You remember: an ideal applicant "had to be 18, usually 21," not for you "if you are uptight, frumpy, grumpy, shy, a man-hater, a debbie downer, a critic, a control freak, a pouter, a therapist, researching, writing an article, with the press, a prostitute, an escort, a relationship counselor, or a feminist with a bone to pick." Despite the fact that we are, to a woman, "easygoing, classy, dress extremely well, and enjoy many, varied, and sometimes challenging social situations," the nit-picky journalist/prostitute/therapist/pouty feminist thing got in the way of our application. But not others! It was not long before the original poster was declaring that their agency was now fully staffed, and copycat ads started popping up on craigslist boards across the nation, with titles like "Attractive early 30's male looking for a wing woman!" (Toronto) "I Need a Good Wing Woman," (San Francisco) "Wingwomen Required" (Chicago) and "Seeking New Wingwoman, $50 per number" (Orange County.)

Of course, the notion of an unthreatening - but suitably hot! - commercial wingwoman is nothing new. The ads have popped up from time to time on Craigslist since its inception. We've all heard of the "agencies" - "Bar Buddies" in San Diego, or NYC's Wingwomen. And like so many modern scourges, the phenomenon's recent ascendence can perhaps be laid at the door of the Casanova of our age, Mystery. You will, perhaps, recall that in The Pick-Up Artist, Mystery offered the use of his wingwoman, Tara, as the prize in some challenge, and explained that a guy with a female friend is disarming, but "demonstrates value." This gospel was then espoused by Mystery's acolytes all over the web. As Mystery puts it, incomprehensibly, on his web site, when working with a wing, "Work your A2 material, get into A3, lock in and have your wing ONLY come in once you are locked in. And if he doesn't come around, use this as a reason to find him with two women on your arms (heating all sets witness to this display)."

Of course, any of us with male friends have probably ended up in this role a time or two, naturally. And I know I've met men when they were with female friends; it does change the dynamic. But "Naturally" is the operative word. What's particularly creepy about these services is that they're paying for a fake friend, and more to the point, paying for one woman to help trick another into bed by lowering her guard. He's paying someone to make him appear less creepy, and in the process, making himself as creepy as is humanly possible. It also manages to use women in about ten different ways at once; as both bait and prey, decoy and target (to mix metaphors.) A guy doing this is pretending to value someone's personality, proving he's capable of platonic friendship - while at the same time actually doing just the opposite.

At its most harmless, one could argue, a ruse like this just helps a shy guy meet a few people and gain confidence. Okay. But if he's looking for a deeper relationship, isn't his girlfriend going to wonder what happened to that hot friend who was with him when they met, seemingly interested in nothing but getting him laid? Of course, when you realize someone else wrote his online dating profile, that'll be the least of your worries!

$30/hour: Personal Introduction Assistant/"wingwoman" [Craigslist]
Wing Rules [Seduction Tuition]
World Renown Pick Up Artist Seeks Wingman And/Or Wingwoman! - M4MW (Toronto) [Craigslist]
Wingwomen [San Diego Reader]
Done For You Dating [Official Site]

Tannenbaum was reportedly upset that the 9-year-old girl had been fighting with her own kid, so she decided to post an ad in Craigslist's "Casual Encounters" section which read ""Looking for a good time?-w4m 21," alongside her neighbor's phone number and email address. 22 men responded, and Tannenbaum has been charged with aggravated harassment. You stay classy, Margery! [Newsday] via [Gothamist]

[CBS News, CBS News]

• Police had been searching for more women who may have been victimized by the "Craigslist Killer," but now they are expanding the search to men as well. In an interview with NBC News yesterday, a Boston professional who did not want to be identified said that Markoff contacted him through the site. "I posted an ad on Craigslist under ‘male for t,' which stands for ‘males for transsexuals,' " the man said. "That's where he found me." He says Markoff replied by writing, "I am a 22 y/o grad student. 6'3, 205, good build, blond/blue eyes ... let me know what else you want to see or know about me." The emails started last spring and continued through late January, but they never met. He claims Markoff called him "babe" and said in another email, "What are you into and what are your stats? What are you doing tonight?" The man says Markoff used the Yahoo! address "sexaddict5385" and send explicit pictures, which is how the man recognized Markoff. According to the man, Markoff's ad in Craigslist's "casual encounters" section said he wanted to meet, "men who dress as women, with transsexuals - anyone who he can get ahold of online." The man added, "This person was trolling Craigslist like a Monopoly game. I don't know who knows who else he contacted through there."
• Markoff's fiancée, Megan McAllister, issued a statement through her lawyer. The Boston Herald reports:

  "In the past two short weeks, my life and what I hoped my life to be has dramatically changed," Megan McAllister said in a statement released by an attorney.

  "I also love my fiance and I will continue to support him throughout this legal process. My heart goes out to all of those afflicted by these events," McAllister said. "It is my intent to fully cooperate with my fiance's attorney as well as the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office . . . I can only tell them what I know and what is the truth. I will expect that these discussions will occur within the next several days."

  "What has been portrayed and leaked to the media is not the Philip Markoff that I know," McAllister, 25, said. "To me and my family, he is a loving and caring person and . . . he is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt . . . My fiance's fate should not rest in the court of public opinion, but rather in a court of law."

  McAllister did not say, as she has in previous statements, that Markoff had been set up.

• When asked how his daughter was doing, Jim McAllister told reporters with tears in his eyes that, "Megan is not doing so well, it's a very tense situation," according to People.
• As mentioned earlier, a member of the Bstreetband, a Bruce Springsteen tribute band, said the wedding had been called off. Keyboardist William Forte said a member of the McAllister family called and said, "that as of right now, there is no way they will be able to have the August 14 wedding date," according to the Associated Press.
• A law enforcement official said Markoff's fingerprint was found on the wall of a hotel in Rhode Island where a stripper was robbed at gunpoint and that Markoff sent text messages from the hotel.
• Markoff owes more than $130,000 in student loans and can't afford an attorney, according to court papers. "[Markoff] stated he did not receive financial support from his family," said an April 23 document signed by a probation officer. "[Markoff] further stated he was unemployed for a lengthy period of time and was essentially living off student loans in the amount of $130,000."
• The New York Times has a lengthy look into Markoff's background. He grew up outside of Syracuse in Sherrill, which claims to be "the smallest city in New York State," with a population of 3,150. His parents were divorced and he grew up with his mother while his brother went to live with his father. Like many high school students in town, he enjoyed hanging out at the bowling alley and local casino.
• In college at the State University of New York at Albany, Markoff was a member of the College Republicans. "We were surrounded by such a left-wing student body, and he was more like me: he didn't really share those sentiments," said one classmate, Jonathan Zierler. "He was a traditionalist as far as things like men and women's roles in society. He was a throwback from a more conservative era."
• An eviction notice is hanging on the door of Markoff and McAllister's Quincy, Massachusetts apartment. "He seemed like the rest of us in med school," Shanna Rone, a classmate at Boston University School of Medicine, told The Times in an e-mail message, "making ends meet with some skeletons in the closet ... nothing out of the ordinary."

Was Craigslist Suspect Also Targeting Men? [MSNBC]
Philip Markoff's Fiancee: I Love Him [The Boston Herald]
Fiancee Still Stands By Accused Craigslist Killer [People]
Craigslist Killing Suspect Can't Afford Lawyer [The Associated Press]
Details, But Little Insight, On Craigslist Killing Suspect [The New York Times]

Earlier: The "Craigslist Killer": A Story Told In Many Voices
Fiancee Of Accused Craigslist Killer Says He's Innocent

• Several law enforcement officials told The Boston Globe that a preliminary match has been made between the semi-automatic handgun police found in Philip Markoff's apartment and the weapon used to kill Julissa Brisman last week. Officers also said that fingerprints matching Markoff's were found on the plastic restraints and duct tape left at a crime scene, but it wasn't clear what case they were referring to.
• A fingerprint matching Markoff's was found at the Rhode Island hotel where an exotic dancer was robbed at gunpoint last week, according to The New York Times.
• Correctional officers say they noticed "shoelace marks" around Markoff's neck yesterday, leading them to believe that he tried to kill himself, reports The New York Daily News. He was moved to a segregated unit at Boston's Nashua Street Jail and placed on suicide watch. Another source said Markoff is wearing a special restraining suit to keep him from harming himself.
• Yesterday Jim McAllister, father of Markoff's fiancée Megan McAllister, spoke to reporters. According to The Boston Herald:
  

  The father of the bride said Megan McAllister has read all the news reports about the evidence.

  "How could you not?" Jim McAllister said. But he said her faith is strong. "She's still confident in Phil. Other than that, we're saying a lot of prayers."

  Speaking to reporters outside the family's home in Little Silver, N.J., McAllister briefly addressed how his daughter was holding up.

  "As expected, not well," he said in a soft voice, according to video footage of the interview. "She's still confident in Phil. Other than that, we are saying a lot of prayers."

  Asked whether his daughter had any idea about Markoff's alleged double life, Jim McAllister shook his head. "Absolutely not," he said, before walking away from the microphones, according to video footage.

• Megan McAllister wrote and sent another email to the press. People reports:
  

  "Philip has not been convicted," McAllister wrote in an email to PEOPLE. "A policeman who wished to make money off this story sold it to countless companies. Philip is a beautiful man inside and out and did not commit this crime. Unfortunately, somebody else did and needs to be penalized. Philip was set up and you are wrong to be asking me for stories."

• A friend of Markoff's has started a Facebook page titled, "Phil Markoff is Innocent Until Proven Guilty." The purpose: to "Rally against the media who is quick to place blame, against the culture that has forgotten that people like Phil are suspects, not killers." As of this morning it had 199 members.
• A Boston radio station aired an interview with a Cape Cod woman who said she sat next to Markoff at a blackjack table at Foxwoods casino on April 16, two days after he allegedly killed Julissa Brisman and the same day he's suspected of robbing a woman in Rhode Island. People reports:
  

  The Cape Cod woman said Markoff spent about $600 and hardly said a word, bringing down the upbeat mood at the table. His behavior was so odd, she told the radio station, that she mentioned him to her friends after he left. When she saw his picture in a newspaper after his arrest, she said to herself, 'Oh my God, it's him."

• Markoff's former Boston University School of Medicine lab partner, Tiffany B. Montgomery, told The Boston Globe that he experienced mood swings and depression to the point that she considered telling school counselors that he might be suicidal. She said she is "not even remotely surprised" that he has been charged with murder. The Globe reports:
  

  "He just wasn't right in the head, and I knew it, and probably other people did, too," said Montgomery, 26, who spent hours with him each day in the lab.

  "My friends from the lab group have confirmed that 'you weren't the only one feeling that way,' " she said. "I got the impression he was really disturbed."

  Montgomery, who dropped out of medical school last February because of financial problems, said Markoff's mood swings alarmed her.

  "One day, he'd be warm and friendly and smiling," said Montgomery, who now works as a biotech consultant in Boston. "And the next day you'd see him and the clouds had rolled in. And you'd say to yourself, 'This is the 50 percent of the week when it's the upset, brooding Phil, and not the smiling happy Phil.' "

• There are more calls for Craigslist to take down its "erotic services" category, or police the site more. "It is clear that Craigslist is the new frontier," Mark Lagon, executive director of the anti-trafficking group the Polaris Project told the Associated Press. "Ultimately, the 'erotic services' section must be shut down," Lagon said, explaining that a study last year found Craigslist was the site used most frequently by johns seeking prostitutes. Last month in Illinois, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart sued the site, claiming that it has actively created, "the largest source of prostitution in America."
• Prosecutors posted an ad in Craigslist "erotic services" section yesterday in an attempt to find other women who may have been victimized by Markoff. According to CBS News:
  

  "Were you attacked or robbed at a Boston-area hotel after placing an ad on Craigslist?" the ad asked. "If so, you may have information that could aid the investigation into the April 10 armed robbery of a woman at the Westin Copley Place Hotel and the April 14 murder of a woman at the Marriott Copley Place Hotel. Both victims were attacked by a prospective client who had contacted them through ads placed on Craigslist."

Sources: Preliminary Tests Link Gun Found At Markoff's Home To Slaying [Boston Globe]
Fingerprint Is Student's, Official Says [New York Times]
Suspected 'Craigslist Killer' Philip Markoff Tried To Hang Himself In Jail Cell, On Suicide Watch [NY Daily News]
Sources: Cops Make Gun Link In Philip Markoff Case [Boston Herald]
Who Is 'Craigslist Killer' Philip Markoff? [People]
"Phil Markoff is Innocent Until Proven Guilty" [Facebook]
Report: Craigslist Murder Suspect On Suicide Watch [People]
Behind 'Perfect Life,' A Darker Side [Boston Globe]
Craigslist Death Renews Calls For Limiting Sex Ads [Associated Press]
Investigators Turn To Craigslist For Clues [CBS News]

Earlier: Cops: Craigslist Killer Robbed To Fund Fiancee's Lavish Lifestyle
Fiancee Of Accused Craigslist Killer Says He's Innocent

A plea of not guilty was entered for Philip Markoff at his arraignment yesterday on charges of murder, kidnapping, and armed robbery, according to The Boston Globe. He was ordered held without bail until his next court appearance on May 21. Police have turned up new evidence in the case, saying they found a handgun in a hollowed-out copy of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, panties taken from the victims, duct tape, restraints, and ammunition. Investigators are testing the gun to see if it was used to fatally shoot masseuse Julissa Brisman on April 14. Police say a Google search of Markoff's phone number brought up an old Craigslist post advertising "Ebony Erotic Masseuse." The ad said "taking my last appointment" and told customers to call Markoff's number.

It has been revealed that when police arrested Markoff on Monday driving south on Interstate 95, he was headed to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut and his fiancée, Megan McAllister, was in the car. The Globe reports that McAllister, a medical student like Markoff, told police she frequently stays with her parents in New Jersey and had been there most of last week. She hadn't been following the story of the Craigslist Killer, but said her mother had told her, "Be careful ... There was some guy that killed somebody up in Boston." After questioning, McAllister asked to use a computer to book a plane ticket back to New Jersey and police drove her to the airport.

An unidentified police source told ABC News that they believe Markoff's motive was robbery, as he needed to pay off gambling debts. As ABC News puts it:

Police have said Markoff's fiancee, Megan McAllister, who has stuck by him and not said much publicly, was accustomed to a lavish lifestyle that may have been financed, at least in part, by the money he got from robbing other women.

Former friends say Markoff's love of gambling dates back to high school, when he wrote in his senior yearbook, "I bequeath my poker playing skills to Andy Finley so he won't lose his dad's house." A college friend of Markoff's has come forward to share a glimpse of his "dark side." In an interview with The New York Daily News, Morgan Houston said when they were walking back to their SUNY Albany dorms after a night of drinking four years ago, "[Markoff] pushed me up against the wall and tried kissing me," She says she told him, "No, Phil, get off me, stop kissing me, I'm not interested in you, what are you trying to do?" but he would not get off her. A male friend pulled Markoff off of her before things went any further.

Trisha Leffler, the Las Vegas prostitute who was robbed in a Boston hotel on April 10 has also come forward, saying she believes that she is alive because, "I just complied with everything he wanted me to do and I didn't resist him in any way," reports The New York Daily News. She says she believes Markoff was her attacker, and during their meeting, he pulled a gun on her, shackled her with plastic handcuffs, tied her to a doorknob, and covered her mouth with tape. He took cash, gift cards, a debit card, and left. "I slipped my ties within one minute after he was gone," Leffler said, adding that she plans to get out of the escort business.

At a press conference yesterday, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said in light of this case, Craigslist should take stronger action to combat pornography, prostitution, and child trafficking in its online advertisements, according to The Boston Globe. He demanded that the site make it impossible for users to post images in the "erotic services" category and hire more staff to scan the sites for ads promoting illegal activity, and suggested a $1,000 on users who post illegal ads. Craigslist chief executive Jim Buckmaster denied that the website offers sex-related advertising, claiming in an email to The Globe that the "erotic services" section should only include "legitimate escort services, sensual massage, exotic dancers, etc.," but that offers to exchange sexual favors for money are "strictly prohibited" and removed from the site.

Search Of Suspect's Home Turns Up A Gun Police Say [Boston Globe]
A High-Tech Tip, An Old-School Stakeout In Craigslist Attacks [Boston Globe]
College Classmate Says Markoff Attacked Her [ABC News]
College Buddy Morgan Houston Recalls Her Close Call With 'Craigslist Killer' Suspect Philip Markoff [New York Daily News]
Surviving Victim Of Craigslist Killer: Phillip Markoff Should Be Jailed For Life [New York Daily News]
Amid Calls To Curb Ads For Illegal Sex Craigslist CEO Defends Status Quo [Boston Globe]

Earlier: Fiancee of Accused Craigslist Killer Says He's Innocent

Philip Markoff, of Quincy, Massachusetts, will be arraigned this morning on charges that he murdered Julissa Brisman, 26 of New York City, who was found unconscious with multiple gunshot wounds in Boston's Copley Marriott Hotel on April 14, reports CNN. Police says Brisman advertised her massage services on Craigslist. According to a statement by Boston police, "It appears that there was a struggle between the victim and the suspect in the threshold of the hotel room immediately prior to the shooting."

Markoff is also charged with kidnapping and armed robbery in a separate case involving another woman he met on Craigslist, according to The Boston Globe. Police say he tied up and robbed a prostitute at gunpoint at the Westin Copley Hotel on April 10. Police are still investigating whether Markoff is linked to an incident that took place on April 16 at a hotel in Warwick, Rhode Island, where a gunman tied up an exotic dancer and tried to rob her, but fled when the woman's husband entered the room. The same plastic zip-tie cuffs were used in all three cases, according to The Boston Herald.

Markoff was stopped by police and arrested while driving south on Interstate 95. Though he is innocent until proven guilty, a large amount of damning evidence has been turned over to the press. The man captured on surveillance cameras at each crime scene is shown checking his Blackberry, and police say Markoff's email address and IP address helped identify him.

A portrait of Markoff as "a clean-cut Boston University medical student preparing to wed a blond beauty," as The Boston Heald put it, was quickly assembled from searching online sources like his Facebook page, online class schedule, and a website for his wedding to Megan McAllister, which was supposed to take place this summer.

In addition to the horror of having her fiance accused of murder, Megan McAllister now has to deal with the intimate details of her life being reported in the press. Many news articles commented on her appearance, analyzed the details of her wedding registry, and made jokes about the wedding being off. All of Markoff's personal sites have been taken down, but Gawker posted screenshots of the wedding website, which reveals that the couple were both students at the State University of New York-Albany, and met three years ago while volunteering at a hospital.

Though password protection was added to their profile on TheKnot.com in the past few hours, their guestbook quickly filled with anonymous posts blaming McAllister for not realizing what was going on, such as:

from: Common Sense 4/21/2009
How could you NOT see that you were with a psychopath? Forget the Noritake China place setting and thank God you're still alive!

from: GetReal 4/21/2009 She had no idea ... right! All these unexplained absences ...where did he say he was for 3 or 4 hours at a time? I've sat next to someone on the bus and after 30 seconds I knew they were up to no good.

from: a Mom 4/21/2009 Dumb girl, You have have had to see something in this creep! Too bad you could have saved the girl he killed. Shame on you stupid fuck.

And making cruel jokes:

from: brandon 4/21/2009
this is what happens to a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown with a BRIDEZILLA up his all 24/7

from: Nurse Ratchet 4/21/2009
What's the difference between a 22 year old doctor wasting his youth in prison, or in marriage? . . . None.

Though the public seems to have already condemned Markoff, McAllister still insists that her fiance is innocent. In the clip below, Good Morning America reports that this morning McAllister sent an email to ABC News saying:

Philip is a beautiful person inside and out and could not hurt a fly! A police officer in Boston (or many) is trying to make big bucks by selling this false story to the TV stations. What else is new?? Philip is an intelligent man who is just trying to live his life so if you could leave us alone we would greatly appreciate it. We expect to marry in August and share a wonderful, meaningful life together.

Pre-med Student To Be Arraigned In Craigslist Slaying [CNN]
BU Medical Student Arrested In Hotel Killing, Robbery [The Boston Globe]
Cops: BU Med Student The Craigslist Killer [The Boston Herald]
Accused Craigslist Killer's Prosaic Facade [Gawker]
Megan McAllister & Philip Markoff - Our Guestbook [The Knot]

The men began showing up a year and a half ago, responding to an ad that someone claiming to be Goddard placed on Craigslist, looking for random sex. The listing had Goddard's name, address, and phone number. When the men arrived, Goddard had to explain that she'd never placed the ad, and though she attempted to get the ads pulled, they kept popping up, and so did the unwanted visitors.

Goddard's case, notes Marc Fisher of the Post, represents a need for stricter laws in regards to cyber-harassment. At present, police believe they know who is setting Goddard up and placing the ads, but there's not much they can do about it. "The men who came cannot be arrested," Fisher writes, "Technically, lawyers say, they've been invited. And the person behind the phony invitations remains uncharged — because the laws protecting people from such attacks aren't tough enough; because the culprits make themselves into phantoms, changing e-mail addresses and identities by the minute; and because the Web sites used for such harassment resist handing over records."

The person targeting Goddard has switched tactics whenever Goddard attempts to ward off uninvited guests; after she put a sign on her door, explaining the Craigslist set-up, the poster placed a new ad stating. "My cell phone isn't working, but I will be home, so bang on the patio door. Ignore notice on front door."

Goddard is understandably a mess from the harassment, resorting to medications for her anxiety and keeping meticulous track of the harassment via phone calls, emails, and online postings in the hopes that eventually there will be a way to prosecute the person responsible. "But the best police say they can do is to tell Goddard to ignore the culprit," writes Fisher, a statement that many stalking victims know all too well. The way we interact and communicate is rapidly changing; it's cases like this that prove that the law desperately needs to catch up.

A Twisted Case Of Cyber Harassment [WashingtonPost]

Some gems include:

"looking for friend with beniftits" *sigh* Where do I start, young sir? There is a section dedicated solely to you getting your johnson stroked. Its called NSA! And what "beniftits" were you looking for? Perhaps some spelling/grammar lessons? I'd be happy to tutor you. Maybe I'm viewing this entirely the wrong way? Maybe you are in fact extremely clever and were using a play on words? Benef-tits? I think not.

"im 6'4" 270lbs blk straight teeth" Black straight teeth? Maybe you should spend your time at the dentist rather than Craigslist. Or, use a flippin comma.

Check out the full list — but only if you're spontaneous, fun-loving, athletic, and thin.

Why I Am Not The Perfect Girl For You [Craigslist]

MEGAN: So, I felt like we should discuss something timely this morning, like how red wine might slow aging because it "exploit[s] an ancient biological survival mechanism, that of switching the body’s resources from fertility to tissue maintenance." And/or it makes you not mind living longer, unlike the caloric restriction diet that does the same thing.

MOE: Sorry, just back from a caffeine run. The new ethos is sort of wearing thin down at Starbucks. I feel like red wine mostly just switches my resources from "thought formation" to "oh god please just let me die," so it's ironic the stuff actually KEEPS YOU ALIVE. And hey…can inhibit fertility? Sign me up!
MOE: So man…slow news day eh?

MEGAN: Yeah, I mean, it's totally like pulling teeth to find shit to talk about. Hey, you might not get rice with your Chinese food now because of rising food prices!

MOE: Well, Wednesday is also Tom Frank day. Frank no likey Fareed Zakaria, check it:

The facts Mr. Zakaria adduces to prove this have an oddly size-ist bias, as they might say on campus. The tallest building in the world is in Taiwan, he writes; the richest human is a Mexican; and China has the world's biggest factories, biggest shopping malls and its biggest casino.

Wait, I thought the tallest building was in Malaysia?
MOE:

But don't be alarmed, senator. By this reasoning, one might just as well claim that British health care is better than anyone else's because London has the world's tallest hospital building. Or that Falangist Spain was the acme of piety since Generalissimo Franco built the world's largest crucifix. Similarly, Mr. Zakaria's observation that the world's biggest airplane "is built in Russia and Ukraine" – actually, as far as I can tell, it is a Soviet-era cargo plane, and only one of them was built – might demonstrate, by his logic, that the Soviets were the real victors in the Cold War.

MEGAN: I believe the Taiwanese built one just to beat the Malaysian one and the Malaysian answer to that isn't done yet or something. Thank God we as a country have gotten over building big crap to prove something about our, um, size. Now we just bomb shit. It's much more efficient and metaphoric because what's the use of getting a stiffy over something if it can't explode?
MOE: Well right and Taiwan's not allowed to build nukes right? They're not Israel for chrissakes. Anyway Tom Frank doesn't think that suave senator from Illinois is going to get anywhere reading that hack Zakaria and suggests a book by JK Galbraith.

MOE: Oh dude how did I miss the all-important George Lucas endorsement?
MOE: What ELSE did I miss?
MEGAN: Ok, I was going to say "It's hard to get anywhere when gas costs $4" and link to this story but then I opened it and, MY GOD, Ford is selling a fucking pickup truck for more than $100,000. The apocalypse really is at hand. I gotta go figure out how to build a bomb shelter in a one bedroom condo.

MOE: Oh God it's June 4. Remember June 4? Don't worry, most kids our age in China don't either.

Last year, Tiananmen Square was patrolled once again by plainclothes policemen, ready to quash any attempts to remember the victims of the massacre. People involved in the democracy movement were removed from the city or placed under house arrest. Three editors of a Chengdu newspaper that carried a tiny advertisement saluting the “mothers of June 4” were fired from their jobs. It turns out that the young clerk who had approved the ad hadn’t grasped the significance of the date. She, like the rest of her generation, had been robbed of her own history.

MEGAN: That's actually kind of hilarious! You can't tell them about it because they'll know, so you fire them over it so they'll know.
MOE: Right? And the curious paradox is not limited to that repressed society! The writer, Ma Jian, says he was recently asked to speak to a group in London, which advertised the appearance of a "banned novelist" — and asked him to refrain from criticizing China! Think Rupert Murdoch was involved? And speaking of Murdoch, how is his favorite rookie presidential candidate holding up?
MEGAN: Um, I think he's doing ok. He might've kind of had a long night or something last night.
MOE: Did you see this Hillary speech everyone is giving such rave reviews? Because I was singing "Say My Name" at Dodai's birthday. Never request that at karaoke. My roommate thought it would be easier than "The Boy Is Mine." BAD. CALL. But gargantuan respect for Beyonce now, not that I didn't have it before.
MEGAN: Yes, um, the last time I sang karaoke was with Angela and Spencer and some guy Mike and I rapped "The Jump Off" by Lil Kim and I fully encourage you to ask one of them about it sometime for your own amusement. Even better: I was sober.
MEGAN: Wait, people are giving her non-concession speech rave reviews? I kept being like... is she going to say it now? Now? Now?
MOE: Wait it wasn't Mike Madden was it? And re the "raves", I was deliberately mischaracterizing so the commenters wouldn't be able to say, "Well you would think that if you sought out sources of information from a spectrum slightly broader than the Talking Points Memo —- Matthew Yglesias one" Because they were not huge fans of the speech, to deliberately understate.
MEGAN: I mean, she did look very relaxed, I can't say I love the royal blue suit on first glance but with the full impact of the color minimized by the podium it set off her coloring quite nicely. She kept reciting these lists of blue-collar and lower-middle class people that voted for her which made me laugh thinking of this woman that I saw protesting on Saturday.

MEGAN: But then she delivered me the best. gift. ever. She asked all her supporters to leave her messages on her website telling her what they think she ought to do, and my bloggy heart sang a song of triumph.
MOE: Hahaha that lady is awesome. ARUGULA LOVERZ 4 HILL… BOHEMIAN BOURGEOIS FOR WHISKEY SPECIALS…BABY EINSTEIN BUYING AIMEE MANN LISTENERS FOR HILLARY CLINTON
MEGAN: Because, really, I think comments like this could put to rest that sense that people have that Obama supporters are the only ones who support their candidate without regards to logic or this issues. "I CAN'T BEAR THE THOUGHT OF HER NOT BEING IN THIS RACE...IT HURTS TO THINK ABOUT IT...I WANT HER TO KEEP GOING. HILLARY - WHAT CA WE DO? TELL US AND WE WILL DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!! WE ARE BESIDE YOU 100000% - SO WE ARE HERE FOR YOU, AND WE ALWAYS WILL BE. PLEASE TELL US WHAT WE NEED TO DO. I KNOW YOU WILL DO WHAT IS RIGHT, BUT FOR MANY OF US, THE ONLY RIGHT THING IS FOR YOU TO BE PRESIDENT!!!! HOW DO WE NOT CONTINUE THAT FIGHT WHEN WE BELIEVE SO MUCH THAT YOU ARE THE BEST CANDIDATE???? YOU ARE BETTER - IT'S THAT SIMPLE. HOW DO WE JUST STOP?????"
MEGAN: Damn, I should've blockquoted that.

MEGAN: Dude, I think I like this quote even better:

I know the Clinton's have a lot of money. But I don't expect them to give up it all up to pay off our campaign debts. Hillary and her family have given their all physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to her campaign.

MOE: Um, that is a real quote? Man, the internet takes all kinds, don't it?
MEGAN: Yes, it's a real quote! I can't even type in all caps for that long, my pinkie gets tired.
MOE: Oh HAH, David Granger came out and denied being the Esquire editor who told someone on the Clinton campaign Todd Purdum was a bigger embarrassment to the profession than Jayson Blair and Judy Mitchell and Bonnie Fuller combined or whatever that was.

MEGAN: Oh, totally, it wasn't him.
MOE: But it wasn't totally fabricated!

"I didn't say anything to him," said Granger. "One of my editors sent a personal email to Doug Band [a longtime Clinton staffer who is described in Purdum's story]. It was an editor who has a personal relationship with Doug. Doug emailed my editor who then forwarded it to me and he said he was sorry that his comments were taken in another direction."

MEGAN: Oooh, a personal relationship, huh? I love how an editor didn't say anything like "This is on background" and then proceeded to give ammo to someone.

MEGAN: Also, in case you missed it, just to give some people some red meat so we can continue discussing sexism in the media and the campaign and whatever, Jeffrey Toobin last night called Clinton's non-concession speech "deranged narcissim".
MOE: Yeah…well…email can be embarrassing. I think we've sort of made a profession out of that. Emails to potential sources intended to make powerful people believe a journalist is "on his side" would probably make a more worthwhile blog feature even than Crap Email From A Dude…in fact my old editor had a fucking gem he wrote to Allen Iverson's mother once to try and get her cooperation on his biography…which reminds me, just in a general way, did you check of the other links between sports and this campaign…
MOE: Oh! Deranged narcissism, as opposed to her husband's merely cavernous narcissism. Tell that to Joe Dumars! (Not to mention Gary Hart.)

Some in the media are declaring the series over because the Boston Celtics have won four of the six games played so far. But I don’t understand why, with a series this close and hotly contested, anyone would want to shut it down before we play a seventh game and have all the results in. As anybody who follows the NBA knows, a seven-game series would be good for the league, and the added competition would make the eventual victor, whomever it might be, a stronger opponent against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.

MEGAN: Dude, I know exactly nothing about basketball except that the orange ball goes in the hoop and I can't play it worth a goddamn.
MEGAN: So the whole thing is sort of over my head but I'm guessing it's mocking Hillary for staying in the race, right? Way to not play into a gender-based argument there... Oh, wait, it's The New Republic, I forgot.
MOE: Well you are not an urbane tomboy! Okay, I think I had better post this shit.