Nothing illegal about any of this to my knowledge. Indeed, this is the very above-board racket of running an independent political committee. Everyone does it. Left, right, center and none of the above. And anyway, why shouldn't a true pay-triot get paid?

When Kevin Phillips's The Politics of Rich and Poor hit the bestseller list last summer, the Gipperites began to squeal like a worn-out fan belt in a used Toyota.

The same firm, in a suction dredger built specially for the Rangoon port improvements, fit very powerful water jets on the underwise of the suction nozzle to disturb the hard, sandy bottom.

Both these substances, gun cotton and gun paper, have been tried successfully in firearms; but as the separation of the fibres of the former facilitates rapid combustion, it will probably be always found most suitable for that purpose; whilst in all those cases where it has been deemed desirable to condense the gun cotton, the gun paper made from paste or pulp will be found an equally advantageous and effective substance.