Achenblog - The Washington Post's Joel Achenbach on whatever strikes his fancy - January 22, 2006

Daddy Carbucks

[The latest Rough Draft column.] People always say to me, "How can I make the perfect cup of coffee?" And I have to break the bad news: One does not make the perfect cup. One tries to become...

By Joel Achenbach | January 28, 2006; 2:51 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (69)

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Carolyn See has just published a rave review of Martha Sherrill's novel "The Ruins of California." Martha's a dear friend and former colleague -- basically, she's family. There will be no objectivity claimed in this discussion. But I will...

By Joel Achenbach | January 27, 2006; 12:23 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (136)

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Bush's War Powers

Questioned about warrantless eavesdropping, President Bush said this morning that he hasn't been "circumventing" the 1978 law that he has been ... well, circumventing. He admits he hasn't abided by the law, but "circumventing" is a word he's...

By Joel Achenbach | January 26, 2006; 11:20 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Planet OGLE BLOG!!!

Here is where we can go when we realize we have destroyed our home planet: OGLE 2005-BLG-390Lb. Planet Ogle Blog is a Sagittarius. It's 20,000 light-years away (as you know, a "light-year" is not a unit...

By Joel Achenbach | January 25, 2006; 1:24 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (167)

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2005: Hottest Year, Or Just Second Hottest?

This morning NASA revealed that 2005 was the hottest year on record. If it seems like every year in recent memory has been the hottest year on record, that's pretty close to the truth. According to NASA, the five...

By Joel Achenbach | January 25, 2006; 8:39 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (177)

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The Jack Bauer Speech To Lazy Teenager

There comes a point in life when a child turns into a creature that cannot get out of bed in the morning. You can try bribery -- cash, Red Bull, offers to buy the kid a car --...

By Joel Achenbach | January 24, 2006; 8:44 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (153)

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Jabbering With Fisher About Post Radio

This is all inside baseball, but Marc Fisher and I recently exchanged some thoughts about the Post's new venture into radio. Marc has a new blog, as you know, and he posts about 47 new items every day, and...

By Joel Achenbach | January 23, 2006; 8:04 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (128)

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My Lunch With the Dalai Lama

[Today's Rough Draft column.] Recently the Dalai Lama came to Washington to talk about religion, science, the mysteries of the human mind and various other topics that are important to any holy man whose first name is...

By Joel Achenbach | January 22, 2006; 10:14 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (37)

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The Great Zucchini

Today's magazine story by Gene Weingarten, on an entertainer who goes by the name The Great Zucchini, is a clinic in feature writing. Everyone knows Gene is funny, but he's also a superior reporter. I keep wanting to...

By Joel Achenbach | January 22, 2006; 10:10 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (28)

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Network News

Achenblog: January 22, 2006 - January 28, 2006