The official band website has been re-designed, and though it does look a lot prettier, I have to say FLASH SUCKS. (Hey Bertis! You know why the fan club succeeds? Because it’s lo-tech. Figure it out.) The merchandise store will be open next week, but for now you can read a news update about the Rock in Rio concert where they played two songs from the new album.

Perhaps I found this satirical essay about Dubya’s “South Will Rise Again!” inauguration so funny because I’m re-reading “Gone With the Wind.” Or perhaps it’s just because it’s ridiculously close to the truth. Maureen Dowd is a goddess, and I can’t wait to see what kind of material the next four years will provide her with. (Link courtesy of Ghost in the Machine.)

I think this reference to the “Viper Room” is in poor taste. Isn’t that, like, where River Phoenix DIED?

Holy cow! I actually agree with one of Charles Rice’s columns! Hell must have officially frozen over. In this one, he talks about yet another ridiculous rise in tuition. I know I’m not the only one looking down the barrel of a 20-year student loan… so why doesn’t ND do something about it?

My University newspaper includes a great article this week about incredibly high (and still rising) tuition costs. I knew what I was getting into when I chose to go there, but still, facing 20 years of debt puts a severe damper on your post-college career enthusiasm.

The Observer goes nuts with UConn victory coverage. The first issue back included a nice article about McGraw’s win, a kind of mean-spirited article about the UConn coach’s loss, a great editorial about finally beating a #1 team, and a reverential article about Siemon’s spirit.

The Observer is back! Thank God, I was really digging the bottom of the Blog Barrel there for awhile. Top story: break-ins at College Park and a fire at Castle Point. I can’t believe the College Park building manager said that the robberies were “unusual”… Everybody knows that student apartments are prime targets over the winter break.

NDToday.com has finally unveiled their new design. Unfortunately there’s still not much going on on campus, but the polls are always entertaining.

Reason #1 I Wish I Didn’t Live in London Though: It’s now the most expensive place to live in Europe.

Reasons #125 and #126 I’m Glad I Live in England: John Ashcroft’s violent anti-choice stance and his hardline drug criminalization policy. Because I think people can make mistakes, and Ashcroft’s methods of “helping” them are, to my mind, the worst possible solutions.