Who are the rebels? My strong suspicion is that there are few good guys here. It was the same question I asked about Egypt and Libya. In both places there were some “good guy” elements mixed among the Islamicist fanatics, … Continue reading →
…that Jennifer is a party pooper. Idioms—they’ll get you every time: Yeah, it’s sophomoric. But it made me laugh.
Continue reading →I’ve seen a lot of chatter around the blogosphere about the NSA phone records program that goes like this: “Those who argue that it’s constitutional are in favor of it.” But the two do not necessarily go together. I don’t … Continue reading →
Another changer heard from, this time poet E. E. Cummings (and yes, he capitalized his name, although not his poetry): In 1931 Cummings traveled to the Soviet Union. Like many other writers and artists of the time, he was hopeful … Continue reading →
Richard Fernandez always has something interesting to say, and this post of his is no exception: For much of history our ability to harm ourselves was fortunately limited by the crude nature of our means. But by the dawn of … Continue reading →
I was reading a post describing a new book about the original astronauts’ wives called The Astronaut Wives Club. Here’s the book’s cover photo: And that’s when it hit me: shirtwaists! Whatever happened to–shirtwaists? Not that I miss them all … Continue reading →
…to read the classics: … George Orwell’s “1984” is enjoying a surge in popularity, landing at No. 4 on Amazon’s list of “Movers and Shakers.” Sales of Orwell’s classic have risen an astonishing 5,771% as of Tuesday morning, with a … Continue reading →
I keep reading conflicting things about the chances of the amnesty bill passing. Yes? No? Do they have the votes? One thing’s clear—it sure is flying under the radar right now. And that’s unlikely to be an accident.
Continue reading →How do you pronounce “Mary,” “merry,” and “marry” in that sentence? Do all three sound different? Are two the same (and which ones), or are all the same? According to this map, it depends where you live: only in Massachusetts, … Continue reading →
A new poll: Just 45 percent of respondents said they believe affirmative action programs are still needed to counteract the effects of discrimination against minorities, while an equal 45 percent feel the programs have gone too far and should be … Continue reading →
Let me get one thing completely cleared up at the outset of this post: the NSA data-collection story is important. Vitally important. The program exists, and we need to know more about how it works, and whether it is (or … Continue reading →
…about this: [Glenn Greenwald] also wrote he had been “working with” Snowden since February… That’s part of a lengthy article about a feud between Greenwald and WaPo writer Barton Gellman about who spoke to Snowden when and about what. I’m … Continue reading →