In a recent New Yorker essay on the subject of theodicy, James Wood wrote:

Theologians and philosophers talk about 'the problem of evil,' and the hygienic phrase itself bespeaks a certain distance from extreme suffering, the view from a life inside the charmed circle. They mean the classic difficulty of how we justify the existence of suffering and iniquity with belief in a God who created us, who loves us, and who providentially manages the world.

With this philosophical framework in mind, let's look at some of the reviews of Mike Myers' The Love Guru.

"A whole new vocabulary seems to be required. To say that the movie is not funny is merely to affirm the obvious.  read more »

The Associated Press is reporting that the defamation lawsuit brought by former New York Post writer Jared Paul Stern against Ron Burkle, The New York Daily News, and Bill and Hillary Clinton has been dismissed by State Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub. (This comes via Jim Romenesko.)

In April 2006, The Observer's Choire Sicha profiled Mr. Stern at his Catskills cottage and reported on his book deal which was subsequently cancelled .

This was a tough weekend for a certain segment within the media community, but together, they got through it.

It started out with excitement on Friday: A journalistic fact-finding mission to Las Vegas. But even before the plane took off, some key members of the expedition almost didn't make it. Thankfully, they arrived safely and twittered word that others had arrived as well (perhaps a bit blurry), despite the fact that the trip's sponsors did not pay for their transportation to the airport.  read more »

During the flight, something happened on the ground involving someone in media, which they agreed was ]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/magical-mystery-junket-blogging-success#comments Gawker Media LLC Las Vegas Mediabistro The Huffington Post The New York Post Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:06:55 -0400 Matt Haber 70768 at http://www.observer.com http://www.observer.com/2008/very-local-angle-times-climb-gate-story

While The New York Daily News and The New York Post had identical takes on yesterday's double publicity stunt at The New York Times Building, one Post employee managed to find a new angle on the story. Herself.  read more »

Barack Obama said today that voters had a right to be concerned about media consolidation and when “Rupert Murdoch has his eyes on a lot of different media outlets.”

The comment, made at an outdoor talk with a few dozen voters in Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, was in response to a question from a voter concerned about how media consolidation impacts the freedom of the press.  read more »

Ante up!

Now suddenly everyone is interested in Newsday. The New York Times is reporting that a Manhattan media blockbuster trio is "in discussions" to buy the Melville-based newspaper: Rupert Murdoch, James Dolan and Mort Zuckerman. Sam Zell decides who's the winner.

It sets up a satisfying auction between Mr. Murdoch (Post-owner) and Mr. Zuckerman (Daily News-owner) and Mr. Dolan, who owns MSG, the Knicks, Rangers and Cablevision.  read more »

Robert A. George is an associate editor for the New York Post's editorial page and he needs your help. He's performing stand-up comedy tonight at the New York Comedy Club on East 24th Street and he sent out an e-mail to friends and supporters:  read more »

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - Reporters were mostly only half-listening moments before Hillary Clinton's eyes welled up with tears in a coffee shop here early this afternoon.

It was another of the increasing number of hour-plus gatherings put on by her campaign, and the majority of the reporters were scrolling around on Blackberrys or reading the newspaper or whispering to one another about the ubiquitous but somehow unmentionable Chelsea Clinton.  read more »

Last week, the New York Post’s deputy metro editor Michelle Gotthelf was on vacation, renovating her home in New Jersey. Meanwhile, the editorial structure of her section of the paper was falling apart: On the night of Monday, Dec. 10, metro editor Dan Colarusso unexpectedly quit, leaving a team of assistant editors to fill in on the fly.

And so, on her first day back to work on Monday, Dec. 17, Ms. Gotthelf hastily met with editor in chief Col Allan, who named her the new metro editor.  read more »

According to Gawker, New York Post city editor Dan Colarusso quit last night. One source inside the newsroom describes the mood: "Devastated. No one's too happy, not a good day."

Media Mob has an e-mail out to Post spokesman Steven Rubenstein, and is awaiting comment.

UPDATE: A spokesman declined comment.

A source familiar with the details confirmed, however, that Mr. Colarusso handed in his resigntion.