Drive-Bys

Eerily accurate:

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

(A tip of the cap to Barry Campbell.)
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Ah! So this is why my friend Barrie wants to become a librarian. That explains everything.
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Quote of the Day:

“Leadership in large public institutions requires a skill set different from the private sector,” Gates told me. “A&M and the CIA have this in common. Professionals in the organization got there before you were there and will be there after you leave. For changes to last, the professionals have to assimilate the changes and make them their own. My time here is finite. I want to build something that will long outlast me.”

For all my liberal friends who are afraid Mr. Gates is cut from too conservative a cloth, go read the whole article. This guy sounds like him might just be what the doctor ordered in D.C.

(A tip of the cap to Virginia Postrel.)
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While some of the patronage-as-usual Illinois Dems elected didn't make me one bit happy, this article certainly does give me some hope that we're veering wildly toward the center -- and not so far off to the left.
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