I try to do about three miles of brisk walking every day for exercise. On rainy or snowy days, I’m off to the gym and its treadmill, which feels like–well, like being on a treadmill. But on beautiful days or … Continue reading →
And speaking of propaganda, Bush’s visit to Iraq is a nice piece of it. The quote I like the best: I’ve come to not only look you in the eye. I’ve also come to tell you that when America gives … Continue reading →
Conspiracy theories are widespread and exceedingly popular. They appeal to the all-too-human need to make order out of chaos, and to assign blame to a convenient and/or strategic scapegoat. They arise spontaneously, or they can be manipulated for political and … Continue reading →
Every now and then I do some linking. Now seems to be one of those times: (1) At the news of Zarqawi’s untimely demise, many in the blogosphere (including myself) reached towards “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” for inspiration. … Continue reading →
A few weeks ago I had a bout of laryngitis. It’s a funny thing, laryngitis; an excellent tool for making a person feel powerless. Something most of us ordinarily take for granted—the voice—mysteriously vanishes without a word of warning. Now … Continue reading →
Yesterday I was in a large Asian grocery store in Seattle. When I say large, I mean mega-supermarket size. About a hundred types of soy sauce, fifty of tofu–oh, perhaps that’s hyperbole, but definitely many more than I’ve ever seen … Continue reading →
Despite the chorus of “yes, buts…” on the left that, although Zarqawi was indeed a nasty man who deserved to die, his death will only serve as the inspiration for more terror and was therefore not such a great event, … Continue reading →
I was rummaging around the house where I’m staying, looking for something to read, when I encountered an old favorite from my childhood, choreographer Agnes De Mille’s memoir And Promenade Home. While skimming through it, I came across a passage … Continue reading →
As Alan Dershowitz quite rightly points out (via Solomonia), the manner of Zarqawi’s death is really no different from what is known as “targeted assassinations,” often condemned when performed by Israel, and yet in the case of Zarqawi roundly applauded … Continue reading →
I’ve barely scratched the surface of the Seattle experience, but I already have the following observations: Seattle is indeed a very green city. It’s not only green in the literal sense, because of all the rain, but in the political … Continue reading →
I woke up today to the news of Zarqawi’s death. This is the best day of its kind since the announcement of Saddam’s capture. And it does not seem this time as though reports of Zarqawi’s death have been greatly … Continue reading →
I found them deep in the bottom of the safe deposit box, put there so long ago they’d been virtually forgotten. Three US Savings Bonds, gifts to me on the occasion of my birth. The denominations didn’t seem huge: 100, … Continue reading →