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Jacob Sullum (Dec 31, 2004)
Memorial Concepts Online sells an oak coffin for about $2,000, compared to an average of around $4,000 at funeral homes in Oklahoma, where the company is based. By separating... more
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Jacob Sullum (Nov 12, 2004)
I've seen a professional baseball game in person just once, and the memory of the boredom lingers. Still, I understand that many Americans not only find the game interesting... more
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Jacob Sullum (Nov 05, 2004)
"Are you trying to help or hinder the re-election of President Bush?" a reader asked me in an e-mail message a couple of months ago. "While your points are valid, unless you... more
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Jacob Sullum (Oct 29, 2004)
In 1997, when Susette Kelo bought her little house overlooking the Thames River in New London, Conn., she had to hack her way through weeds and brush to reach the front door.... more
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Jacob Sullum (Oct 15, 2004)
"If you don't know what you're talking about," South Park co-creator Matt Stone recently told Rolling Stone, "there's no shame in not voting." The comment upset... more
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Jacob Sullum (Sep 17, 2004)
American Tobacco used to promote its Carlton brand with the soft-sell slogan, "If you smoke, please try Carlton." Philip Morris has taken this approach a step further: If you... more
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Jacob Sullum (Sep 10, 2004)
When John F. Kerry declared that George W. Bush's middle initial "stands for 'wrong,'" the most commonly heard rejoinder was that the senator's middle initial must... more
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Jacob Sullum (Aug 27, 2004)
Observers dismayed by the bitter partisanship of this presidential campaign should be happy now that George W. Bush and John Kerry finally agree on something: It turns out... more
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Jacob Sullum (Aug 06, 2004)
Just before dawn on July 14, 1981, Detroit police hooked a tow truck to the basement door of the Immaculate Conception Church on Trombly Street and tore it off its hinges.... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jul 30, 2004)
"Pac-Man's homophobic," says a video game critic wearing glasses, a sweater vest and a tie. "The ghosts are homosexuals: They wear garish, bright colors and dresses,... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jul 23, 2004)
This month's decision by the Medicare program to begin paying for obesity treatments has prompted complaints that the government is forcing thin people to subsidize fat... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jul 16, 2004)
Little girls know makeup has something to do with being grown up. But when they try it on, they tend to overdo it.
Likewise, John Kerry knows "values" have... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jun 25, 2004)
A few months ago, China Daily published a letter on its Web site from "D.H.," a reader who reported being both "extremely frustrated" and "pleasantly surprised" while... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jun 18, 2004)
It turns out there's nothing wrong with Mei Chun's head. Before we left for China, a physician who specializes in international adoptions told us Mei's medical records... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jun 11, 2004)
When my daughter was 6, she spent a morning watching cartoons, during which she saw one commercial after another for cereal, candy and cookies. Inspired by these... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jun 04, 2004)
I'm beginning to think I may not learn Mandarin in time for our trip to China on Wednesday.
I never thought I'd be able to read it. According to Mobo C.F. Gao's... more
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Jacob Sullum (May 21, 2004)
If life gives you cicadas, make cicada pie. That seems to be the general attitude of the journalists and scientists chronicling the creepy, crawly, crunchy onslaught of the... more
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Jacob Sullum (May 14, 2004)
In a speech last month, Sen. John McCain said Bradley Smith is unfit to head the Federal Election Commission because his principles prevent him from properly enforcing... more
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Jacob Sullum (May 07, 2004)
"Super Size Me," a funny but tendentious film that ends with a wishful image of Ronald McDonald's grave, begins with an epigram from McDonald's founder Ray Kroc: "Look... more
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Jacob Sullum (Apr 09, 2004)
If you like to gamble, you might want to check out www.888.com, where you can play blackjack, poker, craps, slots and roulette. If you prefer sports betting, try... more
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Jacob Sullum (Apr 02, 2004)
When I started working in journalism, strips of copy had to be physically cut and pasted onto boards, which were then photographed to make printing plates. Today, thanks to... more
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Jacob Sullum (Mar 26, 2004)
The pediatrician Lawrence Diller, writing in The Washington Post, says the Food and Drug Administration has issued "an official warning . . . on the increased risks of... more
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Jacob Sullum (Mar 12, 2004)
For the last year and a half, George Washington University law professor John Banzhaf, who treats the epithet "legal terrorist" as a compliment, has been bragging that fast... more
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Jacob Sullum (Feb 27, 2004)
When I first heard Martha Stewart was in legal trouble, I did not understand what she was supposed to have done that was so bad she might go to prison for it. After reading... more
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Jacob Sullum (Feb 06, 2004)
Forget about the urine-soaked crucifix and the guy with the bullwhip protruding from his posterior. The National Endowment for the Arts was never mainly about funding the... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jan 16, 2004)
I did not realize I had sued Citibank until I received my latest Visa bill. The statement includes a credit of 73 cents labeled "SCHWARTZ SETTLEMENT REFUND."
It turns out... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jan 09, 2004)
Last year Sandy Meadows, who supervises the floral department at an Albertson's supermarket in Baton Rouge, was filling in at another Albertson's store that had lost its... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jan 02, 2004)
Last February, Mark McClellan, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, conceded that "serious adverse events from ephedra appear to be infrequent." Yet at the end of... more