BatesLine op-ed headlines

San Antonio Streetscapes: A photographic essay on what the Alamo City does right when it comes to conserving the best features of its downtown.

I'm also blogging at Choice Remarks, the official blog of Oklahomans for School Choice. Come visit!

the wichita bbq experience

Reviews of Wichita barbecue joints. B&C is a personal favorite.

Cosy Coffee Shops - independent coffee shops in Britain

A sister site to Indie Coffee Shops (USA).

Eleventary: 11 Places to See in London

One of George Grant's London Lists. See also 11 Bookshops, 11 Places to Eat, 11 Places to Shop, and 11 Day Trips from London.

Neatorama: 25 Strangest Collections on the Web

Mangles, banana labels, Soviet calculators, barf bags, and 21 more. (Via Mister Snitch!)

The NRCC Blog: Republican Solutions and a Positive Agenda

Oklahoma Cong. Tom Cole, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, posts a blog entry and gets an earful from dissatisfied Republicans in the comments. (Via Michelle Malkin.)

Oil Is Mastery

A blog devoted to the theory of the abiogenic origin of petroleum -- the idea that hydrocarbons aren't really "fossil fuels" after all.

Grist: An interview with peak-oil provocateur Matthew Simmons

Matthew Simmons, who deals in energy company mergers and acquisitions, and who predicted in 2005 that oil would be at $200 per barrel by 2010, says hybrids aren't enough: "We have to find, for instance, far more energy-efficient methods of transporting products by rail and ship rather than trucks. We have to liberate the workforce from office-based jobs and let them work in their village, through the modern technology of emails and faxes and video conferencing. We have to address the distribution of food: Much of the food in supermarkets today comes from at least a continent or two away. We need to return to local farms. And we have to attack globalization: As energy prices soar, manufacturing things close to home will begin to make sense again." (Via 2Blowhards.)

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The worst cities for allergies

Oklahoma City's 11th worst, Tulsa's 19th.

The Social Affairs Unit - Web Review: Euthanasia and the Sport of Kings: The racing industry should run older horses

Joyce Lee Malcolm writes: "As a horse owner and backyard rider even I know that until a horse is four years old his bones are still developing. The racing industry needs to grant these animals another year before pushing them onto the track.... And the trend toward speed rather than stamina should stop. These horses are now designed for shorter and shorter racing careers, their solid torsos balanced on long, fragile legs. Like American cars built of fiberglass for better mileage, their bones are light for speed, but woe betide you in an accident."

Divine Vinyl: Turned On To Jesus - purgatorio

The latest collection of odd and intriguing Christian record album covers, this time including a bio and photo of pencil-thin-mustachioed Bill Bright on the sleeve of a 45 of one of his talks.