Thursday evening roundup

I love Britain's charity shops. I've found books there that I haven't been able to find elsewhere. Then again, I can spend hours in a used bookstore and I'm the last person to want to see them threatened.

I remember when this corporate naming trend was first catching on.

A number of people, including RM's friend who was here last week, have asked me recently why I don't have a Boston accent. I don't really know--probably because my parents don't? None of the friends with whom I grew up have one, either. I developed a very slight one when I worked on the Island and my roommate, Mike, had a super-strong one, but it went away almost as soon as I moved to DC.

Even I don't think this is right.

I don't follow the area's sports dramas, at all, so I've wondered why Dan Snyder is so reviled as the region's pre-eminent douchebag. We have an answer.

I fell off a treadmill once. Actually, twice--several seconds after having fallen off the first time. Jay was there.

You can't discuss agricultural policy without considering the farm workers.

Check out this insightful character defense. The piece also touches on political labels and political evolutions (which is especially relevant given McDonnell's thesisgate), as well as the danger of demagoguery/soundbite politics.

More on why it's not healthy to reduce dialogue over complex issues down to diatribes (with an admission that it's diatribes that get you on TV).

Conservatives' ideas on health care are welcome and needed. I don't think anybody was ever saying, "roll over." It's more like, give us something to work with. Apparently, the thinking conservatives want to do just that, but feel that the dingbats have taken away from that opportunity. Here's another example of constructive feedback from the opposition.