In the last decade, ever since I’ve been paying closer attention to the MSM, I’ve been astounded at the number of things that are stated as facts and accepted as such that really don’t make a whole lot of sense … Continue reading →
Edward Villella’s position at the helm of the Miami Ballet appears to be in trouble. You might ask: Who? What? If you read the piece, you’ll see that the issue seems to be one that pervades the arts these days, … Continue reading →
Stop the presses: E.J. Dionne has a good point: This Republican presidential campaign is demonstrating conclusively that there is an unbridgeable divide between the philosophical commitments conservative candidates make before they are elected and what they will have to do … Continue reading →
Mark Knopfler, founder of Dire Straits and now solo artist, is known as an astounding guitar player. And that he most certainly is. His playing is unusual, too, in that he almost never uses a pick. His riffs are especially … Continue reading →
It used to be that candidates would make stump speeches and have debates, and that was the best guide you had to their intentions if they were to win—that, and their records. The latter consisted of the jobs they’d held … Continue reading →
What a sad milestone: After steadily rising for five decades, the share of children born to unmarried women has crossed a threshold: more than half of births to American women under 30 occur outside marriage…The fastest growth in the last … Continue reading →
I’ve been unhappy with the primary system for a long time. I don’t like the fact that so many states allow voters to cross over, rather than limiting voting to those registered in each party. I don’t like the long, … Continue reading →
The process of political change, aptly described by Ace: It’s called a paradigm shift. It’s going to seem a little weird and scary at first, but it will also be thrilling and ultimately liberating. A lot of things that have … Continue reading →
[Hat tip: commenter “expat.”] Remember the Mohammad al Durah case? There’s a new court ruling with an angle I’d not heard much about before: The [French Supreme Court] vindicated a doctor who was sued by al-Dura’s father for saying the … Continue reading →
When I hear a song or read a poem, other songs and poems often spring unbidden into my mind. They have some relation to the first, as a sort of harmonic vibration or echo. Sonnets are a particular form of … Continue reading →
Here’s a column by George Will that tackles New York’s very odd rent control/stabilitzation laws—which have been in effect in one form or other for far longer than my lifetime, and which are being challenged in court: The tenants in … Continue reading →
The Republican primaries seem to have ground down to a war of the attack ads. Most (if not all?) are the work of PACs, so it’s a bit hard to tell how involved the candidates are. It would be naive … Continue reading →