Yesterday’s winter scene
Kids resisting the siren call of the computer: The cold snap has been long enough that the pond is frozen, and that means it’s ice hockey time. Around here, even the two-year-olds know how to skate.
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Getting Feith: Emily Litella, ace reporter for the WaPo, says “never mind”
Last night I was in the middle of preparing a piece about the Washington Post article that described the Pentagon’s sharp criticism of Douglas Feith for giving too much credence to some faulty prewar intelligence reports of a connection between … Continue reading →
Hating those dreadful neocons (Part II): Right and Left unite
As I wrote yesterday in Part I, neocon-hatred is sometimes connected with poorly-veiled anti-Semtism. But there are many other reasons that some people on both Left and Right hate neocons. This post will, of necessity, contain many generalizations; I don’t … Continue reading →
Hating those dreadful neocons (Part I): cavils about cabals
Neocons are the folks so many people love to hate. And hate to love. To many, “neocon” has become an epithet. And this was true quite some time before the Iraq War. Some of the people using the term that … Continue reading →
NASA’s advances in personal comfort during those long rides
Fortunately, Alexandra Gekas has saved me the chore of doing the research on this one: what’s up with the diaper worn by Nowak in her long voyage to inner space and Florida? The fact that she word a diaper for … Continue reading →
Oh Rudy, Rudy, Rudy: Giuliani and LaGuardia
Giuliani’s no Cary Grant (who, by the way, did not actually say “Judy, Judy, Judy“in any movie). But nevertheless, to an electorate starved for somebody to love, he’s got a certain rough charm. John Podhoretz thinks (hat tip: Pajamas Media) … Continue reading →
The Sanity Squad: it’s hot!
This week the Sanity Squad takes on the weighty topic of climate change and what might be done about it. Please join Siggy, Shrink, Dr. Sanity, and myself for a chat. Dr. Sanity has a good deal more to say … Continue reading →
Frost on poetry: “the happy discoverer of your ends”
Here’s a little relief from politics and its discontents–excerpts from a discussion by Robert Frost entitled “Conversations on the Craft of Poetry” (1959).” Any aspiring poets in the crowd, please listen to a guy who knows–who really knows. In response … Continue reading →
Are all hatreds alike?–becoming “just like them”
Recently I rented the movie “United 93.” The edition I watched included an addendum to the film, interviews with families of some of the passengers on Flight 93 who’d been featured in it. This was almost as interesting as the … Continue reading →
My mother: there’s bad news and there’s good news
Those of you who’ve followed the continuing saga of my 93-year old mother (yes, she just had a birthday) know that she moved back to NY in mid-November. So, how’s it going so far? Well, she hates it. But she’s … Continue reading →
Wintertime and the gardening is easy
Taken just a moment ago:
Continue reading →Essay: Isn’t it Romantic?
I’ve got an essay up at Pajamas Media. Topic: “Isn’t it Romantic?: suicide, homicide, terrorism, and Romanticism.” That’s “Romantic” with a capital R.
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