Some of the news that is fit to print

Bugs gets Swanned

A round-up of items...
I mentioned the Plume case yesterday. Slate.com's Today's Papers notes that both the WP and NYT front "a federal appeals court upholding an earlier ruling that the NYT's Judith Miller and Time's Matthew Cooper should indeed head to the slammer unless they spill who outed a CIA agent to them. The NYT has said it will appeal. The LAT also fronts the case, though putting it in a bigger context: The paper guesses that the ruling will push along federal "shield-law" legislation, which would allow reporters to stay mum about their sources."

Read the ruling itself.
Meanwhile, Slate.com’s media writer, Jack Shafer, urges a new attorney to represent the two.
Memo to Cooper and Miller [Slate.com]
Fire Floyd Abrams. Hire Bruce Sanford.

Totally unrelated...

A New Model Army Soldier Rolls Closer to the Battlefield [NYT, 2.16.2005]
The Pentagon predicts that robots will be a major fighting force in the American military in less than a decade.

I mentioned the indecency fines are likely to increase. Just wait, because you've not seen anything yet. The FCC wants children shielded from cellphone smut [Reuters via Yahoo News]

All of the press is working to deal with the new Web world -- and not just in my little niche of the world. The Financial Times reports that Rupert Murdoch and some 50 other senior News Corp. executives will meet in  New York today to map out an Internet strategy for the global media company in light of the sharp growth in Web advertising and changing viewing habits.

The most smutty story of the day...
Blogger digs up racy photos of ex-WH correspondent Gannon [WP, 2.16.2005].
Escort-service photos of former Talon News White House correspondent Jeff Gannon (real name: James Guckert) have deepened the debate over blogging and the tactics used by bloggers, says Howard Kurtz. Accuracy in Media's Cliff Kincaid says: "The campaign against Gannon demonstrates the paranoid mentality and mean-spirited nature of the political left." John Aravosis of Americablog.org tells Kurtz: "The larger issue is how did someone like this get access to the White House." Here is the Americablog link, if you want to see it for yourself.

And finally...

Bugs Bunny gets Swanned with a total makeover. (Fox, of course, have pulled all links to its horrible make-over reality television program.)

Warner Bros. Wants to Update Bugs [WSJ, 2.16.2005]
Does Bugs Bunny, animation's king of insult comedy, really need a sharper edge? Warner Bros. Apparently thinks so. The WB television network is hoping to prop up its slumping Kids' WB line-up by launching a new cartoon series this fall "based on 're-imagined' versions of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil, Lola Bunny, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote," The Wall Street Journal reports. Warner has thus "created angular, slightly menacing-looking versions of the classic Looney Tunes characters for its new series, dubbed 'Loonatics' and set in the year 2772." While the new characters will retain the personality quirks of the original, they may have newly derived names like Buzz Bunny, the Journal says. 

Tidbits 2.3

I have not posted a news round-up in awhile, so...

This is probably not a shock to ANYbody…
Hide Your IPod, Here Comes Bill [Wired, 2.2.2005]
Microsoft's leafy corporate campus in Redmond, Wash. , is beginning to look like the streets of  New York, London, and just about everywhere else: Wherever you go, white headphones dangle from peoples' ears. To the growing frustration and annoyance of Microsoft's management, Apple Computer's iPod is wildly popular among Microsoft's workers.

JUST SAY NO TO ALL JACKO, ALL THE TIME (CBS MARKETWATCH)

Jon Friedman: It's time to put a halt to the endless yakking about Michael Jackson, especially on television's so-called "news" programs. Leave it to Court TV, the tabloids, and "The Smoking Gun."

Do bloggers deserve a press pass? [CSM]
Sanda Dotinga: An Apple lawsuit against the operators of fan websites stirs debate on whether bloggers can claim legal protections.

A fascinating story in the NYT Science section on Tuesday that I just got around to last night. Apparently scientists are discovering that birds are much more intelligent than we ever thought.
Minds of Their Own: Birds Gain Respect [NYT, 2.1.2005]
By SANDRA BLAKESLEE
Scientists are arguing that the avian brain is as complex, flexible and inventive as any mammalian brain.

Keeping Colds at Bay. Or Maybe Not. [NYT, 2.1.2005]
By MARY DUENWALD
Doctors say there is so far no evidence to demonstrate that a popular dietary supplement prevents the common cold.

A Viewer's Guide To the Super Bowl [WSJ, 2.3.2005]
We've devised a three-tiered viewers' guide to help viewers of all levels -- novices, fans and fanatics -- follow the game on Super Bowl Sunday.

Tiny Wireless Routers Let Travelers Create Their Own Hot Spots [WSJ, 2.3.2005]
Numerous devices are making their way into stores that let you create your own Wi-Fi hot spots. These tiny portable routers extend any high-speed Web connection for several dozen feet in every direction without wires.

Off-topic…
The cinema bed

The Perils of Needles to the Body [NYT, 2.1.2005]
Health officials say they are increasingly worried about the health risks posed by tattoos and body piercings.

The Friday round-up

The Friday round-up...

Want a Different Abu Ghraib Story? Try This One [WSJ, 5.14.2004]
Saddam had their hands cut off. America gave them new ones.

Polls Show Bush's Job-Approval Ratings Sinking [NYT, 5.14.2004]
By DAVID E. SANGER
President Bush's job-approval numbers have sunk to all-time lows, with a majority of Americans now saying, for the first time, that the invasion of Iraq was not worth the cost.

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
The Needle in the Database [NYT, 5.14.2004]
By CHRISTOPHER WHITCOMB
The United States has the world's most comprehensive spyworks, but it is a system that doesn't understand its own strengths.

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
How the Feds Got Their Men [NYT, 5.14.2004]
By BRYAN BURROUGH
F.B.I reform? It's happened before — 70 years ago.

On the Road Again, But Now the Boss Is Sitting Beside You [WSJ, 5.14.2004]
As employers increasingly turn to GPS technology to keep track of their fleets, more workers are balking at having the boss constantly looking over their shoulders.

Web Sites Offer Campaign Garb [WSJ, 5.14.2004]
When it comes to offering a broad array of official campaign merchandise, Bush has a healthy lead over Kerry.

Well, Aren't You Special [WSJ, 5.14.2004]
You don't have to be very important these days to be a VIP. From symphonies to museums to rock concerts, America's entertainment, travel and fitness industries are selling specialness -- to everybody.

Lights! Camera! (and plenty of) Action! [CSM, 5.14.2004]
Summer is the cinematic silly season and promises no shortage of sequels and spin-offs.

Is the New York Ice Age In That Summer Movie A Realistic Possibility? [WSJ, 5.14.2004]
The upcoming disaster flick, "The Day After Tomorrow," is hitting theaters at a pivotal moment in research into whether the current global warming caused by the greenhouse effect could, paradoxically, trigger a deep freeze in some regions.

Summer Reading [WSJ, 5.14.2004]
The new wave of beach books has a serious undertow. We look at the best of this season's weighty biographies and novels -- plus some sunnier alternatives.

TV's big draw [CSM, 5.14.2004]
Networks plan to launch several animated series aimed at young adults.

And Slate’s Today’s Papers…
Vanity Unfair? … Earlier this week, LA Weekly reported that the LAT and NYT were both investigating Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter's ties to Hollywood. Well, the LAT beats its East Cost rival to the punch today, even if it turns out to be a glancing blow. Though Carter admittedly weaseled himself a shocking $100,000 consulting fee for A Beautiful Mind, the LAT apparently couldn't deliver on leaked speculation that he had received kickbacks for cover slots. Instead, the paper paints a picture of an editor increasingly distracted by his Hollywood friends—a shame for readers, perhaps, but hardly worthy of front-page treatment.

The gruesome round-up...

Most of the papers headline the release of the online video of the decapitation of an American in Iraq. And there are apparently more reports of more incidents coming from Iraq prisons and now apparently some from Afghanistan as well.

Slate details that there is a growing debate about whether these pictures should have been shown.

Tally of Americans abroad hits snag [IHT, 5.12.2004]
A test census to count private American citizens living in France, Kuwait and Mexico has hit a snag because of the low number of people participating, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“The response so far has been disappointing,” said Kathleen Styles, project manager for the 2004 Overseas Enumeration Test, which began in February and is due to end by July.

Nations Vow Passport Aid [WP, 5.12.2004]
The G-8 leading industrial nations agreed yesterday to share information about lost and stolen passports and vowed to work together to secure borders, ports and skies to help thwart terrorism.

From the WSJ front page…
At the Pentagon, Quirky PowerPoint Carries Big Punch [WSJ, 5.12.2004]
In a World of 'Gap' States, Mr. Barnett Urges Generals To Split Forces in Two Austin Powers on Soundtrack

In 1998, Thomas Barnett, an obscure Defense Department analyst, teamed up with senior executives at the Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald LP to study how globalization was changing national security.
One scenario they studied was a meltdown caused by the Y2K computer bug followed by terrorist attacks designed to exploit the chaos. Mr. Barnett posited that Wall Street would shut down for a week. Gun violence, racially motivated attacks and sales of antidepressants would surge. The U.S. military would find itself embroiled in brushfire conflicts across the developing world.
His theories were met with skepticism. "People began referring to me as the Nostradamus of Y2K," Mr. Barnett says.
Then came the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Suddenly Mr. Barnett didn't look so crazy.

Media notes...
For NBC, Good if Not Best 'Friends' [WP, 5.12.2004]
NBC handily won the ratings race last week with a lot of help from its "Friends." (You saw that one coming a mile away, didn't you.)

Frasier' Finale: Amid Nostalgia, A Product Plug [WSJ, 5.12.2004]
In the series finale of "Fraiser," a product placement of Milano cookies symbolizes the lengths to which marketers and media are going these days to capture consumers' attention.

Hit French reality TV takes viewers back to 'the farm' [CSM, 5.12.2004]
Farmers' union objects to derisive portrayal of peasants.

In the other news…
Where the US goes after Abu Ghraib [CSM, 5.12.2004]
Testimony on abuse continues, war support drops, and talk of justice grows.

How the images of prison abuse shape perceptions of the war [CSM, 5.12.2004]
In an age of 24 hour news, the graphic pictures harden views on both sides about US involvement in Iraq.

From the editorial pages…
The undersecretary of defense insisted that the abuses may be nothing more than a few misguided guards. "I still don't know that there is a significant issue here," he said. A WP editorial retorts:

The Bush administration still seeks to mislead Congress and the public about the policies that contributed to the criminal abuse of prisoners in Iraq. Yesterday's smoke screen was provided by Stephen A. Cambone, undersecretary of defense for intelligence. Mr. Cambone assured the Senate Armed Services Committee that the administration's policy had always been to strictly observe the Geneva Conventions in Iraq; that all procedures for interrogations in Iraq were sanctioned under the conventions; and that the abuses of detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison were consequently the isolated acts of individuals. These assertions are contradicted by International Red Cross and Army investigators, by U.S. generals overseeing the prisoners, and by Mr. Cambone himself
[...]
If President Bush and his senior officials would acknowledge their complicity in playing fast and loose with international law and would pledge to change course, they might begin to find a way out of the mess. Instead, they hope to escape from this scandal without altering or even admitting the improper and illegal policies that lie at its core. It is a vain hope.

And the NYT…
The Abu Ghraib Spin
The administration's cynical approach to damage control was on display at the second Senate hearing on the prison abuse scandal.

And a different take from the WSJ…
Winning in Iraq
The public puts Abu Ghraib in perspective.

Politics...
Candidates Face Sprawling and Complex Electoral Map [NYT, 5.12, 2004]
President Bush and Senator John Kerry are pouring resources into more than 20 states in a struggle to master one of the most complex electoral playing fields in nearly 20 years.

Executive Calls Vote-Machine Letter an Error [NYT, 5.12.2004]
The top executive at Diebold Inc., which makes voting machines, said that it had been a "huge mistake" for him to express support for President Bush's re-election in a fund-raising letter.

CAPITAL JOURNAL, By John Harwood [WSJ, 5.12.2004]
Polls have pointed toward another exceedingly close contest for president. Yet the deeper America gets into this political year, the more campaign operatives are bracing for something different: a race that breaks decisively one way or the other.

Why the Polls Don't Add Up [NYT, 5.12.2004]
Voters are too focused on evaluating the president right now to compare him to John Kerry.

Lie, and the Voters Will Believe [NYT, 5.12.2004]
The presidential campaign ads running in 18 states are proof that you shouldn't believe everything you see on TV.

Revolution Under the Hood [WSJ, 5.12.2004]
The global auto industry is racing to come up with the next big thing under the hood. Everything from gasoline-electric hybrids to internal-combustion engines powered by vegetable-oil derivatives is on the table.

A Hall With Jazz on Its Mind [NYT, 5.12.2004]
Jazz at Lincoln Center's first season in its new home in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle will be a dialogue between the music and where it will be played.

For the Coolest Vibes: Accentuate Acoustics, Eliminate City Noise [NYT, 5.12.2004]
As the world's first performance center built for jazz, the new Jazz at Lincoln Center represents a milestone for the genre as an American art form.

Global Warming Ignites Tempers, Even in a Movie [NYT, 5.12.2004]
Twentieth Century Fox does not seem to have fully anticipated the political firestorm being whipped up by "The Day After Tomorrow," a $125 million movie about global warming.

THE MOSSBERG SOLUTION, By Walter S. Mossberg [WSJ, 5.12.2004]
Thanks to technology, you soon will be able to not only hear your favorite music and the sound effects of videogames, but to actually feel these sounds.

What's hot in backyard grills? [CSM, 5.12.2004]
Grills keep getting more high-tech. Think sear plates, auto ignitors, and infrared heat.

War, war, what is it good for...

By way of a round-up...
The headline on Slate.com’s Today’s Papers is “Abu Grim,” and that perhaps captures many of the stories in the papers today.
I thought CNN’s Aaron Brown intro for his show last night captured the issue...
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening again everyone.
I didn't write this page tonight. It was written instead by a viewer. It is a viewer who writes me often, sometimes agreeing with what we do, often not. I've done a little bit of editing here for time but this is what he wrote.
As one who supported Bush's war on terrorism and the Iraq invasion, I am very disturbed by what I see happening now. Iraqi citizens are still being tortured in Saddam's jails now by Americans. An Iraqi general, with Saddam's moustache no less, is in charge of Fallujah. Aaron, I ran cell blocks in federal prisons for over 20 years and never saw anything like this and there is no excuse for it, a complete breakdown in command and control. Is this, he writes, what we went to war for and is this what we get at the cost of hundreds of American soldiers dead? The Marines are pulled back from victory in Fallujah. This is perceived as a victory in the Arab world. Didn't Bush learn anything from Beirut and Somalia? Now we look both cruel and weak, the worst possible combination if we hope to effect change in the Arab world. And he closed this way. I vote Republican, am hawkish on foreign policy, so if someone like me is asking these questions, the administration is heading for an election problem. I don't support what I'm seeing in Iraq. I'm sure others are asking these questions. I trust you're doing well. I'm looking forward to your thoughts on page two. Take care, John.
If the administration has lost John, it has lost a lot over the last few weeks and nothing in today's news is likely to win him back.

And the company involved... Arlington, Va.-based CACI...
CACI Wants to Review Report on Alleged Abuse [WP, 5.4.2004]
CACI International Inc. said yesterday that an outside law firm will conduct its investigation of its employees' conduct in Iraq and review its operations around the world.

CBS Delayed Abuse Report At the Request Of Gen. Myers [WP, 5.4.2004]
NEW YORK, May 3 -- CBS News delayed for two weeks airing a report about U.S. soldiers' alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners, following a personal request from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Questions of War [New Yorker]
An investigation of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by the U.S. Army.
by Seymour M. Hersh

War Makes Iraq Worst Place to Be a Reporter [5.3.2004]
(AFP) - War has made Iraq the most dangerous country for a reporter to work in, but Cuba, followed closely by China, jailed most journalists for doing their job last year, according to reports issued to mark World Press Freedom Day. The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists said up to 25 journalists had been killed at work in Iraq since March 2003, when a US-led invasion aimed at toppling the government of Saddam Hussein was launched

Worst Places to Be a Journalist (Cmte. to Protect Journalists)

Memorial Honors 53 Journalists Who Died [AP, 5.3.2004]

'Nightline' Ratings Rise For Roll Call of Iraq Dead [WP, 5.4.2004]
By Lisa de Moraes, Page C01
ABC News's "Nightline" scored nearly 30 percent more viewers on Friday night than it did the rest of last week, according to preliminary numbers.

Elsewhere...

Millions of Secrets [WP, 5.3.2004]
By Al Kamen
The way things are going, it's getting to where even The Shadow won't know "what evil lurks in the hearts of men." And forget that lurking-in-the-heart stuff, pretty soon the old radio detective won't even be able to find out what your government has been doing for you. Executive branch agencies -- mostly the CIA, the Pentagon, the spy satellite folks and the Justice Department -- discovered more than 14 million new secrets last year, according to a report to the president by the Information Security Oversight Office, part of the National Archives. That's a 25 percent increase over the prior year in creating things that must be "secret." Just before Sept. 11, 2001, the rate was 8 million a year. So that's a substantial surge in the urge to submerge. (Sorry.)

Editorials...
Touchy Touch-Screen Voting [CSM, 5.4.2004]
Electronic voting methods can be problematic but it's worth it to fix any glitches.

Troubled ties: Bush and the press [CSM, 5.4.2004]
The current president follows his father's footsteps in his famously chilly attitude toward the 4th estate.

California's Accidental Governor [NYT, 5.4.2004]
With a string of successes under his belt, Arnold Schwarzenegger has emerged as a popular and indomitable leader.
Arnold is also on the front page of The Economist.

Off-topic...
Junk-Food Games [WSJ]
Online Arcades Draw Fire For Immersing Kids in Ads; Ritz Bits Wrestling, Anyone?

The round-up...

So I haven't done a round-up in awhile, so...
Some of these are left over from last week, but they are all interesting...

From the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire... "Verbatim: Rep. Miller's staff alerts reporters, 'Due to rainy conditions, the Get Outdoors Act press conference has been moved indoors.'"

NBC's New Cartoon: Lions And Siegfried and Roy. Oh My! [WSJ]
NBC is taking one of the bigger gambles in recent memory as it tries to fill the prime-time hole left by "Friends" and "Frasier" -- a Shrek-style cartoon about talking lions who perform with animated versions of Siegfried & Roy

PRODUCT MISPLACEMENT? [AdAge]
Both the FCC and the FTC are involved in the rising debate about product-placement practices.

SCANDAL! CELEBRITY! GLOSSY! [SFChron]
Bonnie Fuller completes the 30-year-old Star magazine's transformation from supermarket tabloid to mainstream magazine.

This as mentioned by Slate.com's Today's Papers...

Following yesterday's killings in Fallujah, the WP browsed the Coalition Provisional Authority's Web site and didn't spot mention of the killings nor any other violence. The site's fourth headline: "IRAQI POLICE EQUAL TO TASK OF PUBLIC SAFETY, KIMMITT SAYS."

Re: last week's horrible events in Iraq...
When News Is Gruesome, What's Too Graphic? [WSJ]
U.S. news channels were unusually cautious about putting the gruesome footage of four civilian contractors burned and hanged by gleeful Iraqis on TV.

Hey, You! How About Lunch? [WSJ]
Marketers and military planners alike are keenly interested in revolutionary sound technology that uses laserlike beams to send messages.

This Is SportsCenter? [Slate.com]
The decline and fall of ESPN's franchise.

And finally...
This Is Broken

While you were out...

Yes, I've been away because I have been slaving away on the biggest issue in my publication's history. Needless to say, it took some focus.

But I'm back...

So... some items for fodder today...
Shock jocks are less shocking these days, thanks to the FCC, so reports USAToday.

Rove bosting about Bush... It is going to be interesting to see how influential money is in this campaign. As the media has reported over and over again, Bush has a big treasure chest to go hacking away at Kerry. For somebody like me, who doesn't believe in campaign finance reform scams and believes such foolishness is merely a way to limit free speech, this election will be a real test. Can one actually buy an election? Stay tuned...
Anyway, here is Rove...

Rove: Kerry Has Taste of Bush Campaign [AP, 3.17.2004]
White House political chief Karl Rove said Wednesday that President Bush had just begun to demonstrate the kind of targeted, multi-front campaign he plans against Democratic rival John Kerry.

THE PASSION OF THE IDIOT: SELF-CRUCIFIXION FAILS [NYPost, 3.17.2004]

March 17, 2004 -- A delusional man who apparently believed he was Jesus Christ built a wooden cross and tried to nail his hands to it in a horrific bid to re-create the crucifixion, police say.
But after hammering a spike through one palm, the man realized there was no way to hammer his other hand to the cross - so he dragged himself to the phone to dial 911 with his free hand.
Asked if he'd recently seen "The Passion of the Christ," the 23-year-old man, from Hartland, Maine, answered no, but said he had been "seeing pictures of God on the computer."

And then reportedly there is some basketball games going on?
WSJ has it's take, which focuses on the business of the game...
Single Agency Handles NCAA Travel [WSJ, 3.18.2004]

Getting into the NCAA basketball tournament is hard, but getting all 129 teams to their games may be even harder. To cut costs and confusion, all the travel is assigned to a single agency. This year it's Short's Travel Management in Iowa.

How Do I Love Thee, TiVo? [NYT, 3.18,2004]
By ERIC A. TAUB

The TiVo and other digital video recorders are still not wildly popular. But those who do own the machines are wild about them. What gives?

The Pillow Chiller: Housewares You Never Knew You Needed [WSJ, 3.18.2004]

Kara Swisher previews the International Home & Housewares Show and finds a pillow chiller, a disposable toilet brush and a grilled cheese maker from Europe among the new gadgets and knick-knacks headed our way.

Happy Valentine's Day

A cosmic rose for Valentine's Day...

Source: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics via SJMN's Good Morning Silicon Valley

It's Valentine's Day weekend...

The history of the holiday...
and the Catholic take on St. Valentine...
But it is not like it used to be...
and the first cards were produced in the 1840s. In the first year, they sold a then mind-boggling $5,000 in cards...

Equation Predicts Marriage Success or Failure [Reuters, 2.13.2004]

Sex Is on the Menu This Valentine's Day [WSJ, 2.13.2004]
Normally Staid Restaurants Dish Out Some Spicy Offerings; Adult Pudding for Two
If Janet Jackson's Super Bowl stunt -- or the latest "Sex and the City" episode -- makes you blush, then shield your eyes from this year's Valentine's Day restaurant menus.

By The Numbers: Valentine's Day as culled from Poynter's always interesting Al Tompkins
All of this is from the Census Bureau:
Candy is Dandy
1,040
Number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2001. These establishments employed 45,913 people. California led the nation in the number of such establishments (with 116) followed by Pennsylvania (with 107).

24 pounds
Per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2002; it is believed a large portion is consumed around Valentine's Day. Candy consumption has actually declined over the last few years: in 1997, each American gobbled or savored more than 27 pounds of candy a year.

Flowers
$410 million
The wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2002 for operations with $100,000 or more in sales. Among states, California was the leading producer, alone accounting for about two-thirds of this amount ($279 million).

$56 million
The wholesale value of domestically produced roses in 2002 for operations with $100,000 or more in sales. Among all types of cut flowers, roses were a close second in receipts to lilies ($58 million).

23,870
The number of florists nationwide in 2001. These businesses employed 125,116 people.

Jewelry
29,780
Number of jewelry stores in the United States in 2001. Jewelry stores offer wedding, engagement, and other rings, as well as other baubles, to lovers of all ages.

Romantic-Sounding Places
2
The number of places in the United States named Valentine. Valentine, Neb., was the more populous of the two, with 2,842 residents on July 1, 2002; Valentine, Texas, had just 185.

9
Number of places identified by the Census Bureau nationwide with "love" in their name. Loveland, Colo., was the most populous, with 55,273 residents in 2002. The others: Lovejoy, Ga., Loves Park, Ill.; Lovelock, Nev.; Love Valley, N.C.; Loveland, Ohio; Loveland Park, Ohio; Loveland, Okla.; and Lovelady, Texas.

Still haven't had your fill of love? Try Loving County, deep in the heart of Texas, with 64 residents in 2002. Or cross the border into New Mexico to the city of Lovington (population 9,484), or the village of Loving (population 1,313), or go to Oklahoma and Love County (population 8,911). And don't forget Lovington, Ill., with 1,210 residents. (1, 2)

If you really have your heart set on Shakespeare this Valentine's Day, you might start the day by visiting Romeo (Romeo, Colo.; Romeo, Mich.; or Romeoville, Ill., with 384, 3,765 and 28,765 residents, respectively, in 2002) and end it by calling on Mount Juliet, Tenn. (population, 15,465).

Be Mine
2.3 million
Number of marriages that take place in the United States annually. That breaks down to nearly 6,200 a day.

25.3 and 26.9
The estimated U.S. median ages at first marriage for women and men, respectively. The age for women is up 4.4 years in the last three decades. The age for men is up 3.6 years.

60 percent
Percentage of people 15 and over in Idaho who are currently married - the highest rate among states. New York has the lowest rate, 50 percent.

Friedman: Time for us to put up...

NYT op-ed columnist Thomas Friedman has one of those columns that just captures so many points so well. It is a CJD-worthy read.

The Home Team [NYT, 2.8.2004]
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
The Bush administration's stand on the war in Iraq is clear: This will be handled by the Pentagon. We don't need the public.

From the outset, it has adopted the view that this war will be handled by the Pentagon alone. We don't need the State Department and its ideas about nation building. We don't need the U.N. We don't need our traditional allies. And most of all, we don't need the public. The message from the White House has been: "You all just go about your business of being Americans, pursuing happiness, spending your tax cuts, enjoying the Super Bowl halftime show, buying a new Hummer, and leave this war to our volunteer Army. No sacrifices required, no new taxes to pay for this long-term endeavor, and no need to reduce our gasoline consumption, even though doing so would help take money away from the forces of Islamist intolerance that are killing our soldiers. No, we are so rich and so strong and so right, we can win this war without anyone other than the armed forces paying any price or bearing any burden."

Meanwhile, Slate.com's Today's Papers notes...

Speaking of Iraq and the U.N., the NYT "Week in Review" reminds readers about a particularly influential (and misleading) piece of WMD intelligence: the infamous satellite pictures that Colin Powell brandished before the U.N. Security Council in 2002. It turns out that what was originally labeled a decontamination vehicle is now thought to be a fire engine and CIA agents based their original analyses of the images on third-hand accounts.

Super Bowl 'tat'

OK, where exactly was the Super Bowl tat, because we sure saw the tit.

Headlines and stories from the ongoing Super Bowl-gate...

TIT FOR TAT [NYP, 2.3.2004] DUO CAUGHT IN BOOBY TRAP By DON KAPLAN February 3, 2004 -- CBS is moving to bounce Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake from next Sunday's Grammy Awards amid the national uproar following their X-rated, prime-time Super Bowl stunt. Sources told The Post the network will demand the two stars be tossed from 46th Annual Grammy Awards if CBS's probe shows the duo schemed in advance to expose Jackson's pierced breast during the halftime spectacle.

BOOB TUBE [NYDailyNews, 2.3.2004] Janet Jackson apologized for her breast-baring bungle at the Super Bowl - but it did little to stem the growing tempest in a C cup. Nipplegate, which started as a halftime stunt, became a national obsession yesterday - hitting even the highest reaches of government.

Mike Lupica: Jackson's stunt exposes league

"The audience measurement guys have never seen anything like it. The audience reaction charts looked like an electrocardiogram."

-- A TiVo representative comments on Janet Jackson's Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction," which was replayed a record number of times by TiVo subscribers.

Halftime Show Angers FCC, CBS [WSJ, 2.3.2004] Before the Super Bowl, MTV promised on its Web site that "regardless of the outcome," singer Janet Jackson and other halftime performers would ensure the football game "goes down in history." Mission accomplished. Monday, the Bush administration, the National Football League and a host of others reacted harshly to Ms. Jackson's halftime duet with Justin Timberlake, who tugged at her black bustier during the song and exposed her right breast, bare except for a metal nipple ornament.

Halftime Show Fallout Includes F.C.C. Inquiry [NYT, 2.3.2004] By BILL CARTER and RICHARD SANDOMIR The exposure of Janet Jackson's right breast during a Super Bowl halftime concert has led to several apologies and a possible F.C.C. investigation.

After Flash of Flesh, CBS Again Is in Denial [NYT, 2.3.2004] By ALESSANDRA STANLEY The beauty of Janet Jackson's Super Bowl surprise is that even if CBS was truly caught unaware, like the little network that cried wolf, nobody is listening.

Spotlight Should Have Been on the Game, Not the Show [NYT, 2.3.2004] By GEORGE VECSEY The sad part for the N.F.L. is that this was one of the best Super Bowls, but the country is talking about the Janet Jackson incident instead.

The Super Bowl of Stupidity? [NYT, 2.3.2004] By STUART ELLIOTT The commercials that ran during Super Bowl XXXVIII are being castigated by many viewers for their vulgarity and tastelessness.

With a flash, Super Bowl's halftime show pushes indecency debate to a new level [USAToday, 2.3.2004] The most watched Super Bowl in history may become the most debated. Not for the game -- for the halftime display.