You may think them an odd couple. But Joan Baez seems quite taken with Michael Moore. Clive Davis led me to this recent Guardian interview with Baez, in which she mentions how the existence of Moore somehow keeps her from … Continue reading →
The Canadian election results are in, and the conservatives have won. Sorta. Kinda. Or at least we can say that the liberals have lost. Kinda. Sorta. The conservatives garnered the largest share, about 36% of the total vote. But in … Continue reading →
Having studied the stories of so many political “changers” (most recently, Kanan Makiya), it strikes me how similar the paths to such change often seem to be. Oh, the details vary, of course–different countries of birth, different turning points. But … Continue reading →
…there’s an election going on today in Canada. It hasn’t gotten a ton of attention. This AP article, for example, didn’t make the front page of the Times, nor have I heard the subject discussed during my (admittedly rather brief) … Continue reading →
I had read some of Kanan Makiya’s writings before. But I’d never realized that he was another “changer.” This interview with Makiya, appearing in a recent Democratiya, makes that clear. For anyone interested in “changers,” it’s a fascinating read. Born … Continue reading →
[This is the second of two parts. Part I can be found here.] Goebbels was an extraordinarily intelligent and even learned man who had earned a doctorate in literature and philosophy from the University of Heidelberg. Here is a description … Continue reading →
[This is the first of a two-part series. Part II will appear tomorrow.] Every now and then I read about a person whose life seems so strangely compelling that I can’t help but write about it. In telling such a … Continue reading →
Mama said there’d be days like this. And, you know what? Mama didn’t lie. Oh, actually, today wasn’t so bad. It’s just that when I was about to start working on today’s post at my computer, the power went out. … Continue reading →
The excellent Callimachus has expanded on some of the points in this post of mine, about those who think Bush lied concerning WMDs in Iraq. Callimachus tackles a subset of this group, those who say Bush didn’t lie–well, not exactly, … Continue reading →
Dr. Sanity has a post that’s well worth reading, on the topic of identification with the aggressor–how it begins as a normal process in childhood, enabling a child to manage threats and anxiety, and how it sometimes morphs into the … Continue reading →
As promised, I’ve got more to say about Moby Dick. Just think of it as that essay I struggled with in high school, redux (and, by the way, I’m still struggling). I prefer to state the question about the symbolism … Continue reading →
Many have looked to the possibility of reform of the Moslem religion for the best hope of avoiding a coming conflagration. After all, the other monotheistic Abrahamic religions have all grown and changed over time; why not Islam? Alexandra of … Continue reading →