The news that a sculpture entitled “My Sweet Lord” (after the Beatles song, no doubt, crossed with Tom Waits)—due to debut at a New York Hotel and consisting of a six-foot tall anatomically correct chocolate Jesus—has been canceled, conjures up … Continue reading →
Many years ago I took a course to be certified as a volunteer divorce mediator in the state in which I lived. The profession was then in its infancy, and it sounded like such a good idea: the adversarial nature … Continue reading →
No surprise, really; those British hostages are being shown on Iranian TV apologizing for straying into Iranian waters. There’s nothing like the propaganda value of a few show confessions in an effort (vain, I hope) to shore up sagging support … Continue reading →
Yes indeed, it is. Yesterday I flew from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Despite the fact that it was a very windy day, the ride was smooth, and took less than an hour in the air. I’ve done that LA-SF … Continue reading →
I’m still in LA, and the weather’s been utterly spectacular. Today is a travel day to northern California, so I’ll make this very brief. The friends with whom I’m staying get the LA Times. It’s been a while since I’ve … Continue reading →
In taking fifteen British sailors prisoner, the Iranian government is merely following its tradition of win-win hostage-taking. When in trouble (and there is some evidence the mullahs are in a certain amount of internal political difficulty in Iran), the best … Continue reading →
If you’ve ever had a bad back you know the drill: the doctor places your legs and feet in various positions, takes his hands and pushes in various ways, and asks you to push back each time. What’s he doing? … Continue reading →
Animals living in groups, such as the very social homo sapiens and certain other primates such as chimpanzees, must find ways to get along. We all know that this “getting along” is a relatively flawed and halting proposition. But still,there … Continue reading →
I happened across the February 19th issue of Newsweek at the home of friends with whom I’m staying. Picking it up and thumbing through it (and how odd it seems to me nowadays to see a hard copy of a … Continue reading →
Yesterday I flew on Jet Blue from Boston to Los Angeles. For me this involves not enough sleep the night before as I pack and suddenly realize in the wee hours of the morning that I can’t take half of … Continue reading →
I had heard that blogger Cathy Seipp had been illl and that the prognosis was poor, so this news shouldn’t have come as a surprise. But it did. Someone so young and full of life shouldn’t be dying, we think, … Continue reading →
Here’s the latest from Dr. Sanity, Shrink, Siggy, and me. Tune in for the Squad’s exploration of the strange reactions of some to the news of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s confessions.
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