I recently had the honor of talking with George Will about his forthcoming book, "One Man's America" (Crown Forum). Here's a snippet of that interview:

KF: In one of the columns featured in the book, you call Pope John Paul the Second one of the most consequential people of the latter half of the twentieth century. Pope Benedict, who just made a historic trip to the United States, doesn’t have the backdrop of the Cold War—but do you think he is or will be a transformative figure, as well?

GW: "I don’t think so. John Paul the Second, because he came from Poland and because Poland was restive before he was elevated and was more so after, could not help but be the fuse that lit an explosion. He didn’t want to avoid being that, but he couldn’t have avoided it even if he’d wanted to.
    The current pope’s challenge is a trend, probably several centuries now strong, and that is toward the secularization of Europe.
    I think it was Hilaire Belloc who said that Europe is the faith and the faith is Europe. And therefore, this long-term secularization, which gathered speed in the second half of the eighteenth century is something far beyond the power of one man, however intelligent and even charismatic, to reverse."

To whom did Will dedicate this, his eighth collection of essays? What are Will's thoughts on "improvident borrowers and supposedly predatory lenders?" What has Will left out of every column for the last 15-20 years?

For these answers and more, check out "The Bookshelf" in the June issue of Townhall Magazine.

Tomatoes may protect skin from wrinkles and cancer. Mamma mia!

Update: I have been encouraged by a co-worker to add a disclaimer to this post. My father owns an Italian restaurant and therefore stands to profit from the promotion of the above link. I, however, was solely motivated to post it as a mere lover-of-marinara who is happy to know there are benefits to something I already love.

I can't make this stuff up.

"During the 1950s and 1960s — when the American economy was booming — the top income tax rates were 90 and 75 percent, respectively. Ronald Reagan gutted tax inflows. We’ll have to pay someday. It should start now."

Seen a particularly obnoxious letter to the editor recently? Send it my way at katie.favazza@townhall.com or post a comment below.

Big victory from the Supreme Court today!

What did you think of Jeremiah Wright's speech to the National Press Club this morning? Did you expect him to distance himself from his previous controversial statements? Or was this what you expected?

Update: Michelle Malkin has the definitive blog post on today's speech, a compilation of video clips and other bloggers' takes on the speech.

The candy kind, of course. Here's the link, in case you missed it.

If you're new to the Peep-HamNation series, here are the links to the past episodes:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Here's some of the links on my radar today, spanning my two professional interests and the happy intersection thereof. Enjoy!

Politics

• Clinton raised $3 million overnight. That's nice and all, but it's hardly anything to brag about, considering Obama rakes in an average $1 million per day. See also Why Clinton Won. (Frankly, I couldn't agree with this sentiment more.)
  
• Petraeus picked to command Mideast affairs.
• Happy Tax Freedom Day!!
  
• Still drafting Bloomberg? Give it up already.
• What a mess.

Media

• Is this really the best online ad ever? You be the judge.
• My favorite food blog draws attention to one of my favorite magazines today. It's a match made in heaven. Plus, it involves coffee and making you smarter. How serendipitous.
  
• Why paying people according to page views is a bad thing
  
• Wired is inspired by...The Economist? I didn't see that one coming.
  
• Ding Dong! Dead Tree Media is not dead!

Both

• There's been a lot of talk about the TIME move to a green border for this week's issue. Mr. Magazine himself addresses it (though, perhaps deliberately, leaves out his opinion). Read this media-centric take on it. Then, check out this editorial from the folks at Investor's Business Daily. (Hint: It begins, "We never cease to be amazed by the inability of the left to feel shame and its lack of reverence for America and those who defend its freedoms, including the right to be stupid."
• Why Pentagon talking heads piece in NYT had no legs
  
• Surprise, surprise: the media exaggerated (4 times over!) the number of suicides among Afghanistan and Iraq veterans. Take a look at the real numbers for yourself.
• Pundit vs. poll
• How magazines treat Obama.
  

"The potential for life begins at conception."

With one quick glance, a reader may brush over this line and hope that Sen. Clinton has converted. Here, three precursory words stand in the way of a core pro-life belief. So close, Hillary.

But as my dad says, 'almost' only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and atom bombs.

...that the key components of your passport are manufactured and assembled abroad? Neither did I, until I received a press release from Rep. Bill Sali's office today:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Concerned that the privacy and security of Idahoans are at risk, Congressman Bill Sali this week introduced legislation to require that all key components U.S. passports be made in America.

“Our government should set the highest level of standards to protect the privacy and security of our fellow citizens,” Sali said.  “Currently, key components of American passports manufactured and assembled for United States citizens are sent outside our nation.  Especially troubling is the fact that the inlaying of the Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) antennae occurs in Thailand.  Additionally, there is evidence that suggests Chinese efforts to infiltrate Thai technology firms.  This is not acceptable.  We need to manufacture American passports in America – period.” 

Sali’s legislation, H.R. 5752, will require the Department of State and the Government Printing Office to manufacture and assemble key components of the American passport within the borders of the United States.  Sali was joined in introducing the legislation by former House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA).

What do you think? Do you agree that American passports should be made in the U.S.? Post a comment below, or email me at katie.favazza@townhall.com.

I can't wait to make my first trip over to see the Newseum, which opens to the public tomorrow.

I'm anxious to see if it's a well-done and worthy historical spot--or if it's another outlet for media's usual bloated sense of self-importance.

Ladies in the D.C. area: look here and here.

Coincidence? I think not.

Who's with me?

Have 5-10 minutes to spare?

Click here and do this.

It will cost the government very little and, like the post says, give recognition to those whose family members have paid the ultimate price for freedom.

From Gawker:

The Politico is now, apparently, launching a weekly television show, which will air on most of those Allbritton TV stations (though not in New York). It will be fast-paced and hard-hitting and EDGY.

"When we think of Politico, we're always talking about, well, it would be nice to build the ESPN of politics," said Mr. VandeHei. "I think part of that would be treating politics like sports, blending in more stats, dusting down the numbers and getting inside the strategy."

Except ESPN makes money, doesn't it? There isn't, we're told, a lot of advertising money, on this Internet, for pure political coverage.

This made me giggle.

But, for the record, I think Politico is a great publication/website and I hope the TV thing takes off for them. I can't wait to see the new product.

FishbowlDC has received an advance-release copy of The New York Times Magazine's feature on Tim Russert. Check out the highlights here.

Update: Oops!

Many bloggers fall into the hobby without much training. Thankfully, not much is needed; anyone with computer access can have their own spot on the information superhighway.

Everyone under the sun, however, cannot be published in magazines.

If you're interested in writing for magazines, you may want to check out MediaBistro.com's upcoming class "Intro to Magazine Writing." If the timing (or the cost) of that particular class isn't a good fit for you, take a look at their other offerings, including short video classes, one-time workshops around the country, and more.