War quotes
I think my favorite quotation about war is one attributed to Trotsky: You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you. It sums up the idea that you can run, but you can’t hide–sooner or later, … Continue reading →
neo
Kerry–old habits die hard (but who’s counting?)
In the course of writing my most recent Vietnam post, I found myself rereading the transcript of the 1971 Dick Cavett Show debate between John Kerry and John O’Neill. I couldn’t help noticing that Kerry does something quite familiar during … Continue reading →
New media and old
Dr. Sanity has some interesting commentary on a post by Wretchard about the influence of the new media–blogs and other alternative news sources–on our perceptions of truth. I recommend both articles, but I wanted to add a few comments of … Continue reading →
Life imitates art (“The Runaway Bride”)
The disappearance of Jennifer Wilbanks, originally feared to be a kidnapping-murder or spousal-murder case, has been revealed to be something altogether different. Less frightening, no doubt–it’s neither a case of random nor spousal violence–but profoundly disturbing nevertheless. It seems that … Continue reading →
Garden’s up, surf’s up (yes, there is surfing in New England)
Recently most of us here have been feeling as though it’s been raining for weeks, even though it actually has only been two days. But it was one of those relentless, driving, icy rains (is that an oxymoron?) that penetrates … Continue reading →
A mind is a difficult thing to change: Vietnam interlude–after the fall
(For earlier pieces in the series, see the right sidebar under “A mind is a difficult thing to change.”) Introduction No, this isn’t the long-promised Part 4C, the post in the “A mind is a difficult thing to change” series … Continue reading →
Oh give me a tennis court, where the buffalo roam
One’s an anomaly, two may be a trend. First there were those elephants in the Seoul restaurant, now we have a herd of buffalo on a suburban Baltimore tennis court. Apparently, like girls (and the rest of us), large mammals … Continue reading →
Winston Churchill speaks (and cries)
Some wonderful quotes, this time from Winston Churchill: A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject. It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have … Continue reading →
Ho ho ho Chi Minh City
Since we’ve been talking so much recently about Vietnam, this article, entitled “Why Go Now,” in the travel section of Sunday’s NY Times, caught my eye. (By the way, the title of my piece, for those of you too young … Continue reading →
Sandals: on the cutting edge of fashion
Sandals. Summer. Freedom. Foot-binding. Foot-binding? you ask. What does that have to do with sandals, summer, freedom? Well, I would have thought the answer to be: nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero. Or, perhaps: opposite. But apparently, I would be wrong. I … Continue reading →
Home again
Amtrak report: Well, by the end of the trip, 80% of the toilets were dysfunctional. And the train was virtually full (methinks there is some sort of correlation between the two). On the other hand, the seats were comfortable, my … Continue reading →
Part 4C: work in progress
An update for those awaiting Part 4C of the “A mind is a difficult thing to change” series: it’s in the process of being written. But I always seem to underestimate the amount of work these things take (hmmm, I … Continue reading →