Israeli elections

By Shabbir | January 29, 2003

I know everyone’s focused on the State of the Union, but frankly, I find the Israeli elections to have more of an immediate impact on our future. In particular, the fight between the secularists and the ultra-orthodox is a fight we have played out in every country (America included) that is not an organized theocracy.

Read More

The Sublime Sarah Vowell

By Shabbir | January 28, 2003

I saw Sarah Vowell speak at the recent They Might Be Giants vs. McSweeney’s show here in DC. She read one short section from her book

Read More

Mark Fiore

By Shabbir | January 28, 2003

Since Salon has gone all-pay (and I’m a cheap bastard) I’ve had to go straight to the horse’s patootie for my weekly fix of Mark Fiore. Take a moment and check out one of the greatest political animators of our age.

Read More

Gambling as a profession (or maybe not)

By Shabbir | January 7, 2003

My winter holiday this year was spent in a warm place with a stack of books, some good friends, and a flu we all shared. Despite the flu, we had a great time, and I’d repeat the entire experience in a heartbeat (except for the vomiting).


It was this book, Michael Konik’s

Read More