Even better than ticking off Team Obama, Sen. John McCain’s “Celeb” ad ticked off the Hilton family. Too bad they’ve given a lot of money to McCain:

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it seems that the new McCain ad criticizing Obama for being a celebrity has ruffled some unintended feathers. I, for one, quite liked the ad, but I hear whispers from the inner campaign staff that the phone was burning off the hook today with calls from Paris Hilton’s grandfather, William Barron Hilton (co-chair of the Hilton Hotel empire), furious that the McCain ad drew an unflattering comparison between Obama and his own granddaughter.

It seems that the elder Hilton has donated $18,400 to the McCain campaign, and $35,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee in the last couple of years. (Paris’s father, Rick Hilton, has given an additional $6,900 to the McCain campaign. Suffice it to say, he’s none too pleased either.)

“Paris Hilton’s Family Fuming at McCain Campaign” [via Michelle Malkin]

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Megan McArdle found some interesting maps showing a few aspects of global GDP. Two main conclusions to take from them: 1. the Anglosphere is evident in economic development; and 2. cities on bodies of water still matter.

“GDP: A Few Pictures are Worth a Book”

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Replying to questions, why the Marshall Plan doesn’t work, and local democracy in Jawzareen

by Connor O’Steen

First off I’d like to thank you all for your thoughtful and encouraging comments on my previous installments. The first four were published while I was in Bamyan, so I haven’t had a chance to see them or the feedback until now. I admit that I had some initial worries about publishing on a blog: it’s an intimidating idea to publish copy that will subsequently be dragged across the Internet, perhaps to be eviscerated by packs of battle-hardened commentators. I think it reflects well on Scholars and Rogues that trolling is notably muted, here, and it’s convinced me that writing these letters is absolutely worthwhile. (more…)

Ed Morrissey got sticker shock when he looked at internet access prices at the Xcel Center in St. Paul for the 2008 Republican National Convention. The cheapest plan from Qwest is $850 for four days of plugged-in service. After handling his hyperventilation Ed asked the convention’s press office about other options. There are:

Internet access is available to all media outlets, including bloggers, in several ways. Some will choose to purchase hard-wired access, others will choose to use their own wireless Internet card, and all will have hard-wired access at no cost in our state-of-the-art press filing center.

Within the Xcel Energy Center, drastic steps are being taken to provide the utmost accessibility for all members of the media. Cellular bandwidth has been increased by unprecedented proportions compared to what was offered in past conventions and cellular providers are increasing their coverage capabilities to accommodate expected rise in usage.

I’m glad to know I won’t need to worry about another unexpected expense. However, I do need your help to get me to St. Paul. My fundraising drive is still hovering at $110. I need at least $500 for an airline ticket, and I’ll need it soon before prices go up any higher.

You can help me in two ways. First, donate. Donors will get exclusive access to my convention coverage as well as offering ideas to help me report on all the happenings. A donation as small as $5 would help a lot. Simply click on the ChipIn widget below to make a donation. All I need is $500 to cover my airline ticket. the $2000 goal would cover the hotel and incidentals.

Second, forward this post to your friends and family. Link to this on your weblogs, MySpace, and Facebook profiles. Embed the ChipIn widget into your own website. Spread the word.

Help me get to St. Paul. I’m counting on you.

“Republican Convention Bloggers: Qwest Has a Big Surprise for You”

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Today has been a good day for Congress in its efforts to reimpose some limits on Presidential power. Judge John D. Bates, a 2001 Bush appointee to the Washington D.C. United States District Court, ruled today that presidential advisers and aides must appear before Congress when issued a subpoena. Congress sued the Administration in District Court to force former White House counsel Harriet Miers and current White House chief of staff Josh Bolten to appear before Congress as required by a Congressional subpoena that was ignored. (more…)

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Here’s a math word problem that will give you painful flashbacks to the 7th grade:

According to Canada.com, a proton moving at 99.9999991% of the speed of light has the energy of seven mosquitoes.

Also according to that site, three-hundred trillion protons moving at that speed has the energy of a 200 tonne train running at 200 kph.

Using this information, how many mosquitoes would it take to push a one kilogram ball to a speed of one kilometer per hour?

Science reporters for news outlets have an interesting job; some of the smartest people in the world have dedicated a lifetime of work to the most complex phenomena this universe has to offer and these reporters have to distill it down to a few hundred words at an 8th grade reading level. (more…)

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Barry Ritholtz points out a real downer to today’s economic numbers. The weekly jobless claims hit 448,000. “That’s the worst level since April 2003.” (Yet we weren’t in a recession then.)

So while I criticize those that downplay the economy things aren’t great. There’s plenty of uncertainty and fear. Who knows if another Bear Stearns or Freddie Mac-Fannie Mae crisis will pop up. We’re still in the frozen economy.

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