December 9, 2002

My response to the CSM's poorly made list of the "costs" of aid to Israel. 11:51:30 PM

Something that might be a sign of trouble for the NHL is the emergence of the Russian Superleague. The Globe and Mail reports that this 18-team league has enough wealthy Russian owners that it’s teams have been able to convince some European and even North American players to defect from the NHL and play in Russia. Reportedly some teams have annual budgets that are competitive with smaller NHL markets. As Russia’s economy improves it’s hard to suggest that a team in Columbus or Calgary would be able to compete financially with a team in Moscow. On the other hand, if Russian players stay home, it would leave more spaces for Canadians. 11:09:08 PM

Life did not imitate art Senate Republican leader Trent Lott is playing down a recent remark in which he said that the United States would have avoided "all these problems" if voters had, in 1948, elected Strom Thurmond president -- who at that time favored segregation. For a look at the possible outcome of such a victory read Stealing Alabama by Allen Steele, a short story set in the Southern-controlled United Republic of America. 11:00:43 PM