My baby brother Michael died yesterday.

He was profoundly retarded. When he was born, the doctors told us it would be a miracle if he lived to be 16. But he did, and then he went on living another 7 years.

Michael was a baby all his life. He didn't walk. He needed to be fed. He wore diapers. He was mostly blind, but he loved to have the sunshine on his face. He loved to hear people talk to him and loved having people fawn over him. He loved music. He hated to be held, but there was no other way to move him around. He may have been my brother, but he was heavy. He hated loud noises. He hated having to wait for his dinner and would make an awful racket.

Michael was lucky that my parents shouldered the burden of taking care of him. My parents chose to sacrifice everything they could to make Michael happy, and they succeeded. Michael was happy almost every day of his life. What more could anyone ask out of this wicked world?

And I miss him terribly. Even though I knew it was going to happen soon. Even though I've been expecting that call for years. It's hard to realize exactly how much you love someone like that until they're gone, and now he's gone, my sweet baby brother Michael.

I've long thought Deborah Solomon was a terrible interviewer. Her short fluffy NYT Magazine interviews have a strangely aloof quality to them, as if there is a disconnect between what is asked and what is answered. As it turns out, that appears to be the case. This is ok for satirists like Colbert and the Daily Show guys, but it's not so great for the Grey Lady.

I also want to point out Phil Nugent's clear-eyed analysis of the Bush Administration's weird ethical gymnastics. It's a thing of truth and beauty.

Last, but definitely not least, the 33 1/3 blog has an excerpt from David Smay's upcoming book on Swordfishtrombones. Smay is not just a good friend and a hell of a writer; he's the guy who first gave me a break when he and Kim Cooper accepted my submissions to Lost In The Grooves. This excerpt excites me quite a bit. I think it's going to be a hell of a great book, and I'm looking forward to seeing any parallels between his work and my own.

Great New Yorker article about David Simon, the genius behind "The Wire". It's long but absolutely necessary for fans.

"I'm not trashing your book. I'm trashing your philosophy of life."

This may be the best Jon Stewart interview yet. Watch him deconstruct Chris Matthews.