. 23, of complications from diabetes. He was 74.
The other three who instrumented the persecution, beatings and death of hundreds of thousands of intellectuals, Zhang Chunqiao, Wang Hongwen and Madame Mao (Jiang Qing) died between 1991 and May 2005.
Xinhua said [...]

Dear Dr. Fixit

Dear Dr. Fixit:
My daughter and her boyfriend are living together. After five years, they are not married – or even engaged.
We recently had family pictures taken and wanted a photo of us alongside our daughter and our son and his wife.
My daughter was very upset that we excluded her live-in boytoy. We tried to explain [...]

Please Don’t Squeeze the Mormon

Stop Wining
I sort of drew the line at screw-off caps on wine bottles. Then UPC codes, instead of vintages. Lastly, wine in a box. I thought that was it.
Now, instead of stodgy French names like ?Chateau Pipi du Cheval,? you?re getting stuff like a red that probably goes best with tin cans, called, ?Goats do [...]

The Chronicles of Najia

Adam Najberg is an international journalist who lost his mind many years ago. Here are some of his recent posts from the front:
Ukraine:
Poor Victor Yuschenko.
First, Russia spiked his Mountain Dew with dioxin, almost killing him, but ensuring his frontrunner status in the next Manuel Noriega lookalike contest. Now, Moscow, still pissed off that he’d [...]

Yotel California

Look out large people, here comes Yotel.
It’s not a Pokemon character nor hostel for yodelers. The new Yotel is a chain of budget rooms which cram business travelers into 10-square-meter cabins. The first ones open this year at London Airports.
Simon Woodroffe, the sadistic bastard who created the concept, told the London Observer [...]

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