'70S UTOPIA SOON TO BE JUST ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL I was strolling through the commotion of downtown Copenhagen, past chain restaurants dressed up to look old and under towering hotels that seem to be part of a different international chain each year. Then, as if from another age, a man pedaled his wife on a Christiania Bike -- two wheels pushing a big, utilitarian, rounded bucket. You'd call the couple "granola" in the United States -- they look as out of place here in Copenhagen as an Amish couple in Manhattan. [continues 700 words]
Washington -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, normally a target for criticism from outspoken conservatives, is being hailed as an unlikely hero by the political right for joining them in calling for President Bush to free two U.S. border agents convicted of shooting a suspected drug smuggler. The case of agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos has become a cause celebre for conservative talk radio, bloggers and politicians. The agents were sentenced in October 2006 to 12 and 11 years in prison, respectively, by a federal judge in El Paso, Texas. Supporters say the initial verdict and the sentences were unbelievably harsh, an example of overzealous prosecution and of misplaced government priorities. [continues 731 words]
Whipping westward across Manhattan in a limousine sent by Comedy Central's "Daily Show," Ron Paul, the 10-term Texas congressman and long-shot Republican presidential candidate, is being briefed. Paul has only the most tenuous familiarity with Comedy Central. He has never heard of "The Daily Show." His press secretary, Jesse Benton, is trying to explain who its host, Jon Stewart, is. "He's an affable gentleman," Benton says, "and he's very smart. What I'm getting from the pre-interview is, he's sympathetic." [continues 5088 words]
